This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy with the best sweet tart flavor! It’s quick to mix up a big pitcher that’s deliciously festive.
Got fresh strawberries? Here’s one of the best ways to use them…a pitcher of homemade Strawberry Lemonade! This drink is bright and beautiful, citrusy with a hit of berry on the finish. It tastes infinitely better made at home: the flavors are brilliantly fresh. This one has become a favorite over here as a summery drink (if we’re not making the shortcut pink lemonade, of course!). This recipe is fast and easy: you don’t even need to cook down a syrup! Simply blend and go.
Ingredients for strawberry lemonade
This strawberry lemonade recipe skips making a strawberry syrup on the stovetop, and goes right to the blender. All you’ll need to do is blend berries and sugar, then mix it with lemon juice to form lemonade. Easy as that! In fact, you only need three real ingredients (plus water):
- Strawberries
- Lemons
- Sugar
Use the best ripe berries
It might go without saying, but this strawberry lemonade is best with beautifully ripe strawberries. These days, it’s easy to find strawberries out of season: and their flavor is tart and bland. Make sure you find ripe fruit, because no amount of sugar can save an unripe berry! Bonus points if you’ve got a pint of berries from a local farmers market.
How to make strawberry lemonade (basic steps)
Once you’ve got your ingredients, there are just a few basic steps for strawberry lemonade. Here’s all you need to do (or jump to the recipe below for the exact quantities):
- Juice the lemons. The only time consuming part is this! We recommend using a press juicer, which is the quickest, gets out the most juice and saves your hands. The next best choice? A handheld citrus juicer.
- Blend the strawberries, sugar and water. Give it a whiz in the blender.
- Mix the pitcher. Then mix it in a pitcher with the lemon juice and more cold water. Garnish with ice and mint if you like!
Serving in a pitcher with ice? Reduce the water
Are you planning to make this strawberry lemonade for a party, leaving it out in a big pitcher with ice? The ice melts over time, which can dilute the drink. If you think it might sit out for quite a while, you can reduce the cold water you add at the end to account for dilution.
But if you’re planning to serve it right away, there’s no need! Simply follow the recipe below.
Variations on strawberry lemonade
There are so many tasty ways to mix up this drink! Here are a few ideas:
- Sparkling lemonade: Stir in 4 cups soda water instead of cold water.
- Spiked lemonade: By the glass, serve 1 cup of this strawberry lemonade with ¼ cup vodka or 3 tablespoons gin.
- Arnold Palmer: Make a Strawberry Arnold Palmer by mixing 6 tablespoons lemonade with 1 cup iced tea.
More lemonade flavors? Try Cucumber Lemonade, Ginger Lemonade, Mint Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade or Watermelon Lemonade.
More strawberry recipes
Got berries? We’ve got lots of strawberry recipes to make the most of the season! Here are a few more tasty recipes with this delicious berry:
- Bake up a pan of Strawberry Bread
- Mix up frosty Strawberry Sorbet or blend up Strawberry Milk
- Try delicious Strawberry Muffins with a cream cheese swirl
- Make a cozy Strawberry Crumble
- Wake up with Strawberry Waffles
- Go for Classic Strawberry Shortcake
This strawberry lemonade recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Print
Easy Strawberry Lemonade
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 drinks 1x
Description
This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy with the best sweet tart flavor! It’s quick to mix up a big pitcher that’s deliciously festive.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (7 to 8 large lemons)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries, stems removed
- 6 cups water, divided
- Ice and fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Juice the lemons.
- Add the strawberries, sugar and 2 cups warm water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh sieve into pitcher, using a spatula to push the liquid through (discard the seeds; this takes a few minutes to complete).
- Add 4 cups* cold water and the fresh squeezed lemon juice. Add ice to the pitcher and serve. If desired, garnish with extra strawberries and fresh mint sprigs. (Spiked variation: By the glass, serve 1 cup of this strawberry lemonade with ¼ cup vodka or 3 tablespoons gin.)
Notes
*If you plan to serve in a large pitcher with ice and leave it out at a party, use 3 cups water to account for ice melting and diluting the drink.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Lemonade
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Strawberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade recipe
Let us know if you have any questions!
★★★★★
The best way to avoid watering down the drink, yet keep it cold is to use frozen whole strawberries instead of ice cubes. Or whatever frozen fruit you want.
★★★★