Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Skip the mixes and make your own homemade lemonade with just three simple ingredients! It’s incredibly refreshing and perfect for serving at picnics, potlucks, and bbqs.
Sweet, tart, and refreshing, this simple lemonade recipe is one I turn to again and again throughout the summer.
It’s made with just 3 ingredients and can easily be halved or doubled depending on how many people you’ll be serving. You can even adjust the amount of sugar in this recipe to make your lemonade as sweet as you like.
Once you start making freshly squeezed lemonade at home, I promise you’ll never go back to the store-bought mixes again!
Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Lemons
You’ll need 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe, which is equal to about 7 to 8 medium lemons or 4 to 6 large lemons. If you have any lemons leftover, you can just slice them and add them to your pitcher!
Sugar
Granulated sugar works best for making the simple syrup. You could probably use a sugar substitute like Stevia, but the exact amount will vary depending on the sweetener you use and it will affect the flavor of your lemonade.
The Simple Syrup
The secret to making perfect homemade lemonade is starting with a simple syrup. In other words, we’re just dissolving the sugar with some water first. It only takes a few extra minutes, but this will prevent your lemonade from being gritty.
To make it, all you have to do is combine 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar over medium heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. I actually like to make the simple syrup first, then juice the lemons while it’s cooling.
How To Juice Your Lemons
You want to start by rolling your lemons on the counter, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand to help release more of the juice. Then, cut the lemon in half and either squeeze it with your hands or use a citrus juicier.
If you prefer a smoother lemonade, I also recommend straining the lemon juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds or pulp.
Can I Add Another Fruit Juice To This?
Absolutely! Feel free to use this recipe as a base for making flavored lemonade.
You could puree and then strain up to ½ pound of fresh strawberries and add the juice to the mixture to make strawberry lemonade. Or add blended mango, peaches, raspberries, you name it! Just make sure to strain it to remove any seeds or pulp.
Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the amount of lemon juice or simple syrup, depending on what kind of fruit juice you use too.
Can I Use Lime Juice Instead?
Yes, you can replace the lemon juice with freshly squeezed lime juice to make homemade limeade instead!
I’ve made this lemonade recipe countless times over the past few summers and it’s always a hit! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out. Enjoy!
Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups water divided
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (240 ml)
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup of water and the cup of sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.1 cup granulated sugar
- In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup and lemon juice and stir until well combined. Stir in the remaining 4 cups of water until fully combined.1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled, then serve, and enjoy!
How do you make the flavored lemonades such as raspberry or watermelon?Â
You can blend some raspberries or watermelon, strain the mixture, and add it to the lemonade. You may need more or less simple syrup depending on what fruit you add in.
Very very sweet. Needs more lemon. What did I do wrong?
Did you double check the measurements that you used? This is lemonade, so it’s meant to be a bit sweet too. Feel free to add more lemon juice if you prefer.
My family loved this recipe. It didn’t even last 24 hours. Before adding the lemon juice to the pitcher, I strained the seeds using a slotted spoon. Doing so allowed me to keep the pulp, which I like, and helped to maintain the look of freshly-made lemonade.
Such a great idea, Trisha! So glad everyone enjoyed the lemonade!
Oh I love this recipe for Homemade Lemonade….make it all the time. Thanks. It really is so refreshing too.
Well, this took me back in time to 1964 and my grandmother Ellen making hand-squeezed lemonade from the trees in her backyard. She lived in Orange County California, and it was known for its citrus orchards not just oranges.
Thank you very much. The simple syrup was what I was getting wrong all this time of trying to reproduce her recipe. She didn’t write to make simple syrup, but that’s kind of like knowing the basics of breadmaking. You don’t have to write how to make sure the loaf is elastic or what happens if you poke two holes in the dough to check rising time, you just do it.
Again thank you. And no, I don’t even want to own a Vitamix.
I did at one time make lemonade like this, But, when I got my Vita mix it was a no brainer. Simply peel the lemons,
place in the vita mix, add water and sweetner. Add ice cubes and sip. You can blitz the lemons into a very smooth
consistency, but we like a little bit pulpy. This can also be used with any citrus or fruit.
I have a question: Can you make a simple syrup for this recipe, using artificial sweetener, and is it really necessary?
You probably can, but the amount you’ll need will depend on your sweetener. The simple syrup isn’t 100% necessary, but it does help to fully dissolve the sugar first before adding it.
Same amount of lime juice for lime made?
That should be fine!