How to Make Homemade Lemonade

Learn how to make homemade lemonade from scratch using just a few simple ingredients that’s the perfect combination of sweet and sour.

One of the most delicious and refreshing drinks of all time during the summer is lemonade. I mean come on, it’s the perfect combination of sweet and sour and it really just hits the spot on those sweltering summer days. When I was a kid, I’m not sure that I ever had fresh lemonade. In fact, mine always came in powder form. If you grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s, you know exactly which brand I’m talking about. And don’t get me wrong, that lemonade was good. I mean that’s all I knew and when you’re a kid, you don’t really know any better.

But when I had real, fresh lemonade for the first time?! Holy cannoli was it amazing. I’ve been making lemonade fresh for my family every summer for the past I don’t know how many summers now and I thought it finally needed a spot here on my blog. This homemade lemonade combines sweet cane sugar and lemon zest into a scrumptious lemon simple syrup, then combines that sour freshly squeezed lemon juice to make THE BEST lemon juice that will ever hit your taste buds. Okay, that might be a little over dramatic, but my whole family absolutely loves this lemonade recipe and I know you will too.

PIN FOR LATER!

Ingredients

Sugar: I always love to use can sugar in my recipes, but you can use plain ‘ol white sugar or use a sugar alternative that is a 1:1 ratio to make this sugar free. The sugar in this recipe is used to create a simple syrup to sweeten the homemade lemonade so it’s not super tart. Feel free to adjust this as needed, just know that to make a simple syrup, you need a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar. If you change the amount of simple syrup used in this recipe, you may need to adjust the other ingredients as well.

Lemon Juice: Lemon juice really is the star of the show here. You do have to juice your own lemons, but luckily, that part is super easy, especially if you have some kind of juicing device. Real lemon juice makes a big difference.

Lemon Zest: The lemon smell and flavor really hides in the peel of the lemon. That’s where all the essential oils (the fragrance) lies. I like to add lemon zest to the simple syrup to enhance the flavor of this lemonade. This step is optional, but HIGHLY recommended.

Water: Use whatever water you drink. I personally filter my water, but you do you! If you want to drink this lemonade right away, I recommend adding ice in the final step.

How to Enjoy Homemade Lemonade

I, of course, recommend drinking it just as is, chilled and/or over ice. However, there are so many different ways you can jazz this summer drink up even more:

• Add a bit of homemade blueberry syrup (or strawberry or raspberry) and some frozen blueberries.
• Mix this lemonade into some homemade sweet tea and you’ve got yourself an Arnold Palmer!
• Get creative and add your favorite adult drinks like that one that starts with a V.
• Pop some of this lemonade into a blender with some ice and you’ve got a frozen lemonade slushy.
• Freeze the lemonade into ice cubes and use them in sweet tea, energy drinks or with your favorite sparkling water.

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How to Make Homemade Lemonade

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

• Medium saucepan
• Mixing spoon
• Microplane
• Cutting board and knife
• Citrus juicer
• Fine mesh strainer
• Half gallon mason jar or pitcher

INGREDIENTS

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs lemon zest (about 3 lemons)

Homemade Lemonade

• Lemon simple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 9-10 lemons)
• 6 cups of water

DIRECTIONS

How to Make Lemon Simple Syrup

Zest enough lemons (most likely around 3) to get 1 tbs of lemon zest.

Place the lemon zest into a medium saucepan along with the sugar and stir the ingredients together to help release the lemon essential oils and infuse the sugar.

Pour 1 cup of water into the saucepan and mix, then place the pan on the stove and heat over low-medium heat.

Allow the simple syrup to simmer and reduce by about 1/3, then remove it from the stovetop.

How to Make Homemade Lemonade

Juice enough lemons to yield about 1 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice. This will take about 9-10 lemons depending on their size.

Strain the lemon juice into a pitcher or half gallon mason jar to remove the pulp and seeds.

Once the lemons are juiced, strain the cooled lemon simple syrup into the same jar or pitcher.

Add the remaining water, then stir. Add ice to enjoy right away or refrigerator for 4 hours before using.

NOTES

• Roll the lemons prior to juicing them to help get the juices flowing a bit better.
• Feel free to use a 1:1 sugar replacement like monk fruit sweetener in place of the cane sugar for a sugar free lemonade.
• You can use store-bought lemon juice in place of fresh lemon juice if needed.
• I try to use organic lemons any time I use the zest, BUT conventional lemons work just fine too.
• Store this homemade lemonade in an airtight container for up to a week.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR OTHER DRINK RECIPES?

Looking for more basic recipes like this homemade lemonade recipe? Check these out!

• Homemade Cold Brew Coffee
• Sugar Free Blueberry Italian Cream Soda
• Homemade Cinnamon Apple Syrup
• Pumpkin Spice Sauce

Did you enjoy making homemade lemonade? If you did, tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation!