How to Make Lemonade
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There's nothing like a cold glass of homemade lemonade on a warm day. With just three ingredients, this easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe is so simple you might never buy the bottled kind again.
Table of Contents
- Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- In Photos: How To Make Homemade Lemonade
- Recipe FAQ
- More Recipes With Lemon
- More Refreshing Summer Drinks
When I am craving something light and summery, I am all about lemon. Lemon crumb muffins, iced lemon loaf, lemon bars... I love them all.
But could anything be more thirst-quenching and refreshing than lemonade??
This recipe is easy as can be to make. You only need 3 simple ingredients! And the flavors are perfectly balanced. It's a little tart and citrusy, with just the right amount of sweetness. You've gotta whip up a batch before summer ends!
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's genuinely simple. Just sugar, water, and lemons - no fancy equipment needed.
- You can adjust the sweetness. Add more or less sugar syrup based on how tart you prefer your lemonade.
- It stays fresh in the fridge, so you can make a big batch and enjoy it for several days.
- It's always a hit at barbecues, picnics, or even just on a hot afternoon at home.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Granulated sugar: This sweetens the lemonade. Dissolving it into a simple syrup first helps it blend in smoothly, so it won't settle at the bottom of your pitcher.
- Water: Some goes into the syrup, and the rest is added to the lemonade. For a fizzy twist, try swapping some of the still water for sparkling water.
- Lemon peel: Steep it in the syrup for a few minutes to add extra lemon flavor and aroma.
- Lemon juice: This is the key ingredient. Fresh-squeezed juice really makes a difference, so use it if possible instead of bottled.
In Photos: How To Make Homemade Lemonade
Step 1: Add Sugar
Start by placing the sugar in a small pot.
Step 2: Add Water & Heat
Then add ½ cup of the water, and warm the mixture over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
This will probably take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. You'll know the sugar is dissolved when you no longer see any white at the bottom of the pot, and when you stir the mixture, you don't feel or hear any grit between your spoon and the pot.
Step 3:
Once your syrup has come together, take it off the heat and toss in the peel from 1 lemon. I just use a veggie peeler to remove the peel.
Step 4: Set Aside
You've just made lemon simple syrup! This mixture will sweeten and add flavor to your lemonade. Set it aside for now, and allow it to cool.
Step 5: Juice Lemons
Juice the lemons over a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the seeds.
Step 6: Add Lemon Juice To Pitcher
Next, you can pour the lemon juice into a large serving pitcher.
Step 7: Strain Syrup & Add To The Pitcher
Strain the peels out of the syrup, and add the syrup to the pitcher.
Step 8: Add Water, Chill, & Enjoy
Next, just stir in the remaining water! That's all there is to it!
If you like your lemonade a little more tart, you can add more lemon juice, or if you like it less tart or less sweet, add more water. It's that simple!
I like to chill the lemonade until it's icy-cold, and serve it in tall glasses over ice. You can garnish it with slices of fresh lemon, but that's totally optional!
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- If you want your lemonade less tart, add another ¼ cup of sugar to the syrup and adjust to your taste.
- Short on time? You can serve it right after mixing, but chilling for the full 2 hours lets the flavors meld and makes for a colder, more refreshing drink.
- Storage: Keep the lemonade covered in the fridge for up to five days. Stir it before serving, as the ingredients may settle.
Recipe FAQ
HOW TO MAKE LEMONADE FIZZY
If you like your lemonade with a little fizz, just top it off with a little club soda or seltzer.
HOW TO MAKE PINK LEMONADE
For homemade pink lemonade, add a few tablespoons of pureed fruit.
I like to use raspberries, but any kind of red berry will work. You could also try strawberries, cranberries, cherries, or even dragon fruit.
Fresh or frozen fruit will work just fine!
Or you could just stir in a few drops of pink food coloring.
HOW TO MAKE FROZEN LEMONADE
If you'd like a frozen lemonade that's almost like a slush, you can pour this lemonade into your ice cream maker, and churn it until it's got a consistency similar to sorbet.
Or, if you don't have an ice cream maker, try freezing your lemonade in a popsicle mold! Frozen lemonade on a stick- could not be more refreshing!
CAN YOU ADD ALCOHOL TO LEMONADE?
For a boozy lemonade, add 1 ounce of vodka, tequila, gin, or rum per serving. Great for a summer party!
HOW LONG IS HOMEMADE LEMONADE GOOD FOR?
This will last in your fridge for a loooong time. I would say at least a week, maybe two.
But if your family is anything like mine, it will be gone in 2 days!
More Recipes With Lemon
- Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Lemon Pudding Cake
- Lemon Tart
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
More Refreshing Summer Drinks
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 8 ½ cups (118.29 ml) water, , divided
- peel of 1 lemon
- juice of 8 lemons
Instructions
- Place the sugar and ½ cup of the water in a small pot and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 3 to 5 minutes).
- Remove the pot from the heat and add in the lemon peel.
- Juice the lemons over a fine mesh strainer, discarding the seeds, and add to a large pitcher.
- Remove the lemon peels from the syrup and add it to the lemon juice, along with the remaining 8 cups of water.
- Stir the lemonade and chill it in the refrigerator until cold (about 2 hours).
- Serve over ice.
So fresh and lemony not to much sugar but not to sour
Great to hear! Thanks so much for the 5-star review!
0ver the years, I have often wondered what American Lemonade was, its funny the names for one item can be very different from country to country. We call your lemonade, lemon cordial and our lemonade is like your sprite but clear. Anyway this re ice is almost the as my simple syrup, but when I ad fruit or fruit juice I will add some citric acid ot tartaric Acid , my favourite flavouring is Passionfruit, I have 2 Passionfruit vines and they make the zingest cordial. Thankyou for sharing your lemonade recipe with us...
I love adding things like cracked lemongrass into the simple syrup and boil it for a bit. SUCH a great flavour and perfect to add to your gin 😉
Thank you so so much dear. I tried the LEMONADE. And it was so refreshing. Thank you alot.
My pleasure Egbuna! I'm so happy you enjoyed!
My husband makes lemonade for us a lot. He adds finely grated lemon peel into it as well. Yum!
But I’m going to show him this because he adds the sugar directly into the squeezed lemon juice but has to keep stirring until it’s dissolved. This way seems so much easier.
Hey Gina! I've done it that way too in the past- sometimes it works but sometimes it can be hard to get all the sugar dissolved. Making the lemon simple syrup is sort of like an insurance policy! So happy you like the recipe. It's great to hear from you!