Can Fruit Infused Water Go Bad? [Benefits & Dangers]

I’ve been looking at replacing sodas with something more healthy and thought I’d give fruit-infused water a go.

But, I’m curious how long does it lasts in the fridge, and can I make it the night before?

I looked into the expiration date on popular infused water brands and here’s what I found.

Fruit-infused water makes water taste a lot better and is very similar to drinking a fruit-flavored herbal tea.

However, making your own gives you much greater control over the flavors.

And gives you room for a lot of creativity to create flavors that you love.

Below, I will explain how long to leave fruit in water when you’re infusing it, whether fruit-infused water can make you sick if you need to swap out the fruit in fruit-infused water, and if you can reuse fruit from fruit infused water.

How Long Can Fruit Stay in Infused Water?

A good option that also looks really nice is to keep the fruit in the water while you drink it throughout the day.

But, generally how long can you leave the fruit in the water?

For convenience people generally make a batch of fruit-infused water in the morning and drink it throughout the day.

Some tried and true recipes are cucumber and mint.

As well as lemon and ginger to really clear your sinuses.

Or, if you’re feeling sick you can make it into a hot tea to clear your throat.

The sourness of strawberry and citrus flavors is also a refreshing and cleansing option.

One trick in warm weather is to use frozen berries on their own or with other flavors like mint.

Then as the berries begin to soften you can eat them as they plop into your cup.

Just try not to create too much of a splash!

Fruit-infused water is very fresh and refreshing but I was curious if I left some at the back of the fridge or on the cupboard whether it can go bad and make you sick.

Here’s what I found…

Because you need a lot of water throughout the day, if you drink fruit-infused water that is spoiled you can get a large dose of bacteria which can give you an upset stomach.

Also, if you notice mold growing on the surface of fruit-infused water you should throw it out.

It’s best not to risk it since it’s so easy to make another batch.

When it has spoiled though, you will notice it has a funny smell and tastes bad and you won’t feel like drinking it.

Leaving fruit in fruit-infused water is easier than removing the fruit after it has infused, and has the added bonus of giving you something delicious and healthy to snack on.

However, I’m interested in how long fruit can be left to infuse in water before you change it out.

The reason is that the part of fruit infused water that goes bad is the fruit juice.

But, the fruit juice stays in the water even after you take the fruit out.

Therefore, if you put fresh fruit in it won’t change how old the existing fruit juice is.

Most folks will make fruit-infused water the day of.

Because you get a lot of flavor after leaving it for around 20 minutes.

There are also specially designed pitchers where you can suspend your fruits and herbs.

On average you should drink around 2 liters (8 cups) of water per day.

But, it varies based on how tall you are, and how much muscle mass you have.

Also, whether you do a lot of physical exercises. 2 liters is a fairly small size that you could make in the morning with breakfast.

That’s two good-sized water bottles.

But, you’ll finish one pretty quick in the morning. After lunch though, you may not feel as thirsty.

Certain fruits and vegetables have been known to last longer in the fridge compared to being kept in the pantry.

I recently wrote about this in an article about whether fruit can be kept in the cupboard.

Read it here: can fruit be kept in the cupboard.

After I drink all of my fruit-infused water I was curious about what to do with the fruit that’s left at the end.

And whether it can be reused.

After asking a bunch of people that drink fruit-infused water, here’s what I found…

Certain people will slice the fruit very thin, and you can almost chew it up as you drink it.

Favorites are fruits like feijoas and citrus fruits that are already soft and contain a lot of liquid.

Fresh fruit does taste slightly better, and you can just choose to throw out the fruit or add it to your compost pile.

Sometimes I make a batch of tea or fruit-infused water but I don’t finish it.

And I also run short of time in the morning so I was thinking about making some lemon water the night before.

However, is it ok to leave the lemon in water overnight?

In warm temperatures, chemical reactions occur at a faster rate, one of the only things I remember from high school chemistry.

Therefore, foods will break down faster when they are in a warm room compared to in the fridge.

If you live in a tropical state like Florida lemon left in water will last closer to 7 days before starting to spoil.

But, if you’re in a place like New York in the wintertime then leaving lemon in water overnight on your counter could be the same as leaving it in the fridge.

Depending on if you turn off the heating to your kitchen at night.

Cucumber, mint, and lemons are some of the fruit-infused waters’ best-kept secrets.

If I make an infused water today, how long will it be good for?

Cucumber and lemons left on the countertop or in the pantry will last around 1 to 2 weeks before beginning to ooze out the liquid and start to soften and shrivel.

Fruit flies also tend to like rotting fruit and will begin to gather around lemons that are beginning to over ripen and develop a bad taste.

Fruit flies are very easy to get rid of and will disappear after 1 day if you remove their food source.

For example, if you cover the fruit then fruit flies can not land on it, and they will attempt to find another food source.