Classic Homemade Lemonade
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Learn how to make classic homemade lemonade from scratch. This old-fashioned lemonade is made with just 3 ingredients and delivers a refreshing, nostalgic flavor that’s perfect on a hot summer day.
I don’t know of any drink that feels as instantly nostalgic as a freshly squeezed homemade lemonade. Just one sip instantly conjures images of childhood summers, pool days, backyard bbqs, and good times.
Now that we’re officially on summer break, there’s no better time to share this easy recipe! Our classic lemonade calls for just 3 simple ingredients and comes together quickly. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart–and the perfect cold drink to beat the summer heat!
So grab some fresh lemons and let’s get to work! Here’s what you’ll need to get started…
Simple Ingredients To Get Started
This easy lemonade recipe only calls for 3 main ingredients (+ice). Let’s take a look:
- FRESH Lemon Juice. Let me just be clear: you need to use freshly squeezed lemon juice to make this homemade lemonade recipe. Bottled lemon juice WILL NOT taste the way you want it to. Only use fresh lemons for the best flavor. I promise, it’s worth it.
- Sugar. Our old-fashioned lemonade recipe uses a quick simple-syrup method, so you’ll need regular granulated sugar to make the simple syrup.
- Water. First, you’ll add some water to the simple syrup, then you’ll finish the lemonade with cold water. Easy!
- Lots of Ice Cubes. I don’t count this as an ingredient, per se, but I do think it’s a must! There’s just nothing like an ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot day!
My Favorite Way To Juice Lemons For Lemonade
Since we’re making old-fashioned lemonade with fresh lemons, you’ll need to do some juicing. So what’s the best way to juice lemons? My go-to is this $8 citrus squeezer–our favorite lemon juicer around! It’s budget-friendly, easy to store (no bulky appliance!) and easily manages lemons and limes for all kinds of dishes, sauces, and drinks.
If you prefer, feel free to use an electric juicer, or your arm muscles instead!
How To Make Lemonade From Scratch, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Make The Simple Syrup. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and let simple syrup mixture cool slightly.
- Combine. In a big pitcher, combine lemon juice, cooled simple syrup, and 3 cups of water. (If using sparkling water, wait to add it until right before serving to maintain the bubbles.) Stir to combine until the mixture is well blended. (At this point, the lemonade will taste strong since you haven’t added the ice yet. We prefer to dilute the lemonade with ice instead of additional water and THEN ice. That way, the melting ice doesn’t dilute the flavor too much later!)
- Finish With Ice. Top the lemonade off with ice and any desired garnishes and enjoy!
- Serve ice cold with pretty garnishes and store leftover homemade lemonade in the refrigerator 3-4 days. (Or freeze up to 1 month.)
Don’t feel like turning on the stove? You can dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, then add 4 cups of cold water. I prefer the simple syrup method because the sugar dissolves so well and it makes the lemonade smoother, but you can absolutely just stir-stir-stir to dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice. (Leave no sugar crystals behind!)
Delicious Variations To Try
Now that you have a classic lemonade recipe, you can try endless variations! Here are a few different flavors and twists to try:
- Sparkling Lemonade. Instead of stirring in cold water, use sparkling water or club soda for a fizzy finish.
- Meyer Lemonade. Use Meyer lemons instead! They have a citrus-orange flavor that’s delicious in this fresh lemonade recipe.
- Mint Lemonade. Add 1 cup of fresh mint leaves to the simple syrup and let it steep 20 minutes before you strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. (Or, muddle some fresh mint at the bottom of your glass!)
- Peach Lemonade. When peaches are in season, there’s just nothing like the sweet flavor of peaches!
- Strawberry Lemonade. You can puree fresh strawberries and add them, or make a strawberry simple syrup, like we do in our Strawberry Basil Lemonade recipe!
- Raspberry Lemonade. Same goes for fresh raspberries! Try this Raspberry Lemonade variation!
- Blackberry Lemonade. Or, go for blackberries! They’re a little under-appreciated, but they’re delicious. (Follow our raspberry lemonade recipe, substituting blackberries!)
- Lavender Lemonade. Use lavender simple syrup for a floral note. (This isn’t for everyone!)
