Mint Water: Nutrition, Benefits, Downsides, How To Make It - Healthline

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Evidence BasedMint Water: Nutrition, Benefits, Downsides, and How to Make It

Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN — Written by Cecilia Snyder, MS, RD on February 2, 2022

What it is
Nutrition
Health benefits
Risks
Variations
How to make it
Mint water on the go
Bottom line

Mint water is a fresh herb-infused beverage.

There’s a lot to love with mint water. It’s tasty, requires few ingredients, contains negligible amounts of calories and sugar, and it may even help you stay hydrated.

If you aren’t that keen on the taste of plain water but need more hydration, mint water could be your new drink of choice.

This article explains more about mint water, including its health benefits, homemade recipes, and potential downsides of this refreshing and low calorie drink.

stirring mint in glass of water — VegterFoto/Stocksy

What is mint water?

In short, mint water is basically an infused tea that you can enjoy hot or cold.

Mint belongs to the Mentha genus of plants — a group of about 40 species of fragrant perennial herbs (1).

These types of mint have been used for thousands of years as culinary herbs and for medicinal purposes (1, 2).

Today, many people enjoy mint water because it’s a refreshing and healthy drink that you can make with just two ingredients — mint and water.

Two of the most popular species of mint are spearmint and peppermint. If you buy fresh mint from the grocery store, there’s a good chance it will be spearmint.

You’ll find spearmint or peppermint most often in mint water, though you could use any type of edible mint.

SUMMARY
Mint water is a drink made by infusing fresh or dried mint leaves into water.

Mint water nutrition

Because mint water often contains just mint and water, it proves low in calories and sugar.

Two tablespoons of fresh spearmint leaves contain only 5 calories while the same amount of peppermint leaves contains about 2.5 calories (3, 4).

In addition, spearmint and peppermint contain small amounts of other nutrients like protein and fiber, though spearmint boasts a decent amount of the minerals iron and molybdenum (3).

Many mint species also contain bioactive phytonutrients that may boost your body’s overall health (4, 5, 6).

But for the most part, you receive little nutrition from your mint water because of the small amount of mint in your water. Mint leaves remain a poor source for most macro and micronutrients.

Keep in mind, packaged mint waters may also contain more ingredients than just mint and water.

Extra ingredients won’t only change the flavor of your mint water, but they might change the nutritional profile. When you make your own mint water, you can add additional ingredients to make it to your liking — including honey or other sweeteners.

SUMMARY
Mint water is low in calories, sugar, and most other nutrients though it does contain a number of health-promoting plant chemicals called phytonutrients.

Does mint water have health benefits?

Mint has enjoyed a long and storied history within herbal medicine traditions. Perhaps it’s no surprise that mint tea may offer you some interesting health benefits.

Researchers continue to study mint today, thanks to its potential antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and other disease-fighting properties (2, 7, 8, 9).

Furthermore, some early research indicates how spearmint may be used to help balance your hormones and treat polycystic ovary syndrome — a hormonal condition that can affect women during their reproductive years (10, 11).

It’s important to distinguish between mint and mint water. Though mint shows some potential as a therapeutic agent, herbal tea infusions like mint water have not yet been studied with proper depth.

Thus, some benefits of mint cannot be attributed to mint water directly (8, 12).

Nevertheless, mint water offers some health benefits that you should consider. Consider these highlights:

A refreshing way to stay hydrated. Drinking water supports your metabolism, body temperature, circulation, and more. Still, some people struggle to drink plain tap water. Mint water possesses more flavor than plain water, yet it helps you stay hydrated all the same (13).
Might help with weight loss. Some research points to water as an aid in weight loss — especially when you consume mint water in place of other higher calorie beverages like soda and cocktails. Still, many researchers demand more studies to reinforce these claims (14, 15).
Supports digestive health. Some people find mint helpful in aiding their digestion and relieving stomach pain. Most research, however, on the topic has focused on essential peppermint oils rather than mint water itself (16, 17, 18, 19).

