Best Lemonade Recipe (2024)

Nothings says summer better than the Best Lemonade Recipe you’ve ever tried. Made with freshly squeezed lemons and sweetened with a super easy simple syrup, this sweet and tangy lemonade will be a guaranteed hit all summer long!

Fresh lemonade is just one of those simple pleasures everyone looks forward to on a hot summer day. Most of the time, store-bought lemonade is either way too sweet, not sweet enough or lacks enough lemon flavor.

The wonderful thing about making it from scratch is you can tailor it to your own preference and with this recipe it couldn’t be any easier! Made with just three simple ingredients, this lemonade has the most perfect balance of flavors you are simply going love.

If you love the tanginess of lemons, you should also check out this recipe for this super refreshing Copycat Chick-fil-a Frozen Lemonade. Lemons also take center stage in these Homemade Lemon Bars and this delicious Creamy Lemon Pie. They will definitely be a hit with all the lemon fans in your life.

Why We Love this Old Fashioned Lemonade

• Classic lemonade recipe that uses just lemons, sugar and water.
• Homemade lemonade taste so much better than the readymade kind you get at the grocery store.
• Easily customizable with other fruits to create endless refreshing recipes for different flavored lemonades.

What’s Needed to Make Homemade Lemonade

• Water
• Sugar
• Fresh lemon juice (about 6-8 fresh lemons)
• Ice cubes

Recommended Tools:

• Large pitcher
• Measuring cups
• Sharp knife
• Fine mesh strainer
• Long handled spoon

How to Make this Easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Step One: Juice the Lemons

• Roll each large lemon (you can also use Meyer lemons) on the counter, then cut in half and squeeze the lemons until you have 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice. Use a strainer to catch any pulp or seeds. Set aside.

Step Two: Make the Simple Syrup

• In medium sauce pan add 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Heat on medium-high heat stirring frequently until all the sugar dissolves and liquid is clear.
• Remove from heat and set aside, allow the sugar syrup to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. You can also put the mixture in the refrigerator to get it to cool faster.

Step Three: Mix the Lemonade

• In the bottom of the pitcher add the fresh lemon juice, 6 cups water, and the cooled simple syrup and stir to combine.
• Serve the fresh lemonade in a tall glass over ice. Garnish with lemon slices (optional).

Store lemonade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple of days.

Variations of Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

• Raspberry lemonade: To make this a raspberry lemonade recipe, puree ¾ cups raspberries in a blender then strain it through a fine mesh strainer into the bottom of the pitcher, then add in the other ingredients and stir well.

• Watermelon lemonade: Blend enough watermelon to make 2 cups of watermelon juice. Strain it and add it to the pitcher. You will omit two cups of the water called for in this recipe for the juice.

• Mint lemonade: If you love an herby flavored lemonade, you can add fresh mint leaves or even a sprig of rosemary to the prepared lemonade. You’ll want to remove the herbs after about 30 minutes or when it has infused the lemonade well.

• Strawberry lemonade: Add two cups of sliced strawberries to a blender until smooth. Strain it well and add it to the pitcher with the other lemonade ingredients for the tastiest strawberry lemonade.

• Blackberry lemonade: You can easily make this blackberry lemonade by adding two cups of blended and strained blackberries to the lemonade mixture.

• Orangeade: Add the juice of two oranges with the freshly squeezed lemon juice for a fun and delicious twist.

• Boozy lemonade: Replace 3/4 cup of the water with 3/4 vodka or rum for a boozy adult beverage.

What’s the Best Way to Squeeze Fresh Lemon Juice?

• The best way to release a lot of juice from lemons is to roll whole lemons on a cutting board or kitchen counter, pressing down hard as you roll.

• When cutting lemons to juice, cut the lemons crosswise, with the pointed ends pointing outward.

• A citrus juicer makes things much easier but if squeezing by hand, place each lemon half in your palm with the cut side facing up as you squeeze. This will prevent some of the seeds from squeezing out into the bowl.

• If you end up with lemons that do not seem to have much juice, you can put them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Heating them up a little, helps to create more juice.

• To make sure you’ve gotten all the juice from each half, you can stick a dinner fork down into each half and work it around, pressing side to side until all the juice is gone.

What Can I Do with Leftover Lemon Peels?

If you are anything like me, I really hate to waste anything. So, when I make fresh homemade lemonade with a bunch of lemons, I always looks for creative ways to put the peeling or rinds to good use. Here are some of my favorites:

• Freshen up your cutting board: Even with proper washing, cutting boards can pick up odors that are hard to get rid up. To freshen it up, sprinkle coarse grain salt over the top of the cutting board. Add a little distilled vinegar then rub it with leftover lemon rinds until the salt dissolves.

• Clean your microwave: Place a couple of lemon halves that have been juiced in the microwave for 20 seconds on high. Let them cool enough to handle them run them over any dirty spots you see, then wipe dry with a cloth.

• Make an all-purpose cleaner: Take a glass jar and place at least 5-6 leftover lemon peels in the bottom. Fill it the rest of the way up with distilled vinegar. Place the jar in a cool place in your pantry for about 10 days. Before using it, you’ll strain the vinegar to get rid of any sediments. Then just pour it into a spray bottle to clean most any hard surface.

• Deodorize your disposal: If your kitchen disposal has an unpleasant odor, just drop half of a rind into the sink’s disposal and let it run until it has been ground up and washed down the drain.

• Make homemade lemon pepper: If you have a dehydrator, you can use it to dehydrate lemon peels or lemon zest. Then just mix them in with peppercorns into a pepper grinder for fresh and amazing lemon pepper.

More Drink Recipes

• Orange Sherbet with Punch
• Cool Whip Berry Smoothie
• Watermelon Margarita
• Kool Aid Slushies
• Whipped Strawberry Milk
• Easy Butterbeer
• Strawberry Basil Vodka co*cktail