How-To Make Homemade Lemonade

This Homemade Lemonade Recipe is one of my favorite summertime drinks. It’s so refreshing and delicious, and way better than store-bought lemonade, which can taste overly sweet and a bit too artificial for my taste. Making your own also allows you to control the tartness, too. 

For a pink lemonade recipe try my Strawberry Lemonade recipe another fantastic summertime treat! 

Makes a Great Hostess Gift

This is a wonderful idea for a summer hostess gift and just a little bit more fun than the standard bottle of wine. Before you head to the party, place a sprig of mint at the top of the bottle.

Recipe Pairing Ideas:

• For a main course try my Ultimate Burger Recipe or my Sticky BBQ Ribs
• For side courses try my Traditional Potato Salad or Charred Corn Mexican Salad
• For dessert, try my Blackberry Crumble or my Homemade Mint Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• Fresh Lemons: You’ll need 8-10 lemons to squeeze out 1 1/2 cups of juice. The best tool for this pesky task is a Lemon Squeezer. 
• Water: Chilled, filtered water works best for the best flavor. 
• Agave Syrup: I prefer it over sugar because it easily dissolves into the lemon juice without making a simple syrup. It’s also lower on the Glycemic index too! 
• Fresh Mint: It makes a lovely garnish, and so does fresh basil or lemon verbena. 
• Bottle or Carafe: You’ll need something to store your lemonade in. I love to purchase Lorina French lemonade and then keep the bottle to use as a water carafe or to store my homemade lemonade in. This recipe makes just enough to fill it up! 

 

Watch a Video Demo of This Recipe Below!

Step#1: Use Fresh Lemons

• Making homemade lemonade is really a simple process involving just four ingredients: fresh lemon juice, water, agave syrup, and fresh mint.
• Homemade lemonade must be made from freshly-squeezed lemon juice! This is not the time for bottled lemon juice. 
• It’s such an easy recipe that kids can make it, too! It makes for a fun project during a play date. 

Step#2: Squeeze the Lemon Juice

• The most tedious part of the recipe is squeezing all these lemons.
• Use a lemon squeezer, citrus juicer or a fine-mesh strainer to catch the pits.
• The 4-cup Pyrex pitcher is also great for keeping track of how far off you are from reaching your goal of 1 1/2 cups of juice! You can mix the whole mixture in it, which also helps with the water measurement.

Step#3: Add the Water

I also like the Pyrex pitcher because after the juice is added, filling the rest of a 4-cup pitcher with cold water is simple. Then stir to combine. 

Step#4: Add Agave Syrup 

• I like the agave syrup because it’s not as high on the glycemic index as real sugar. I also think the taste is more subtle. 
• If you don’t have agave syrup, you can make a simple syrup by heating 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. You could add some culinary-grade lavender to the pot to steep for 20 minutes to infuse the lemonade with a lovely lavender flavor. Then strain out the lavender with a fine mesh sieve. You can also use culinary-grade lavender in my Lavender Creme Brulee Recipe. 
• Allow it to cool. Then, depending on your desired sweetness, you can add as much or as little of the simple syrup as you like. 
• I avoid honey because it can be hard to dissolve and because it affects the color, turning what should be a nice bright yellow into a drab caramel-like color. 

Step#5: Strain the Lemonade

Sometimes, tiny seeds or pulp can escape the lemon squeezer, so it’s a good idea to strain the lemonade through a fine mesh sieve before bottling.

Step#6

• Transfer your lemonade to a decorative bottle.
• I like to use French lemonade bottles like Lorina’s, with a resealable stopper.
• They are pretty and well made; you can save them for water carafes, juice, or homemade lemonade!
• It’s easiest to pour the lemonade into a two-cup pitcher to strain it and then use the smaller pitcher to transfer it into the bottle; it will splash less that way.

Step#7: Serving and Gifting Ideas

• Homemade lemonade makes a great hostess gift! Make the lemonade in the morning, so it’s nice and chilled.
• Then just before heading out to the party, place some fresh mint leaves, or rosemary, in the top of the bottle. Tie with raffia and gift it! It’s a fun summer gift idea and a little more original than a bottle of wine. Or, bring the wine for the grown-ups and the lemonade for the kids!
• If serving it for a party, keep the lemonade in the bottles and offer some vodka or gin on the side if the grown-ups want to “spike” their lemonade! 
• Keep the lemonade refrigerated and it should last for 3-4 days. 

 

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