Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Drink
This homemade Strawberry Lemonade recipe is bursting with the flavor of real strawberries and lemons. Nothing artificial here!
Fresh Strawberry Lemonade is the most refreshing summer drink!
Have I ever told you I worked at Applebee’s during the summers in high school? It certainly wasn’t my favorite job I ever had, but the bartender hooked me up with all the strawberry lemonade I could drink.
Nothing beats a glass of strawberry lemonade on a hot summer day, and my homemade version with ripe strawberries is much better than Applebee’s, which was almost certainly made with manufactured artificial strawberry flavored syrup.
The recipe below is the ultimate thirst-quencher for lounging by the pool or hosting a barbecue. Stick with the delicious strawberry version, or jazz it up with ginger, mint or mango.
Why You’ll Love this Strawberry Lemonade Recipe
- It’s bursting with fresh flavor from real strawberries and lemons. Nothing artificial here.
- You can control the sweetness level, so if you’re watching your sugar intake, you can cut back a bit.
- Kids love it! In fact, it’s a hit with all ages, so it’s a great beverage for family gatherings.
Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Ingredients
- strawberries – the berries are blended to create a puree which is what flavors the lemonade.
- lemon juice – you want real juice squeezed from real lemons, not the stuff sold in the plastic lemon.
- sugar – regular white granulated sugar is what we’re using to sweeten the drink.
- water and ice – the bulk of lemonade is, well, water, so if your tap water doesn’t taste the best, use filtered or bottled water so that your lemonade tastes as good as it can.
- extra strawberries and lemon slices – optional garnishes for a decorative touch.
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade
1. MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP. Combine 3/4 cup each water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then remove the simple syrup from the heat and allow it to cool.
2. PUREE. In a blender, puree the strawberries and a bit of water until the mixture is smooth, then strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids – this will be lots of strawberry seeds that we don’t want in our lemonade.
3. MIX. Pour the strained strawberry liquid into a large ice-filled pitcher, then stir in the lemon juice and some simple syrup. Taste and add more simple syrup or more water to adjust the sweetness to your desired taste.
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Variations
You don’t need to mess with a good thing, but if the mood strikes, here’s a few ways to add even more flavor to your fresh strawberry lemonade.
- STRAWBERRY GINGER LEMONADE: Add 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped, to the blender with the strawberries. Continue with the recipe as written.
- STRAWBERRY MINT LEMONADE: You’ll need 1 small bunch of fresh mint. Add 4 to 6 mint leaves to the bottom of each glass and muddle until the leaves release their aroma. Fill the glass with ice and top with the lemonade mixture, then stir to combine. Or, add 1/3 cup mint leaves to the pot of simple syrup ingredients, allow to cool, then strain and use mint simple syrup in place of the regular simple syrup as directed in the recipe.
- STRAWBERRY MANGO LEMONADE: You’ll need 1/4 cup of mango nectar for each serving that you want to add mango flavor to (1-1/2 cups mango nectar total if you want to make the entire batch mango-flavored). Fill each glass with ice. Fill glass about 3/4 of the way with lemonade, top with 1/4 cup mango nectar, then stir to combine.
Strawberry Lemonade Drink Home Chef Tips
- Simple syrup can be stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
- The riper the strawberries, the sweeter and more flavorful your lemonade will be. If your berries are incredibly sweet, you may need less simple syrup than called for.
- Mango nectar for the strawberry mango lemonade variation can be found in the shelf stable juice or Mexican/Latin American aisle of any well stocked supermarket. We used the Jumex brand for testing this recipe.
How to store this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade
Store your homemade strawberry lemonade in a covered pitcher (I just cover my pitcher with plastic wrap) and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
BEST Recipe for Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 4 cups water divided
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heaping fresh strawberries hulled
- Ice
- 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
- Lemon and strawberry slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup water and sugar over medium-high heat. Cook until all sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally (do not boil). Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes, then transfer syrup to jar or bottle and refrigerate until completely cool.
- In blender, puree strawberries and remaining 3-1/4 cups water until smooth. Strain mixture through fine mesh strainer; discard solids.
- Fill large pitcher with ice. Add lemon juice, strawberry liquid and 1/2 cup simple syrup. Stir until well combined, then taste and adjust flavor with additional simple syrup or water to adjust the sweetness to your taste.
- Serve over ice, garnished with lemon and strawberry slices, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Simple syrup can be stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
- The riper the strawberries, the sweeter and more flavorful your lemonade will be. If your berries are incredibly sweet, you may need less simple syrup than called for.
- Mango nectar for the strawberry mango lemonade variation can be found in the shelf stable juice or Mexican/Latin American aisle of any well stocked supermarket. We used the Jumex brand for testing this recipe.
Tried it! It was amazing! In the lemonaid I usually make I add a pinch of salt and it makes it sweeter with less sugar. Tried it in your recipe and all I can say is…WOW!
Such a smart idea, Lynn! That’s the only thing I don’t love about homemade lemonade – real lemon juice is SO tart that I feel like it needs quite a bit of sugar to make it drinkable. Definitely trying the pinch of salt next time, thanks!
Great tip, Holly! I’ve tried freezing pre-grated ginger before, but it didn’t really work all that well – it just sort of turned into freezer burned mush. Your way sounds much better!