Martha Stewart's 1-ingredient Water Upgrade Will Quench Your Thirst All Summer

According to the TikTok girlies, 2025 is going to be a Martha Stewart Summer. While I am generally pretty obtuse when it comes to TikTok trends, this is one I feel in my bones. Think classic East Coast summer: L.L. Bean tote bags, the perfect linen button-down, freshly baked galettes from homegrown berries, and a vase of blue hydrangea blooms from your yard on your counter.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I am about the furthest you can get from Martha. My house is usually a mess, I can’t keep a plant alive to save my life, and I’m far too sweaty to rock linen. (It's good to have goals, right?)

However, what the TikTok girlies don’t know is that I learned one of Martha’s chicest summer secrets years ago. It may have been under some of the least glamorous circumstances possible, but I’ve been making a version of her cucumber water ever since.

How I Fell in Love With Cucumber Water

I have three children. My first was delivered in January and my second and third both came at the end of November, which means all my first trimesters took place during the hottest months of the year.

The first time I was pregnant I had fairly standard morning sickness—nothing I couldn’t handle, but also no walk in the park. Luckily, my four sisters had some tried-and-true remedies for me, one of which was sipping on cucumber water, just like Martha.

Without other kids to care for—and all the time in the world to pamper myself—I’d fill up a jug of water and delicately adorn it with a few slices of cucumber, a whisper of fresh lemon, and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Whenever a wave of nausea would hit, I’d sip away on my cute little concoction and feel a cooling sense of relief.

By the time I got pregnant with my youngest, the cucumber water went from a lifestyle choice to a survival mechanism. I had never been more sick; for about 20 weeks straight, I could barely get out of bed. (OK, I’m exaggerating a little here, because I didn’t have much of an option—I had two little ones to watch.) The only thing that offered relief was a huge Stanley tumbler full of ice-cold cucumber water.

Like Martha instructs, I’d clean the cucumbers, then add cold, filtered water. I’d let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, then sip on it all day. The subtle, cucumber flavor helped perk me up.

Tips for Making Cucumber Water

If you're looking to experience your own Martha Stewart Summer, I'd suggest prepping a big batch of this thirst-quenching cucumber water at the beginning of each week. You can switch it up like I sometimes do and add slices of fresh ginger or cubes of watermelon.

Adding a fresh wheel of citrus is great, but I wouldn't do that until just right before you sip, as it can become a little bitter and overpowering. The same goes for fresh herbs like mint or basil—they're delicious when paired with the cucumber, but they'll brown if added too far in advance.

This infused water is best consumed within 3 days; any longer and the cucumber starts to lose its crispness. However, it’s so refreshing, I'm guessing it won’t last that long.