Homemade Lemonade with Simple Syrup

Name: Homemade Lemonade with Simple Syrup
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 8 cups water; 3/4 cup lemon juice (from about 3 lemons); 1/2 cup simple syrup (or sugar); ice (optional)

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Homemade Lemonade with Simple Syrup | Homemade lemonade is so easy to make and uses the simplest of ingredients. Gather fresh lemons and make the quick simple syrup for a cool and refreshing, well balanced summer drink. You only need lemons, sugar and water.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Lemonade Mix-in Ideas
Equipment
Storage
Tips + FAQs
Recipe

Fresh squeezed lemonade loaded with ice cubes is one of the most refreshing things on a summer day.

Fresh lemon juice is the star of this recipe - it's zippy citrus flavor really makes homemade lemonade so much better. You can also use store-bought bottled juice if you prefer and find it easier.

I like making my lemonade with simple syrup because using sugar can make your drink kind of grainy and I'd rather it be smooth. Simple syrup is easy to make, you can follow my Simple Syrup recipe post.

Basically you'll heat water and sugar together in equal amounts and stir until the sugar dissolves - easy. Use the cooled simple syrup in whatever drink you want - like this homemade lemonade or my Strawberry Lemonade Vodka Cocktail.

Lemonade in a glass with a straw beside a drink pitcher of lemonade.

Ingredients

About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.

lemons: I prefer fresh squeezed lemon juice when making lemonade, just for the fresher, zippier flavor, but you can use the bottled lemon juice instead if you want to.
sugar or simple syrup: I prefer using simple syrup for lemonade because it gets rid of the graininess that using sugar can result in. Simple syrup is just a mixture of sugar and water, heated together and is quick and easy to make using my simple syrup recipe. You can use sugar if you prefer.
water and ice: I use 8 cups of cold water for this recipe because if I'm making lemonade, I may as well make a bigger batch. I also add the ice right to the pitcher. You can add more ice to the cup on a really hot day.

Instructions

Prep Tips

wash your lemons and cut them in half
make a simple syrup

Simple syrup is easy to make, just follow my Simple Syrup recipe post. You'll just heat water and sugar so that the sugar dissolves. You can use sugar instead if you want to.

Squeeze the lemons to get ¾ cups of lemon juice. This should only take about three lemons. Fish out the seeds with a fork and discard them.

Adding simple syrup to a large measuring cup for lemonade.

Add the lemon juice, simple syrup and water to a large container and stir to mix together.

Add ice to a drink pitcher.

Pouring lemonade into a large drink pitcher.

Fill the drink pitcher with lemonade and serve.

I like to serve lemonade in glasses with more ice, especially on hot summer days.

RECIPE TIP: Each lemon will yield between ¼ to ⅓ cup of juice, depending on size and age. Make sure to scoop out any seeds!

Lemonade Mix-in Ideas

herbs like basil or mint
strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
pomegranate seeds
cucumber slices
lemon, lime, or orange slices

Equipment

You don't need special equipment to make lemonade, you can squeeze lemons by hand. You'll just need a container large enough to hold the lemonade.

I like drink carafes but I also used my drink pitcher with a spout all the time before I broke it.

Storage

Homemade lemonade stores in the fridge for about a week.

More lemonade recipes

Tips + FAQs

How much juice do you get per lemon?

Each lemon yields about ¼ to ⅓ cup of lemon juice, based on size and age.

How do you make lemonade with simple syrup?

Using simple syrup in homemade lemonade eliminates the graininess of sugar. Simply replace the sugar for the same about of simple syrup. Add more to taste.