SUMMARY
Drinking mint water can help you stay hydrated and may even help you lose weight — if it replaces higher calorie beverages in your diet. Some people also find mint water helps ease side effects of indigestion like gas and bloating.

Are there any risks to mint water?

Mint water proves safe for most people to drink in regular amounts.

Most adults need 9.7–16 cups (2.3–3.8 L) of water each day. If you plan on drinking more mint water than this, you may find it best to check with your healthcare professional first to discuss your personal hydration needs (20).

If you’re pregnant, mint water appears to be safe if you drink a few cups a day under most circumstances (21).

There isn’t much current research conducted on the safety of mint water during pregnancy. Therefore, you should consider checking with your doctor before drinking high amounts of mint water during your pregnancy.

Finally, some cases of mint allergies have been reported — though they are rare. If you notice any abnormal side effects from drinking mint water such as hives or swelling, it’s best to stop immediately and consult medical help (22).

SUMMARY
A few cups of mint water a day appears safe for most people. If you’re pregnant or wondering if you could have a mint allergy, it’s best to check with a trained healthcare professional before you drink mint water.

Variations of mint water

Classic mint water needs just two main ingredients — mint and water!

You might find it refreshing as is, but you can also glam up your mint water in many ways.

For example, mint water also pairs splendidly with:

cucumber slices
fresh berries
citrus segments
melon cubes
rosemary
basil
coconut
ginger
turmeric
honey
stevia

One of the best things about mint water is that you can infuse it with any additional herbs, fruits, or vegetables that you please.

SUMMARY
You can enjoy mint water plain or you can try combinations of other fresh flavors using fresh herbs, fruits, or vegetables.

How to make mint water

To make your own mint water at home, follow these quick steps:

Fill a jar or a small water canister with 4 cups (946 mL) of fresh water.
Rinse about 4 sprigs (about 25–30 leaves) of fresh mint. You can use more or less mint to your liking.
Gently crush the leaves until you begin to smell a minty aroma.
Submerge the mint sprigs into the water.
Let the mint and water sit for a few hours so the mint has time to impart its flavor into the water.

For a quicker infusion, you can also boil your mint water for 3–5 minutes before letting it cool. Also, you can enjoy it as a hot mint tea.

SUMMARY
Making mint water at home is as simple as covering a few sprigs of fresh mint with water and allowing time for its flavor to be absorbed.

How to take mint water with you

Another perk of mint water is that because it only requires two ingredients, you can make it quickly and take it with you all day — wherever you travel.

You’ll find taking herb water with you can be as easy as dropping a few fresh mint leaves into your water bottle for the day.

There are also tons of different water bottles designed for infusing your water with herbs or fresh fruits. A recycled single-use plastic bottle may not get the job done.

These bottles often feature a cylinder in the center of the container that allows your flavors to seep into your water without any of the pulp, peel, or stems making their way into your drink.

SUMMARY
You can bring mint water with you wherever you go using your water bottle. You can also buy an infuser-style bottle that’s made for infused waters.

The bottom line

Mint water adds an infusion of mint into plain water.

You might like mint water as is, or you may prefer adding more ingredients like fresh fruits or honey into your water.

You can drink refreshing mint water all day to stay healthy and hydrated.

You may also notice improvements in your digestive system if you favor mint water over other higher calorie beverages.

Try making your own mint water at home to see what you think of this refreshing, low calorie drink.

Just one thing

Try this today: People often associate mint with drinks and desserts, but did you know mint can complement savory dishes too? Take a look at our Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe for a fresh take on mint!

How we reviewed this article:

History

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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN — Written by Cecilia Snyder, MS, RD on February 2, 2022

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Nutrition

What is mint water?

Mint water nutrition

Does mint water have health benefits?

Are there any risks to mint water?

Variations of mint water

How to make mint water

How to take mint water with you

The bottom line

Just one thing

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

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