Description
Refreshing homemade strawberry lemonade bursting with fresh strawberry flavor and a perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 8–10 lemons)
- 12 cups cold water, plus more to adjust sweetness
- Lemon slices and fresh strawberries, for garnish (optional)
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Prepare Strawberry Puree: Wash and hull strawberries. Place in a blender or food processor with ½ cup of sugar. Blend until smooth.
- Strain (Optional): For a smoother lemonade, strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids.
- Make Lemonade Base: Squeeze lemons to get 1 ½ cups juice. In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice and remaining 1 cup sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. You can gently warm the lemon juice in the microwave for about 30 seconds to help the sugar dissolve more quickly, but be careful not to overheat it.
- Combine: Pour strawberry puree into the pitcher with the lemonade base. Add 12 cups of cold water.
- Stir: Stir well until combined.
- Taste and Adjust: Taste and add more sugar if too tart, or more lemon juice if too sweet. Add more water if too strong.
- Chill: Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve: Fill glasses with ice. Pour lemonade over ice. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh strawberries (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade: Substitute some of the water with sparkling water or club soda.
- Strawberry Lemonade with Mint: Muddle a few fresh mint leaves in the bottom of each glass before adding the ice and lemonade.
- Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles: Pour the lemonade into popsicle molds and freeze.
- Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail: Add a shot of vodka or gin to each glass.
- Adjusting for Tartness: The tartness of lemons can vary. If your lemons are particularly tart, you might need to add more sugar to balance the flavor. Conversely, if your lemons are less tart, you might need to add a little extra lemon juice.
- Using Frozen Strawberries: While fresh strawberries are ideal, you can use frozen strawberries in a pinch. Just be sure to thaw them completely before pureeing. You might need to adjust the amount of water you add, as frozen strawberries tend to release more liquid when thawed.
- Making a Large Batch: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd. Just make sure you have a large enough pitcher or container to hold all the lemonade.
- Storage: Store leftover lemonade in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The flavor may mellow slightly over time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes