Fresh Lemonade

Homemade Fresh Lemonade is the perfect way to savor summer in a glass. With just three ingredients, this easy recipe delivers bright, fresh lemon flavor far better than anything store-bought. Treat yourself to the crisp, refreshing taste of real homemade lemonade!

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This post was originally posted on 5/14/2020 and updated on 7/3/2025.

Homemade Lemonade Recipe Ingredients

• Fresh Lemons: fresh lemons are essential to get the fresh-squeezed lemonade taste. You will need about 10 lemons to get 2 cups of juice.
• White Sugar: granulated sugar will get dissolved with water to make a smooth simple syrup.
• Water: the amount of water you use depends on how sweet you like your lemonade.
• Ice Cubes: these are optional but I really like using them to chill the lemonade fast.

How to Make Fresh Lemonade

1. First, in a medium pot, combine granulated sugar and 2 cups of water on low heat. Stir it together and keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. This makes the simple syrup to sweeten the lemon juice. Doing this eliminates any chances of having a grainy texture to the lemonade. Like you would kind of get when you made the Kool-aid in the 90s!
3. While the simple syrup is cooling off, squeeze your lemons to make 2 cups of fresh lemon juice.

4. Once you have reached 2 cups, pour the juice through a fine mesh strainer over a 2 quart pitcher to remove any excess pulp or seeds that escaped.
5. Now add the simple syrup to the lemon juice and give it a stir.
6. Adding ice is optional, but I like to do it so it chills the lemonade faster and you can drink it chilled immediately. Add 2 cups of ice to the pitcher, followed by the 4 cups of water. Stir it all up!
7. If you have any extra lemons, slice them up and throw em in the pitcher. It makes it look all perddy and gives a little extra kick of lemon flavor!
8. That's it! Serve and enjoy!

Serving Easy Homemade Lemonade

This lemonade is so delicious served with fresh mint or basil leaves. You can also make it a fruity lemonade by adding some fresh berries like: strawberries , blueberries or raspberries, or a fresh puree of berries. You can also use the lemonade to make a classic Arnold Palmer tea!

If you want another fun summer drink don't miss my recipe for Instant Pot Iced Coffee! So easy to make and so delicious!

Storing Fresh Lemonade

Store this fresh lemonade in the fridge for up to a week, but I doubt it will last that long!

Tips for Fresh Lemonade Recipe

• While making the simple syrup make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before removing from heat.
• Basic lemons from the grocery store that are available year round are the best ones to use. They are usually called Lisbon or Eureka lemons.
• Choose lemons that are tender to the touch and also heavy. They tend to be juicier.
• To help get the juices flowing in the lemons roll it on the counter or microwave it for 15 seconds.
• To get the maximum amount of juice from the lemons use a citrus squeezer or a fork to get all the juice out.
• Add more or less water to reach the desired sweetness you like.

More Lemon Recipes:

• Easy Lemon Bars
• Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars
• Lemon Thyme Roasted Potatoes
• Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
• Lemon White Chocolate Cookies
• Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Blueberry Lemon Scones