Homemade Lemonade

Name: Lemon lemonade recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4-5 organic lemons (200 ml juice + zest of 1 lemon); 100 ml water; 225 grams sugar

One of the things that instantly gives you that summer feeling is a homemade lemonade recipe. With just a few ingredients, you can put a refreshing drink on the table that tastes so much better than anything from the store.

In this article, I’ll show you how to make lemon syrup and how you can endlessly vary the flavors.

Ultimate Summer Drink

Making lemonade yourself is much easier than you think, and it’s fun to do, even with kids. In just 10 minutes, you can have a pitcher of fresh lemon lemonade ready. Absolutely perfect for a hot summer day.

Sweet or less sweet. Control the sweetness of your lemonade by choosing sugar, honey, or a sugar-free alternative
Flavor variations. Mix things up with herbs, spices, or other types of fruit
Educational. Kids love lemonade, and it’s so fun to show them how easy it is to make it yourself. Experiment with different flavors!

What Is Homemade Lemonade?

Homemade lemonade is a true classic. It’s made simply with lemon juice, water, and sugar (or another sweetener), which are heated together to create a lemon syrup.

You can then dilute the lemon syrup with still or sparkling water and add other flavorings if you like.

Making lemon syrup

This lemonade starts with a lemon syrup. You only need a few ingredients, but it’s helpful to have some bottles ready to store the syrup.

Ingredients you’ll need

lemons – since you’ll also use the zest, I recommend using organic fresh lemons. It’s best to use fresh lemon juice for this and not bottled
sugar – for the most neutral flavor, use granulated sugar, but honey or other alternatives work well too
water – add still or sparkling water to turn the syrup into lemonade

BAKING TIP: A good citrus press is essential when making lemon lemonade. For larger amounts of juice, use an electric juicer.

How To Make Homemade Lemonade

1

Press all the juice from the lemons

2

Heat a sauce pan with lemon juice, sugar, zest and water

3

Place on medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved

4

The sugar syrup is done. Strain to remove the zest

5

Pour into sterilized bottles or use an ice cube tray

6

Add some syrup in one or two glasses and add water (sparkling or non sparkling) to taste

1/6

There are endless lemonade flavors to come up with, but it all starts with syrup. The base is a simple syrup, made by heating equal parts sugar and water.

You can add puréed fruit, like strawberries, raspberries, or mango, to the syrup. I always recommend adding some lemon juice for a fresh, bright flavor.

Lemonade flavor ideas

Homemade lemon lemonade will leave you wanting more, I promise. Luckily, there are so many delicious combinations to try:

Lemon & peach lemonade: Follow a peach lemonade recipe and add a fresh lemon twist.
Lemon & ginger lemonade: Add 200 ml water and a large piece of ginger (peeled and sliced) while making the syrup (step 1). Let it simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, then strain into a bottle.
Lemon & rosemary lemonade: Use the same method as above, but replace the ginger with 5 grams of rosemary.
Lemon & elderflower lemonade: Mix elderflower syrup with lemon syrup when preparing a glass, such a delicious combo!
Lemon, mint & cucumber lemonade: Add mint and thinly sliced cucumber to the pitcher when diluting the syrup with water.
Lemon & orange lemonade: Replace half of the lemon juice and zest with orange juice and zest.

Storing lemon lemonade

In a well-sealed bottle, lemon syrup (undiluted) will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Prepared lemonade will keep for up to two days in the fridge.

Can you freeze lemon lemonade?

Yes! Freeze the lemon syrup for up to three months. Use an ice cube tray to freeze it into cubes. Add the cubes to a pitcher of water, this chills your drink and releases a delicious lemonade flavor at the same time.

More lemon recipes

Still have lemons left after making this syrup? Try these:

Can I make it sugar-free?

You can use a sweetener like stevia or erythritol, but I haven’t tested this myself. Keep in mind it may shorten the shelf life, so freezing the syrup is a good idea if you want to store it longer. Let me know in the comments if you try it!

Why does my lemonade taste bitter?

If you’re using the lemon zest, make sure to only use the yellow part. The white pith is very bitter.

Can I use non-organic lemons?

Yes, but I recommend skipping the zest and only using the juice.

Why aren’t my lemons giving enough juice?

Two tricks I always use:

Roll the lemon on the counter with your hand until it feels soft, this helps release more juice.
Use a hand press for small amounts or an electric juicer for larger quantities.

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Lemon lemonade recipe

Make the best tasting homemade lemonade for summer entertaining!

Preparation10

Cooking5

Total15

Servings: ml

Ingredients

US Customary | Metric

4-5 organic lemons 200 ml juice + zest of 1 lemon
100 ml water
225 grams sugar

Instructions

Heat a saucepan with 200 ml/ 6.8 floz lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, 100 ml/3.4 floz water, and 225 grams/7.94 oz sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Strain the syrup through a fine sieve to remove the zest. Pour into sterilized syrup bottles or an ice cube tray.
To make lemonade, pour a splash of syrup into a glass and dilute to taste with (sparkling) water, ice cubes, and optional fresh mint.

How to store

Freeze the syrup in an ice cube tray or store it in a sealed bottle in the refrigerator for up to one month. Drink the prepared lemonade right away or store it for up to two days in the fridge (stir before serving).