Solar-driven interfacial steam generation is considered as a sustainable and cost-effective approach to produce freshwater from seawater or sewage, whereas unavoidable microbial contamination and low evaporation efficiency remain challenges. Herein, we report a high-performance and antibacterial 3D Ag/MXene@chitosan hydrogel (described as AM/Ch gel) evaporator through incorporation of two-dimensional (2D) Ag/MXene composites into three-dimensional (3D) chitosan hydrogel. Thanks to the synergistic contributions from chitosan hydrogel matrix and Ag/MXene composites, 3D AM/Ch gel could completely eradicate both E. coli and S. aureus under simulated solar light irradiation, ensuring the production of microbial-free drinkable water. Benefiting from the superb photo-to-thermal conversion behavior and feasible water transportation in the 3D networks, the prepared AM/Ch gel-based evaporator exhibits intriguing solar steam generation performances, with evaporation rate and solar energy utilization efficiency of 3.22 kg m–2 h–1 and 94.9% under irradiation of 0.2 W cm–2, respectively. As a demonstration, the quality of collected liquid water evaporated from seawater adopted from the Yellow Sea, China, well satisfies the requirement for drinking water from World Health Organization. Moreover, the AM/Ch gel exhibits high flexibility and chemical stability, excellent dye molecules adsorption capacity and self-cleaning ability, indicating its promising potential for durable and sustainable water distillation.