Real lemonade tastes nothing like the powdered stuff: fresh-squeezed lemons give it a bright, floral sharpness that no mix can fake, and when you balance that juice with just enough sugar and cold water, you get a drink that is simultaneously tart, sweet, and impossibly refreshing. It is also one of the simplest things you will ever make from scratch.
This classic recipe uses a quick simple syrup so the sugar dissolves completely — no gritty glasses, no endless stirring — and a lemon-to-sugar ratio you can adjust to your taste. Make a pitcher, chill it hard, and serve it over plenty of ice with mint and lemon wheels. Summer in a glass.
Ice-cold, sweet-tart, and impossibly fresh.
Recipe Info
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 15 minutes, plus chilling
- Servings: 6 servings (about 250 ml / 1 cup each)
- Calories: approx. 110 kcal per serving
Lemons, sugar, water — that's really all it takes.
Ingredients
- For the lemonade:
- 6 large lemons (about 240 ml / 1 cup fresh lemon juice)
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water, for the syrup
- 800 ml (3⅓ cups) cold water
- To serve:
- Plenty of ice cubes
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced into wheels
- A small handful of fresh mint leaves
Condensation, ice, and sunshine in a glass.
Instructions
- Roll and juice the lemons. Roll each lemon firmly on the countertop under your palm to loosen the juice, then halve and juice them until you have 240 ml (1 cup). Strain out the seeds but keep a little pulp — it gives the lemonade body.
- Make the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and 200 ml water in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves completely — about 3–5 minutes. Do not boil it. Remove from the heat.
- Cool the syrup. Let the syrup cool for at least 10 minutes. Hot syrup poured straight into the juice can dull the fresh lemon flavor, so patience here pays off.
- Combine juice and syrup. Pour the lemon juice and cooled syrup into a large pitcher and stir well. The mixture will be intensely sweet-tart at this stage — that is correct, it is a concentrate.
- Add the cold water. Stir in the 800 ml cold water. Taste: it should be bright and sweet-tart, not puckeringly sour and not syrupy. Add more water, 60 ml (¼ cup) at a time, if you prefer it lighter.
- Chill thoroughly. Refrigerate the pitcher for at least 30 minutes, or until ice-cold. Lemonade served merely cool tastes flat; served ice-cold, it tastes electric.
- Serve over ice. Fill glasses to the brim with ice, pour over the lemonade, and garnish each glass with a lemon wheel and a lightly bruised mint sprig. Stir once and serve immediately.
Tips & Variations
- Pick heavy lemons: A good juicing lemon feels heavy for its size and gives slightly when squeezed. Thin-skinned, heavy lemons yield far more juice than large, thick-skinned ones.
- Adjust sweetness to your lemons: Lemons vary in tartness, so treat the sugar as a starting point. Taste after step 5 and stir in 1 tablespoon of extra sugar (dissolved in a little warm water) at a time if needed.
- Never skip the syrup: Sugar stirred directly into cold juice sinks and stays gritty. The 5-minute syrup is the whole secret to smooth, evenly sweet lemonade.
- Zest for extra aroma: Add 1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon zest to the warm syrup, let it steep while cooling, then strain. The lemonade gains a wonderful floral perfume.
- Pink lemonade: Stir in 60 ml (¼ cup) of cranberry or raspberry juice, or muddle a handful of raspberries into the pitcher, for a blushing pink version kids love.
- Sparkling version: Replace half the cold water with chilled sparkling water, added just before serving so the fizz survives. Stir very gently.
- Make-ahead for a crowd: Double or triple the recipe into a drink dispenser, but add the ice to glasses — not the dispenser — so the lemonade never waters down while it waits.
Nutrition Note
At roughly 110 kcal per glass, homemade lemonade is a light, hydrating drink: the calories come almost entirely from the sugar, while the lemon juice supplies vitamin C, a little potassium, and natural flavor with no fat or sodium to speak of. Compared with commercial soft drinks, it has far less sugar per glass and no artificial colors or preservatives. If you want it lighter still, cut the sugar to 100 g (½ cup) and lean into the tartness, or sweeten half the batch with a sugar alternative — just taste as you go, because the balance is everything in lemonade.
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FAQ
How many lemons do I need for 1 cup of juice?
Usually 5–6 large lemons, but it varies with size and juiciness. Buy 7–8 to be safe, and use any extra for garnish wheels or a second small batch.
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
You can in a pinch, but the flavor will be flatter and slightly bitter compared with fresh-squeezed. If you must use bottled, reduce the juice to 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) and add a little extra zest for aroma.
How long does homemade lemonade keep?
Up to 5 days in a covered pitcher in the fridge. Stir before serving, as a little pulp settles. The flavor is brightest in the first 2 days.
Can I make this sugar-free?
Yes — replace the sugar with an equal-volume granulated sugar alternative that dissolves in warm water, and taste carefully. Some alternatives taste sweeter than sugar, so start with a little less and adjust.
Why is my lemonade cloudy?
Cloudiness is normal and good — it comes from lemon pulp and oils. Clear lemonade has usually been over-strained or made from concentrate. A quick stir before pouring evens it out.
Bright, sweet-tart, and made from just three ingredients — this is the lemonade every summer afternoon deserves. Did you keep it classic or go pink or sparkling? Leave a comment below and tell us how your lemonade turned out!
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