Easy Peach Lemonade (With Fresh Peaches!)
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This homemade peach lemonade recipe is made from scratch with fresh peaches and lemon juice to make a light, refreshing summer drink you won’t want to miss.
We live in Arizona where our temperatures climb fast. That means we’re sweating through 100 degree temperatures on hot summer days faster than most states, but it ALSO means we get to enjoy peach season earlier than the rest of the country!
For the last few weeks, we’ve been peach picking and buying juicy peaches from local farms and orchards and enjoying them every way we can get them! I love to make sweet treats, like peach crisp and peach cobbler, but one of my favorite ways to use ripe peaches is in homemade peach lemonade!
A glass of peach lemonade is practically the perfect drink for summer. You have a gorgeous sunny color, juicy peach flavor (thanks to in-season peaches), and the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Just like our other lemonade recipes (like Strawberry Basil Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade), making fresh peach lemonade from scratch (without lemonade concentrate!) is SO EASY and delicious. You only need 4 simple ingredients to make it!
Simple Ingredients For This Pretty Peach Drink
- Fresh Peaches (Or Frozen Peaches!). Instead of using peach extract or peach flavoring, we use the natural flavors of fresh sweet peaches to get the taste that you crave! I love using peak-of-season summer peaches, but frozen peaches will also do in a pinch if you can’t find any.
- Sugar. Yep, we’re doing it! This peach lemonade recipe gets its flavor with a simple peach syrup, which we sweeten with sugar. See the FAQ below for other options, if you need them!
- Water. You’ll need some water for the peach syrup, then some for the lemonade itself.
- Fresh Lemon Juice. Please, oh, please use FRESH lemon juice to make peach lemonade. Bottled lemon juice runs tart, acidic, and bitter compared to fresh, and I promise it makes a big difference here!
- Lots of Ice. When you’re ready to serve it, make sure you have LOTS (3-4 cups) of ice! There’s just nothing like ice-cold lemonade on a hot day, especially when it’s peach lemonade from scratch!
How To Make Peach Lemonade From Scratch, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions & tips in the recipe card below.
First, Make The Peach Syrup:
- Combine. In a medium saucepan, combine diced peaches, sugar, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.
- Simmer. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil!) over medium heat. Simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peaches are very tender and the sugar has dissolved.
- Cool. Let the peach syrup cool at least 20 minutes or so. This will also give it time to infuse more peach flavor into the syrup.
- Strain & Store. Pour the peach mixture through a fine mesh strainer to strain out any solids (peach pulp and peach skins), letting as much of the peach syrup juices through. Store peach syrup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4-5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Then, Make Peach Lemonade:
- Combine. When you’re ready to make the lemonade, add peach syrup and lemon juice to a big pitcher. Pour in 3 cups water and gently stir to combine. (If using sparkling water, wait to add it until right before serving to maintain the bubbles.)
- Finish With Ice. Add 3-4 cups ice and any desired garnishes.
- Serve ice cold with pretty garnishes and store leftover lemonade in the refrigerator 3-4 days. (Or freeze up to 1 month.)
Variations To Try
When you want to mix things up, think about what flavors go well with peach. A few of our favorites include:
- Fresh Herbs. I love adding a handful of fresh mint to the simple syrup as it steeps, but fresh basil is also lovely! (We use this trick in our Strawberry Basil Lemonade!)
- Berries. Peach & berries are a perfect combination! Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries are all delicious with peaches. I especially love adding a handful or two of raspberries, either as garnish or along with the peaches in the syrup.
- Ginger. Add an inch or so of fresh ginger to the peach syrup as it simmers to add a layer of warmth (and a subtle bite!) to this lemonade. It’s lovely!
- Turmeric. You can also add a pinch of dried turmeric or a knob of fresh turmeric for an earthy note.
- Almond Extract. It sounds crazy, but almond and peach are in the same botanical family. A drop or two of almond extract plays up the peach flavors in the lemonade. Remember to start small, since it’s very strong! A little bit goes a long way!
- Sparkling Peach Lemonade. Swap out the water in the lemonade for sparkling water!
You can also blend it into a frozen lemonade slushie by freezing the lemonade in ice cubes and blending in a blender until slushy and frosty.
Make It Pretty! (Garnish Ideas)
- More Peaches! The most obvious garnish is more peaches! You can slice them or dice them for garnish. Add them to the side of the glass, stir into the pitcher, or add to a glass with ice.
- Fresh Mint. I love the pop of color a little green sprig of mint adds to the peach-pink of this peach drink!
- Lemon Zest. Add some big curls of lemon zest to individual glasses or the pitcher to play up the lemon notes. (Learn all the different ways to zest a lemon here!)
- Fresh Berries. Some raspberries or strawberries look gorgeous!
- Edible Flowers. Another pretty way to dress up a glass of fresh peach lemonade is some
- Lemon Slices. Some lemon wheels or lemon wedges look gorgeous!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Peach Lemonade:
Can You Use Frozen Peaches For Peach Lemonade? Yes! If it’s not peach season, you can absolutely make peach lemonade with frozen peaches for the peach syrup.
Make It In Advance. If you’d like to get a head start on making this peach lemonade drink (or want to freeze some for later), you can basically make your own peach lemonade concentrate by making the peach syrup and combining it with the lemon juice. You can store this concentrate in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it up to a month before using it. When you’re ready, just add the ice and 3 cups of water or sparkling water!
Can I Make This A Cocktail? I don’t drink alcohol, but rumor has it that you can add vodka to make it a peach lemonade cocktail.
Try Another Sweetener. If you’d rather, you can try to modify our peach syrup 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.
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Easy Peach Lemonade (With Fresh Peaches!)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This homemade peach lemonade recipe is made with fresh (or frozen!) peaches and lemon juice to make a light, refreshing summer drink you won’t want to miss.
Ingredients
For The Peach Syrup:
- 2 cups diced peaches (pits removed)*
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
For The Peach Lemonade:
- 1 batch peach syrup (above–about 1 3/4 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (7–9 lemons)
- 3 cups water or sparkling water/soda water
- 3–4 cups ice
Optional Garnish:
- Fresh peach slices or diced peaches
- Lemon slices
- Fresh mint sprigs
- Edible flowers (like chamomile)
- Fresh berries
Instructions
First, Make The Peach Syrup:
- Combine. In a medium saucepan, combine diced peaches, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.
- Simmer. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peaches are very tender and the sugar has dissolved.
- Cool. Let the peach syrup cool at least 20 minutes or so. This will also give it time to infuse more peach flavor into the syrup.
- Strain & Store. Pour the peach mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain out peach pulp and peach skins, letting as much of the peach syrup juices through. Store peach syrup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4-5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Make Peach Lemonade:
- Combine. When you’re ready to make the lemonade, add peach syrup and lemon juice to a large pitcher. Pour in 3 cups water and gently stir to combine. (If using sparkling water, wait to add it until right before serving to maintain the bubbles.)
- Finish With Ice. Add 3-4 cups ice and any desired garnishes.
- Serve ice cold with pretty garnishes and store leftover lemonade in the refrigerator 3-4 days. (Or freeze up to 1 month.)
Notes
*I don’t peel my peaches for making peach lemonade, since we’ll strain out the skins after making the syrup. It also gives the lemonade a more peachy-pink color. If you prefer to peel them, feel free! Your lemonade may just look a bit more orange in color.
**You can adjust the flavor of this lemonade by adding more water. I like to keep the lemonade mixture on the strong side at first, then add plenty of ice so it doesn’t water down the drink too much as it melts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
