Are you looking for an easy lemonade recipe that has the perfect ratio of sour to sweet flavor? In my opinion, this is a must in any worthwhile lemonade recipe. If so, this recipe is definitely the only recipe you will ever need! And if you have lemons leftover, try making Italian limoncello!
When my son was little and wanted lemonade, he went straight for the Country Time Lemonade container. Back then, I didn't have this super-easy lemonade recipe.
What we did have was an amazing lemon tree in the backyard with hundreds of lemons just waiting to be squeezed! What a waste; It makes me sad just thinking about it. Especially since we no longer have that lemon tree. Then one glorious day, my friend, Linda, finally parted with her easy lemonade recipe. It has been my go-to lemonade recipe ever since.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The recipe has an easy-to-remember formula: One cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, one cup white sugar, and five cups of cold water. You can remember that, right?
- This 1-1-5 formula has never failed me.
- Make the lemonade ahead of time and have it on hand whenever you feel like having a refreshing drink.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lemons: To make lemonade, you'll need 5 juicy lemons.
- Sugar: One cup of granulated sugar.
- Water: Five cups of cold water, plus ice.
🍋 How to Make Fresh Lemonade
Step 1: Squeeze enough lemons to yield one full cup of lemon juice.
Step 2: Measure one cup of white sugar.
Step 3: Add lemon juice and sugar to a pitcher and mix until sugar is dissolved. Pour five cups of cold water into the pitcher. Stir to combine and chill until ready to serve.
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Step 4: Add a few fresh lemon slices (or dehydrated orange slices) and serve.
How to Make Lemonade with Simple Syrup
Making lemonade with simple syrup is yet another option. The main advantage of this method is that the sugar is dissolved before mixing it with the lemon juice. Therefore, the sugar will not sink to the bottom of the pitcher. Just follow these easy steps, using the same proportions in the original recipe.
- Add sugar and one cup of water to a small saucepan.
- Stir over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove simple syrup from the heat, and pour it into a serving pitcher.
- Stir in one cup of lemon juice and the remaining four cups of water.
- Chill before serving.
How to Make Pink Lemonade
- Add a few drops of red food coloring to the lemonade.
- Mix ½ cup of cranberry juice into the lemonade.
- Cook down a few cups of strawberries or raspberries with the sugar and water (in step one of this recipe). You can either emulsify the fruit and mix it in with the other lemonade ingredients or strain the fruit out of the lemonade once it is tinted.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The amount of lemon juice that can be extracted from a single lemon is dependent on many factors. The most obvious factor is the size of the lemon. Generally, the larger the lemon, the more juice it will yield. The variety of lemons also makes a difference. "Meyer" lemons are juicy, sweet, and thin-skinned.
"Eureka" lemons, on the other hand, have thicker skin and may contain more seeds. Still, another determining factor is the ripeness of the fruit. A riper lemon will yield more juice than a lemon that was picked too early. The juicer used (a hand-held juicer or an electric juicer ) can also affect the amount of juice output.
Keeping all these facts in mind, a medium-sized lemon will yield approximately ¼ - ⅓ cup of lemon juice. So, four medium-sized lemons should yield approximately one cup of lemon juice.
Homemade lemonade will last up to a week when refrigerated.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Before squeezing the lemons, roll them firmly on the counter to break down the cells and release more juice.
- Resist the temptation to use bottled lemon juice. Fresh is always best!
- If you have time, make a syrup with the sugar and water to completely dissolve the sugar. Once cool, mix with lemon juice and serve over ice.
- You can infuse other fruits and herbs into the lemonade to give it a unique flavor. Try infusing lilacs, lavender, huckleberries, etc.
- Freeze herbs or lemon slices in ice cubes for an elegant touch.
🍹 More Lemon Recipes
If you have a lot of lemons on your hands, you can make more than lemonade! Be sure to check out these other lemon-inspired recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix sugar and lemon juice in a pitcher.
- Add five cups of water and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add ice to pitcher, along with some lemon slices, and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
- Before squeezing the lemons, roll them firmly on the counter to break down the cells and release more juice.
- Resist the temptation to use bottled lemon juice. Fresh is always best!
- If you have time, make a syrup with the sugar and water to completely dissolve the sugar. Once cool, mix with lemon juice and serve over ice.
- You can infuse other fruits and herbs into the lemonade to give it a unique flavor. Try infusing lilacs, lavender, huckleberries, etc.
- Freeze herbs or lemon slices in ice cubes for an elegant touch.
Cynthia Finnegan says
If I remember right, classic pink lemonade has grenadine (a syrup made from pomegranate juice) in it.
HildaSterner says
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for your comment, that totally makes sense. I just happen to have some on hand, so I'll definitely give it a try!