Strawberry Lemonade (4 Ingredients!)

Name: Strawberry Lemonade
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; 7 cups water, divided; 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 5 to 6 large lemons); 1 1/2 cups sliced frozen strawberries, thawed

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Strawberry Lemonade is so easy to make! You only need 4 ingredients and a few minutes to make a batch. It’s so refreshing – the perfect summer lemonade recipe.

Lemonade seems like something might be a pain in the you-know-what, but you know what? It really isn’t. You don’t have to spend hours squeezing lemons or making complicated syrups to make it all work. This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe has a prep time of about 15 minutes. That’s it!

And, yes, I know you can just buy lemonade, but it’s fun to make things, friends. Plus, the storebought kind doesn’t have pretty strawberries in it. At best, it has a fake strawberry flavor, while our from-scratch fresh strawberry lemonade has just a few simple ingredients.

a pitcher of lemonad flavored with strawberries.

Ingredients

Granulated sugar
Water
Freshly squeezed lemon juice – you will need about 5 to 6 large lemons
Thawed sliced frozen strawberries

How to Make It

Combine the sugar with 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and stir.

When the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the stove and allow the syrup to cool.

Pour 4 cups of cold water, the sugar syrup, and lemon juice into a large pitcher. Add the strawberries and stir to combine. Pour into glasses with ice cubes and garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint.

Variations and Other Fun Tips

Sweetness Level: Lemonade is supposed to be sweet to balance the tartness from the lemon juice, but how sweet depends on your tastes. If you serve it on a warm day with lots of ice, I don’t recommend changing the ingredient amounts. The ice will water the drink down as it melts a bit. That said, you can add up to one to two cups more of water to cut the sweetness if that’s what you prefer.

Make it Fizzy: Add some sparkling water or soda water to make a fizzy, refreshing drink!

Frozen Lemonade: Instead of thawing the strawberries, place them in a blender or food processor with the lemonade and blend until you have a slushy frozen strawberry lemonade.

Strawberry Puree: If you don’t want the strawberry slices in the pitcher, you can puree the strawberries first, strain the pureed juice through a fine-mesh strainer, and add it to the lemonade.

Change the Fruit: You aren’t stuck with strawberries – try other fruit like blueberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries, or other frozen fruit that you like.

Recipe FAQs

Can you use fresh strawberries instead of frozen?

Yes, you can use fresh strawberries, but I suggest mashing them in the pitcher first to release their juices. I like using thawed frozen ones because you get a lot of liquid from the berries, which helps flavor the lemonade.

Can you use bottled lemon juice?

I don’t recommend it because fresh lemon juice tastes a thousand times better. It’s worth squeezing the juice yourself.

Can you use prepared lemonade and just add strawberries to it?

Yes, that would be a super easy option. You can doctor up store-bought lemonade and skip making your own. Just add the thawed berries to the lemonade to flavor it.

I can’t only find whole frozen strawberries instead of sliced. Will that work?

Yes, let them thaw and then slice them. Or you can lightly mash them in the pitcher.

Why do you have to cook the sugar in the water?

Making a simple syrup, which is sugar heated with water until it dissolves, is so much better than just adding sugar to cold water. If you skip making the syrup, the lemonade will be grainy from the sugar.

How long does it keep in the refrigerator?

It will keep for several days, but the strawberries won’t be as pretty after a day or so. You can always scoop them out after a day if you prefer.

I hope you make strawberry lemonade at least once this year! There’s nothing better on a hot summer day – I hope you enjoy this lemonade recipe!

Happy sipping!

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