Homemade strawberry lemonade is refreshing, flavorful, and easy to make. This summer drink is loaded with fresh strawberries and freshly squeezed lemon juice. It’s a favorite amongst kids and adults alike.
This healthy fresh lemonade is loaded with vitamins and you can even customize the sweetness to your liking. Plus, you can change it into sparkling strawberry lemonade if you prefer. It’s freezer-friendly too so make a big batch!
Why You’ll Love Strawberry Lemonade
- Made with real fruit. This homemade strawberry lemonade is made with fresh strawberries and freshly squeezed lemons. It get its beautiful color naturally from strawberries, unlike the store-bought version which typically contains added dyes.
- The perfect summer drink. Sparkling strawberry lemonade is the perfect, refreshing drink to serve at your next summer cookout, barbecue, picnic, or potluck.
- It’s healthy. Homemade lemonade is healthy. Although it has a little sugar, you can add less if you want — regardless it will still be a lot less sugar than what you find in store-bought lemonade. Plus, when you have lemons and strawberries, you know that this sparkling strawberry lemonade is packed with Vitamin C.
- Loaded with health benefits. Lemons are kind of a superfood packed with vitamins and minerals. They help with digestion, prevents kidney stones, prevents cancer, and can reduce blood pressure. Strawberries also contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They are high in folate, great for digestion, high in antioxidants, boosts your immune system, and helps reduce cholesterol.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this easy and delicious homemade sparkling strawberry lemonade, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- strawberries - or you can substitute with any fruit that you want to make a fruit lemonade.
- lemons - for freshly squeezed lemon juice, and extra lemon wedges for serving (optional).
- sugar - feel free to customize the sweetness by adding more or less sugar. You can also substitute with other sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup.
- water - we used a combination of water and sparkling water for sparkling strawberry lemonade. For a regular lemonade, use still water instead of sparkling.
- ice - optional, for serving.
How to Make the Best Strawberry Lemonade
- Dissolve sugar. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Let the mixture cool completely.
- Puree strawberries. In a blender, puree 1 and ½ cups strawberries until smooth. Remove and strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired, or leave it as is for a chunkier drink.
- Whisk together. Transfer the strawberry puree, sugar mixture, and sparkling water to a large pitcher and whisk together until combined.
- Chill. Transfer the lemonade to the refrigerator until completely cool.
- Serve. Slice the remaining strawberries and stir into lemonade. Add lemon wedges and ice and serve.
How to Store Fresh Lemonade
- How to store: Store fresh lemonade in a sealed pitcher or airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 weeks.
- How to freeze: You can also freeze sparkling strawberry lemonade.
Transfer the fresh lemonade to an airtight container or pour into ice cube molds. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for easy storing. You can freeze it for up to 6 months.
More Drink Recipes
- Three Ways to Make Bubble Tea
- Peach Iced Tea
- Healthy Mango Yogurt Smoothie
- Blackberry Milkshake
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
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Recipe
Strawberry Lemonade
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 7 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Homemade strawberry lemonade is refreshing, flavorful, and easy to make. This sparkling summer drink is loaded with fresh strawberries and lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 cups strawberries, stems removed and divided
- 4 cups sparkling water
- lemon wedges (for serving)
- ice (for serving)
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Let the mixture cool completely.
- In a blender, puree 1 and ½ cups strawberries until smooth. Remove and strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired, or leave it as is for a chunkier drink.
- Transfer the strawberry puree, sugar mixture, and sparkling water to a large pitcher and whisk together until combined.
- Transfer the lemonade to the refrigerator until completely cool.
- Slice the remaining strawberries and stir into lemonade. Add lemon wedges and ice and serve.
Notes
Still or sparkling strawberry lemonade: For a non-carbonated lemonade, simply substitute the sparkling water with regular water.
How to store: Store fresh lemonade in a sealed pitcher or airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 weeks.
How to freeze: You can also freeze sparkling strawberry lemonade.
Transfer the fresh lemonade to an airtight container or pour into ice cube molds. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for easy storing. You can freeze it for up to 6 months.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
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Marianne says
Instead of cooking I put all ingredients in a food processor. I substituted the sugar for a non processed sweetener like agave or maple syrup. It was much fresher and healthier. I also used fresh lemon juice.
Then I put it in refrigerator and added carbonated water to a glass with the puréed strawberry mixture. Everyone loved it ; less work and very refreshing.
Emily Morton says
This looks absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try it!
Mia says
Looks delicious! Adding this to my Pinterest ASAP 🙂
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Yup that is the perfect summer drink. Fresh berries are just starting to come into the stores and markets. This is perfect for hot summer days in the backyard.