FAQ + Tricks For The Best Homemade Lemonade
Make Ahead Tips
If you’d like to get ahead on your prep, you can actually make your own homemade lemonade concentrate by JUST making the simple syrup & combining it with the lemon juice. This can freeze up to 1 month in advance or store in the fridge 1-2 days ahead of time. Then, just pour in the cold water and ice and you’re ready to go!
Pretty Garnishes To Try
For best results, I always suggest a garnish! I love to play up the natural flavors in the drink, or pick complementary colors that draw your eye. Here are a few to choose from:
- Lemon – A fresh lemon slice or two, lemon wedges, curled lemon zest, etc. (Is there any more classic lemonade garnish than lemon slices?!)
- Fresh Herbs – Add a few mint leaves, fresh basil, or a strand of fresh thyme
- Fruit – Add a pop of color with strawberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, etc.
- Edible Flowers – Freeze some in ice cubes, or garnish a drink with a blossom or two! (Chamomile is so cute with this delicious lemonade!)
Lower Sugar Options
What if you want to make our homemade lemonade recipe with less sugar or no sugar? You’ve got a few options.
- Swap in Agave. One option to reduce the sugar in classic lemonade is to use a natural sweetener, like agave or honey. I find agave has a more neutral flavor (honey tends to shine through and can even overpower the lemon flavor). You’ll use 1/2 the amount of agave as you would granulated sugar.
- Use a Keto Sweetener. The easiest swap is to use a keto-approved sweetener (like Swerve (erythritol) or monk fruit sweetener, which both measure 1:1 for sugar.
- Reduce The Sugar. Or, you can simply reduce the sugar. I recommend starting with 2/3 the amount of sugar (which reduces the sugar content by 1/3). From there, you can decide if you can lower the sugar even more in your next batch.
- Try Another Sweetener. If you’d rather, you can try to modify our old-fashioned lemonade recipe using the ratios of this stevia simple syrup or keto simple syrup. I don’t recommend honey or maple syrup here as they can be too strong.
Recipe Card: Homemade Lemonade
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Classic Homemade Lemonade
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy homemade lemonade recipe tastes like summertime and childhood! It’s a bright, refreshing summer drink that’s perfect on a hot day.
Ingredients
For The Lemonade:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (8–10 medium lemons or 6–8 large lemons)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups cold water
- 3–4 cups ice
Optional Garnish:
- Lemon slices, lemon wedges, fresh mint leaves, fresh basil leaves, fresh berries, curled lemon peel, etc.
Instructions
- Make The Simple Syrup. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and let simple syrup cool slightly.
- Combine. In a large pitcher, combine fresh lemon juice, cooled simple syrup, and 3 cups of water. (If using sparkling water, wait to add it until right before serving to maintain the bubbles.) Stir to combine until the mixture is well blended. (At this point, the lemonade will taste strong since you haven’t added the ice yet. We prefer to dilute the lemonade with ice instead of additional water and THEN ice. That way, the melting ice doesn’t dilute the flavor too much later!)
- Finish With Ice. Top the lemonade off with ice and any desired garnishes and enjoy! (Let your tastebuds be your guide and feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your personal taste–dilute it with water if it’s too strong, add more sugar if it’s too tart, etc.)
- Serve ice cold with pretty garnishes and store leftover lemonade in the refrigerator 3-4 days. (Or freeze up to 1 month.)
Notes
- Don’t feel like turning on the stove? You can dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, then add 4 cups of water. I prefer the simple syrup method because the sugar dissolves so well and it makes the lemonade smoother, but you can absolutely just stir-stir-stir to dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice.
- Infuse The Syrup! For a delicious twist, you can infuse the simple syrup with 1 cup of fresh mint or fresh basil, or 2 cups of fresh fruit (like berries, peaches, or nectarines!). Add it with the sugar and let the mixture steep 20-30 minutes before straining. Add strained syrup to the pitcher and proceed as usual.
- Make It In Advance! If you’d like to get ahead on your prep, you can actually make your own lemonade concentrate by JUST making the simple syrup & combining it with the lemon juice. This can freeze up to 1 month in advance or store in the fridge 1-2 days ahead of time. Then, just pour in the cold water and ice and you’re ready to go!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
The taste of summer in a glass! This is so easy to make and I found it easy to balance the tartness and sweetness. Thanks for posting!