Sweet + Refreshing Strawberry Lemonade
Your search for the best strawberry lemonade ends here. The perfect blend of fresh lemons and sugared strawberry syrup, this recipe is simple to make, with no blending or straining required.
Perfectly Sweet Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
Strawberry Syrup
- 1 cup strawberries sliced (frozen is perfect!)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
To Make the Lemonade
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups water for mixing
Instructions
- Make the strawberry syrup. Heat the berries, sugar, and ½ cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and mash. with a fork or potato masher. Simmer for 1-3 minutes until the berries are softened.
- Mix and chill. Combine the berry syrup (yes with the bits of fruit too!), lemon juice, and 3 cups of water in a pitcher and chill. Serve over ice with lemon wedge and strawberry slice if desired.
- Serve. Serve over ice with lemon wedge and strawberry slice if desired.Serve over ice with lemon wedge and strawberry slice if desired.
Notes
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Refreshingly sweet and tart flavor. Everyone will love the perfect balance of fresh lemon juice and sweet strawberries.
- No blending or straining is required. Yes, this is better with the fruit left in… and you get to skip the step of straining.
- Quick to make. You’ll want to chill it before serving, but the prep time is only about 15 minutes.
🧂 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.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this refreshing treat:
- strawberries (sliced or whole frozen are perfect)
- lemons
- sugar
- water
🍴Instructions
Step One: Make the strawberry syrup
Heat the berries, sugar, and ½ cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then mash the berries with a fork or potato masher. Simmer for 1-3 minutes until the berries are softened.
Step Two: Mix and chill
Combine the berry syrup, lemon juice, and 3 cups of water in a pitcher. Chill it in the fridge until it is cold. Serve over ice with a lemon wedge and strawberry slice if you want to.
🥫 Storage instructions
Store in the fridge in a tightly covered container for up to four days.
For longer store, this will freeze just fine. Simply pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to two months! When ready to use again, simply thaw in the fridge and serve over ice. You can also make the syrup in large batches to freeze for later.
🔍 FAQs
You’d be surprised by how long it takes to squeeze a cup of fresh lemon juice. I’d get a dozen to be safe and to have enough for garnishing, but you’ll probably need about 8.
Yes! It needs a few hours to chill, so you should.
I like dumping the whole thing in the pitcher, bits of fruit and all. It tastes just like the freckled lemonade at Red Robin!
Of course, local and seasonal is always the most delicious. But if it isn’t strawberry season, frozen is perfect.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- This recipe is sweet. I love it and kids will too. But if you often kind things too sweet, try reducing the sugar by a bit the first time you make it.
- Try adding herbs like mint, basil, or thyme for an extra dimension of flavor!
- For a special treat, top with sparkling water for a sparkling strawberry lemonade.
- Finally, don’t forget the thick smoothie straws for getting those bits of fruit in each sip. Yum!
📘 Related Recipes
🍽 Serve it with
For a classic summertime dinner, try these recipes too:
- Buttermilk fried chicken is a classic crowd-pleaser.
- Old-fashioned cucumber and onion salad is easy to make and light.
- Even if you think you can’t make biscuits, you can make these!
- A slice of the perfect key lime pie will finish off your meal.
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.