This Lemonade recipe is refreshing and timeless. You won’t believe how easy it is to make with just 2 simple ingredients. It also keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can enjoy a crisp glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. Once you try homemade lemonade, you won’t want to settle for the store-bought version.
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Helpful Reader Review
“THE BEST recipe!!! I made 3 pitchers of this recipe for a lemonade stand this weekend and it was a HIT! Literally everyone who tried it was in awe at how good it was. Thanks for sharing.” – Miranda ★★★★★
Perfect Lemonade
My in-laws live in California and have a few lemon trees in their yard so every year they gift us a big box of beautiful lemons. If you’re wondering what to do with lemons, making lemonade is my favorite way to use freshly squeezed lemon juice along with our Lemon Bars and Easy Lemon Curd.
This lemonade recipe is the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. I’m sharing my go-to ratio of sugar to lemon juice, but you can add more sugar or more lemon juice to taste. With this basic recipe, you can make tons of lemonade flavors (more on that below). My favorite is pink or Strawberry Lemonade.
What Makes the Best Lemonade?
Simple syrup is a thick and sweet syrup used to sweeten a variety of drinks. Why is this important for lemonade? If you just stir the sugar into cold water, it will sink to the bottom and won’t dissolve. We promise it’s quick and so worth it!
The simple syrup is truly the secret to a perfect lemonade recipe, allowing you to adjust the sweetness of the mixture to your taste. Just add the syrup to the freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste until you find the right balance.
Ingredients for Homemade Lemonade
This simple recipe perfectly balances the sour and sweet flavors of freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar. After one sip, you’ll see why homemade lemonade is better than store-bought every time.
- Sugar – we prefer using organic sugar to make the simple syrup and sweeten the lemonade. If you want to substitute for a different sweetener, see the variations below.
- Lemons– fresh-squeezed lemon juice is ideal, and you’ll need 6-8 lemons, depending on the size, but bottled lemon juice (not from concentrate) could work in a pinch. Use room-temperature lemons to make juicing easier. Then, roll the lemon firmly on the counter before cutting to help release juices.
The Best Lemons for Lemonade
Plain lemons (a.k.a. Lisbon lemons) are the best for homemade lemonade and are easy to find year-round in the grocery store, for a more traditional sour flavor to the drink. If using sweeter Meyer Lemons, reduce the amount of simple syrup you use or add it to taste. When shopping for lemons, here is how to pick the juiciest ones:
- Size – look for smaller to medium-sized fruit that feels heavy for its size.
- Color – a bright yellow color is a good indicator of ripeness.
- Texture – the skin should be wrinkle-free and firm with a slight give.
How to Make Lemonade
All you need to make this recipe is a great lemon juicer, a saucepan, and a pitcher. If you don’t have a lemon juicer, use a fork to break up the membrane and release more juice.
- Make Simple Syrup – in a small saucepan, simmer 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups sugar to dissolve the sugar. Cool to room temperature and chill.
- Squeeze 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice and refrigerate.
- To serve – combine 7 cups cold water, cooled simple syrup, and chilled lemon juice. Serve over glasses filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices.
For a Flavor Boost
Add another layer of lemon flavor by adding lemon zest to the sugar and water when creating the simple syrup. Avoid the white pith of the lemon skins, which can make it bitter, and remember to strain the zest out before adding to the lemon juice.
Lemonade Variations
This base lemonade recipe is delicious and versatile! Here are a few ideas on how to put your own spin on the recipe:
- Fruit Purees– raspberry, strawberry, and peach would be delicious
- Agave or honey – these will work as a substitute for sugar with a slightly different taste
- Herbs – add fresh mint leaves, lavender, or even rosemary to the final mixture
- Soda water – get a bubbly twist on lemonade using sparkling water
- Iced Tea – mix equal parts lemonade and unsweetened Iced Tea for an Arnold Palmer
To Keep Lemonade Cold without Diluting
Make lemon juice ice cubes in an ice cube tray and add them along with regular ice cubes when serving to keep the lemonade from being diluted when the ice melts.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Refrigerate: Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. The simple syrup and lemon juice will also keep separately refrigerated for the same time.
- Freezing: Freeze the simple syrup and lemon juice separately, or mix them together before freezing as a substitute for store-bought lemonade concentrate.
- Thaw: allow frozen lemonade to defrost in the refrigerator and serve over ice.
Homemade lemonade will never go out of style. It’s a real treat in summer. Next step? Stock up on lemons and satisfy that craving.
Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup filtered water, (cold), plus 7 cups to serve
- 1 1/2 cups lemon Juice, (from 8 medium or 6 large lemons)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Transfer to a mason jar, cover and refrigerate until ready serving.
- Use a citrus juicer to squeeze 1 1/2 cups lemon juice. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate up to 2 weeks until ready to make lemonade.
- To make the full batch of lemonade, pour 7 cups cold water into a pitcher, add the 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups chilled sugar syrup and stir to combine. You can also add the lemon juice and sugar syrup to taste. Add ice to glasses when serving.
Nutrition Per Serving
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More Refreshing Summer Drinks
As temperatures climb, we stay hydrated and keep cool with these crisp, bubbly, and flavorful summer drink recipes:
- Cherry Lemonade
- Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
- Cranberry Pineapple Punch
- Brazilian Lemonade
- Raspberry Sherbet Party Punch
- Mango Smoothie
- Blackberry Limeade
This was really easy to make and tasted delicious.