Easy Homemade Lemonade
on Oct 24, 2023, Updated Feb 24, 2024
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A perfectly balanced lemonade that’s super refreshing! Learn to make the classic summer drink using 4 ingredients.
Homemade Lemonade
Made with fresh lemon juice, this lemonade has the best flavor. A perfect ratio of lemon juice, sugar, and water makes it nicely tart, sweet, and refreshing.
It only requires 4 ingredients and 3 minutes of time to prepare, plus 10 minutes for the sugar-water mixture to chill.
Homemade lemonade is the perfect drink for warm weather picnics, barbecues, and other celebrations.
RELATED: Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
Recipe Highlights
- This homemade lemonade is made with lemon juice, sugar, water, and ice.
- Sugar is first dissolved in hot water to make a quick simple syrup.
- The recipe makes 16 ounces (2 cups), but you can easily increase it to fill a large pitcher.
RELATED: 17 Best Lemonade Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds the best sweet-tart flavor. Look for lemons that are heavy for their size and tender to the touch. This means they’re ripe and juicy.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar dissolves nicely into the drink.
- Water – Use filtered water for the best tasting lemonade.
- Ice – Make ice with filtered water if possible.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to see the recipe.
- Combine hot water and sugar.
- Stir to thoroughly mix. Place in refrigerator to cool.
- Add lemon juice to the cooled down simple syrup.
- Pour lemonade into a cup with ice.
Optional: Garnish with thinly sliced lemons.
RELATED: Hibiscus Lemonade
Recipe Notes
Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
To make squeezing lemons fast and easy, use a citrus juicer, which catches pulp and seeds.
The drink is made with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, which is juice from 1 medium lemon.
Dissolve the sugar in hot water first.
Adding the sugar to hot water helps it dissolve completely. This way, the lemonade will be smooth and not grainy.
You don’t have to use boiling hot water. Water that has come to be a simmer is hot enough to dissolve the sugar completely.
Make the lemonade ahead of time.
Prepare the lemonade in advance and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
RELATED: Matcha Lemonade
Expert Tips
- If you prefer a tart lemonade, add more lemon juice.
- You can sweeten the drink with brown sugar or honey, but that will change the flavor of the lemonade.
- Combine lemonade with equal parts tea to make an Arnold Palmer.
- Add lemonade to matcha to make a matcha lemonade.
- Garnish with fresh herbs like basil or mint.
Questions You May Have
While you certainly can use bottled lemon juice to make this lemonade, it won’t be as good as freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice usually contains additives and preservatives that make the flavor feel off.
Lemon juice has a similar shelf life to any fresh ingredient. It’s good for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C, but since lemonade also contains sugar, it’s always best to consume in moderation.
Related
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Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- Combine hot water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir until the sugar dissolves.Set the temperature to 175°F if you're using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Use filtered water if possible. There's no need to use boiling water. Simmered water will work well to dissolve the sugar.
- Chill the simple sugar in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Once simple syrup has cooled, add the lemon juice.
- Pour the lemonade into a cup with ice.Optional: Garnish with sliced lemons.
Notes
- Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice. To make squeezing lemons fast and easy, use a citrus juicer, which catches pulp and seeds. The drink is made with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, which is juice from 1 medium lemon.
- When picking lemons, look for ones that are heavy for their size and tender to the touch. This means they’re ripe and juicy.
- Adding the sugar to hot water helps it dissolve completely. This way, the lemonade will be smooth and not grainy.
- Use filtered water for the best tasting drink. Also make the ice with filtered water if possible.
- If you prefer a tart lemonade, add more lemon juice.
- Prepare the lemonade in advance and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
