Fresh-Squeezed Homemade Lemonade

How To Make Lemonade The Original, Old-Fashioned Way

Our real homemade lemonade is easy to make and tastes like ambrosia! You'll never again want to drink lemonade made from concentrate. Wonderful with our other 4th of July recipes.

Give your lemonade a fizzy update with sparkling water. Also, try substituting frozen strawberries for the ice cubes, for an extra taste sensation. Dried hibiscus flowers make it pink lemonade. Use stevia for sugar free lemonade.

I'm sure you'll agree that fresh lemonade and cookies just naturally go together, and you'll find some excellent suggestions at the bottom of this page. E.G. Oatmeal Coconut Choc Chip Cookies or sugar-free no-bake Cookie Bites.

Total Prep and Cook Time: 15 Min

2.5 - 3 quarts, 8 servings

Nutrition Data, with Sugar, per 10 oz Serving: 167 cal, 3 fat cal, 45g carb, 37g sugars, 0g fat, 77mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein, low Cholesterol, good source Vit C. Estimated glycemic load 30

Nutrition Data, with Agave, per 10 oz Serving: 107 cal, 4 fat cal, 36g carb, 21g sugars, 0g fat, 77mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein, low Cholesterol, good source Vit C. Estimated glycemic load 18

Nutrition Data, with stevia, per 10 oz Serving: 27 cal, 4 fat cal, 14g carb, 0g sugars, 0g fat, 77mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein, low Cholesterol, good source Vit C. Estimated glycemic load 4

Lemonade Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar, OR 1 cup light agave syrup or other liquid sweetener (reduce water by the same amount), OR 1 - 2 Tbsp or more powdered stevia
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 tsp salt

• Optional: For pink lemonade add 1-2 T dried hibiscus flowers to the boiling water
• Optional: 1 - 2 tsp lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon) for extra lemony zing
• 6-8 lemons (enough for 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice) plus 2 lemons cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin for garnish
• 6 cups cold water
• Optional: fresh mint leaves for garnish

Lemonade Directions:

• For lemonade with agave syrup or other liquid sweetener, add 1 - 1.5 cups of agave syrup, and reduce the water by the same amount
• For lemonade with sugar: Pour boiling water over sugar, stir until sugar is completely dissolved
• For sugar-free lemonade: Dissolve 1 Tbsp or more powdered stevia in 1 cup hot water
• Add optional hibiscus flowers to sweetener + water if you want pink lemonade. Set aside.
• Juice lemons and strain out seeds and pulp
• In a large pitcher combine sweetened water (strain out hibiscus flowers if using), lemon juice, and water
• Add ice and|or garnish with mint leaves when serving

Recipe Tips:

Dissolve the sweetener in hot water before mixing the lemonade to ensure that the sugar is completely dissolved and doesn't settle out.

Using coconut sugar or agave gives fewer calories and a lower glycemic load, but less sweetening power, and makes the color of the lemonade darker. Just so you know.

For sugar-free lemonade sweeten with stevia. It won't taste as sweet, and may have an aftertaste depending on the brand of stevia. I recommend using half sugar, half stevia as a compromise.

Pink Lemonade: If you don't have a source of bulk herbs near you, it could be hard to find hibiscus flowers. Use an herbal tea bag (e.g. Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger), or a few Tbsp juice from crushed and strained raspberries or strawberries to make pink lemonade.

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