This homemade strawberry lemonade is made with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and just the right amount of sweetness for a refreshing summer drink.
If you've ever wondered how to make strawberry lemonade at home, the process is surprisingly simple. Fresh strawberries are blended into a quick puree, then mixed with lemon juice and water to create a bright, fruity lemonade that tastes far better than anything from a bottle!
It’s the perfect drink for warm afternoons, backyard gatherings, or anytime you have a container of fresh strawberries to use up.
It’s also a great way to use up a flat of strawberries during peak strawberry season.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Sure, you can buy ready to drink mixes at the grocery store, but I'll tell you what - nothing beats the taste of homemade lemonade. Add fresh strawberries to the mix and now we have something really special. Nothing beats the taste of homemade strawberry lemonade.
This homemade strawberry lemonade can easily double as a refreshing summer mocktail, too!
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🛒 INGREDIENTS
You only need three simple ingredients, plus a few cups of water.
- granulated sugar - the plain white sugar we use for baking. We'll use it to make a simple syrup, plus you'll have leftover to sweeten up a batch of Instant Pot iced tea.
- fresh strawberries - like I said, we have strawberries coming out our ears these days. You can also make this using frozen strawberries. Also, the strawberries would be amazing in a
- fresh lemon juice - if you have fresh lemons, you'll need about four of them. I've been known to use the bottled stuff in a pinch, but fresh lemons really level up your strawberry lemonade.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tip: If you have lots of fresh strawberries, consider making this strawberry, spinach and feta salad or a mixed berry galette.
🥣 How to make strawberry lemonade
Here's how I make this strawberry lemonade recipe.
- Step 1: Make the simple syrup. This is seriously so easy, I beg you not to pay for it at the grocery store. Bring equal parts sugar and water to a gentle simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally.
Once the sugar dissolves completely, you have simple syrup.
Let the syrup cool slightly before using.
- Step 2: Juice the lemons. While the syrup is cooling, squeeze fresh lemon juice into a large pitcher.
- Step 3: Make the strawberry puree. Hull your strawberries (this just means removing the green tops where they attach to the berry).
Add the strawberries to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Now you have a fresh strawberry puree for lemonade.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can strain out the strawberry seeds using a fine mesh sieve. In our household, we usually skip this step.
- Combine the lemonade. Add the strawberry puree to the pitcher with the lemon juice, then pour in the water.
Add simple syrup to taste and stir well to combine. The sweetness will depend on your taste buds.
Taste and adjust by adding more water or sweetener if needed.
Chill and pour over ice. You can garnish with lemon slices, whole strawberries, or even a sprig of mint.
Hint: The strawberry mixture will settle as the lemonade sits. Simply give it a stir before pouring to mix everything up again.
🍓 Make-Ahead Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
If you have a lot of strawberries to use up, you can turn this recipe into a simple frozen strawberry lemonade concentrate.
Prepare the strawberry puree and lemon juice mixture as directed, but reduce the amount of water so the flavor stays concentrated.
To Freeze
To Freeze
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- Prepare the strawberry puree and lemon juice mixture as directed.
- Stir in sugar to taste (or simple syrup if you prefer).
- Pour into freezer-safe containers, Souper Cubes, or jars.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
To Serve
Thaw the concentrate and mix with cold water until it reaches your preferred sweetness.
This is an easy way to keep homemade strawberry lemonade ready for hot summer days!
Make Ahead Ideas
If you have extra strawberries (or find them on sale and want to stock up), you can freeze strawberries for later to use in this recipe.
You could also make strawberry sauce or strawberry compote if you have a lot of berries to use up.
📖 Variations
You can make this using blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries.
Use honey instead of granulated syrup for the simple syrup.
Sub out the lemon juice for lime juice to make a strawberry limeade.
Muddle a little fresh basil or mint to make it more mocktail or cocktail like. And of course, you could add vodka, rum or tequila if you want a grown up version!
Farm Girl Tip
If you use warm water to make your simple syrup, the mixture will come to temperature faster, which means the sugar will melt faster, too!
Storage
Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, if it lasts that long! Leftovers would make fun ice cubes for later in the summer, too!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with strawberry lemonade:
Recipe
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade (Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Recipe)
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Ingredients
For the simple syrup
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups water use warm water if you want it to melt the sugar faster
For the strawberry lemonade
- 1 pound strawberries washed, hulled and cut in half
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice about 4 lemons
- 5 cups cold water
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, stir together 2 cups granulated sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Cut lemons in half and squeeze 1 cup fresh lemon juice into a glass pitcher. (I like to use a lemon squeezer). Be sure no lemon seeds have fallen into the juice.
- Add 1 pound strawberries to the container of a blender. Mix on medium high until the strawberries are smoothly pureed. *See optional step in notes
- Add the strawberry puree to the pitcher of lemon juice. Add 5 cups cold water and simple syrup to taste (you may not need all the simple syrup depending on your tastes and desired sweetness. Start by adding half the simple syrup, then adjust to taste.)
- Stir to combine and chill until ready to serve. Stir again before pouring into ice filled glasses for serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
