Homemade Lemonade

What’s more thirst-quenching on a hot summer day than a tall glass of homemade lemonade?

You’ll need just three ingredients (and one is water!) to make this delicious lemonade from scratch!

A Fresh Summer Favorite

A fresh lemonade recipe is a favorite.

It’s so easy to make at home.Easy and refreshing, this homemade lemonade recipe needs just 3 ingredients.Squeeze the lemons and keep the juice in the fridge for a few days or freeze it for a few months.Extra lemon simple syrup is great in all kinds of drinks or even tea!

Or, spike it with vodka for your next (adult) party!

Ingredients for Lemonade

LEMONS – For the best flavor, use fresh lemons. Bottled lemon juice can be used but can sometimes have a bit of a bitter flavor. Don’t forget the lemon slices for garnish too!

SWEETENER – We use sugar to make a lemon simple syrup (make extra if you’d like, it’s great in tea or cocktails)! You can sweeten it with honey, maple syrup, or agave if you’d prefer.

WATER/ICE – Water and ice are needed to make this refreshing, thirst-quenching drink!

Variations

Add New Flavors: Try making it into a fresh strawberry lemonade, a raspberry lemonade or add watermelon, fresh mint leaves, or even make a limeade with fresh limes!

How Much Juice in a Lemon

Of course, this can vary depending on the size and quality of the lemon but each medium lemon should give you about ¼ cup of lemon juice.

This recipe requires 1 ¼ cups lemon juice so you will need approximately 6 lemons (more if they’re small or not juicy) plus extra for slicing for garnish if you’d like.

Make Pink Lemonade: For pink lemonade add a bit of cranberry juice, raspberry juice, or grenadine to reach the desired color.

Adjust the Sweetness: If homemade lemonade is too sweet, simply add more lemon juice and if it’s too tart, add a spoonful of sugar and a bit of water.

Make it Boozy: Spike it with a bit of vodka or flavored vodka if you’d like!

How to Make Lemonade

Super simple and fun, homemade lemonade takes just 3 simple steps to make!

Make Lemon Simple Syrup: Zest a few strips of the rind from a lemon (use a veggie peeler). Combine sugar, water, and lemon zest in a pan and simmer until dissolved.Juice Lemons: Squeeze the lemons to make 1 1/4 cups lemon juice.Add Water: Add ice and 6 cups of water to make 2 quarts and chill until serving.

Keep the garnish simple with lemons or serve it shirley temple style with pomegranates, orange slices, or cherries!

Tips & Make Ahead

Microwave the lemons for about 15-20 seconds and then roll on the counter to extract more juice.Rinse and scrub lemons with a vegetable brush before zesting. Scrubbing them removes the wax that is sprayed on them during shipment.Juice lemons using a juicer but if you don’t have a juicer, cut in half and put a fork into the lemon while squeezing.If you’d prefer you can strain out the pulp. Pour the lemon juice through a coffee filterStore lemonade in the refrigerator and stir it before serving.

More Summer Drinks

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