How to make homemade lemonade easy recipe. Homemade lemonade makes the best DIY drink ever and is an easy summer drink or party drink recipe, so definitely add this fresh lemonade recipe! For the best drink mix, use fresh lemons and not store bought lemon juice. This is also a fun recipe to make with kids for a refreshing summertime drink.
How To Make Homemade Lemonade Easy Recipe With Fresh Lemons
There’s nothing better than a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day, right? I love this fresh squeezed lemonade recipe because it reminds me of the southern homemade lemonade I had growing up! This is a super easy recipe for homemade lemonade that you’ll never use lemonade concentrate again!
How Do You Make Homemade Lemonade
Simple Ingredients For Lemonade:
- Fresh lemons (lemon slices)
- Cold water
- Sugar
Yes! It really is easy homemade lemonade! See the full homemade lemonade recipe easy instructions below. KEEP SCROLLING for the full printable recipe card and how to make lemonade for kids! If you’re wondering how to make homemade lemonade to sell, this is an easy recipe for that. You can easily double a lemonade recipe like this (or triple it!) for a kids lemonade stand.
How do you prepare lemons for juicing?
The Best Way To Juice Lemons
If you’re wondering how do I juice a lemon without a juicer, this is it!
- Start with room temperature lemons. Roll each lemon on the counter, pressing down lightly.
- Heat each lemon in the microwave for around 10-20 seconds (optional, but really helps release the juice if you want to get the most juice!).
- Allow lemon to cool slightly then gently roll again on the counter, pressing down lightly to release the juice.
- Place a strainer over a glass measuring cup or small bowl.
- Carefully cut a small slit lengthwise on the lemon (be ready! the juice will start draining out!) and squeeze the lemon into strainer.
- Keep squeezing until all the fresh lemon juice has been released.
- Repeat the process until all lemons are juiced.
- If you like lemon pulp in your DIY lemonade, remove the seeds from the strainer and add the pulp to your lemon juice before using to make lemonade.
PRO TIP: You can microwave lemon for more juice, if needed! You can get around a cup of lemon juice from 4 large lemons for this simple recipe. (Be sure to save a fresh lemon slice or two to add to the glasses when serving lemonade. Use the best lemons you can find!)
LEMON JUICING TIP: If you make a lot of juices, you may want to invest in an electric juicer like this or an easy hand juicer like this with a pour spout.
Working With Real Lemons For Lemonade From Scratch
How long does homemade lemonade last?
Homemade lemonade will last around 5 days if placed in the refrigerator in a container with a lid. Do not add ice to your fresh lemonade from scratch before refrigerating or it will be diluted and watered down when you go to drink it later and won’t be as tasty or refreshing!
PRO TIP: Place leftover lemonade in a freezer bag and freeze for lemon slushes or for lemon ice!
YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THESE EASY DRINK RECIPES:
Summer Sun Tea Recipe (great for a hot day!)
Does homemade lemonade need to be refrigerated?
Be sure to refrigerate lemonade until ready to use (you want an ice cold lemonade recipe for hot days, right?) or add ice to the lemonade if it’s going to sit out. If you have homemade lemonade that has sat out all day with fresh lemons in it (especially in the sun at a cookout, for example), discard it after the party so that bacteria can’t grow.
Do you have to peel lemons before juicing?
No! Don’t peel lemons before juicing. The peel will help hold in the juice while microwaving lemons. Microwave the fresh lemons for up to 30 seconds and then pierce the lemon skin (peel) over a strainer. The lemon juice will start coming out immediately! If it’s nearing the expiration period, freeze your lemonade into cubes and use it for other summer drinks!
Variations On Lemonade
You can substitute sugar or add other ingredients to this easy lemonade recipe:
- Homemade lemonade with honey (if you’re looking for a healthy homemade lemonade)
- Homemade lemonade with lemon juice
- Homemade lemonade with Stevia (or other sugar substitutes if you need a sugar free homemade lemonade)
- Homemade lemonade with simple syrup
- Add berries to make homemade strawberry lemonade, blueberry lemonade, mint garnish and more for the best homemade lemonade!
If you’re going to change up the recipe, you’ll have to play around with the homemade lemonade ratio because they’ll be different than those listed in our easy lemonade recipe below.
OK! Let’s get to the easiest way to make homemade lemonade! (There’ll be no homemade lemonade vs store bought discussion after you taste this!)
How To Home Make Lemonade (Fresh Lemonade At Home!)
What’s The Best Way To Make Homemade Lemonade?
If you’ve never had scratch lemonade, you’re in for a treat with this easy way! The lemon flavor from the freshly squeezed lemon juice is so strong and yummy that you’ll never want to buy it from grocery stores again!
We love this homemade lemonade glass pitcher set, especially for summer barbecues or parties. You can get creative and add mint or add other things like raspberries for raspberry lemonade or strawberries for strawberry lemonade.
Don’t forget to plan for extra slices of lemon as garnish and add ice cubes when serving this perfect drink! (You can garnish the pitcher of lemonade or just pour glasses and garnish each cup of classic lemonade.)
If you like a sweet lemonade or tart side lemonade (my daughter calls it sour lemonade LOL!), you can add more sugar or less sugar to this recipe based on personal tastes for the perfect lemonade. The sugar amount is really up to you! (You can even add a cup of honey instead of sugar.)
If you want to make know how to make homemade lemonade like at the fair, use lots of sugar and make your lemonade sweet!
Here’s how to make the best lemonade recipe – great anytime you need a cold drink…
Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice around 8-10 medium lemons or around 6 large lemons
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
- Lemon slices mint, or berries for garnish (optional)
- Ice for glasses
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SYRUP:
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, stirring the entire time to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and cool. Cover and refrigerate to chill.
PREPARING AND JUICING LEMONS:
- Roll each lemon on the counter, pressing down lightly.
- Place a strainer over a 1 cup measuring cup or small bowl. Carefully cut a slit in the lemon and squeeze into strainer to extract as much juice as you can.
- Repeat with each lemon until you have 1 1/2 cups of fresh lemon juice. (If you like pulp in your lemonade, discard lemon seeds from the strainer and add any pulp remaining back into the juice.)
MAKING LEMONADE:
- In a large pitcher, stir together remaining water, lemon juice and chilled syrup. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding a little more sugar if necessary.
- Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately over ice, or cover and chill homemade fresh lemonade in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Note
Nutrition calculations are approximate. If you're following a special diet, please calculate your own nutrition values.
Recipe and Read: Children’s Books Paired With Simple Homemade Lemonade Recipe
Here are some great kids books to pair up with this delicious homemade lemonade recipe for a recipe and read with kids! Because you can make this recipe with a few simple steps, that makes it a great recipe for kids to make on their own or even for an easy preschool food craft.
Pour glasses of lemonade with lots of ice and have fun with these kids read-alongs after going through the recipe for how to make lemonade with your kids!
Children’s Book Recommendations To Go With Fresh Homemade Lemonade:
- When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree
- Lemons
- The Lemon Tree (Young Readers’ Edition)
- It Began with Lemonade
- Maisy Makes Lemonade
