Canned Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
A recipe for canned strawberry lemonade concentrate. Mix with water or club soda for a garden-fresh drink whenever you want, or try a family favorite and add to your iced tea
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s easy! Hardly any ingredients, no worrying about jam setting up, and no chopping.
- It’s fresh and delicious. Everyone loves strawberry lemonade. Why not can something people will enjoy!
- Something different. Tired of strawberry jam? This is something new and fun to try.
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
You’ll need the following for this easy home canning recipe:
- Strawberries: make sure they are clean and that you’ve removed the tops. You can hull them if you want to get particular about it, but I never do.
- Lemon Juice: any mix of bottled or fresh is fine. Usually bottled lemon juice is used in canning recipes because acidity is so important for safety. But this recipe has so much lemon juice that you don’t have to worry about acidity.
- Sugar: plain old granulated.
🥣 Equipment
If you need help picking out what you’ll need as a beginner canner, I have some tips for you here. (Hint: basically a canner and an accessory kit will take care of everything!)
For this recipe you’ll need:
- pint jars (at least 6), plus new lids
- large saucepan
- blender or food processor
- old, clean dish towels and rags ready for setting down hot items
🍴Instructions
Step One: PRep for canning
You will need a water bath canner, pints jars, lids, and bands. Place the lids and bands in simmering water. The jars do not need to be sterilized but they should be heated.
Step Two: Make and heat the puree
Puree the strawberries in a food processor until they are liquified. If there are still some seeds, that is okay. But there should not be any chunks of strawberry left. Pour the puree into a large stainless steel (or other non-reactive) saucepan.
Add the lemon juice and sugar to the pot. Stir to combine. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it reaches 190-200 degrees. Do not boil, just heat. If any foam forms, skim it from the surface using a large spoon.
Step three
Fill clean, hot pint jars with the lemonade concentrate, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Carefully remove lids and bands from the simmering water and fasten to be fingertip tight. Lower into boiling water canner, and process for 15 minutes at a full boil with the lid on.
Remove the lids from the cans and place them on the counter for 12-24 hours. The lids should be firm and not move when you press down on them. If any of the jars have not sealed, place them in the refrigerator and eat them within 2 weeks.
🥫 Storage instructions
Home-canned lemonade concentrate will last for 1 year stored in a cool, dark place. Make sure you check that jars are still fully sealed before using.
Once you’ve opened a jar, keep it in the fridge and use within a week.
🔍 FAQs
Yes, and it’s delicious! But squeezing it by hand will drive you insane. Do some fresh and some bottled. 😊
Nope. They need to be hot so they don’t crack when you pour in the hot liquid, and they need to be clean (obviously). But they don’t need to be sterile.
Sometimes. But in this recipe, the sugar acts as a preservative and it’s necessary.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Skim any foam from the surface using a large spoon to make the finished product more attractive. It’s just cosmetic, so if it doesn’t bother you, no big deal.
- You really need a blender or food processor for this recipe.
- Make sure to remove the tops from the strawberries before adding them to the food processor.
📘 Related Recipes
- Strawberry Jam (Small Batch, with Pectin)
- Homemade Blackberry Lemonade
- Peach Raspberry Lemonade
- Canning Apple Juice
- And 30+ of the Best Canning Recipes You’ll Love
🍽 Serve it with
Here’s how to prepare it as a finished drink:
- The “standard” serving suggestion is to mix the concentrate with water at a 1:2 ratio of concentrate to water. You can also try seltzer water or club soda. But we like it best mixed with unsweetened iced tea.
- This concentrate is quite sweet, so if you don’t like sweet drinks you’ll want to dilute it quite a bit.
📖 Here’s the recipe
Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate for Canning
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups strawberries cleaned, tops removed
- 4 cups lemon juice bottled, fresh, or a combination
- 6 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Prepare water bath canner, pints jars, lids, and bands. Lids and bands should be placed in simmering water. Jars should be heated but do not need to be sterilized.
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor fitted with the metal blade until liquified. Some seeds may remain but there should be no berry chunks. Transfer the strawberry puree into a large stainless steel (or other non-reactive) saucepan.
- Add the lemon juice and sugar, and stir to combine. Heat mixture over medium heat until it reaches 190-200 degrees. Do not boil, just heat. If any foam forms, skim it from the surface using a large spoon.
- Fill clean, hot pint jars with the lemonade concentrate, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Carefully remove lids and bands from the simmering water and fasten to be fingertip tight. Lower into boiling water canner, and process for 15 minutes at a full boil with the lid on.
- Remove cans and allow to sit undisturbed on counter for 12-24 hours or until jars seal. When the lids are pressed, they should be firm and not move at all. Any jars that have not sealed can be placed in in the refrigerator and used within 2 weeks. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years.
Notes
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.