Homemade Lemonade

By
Stephanie Gallagher
Stephanie Gallagher
Stephanie Gallagher is a journalist and food writer who has authored multiple cookbooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/28/23
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 pitcher

Lemonade is a beloved refreshment, and for good reason: It's the perfect balance of sweet and tart, making it extremely refreshing on a hot day. It's also very easy to make at home, requiring only three basic ingredients and a few minutes of your time. You'll never reach for bottled lemonade at the store again—never mind the powdered and frozen stuff.

The 3 Simple Ingredients You Need for Perfect Homemade Lemonade

  • Fresh lemons: For the best flavor, always use fresh lemons for lemonade, not bottled lemon juice. If you're making a small amount of lemonade, you can simply squeeze the lemons by hand. Roll the whole fruit on the counter first, slice in half, and squeeze over a strainer to catch the seeds. A citrus juicer or reamer is a good option for squeezing several lemons.
  • Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is all you need for delicious lemonade. You'll combine it with water over heat to make a simple syrup to sweeten the lemon juice.
  • Water: You'll use some water to make the simple syrup, plus more to dilute the lemon juice and simple syrup mixture. Use whatever water you drink—whether straight from the tap or run through a filter. You'll also want ice cubes for serving the lemonade.

Tips

You can make the simple syrup for lemonade up to a week or two ahead of time and stash it in the fridge. Consider making extra for use in iced coffee and tea, cocktails, and more.

How to Scale This Recipe Up or Down

This recipe makes one pitcher of lemonade or about six servings. It's easy to scale it up or down depending on the size of your party. Just increase or decrease the ingredients in proportion.

How to Serve Lemonade

Enjoy this lemonade as-is over ice or mix it into iced tea, punch, or even mixed drinks. Serve homemade lemonade at your next barbecue, pool party, or picnic to thirsty guests of all ages. It's sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Homemade Lemonade

The Spruce / Loren Runion

"Lemonade is that special drink that brings you right back to childhood. Mixing sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and water will give you a fresh, refreshing beverage that the whole family will enjoy. You could even add in some fresh berries or fruit if you are in the mood for some color and flavor." —Tracy Wilk

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

  • 6 cups cold water, divided

  • 5 to 8 lemons (1 cup of juice)

  • Lemon slices or fresh mint, garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Homemade Lemonade ingredients

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  2. In a medium (2- or 3-quart) saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water.

    sugar and water in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.

    sugar dissolved in water in a pot

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  4. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe container like a jar. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the simple syrup while you make the rest of the lemonade.

    simple syrup in a saucepan

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  5. Juice the lemons and strain the juice. You want 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.

    Juice the lemons over a strainer

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  6. In a pitcher, add the lemon juice to the remaining 5 cups of cold water.

    lemon juice and water in a pitcher

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  7. Stir in the refrigerated simple syrup.

    simple syrup added to the water and lemon juice mixture in the pitcher

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

  8. Serve in ice-filled glasses, garnishing with lemon slices or fresh mint, and enjoy.

    Homemade Lemonade in glasses

    The Spruce / Loren Runion

How to Store and Freeze

  • Store lemonade in a covered container (such as a bottle) in the fridge for up to 5 days. If making ahead, aim for mixing up your lemonade up to a day before for the freshest lemon flavor.
  • You can freeze leftover lemonade in an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of headroom. It will maintain its best quality for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
  • Try freezing lemonade in an ice tray. Once frozen, transfer to a zip-top freezer bag and use the cubes to cool down iced tea, water, or even more lemonade.

Recipe Variations

  • Tart lemonade: You can easily adjust the sweetness of the lemonade by adding less sugar when you make the simple syrup. For a little more pucker, start with 3/4 cup of sugar. Another option is to make the full amount of simple syrup and add it to taste.
  • Strong lemonade: You can also adjust the strength by adding less water. If you think you'd like a stronger lemonade or plan on adding lots of ice, try adding 3 or 4 cups of water to the juice and add simple syrup and taste.
  • Honey-sweetened lemonade: To make this refined sugar-free, make the simple syrup using 1 1/2 cups honey to 1 cup water.
  • Sugar-free lemonade: You can also replace the granulated sugar with a cup-for-cup sugar substitute.
  • Meyer lemonade: Swap in Meyer lemons for regular lemons for a fragrant, sweet lemonade. (You may want to reduce the sugar a bit since they aren't quite as tart as regular lemons.)
  • Sparkling lemonade: Make a sparkling lemonade by swapping half of the water for sparkling water.
  • Fruity lemonade: Add fresh fruit to make watermelon lemonade or blueberry lemonade.
  • Herbed or spiced lemonade: Add herbs or spices to make ginger lemonade and lavender lemonade.
  • Spiked lemonade: You can also add alcohol to lemonade to make spiked lemonade or use it to make mixed drinks like a refreshing shandy.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
323 Calories
1g Fat
85g Carbs
3g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 323
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 16mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 85g 31%
Dietary Fiber 7g 27%
Total Sugars 66g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 156mg 778%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 641mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)