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.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send it to your inbox.
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.
This lemonade sounds amazing. I have made strawberry lemonade but never thought to add ginger. I will be making this in the near future 🙂 Also to prevent ginger to go bad, I peel the whole root use what I want that night then put the rest of it in the freezer in a ziploc bag. It stays forever and its actually easier to grate up when frozen.
So you’re saying that the medicine cabinet in the tiny bathroom with the inefficient exhaust fan isn’t the best place to keep drugs? 🙂 I’m relocating the Pepcid to the fridge right now, then! My husband is in China this week for work, so when he comes home, he’s probably going to be like “what have you been DOING around here?” haha.
The answer, of course, is ‘thinking of you, dear!’
I will definitely be reporting back later this month 🙂
That’s a brilliant idea, Susan. Maybe I should just re-locate his Pepcid AC from the medicine cabinet to the fridge, next to the pitcher of lemonade. Because I think he likes the flavor, but also just likes to complain about his old man tendencies 😉
Relocating the Pepcid AC would be good for the drug, too – cooler storage temps are better than warm. So that would be a win-win.
I’m headed to Columbus OH this coming weekend, Susan. There are a TON of breweries there I can’t wait to check out. Have you ever been?
No, I haven’t. So I’ll be awaiting your report with great anticipation. We don’t have it in us to do our usual road trip this summer, but if Columbus is worth it, I could see going there next time we do a road trip, especially since it’s right on the way to Dayton where my best girlfriend lives. I hope you have a really great time.
Since I am obsessed with popsicles, I added 3x the suggested sugar and froze this. It’s amazing! The best fancy popsicle yet!
Oh my gosh, I LOVE that idea, Hannah! I need to get a popsicle mold this summer. Especially because when I make a big batch of lemonade, sometimes I have trouble finishing it all before it starts to take on that “fridge” flavor. My husband is 30 going on 90, so complains of heart burn from lemonade, and barely helps me drink it. haha 🙂
You could keep a bottle of TUMS (the strong kind) in the fridge right next to the lemonade to encourage him. It would be great for his calcium intake, too! 🙂 Unless, of course, he really doesn’t like lemonade…
Ummmm, can I come to your house for an afternoon snack? haha.
You are welcome here for afternoon snack (or any other time), Lori. Too bad we don’t have craft breweries in our town (except BJ’s which is actually a chain). We’d have a lot of fun!
Aww, thanks Julie. My mom spotted those straws at a little gift shop, and MADE me buy them 🙂
I know, seriously – how is this my first batch? I’m definitely going to make up for that this summer, though. One new recipe a month might not be enough. Maybe I should do one a week!
I suddenly felt thirsty by looking at your photos with those fancy and colourful straws. I love strawberry. Mixing it with ginger is a great idea. Thanks for sharing, Lori!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
hey Lori! love this. . I can’t believe this is your first batch of lemonade!!! but hey, you went big with the ginger so kudos to you!!! can’t wait to see what else you come up with!
Reading that you and your husband drink water 95% of the time (just like us), my smart mouth self was thinking, ‘well if you drink 95% water and 5% beer, then who needs anything else?’ Seriously, though, this recipe sounds very nice. I can pretty well guarantee you that I would drink it as is, and my husband would be adding sugar… I’m looking forward to seeing what other ideas you have about lemonade.
Haha, OK…for my husband maybe it’s more like 50% water / 50% beer. I’m also hooked on Honest Tea Lori’s Lemon Tea (because, come on). So I guess we’re not THAT boring. But now homemade lemonade will definitely be worked into the rotation!
Based on that, we are clearly boring! Although, now that I think about it, we usually have a glass of red wine with chocolate for an afternoon snack. Never mind, we’re still boring in what we drink… 🙂
I love making my own lemonade but I’m so lazy that I rarely do. I need to make sure to have a pitcher of this in my fridge over the summer at all times – it looks and sounds amazing! I love that bright red colour from the strawberries. Applause for your first batch of homemade lemonade!
Thanks Nancy! I also made a batch with watermelon (that recipe coming up next month). Next – I need to make a NON-pink lemonade! haha.
Wait. Really? This is really the first time you’ve made your own lemonade. I.am.shocked. Also now I want to add ginger to mine (p.s. I like it tart too).
I know, right? I was even shocked myself when I realized I had never made it! It was definitely worth the self-imposed wait though 🙂
Perfection! I just love anything with lemons and this would be pretty fab with a little shot of something, something in it.
Oh, a little sumthin’ sumthin’? Well, if you insist.
Love this, Lori. So perfect for a summer day or BBQ!
Thanks so much, Matt. I’m so glad you stopped by!