Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Recipe
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This homemade strawberry lemonade is the ultimate summer cooler. It’s made with fresh lemons and juicy strawberries, and you can sweeten it however you like – honey, maple syrup, or good old sugar. Super refreshing and perfect for hot days.
It comes together fast, and I always keep a big pitcher in the fridge. Just give it a quick stir, pour over ice, and you’re good to go!
Try my raspberry limeade for another yummy summer drink, or my No Bake Pink Lemonade Pie for a similar flavor!
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below, but you can jump right to the recipe card if you wish!
I LOVE this easy strawberry lemonade. It’s the most refreshing drink for summer with the perfect mix of tart and sweet. You’ll be making this one on repeat.
Fresh lemons, blended strawberries, a simple syrup, and cold water. That’s it. Pour it over ice and boom, instant happiness. I keep a pitcher in the fridge all summer long.
Living in the Arizona desert, we need to stay ahead of the dehydration game. This is such a tasty way to stay hydrated, especially with all the outdoor parties, BBQs, and general chaos of summer. Treat yourself to a long, cool glass and thank me later.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy to make ahead. Whenever I have a bunch of lemons in season, I squeeze them and freeze the juice. I do the same with strawberries, during strawberry season – make the puree and freeze until needed. It’s super quick to make when you have all that done!
Fresh and tasty, with real simple ingredients found in grocery stores. Enough said!
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Bonus: my sweet sons enjoying homemade lemonade.
Key Recipe Ingredients
Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Strawberries. Fresh strawberries, remove the green parts and chop them up.
- Lemons. Fresh lemons, juiced.
- Water. Cold water is going to make your lemonade drinkable more quickly!
- Sugar (or honey, maple, or agave)
How to make Fresh Strawberry Lemonade:
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
JumpJuice the lemons, make the strawberry puree
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Juice the lemons, and add to a large pitcher. In a blender or food processor, add the strawberries and 1 cup of water and blend until smooth.
Strain strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp, add to the pitcher.
Make a sugar syrup
Heat the cup of sugar and 1 cup of water over medium heat in a small saucepan until it boils, and the sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
Make lemonade
Add the remaining 6 cups of cold water to the pitcher, then add the cooled sugar syrup.
Stir until well blended, serve over ice cubes. Add lemon slices and extra strawberries as a garnish if you want to be fancy. I keep a BIG pitcher of this in my fridge. A quick stir, and a glass of ice is all you need!
Kylee’s Notes
Change out the lemon juice for lime juice, and you’ve got strawberry limeade.
Switch out the ripe strawberries for fresh raspberries, and bam – raspberry lemonade.
Maple syrup, honey, and agave nectar are all make a great sugar substitute. Stevia and other kinds of artificial sugar can be used, but I don’t like them.
Switch up the ratios of lemons, strawberries, and water to get your perfect blend.
Make this and FREEZE it – always be ready for some hydration!
You can do this with frozen strawberries if you have a hankering during the offseason for strawberries – but always, ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice. Frozen berries are often less sweet than fresh, so make sure you test it and adjust the sugar if needed.
Add vodka and make it a super refreshing adult beverage, add salt and it’s a sports drink!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but fresh is always going to taste better and more natural.
Oooh, got some sour lemons? Add more simple syrup, or less lemon juice to balance the flavors.
Absolutely! You can add herbs like fresh mint or basil, or fruits like blueberries or raspberries to add a different flavor profile. See the notes section for more info.
You can add soda water or club soda instead of regular water just before serving to make it fizzy.
Oh that’s easy. Just add vodka or coconut rum to your lemonade. Boom. Refreshing summer cocktail vibes! You are SO welcome.
Want more summer recipes?
- Summery White Bean Salad
- Summery Tuscan Chicken Orzo
- Fresh Tomato Tart
- Pineapple Punch (from Simple and Seasonal)
- Strawberry Mojito Sparkling Water (from Home Made Interest)
- Brazilian Lemonade (from Jonesin’ for a Taste)
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Home Made Fresh Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6 large lemons you'll need about 2 cups of juice
- 1 pound fresh strawberries cleaned and hulled
- 8 cups water divided – 1 cup for the strawberry puree, 1 cup for the sugar syrup, 6 cups for the lemonade
- 1 cup white sugar or maple syrup, agave or honey
Instructions
- Juice the 6 large lemons, and add to a large pitcher.
- In a blender, add the 1 pound fresh strawberries and 1 cup of water.
- Blend until pureed.
- Strain strawberry mixture to remove pulp, add to the pitcher.
- Heat the 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup of water in a large saucepan until it boils, and the sugar dissolves. Cool.
- Add remaining 6 cups of water to the pitcher, then add the cooled sugar syrup.
- Stir until well blended.
- Serve over ice.
- Devour.
Notes
Kylee’s Notes
- Maple syrup, honey, and agave syrup are all great alternatives to white sugar. You will use much less – it’s not a cup for cup exchange if you are using liquid sweeteners.
- Switch up the ratios of lemons, strawberries, and water to get your perfect blend.
- Make this and FREEZE it – always be ready for some hydration!
- You can do this with frozen strawberries if you have a hankering during the offseason for strawberries – but always, ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice. Frozen berries are often less sweet than fresh, so make sure you test it and adjust the sugar if needed.
- Add vodka and make it a super refreshing adult beverage, add salt and it’s a sports drink!
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!Update: This recipe was originally posted in 2018, and has been updated to improve reader experience. The recipe remains the same!
About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
This is SO good!! I was looking for homemade sport drink…I added a little salt and voila..sport drink!! Thank you for sharing!!
Lemonade is totally one of my summer weaknesses. And strawberries. Oh, and cake. Anyways, this lemonade is awesome. I put it in the ice cream machine and made slushies with it!
We loved this so much! I made it as written and put it in the fridge for the grandkids. They were so excited!
My kids love lemonade!