Making Homemade Lemonade
If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!
This page is about how to easily make your own delicious, homemade lemonade. By making this light and refreshing drink yourself, you get to avoid synthetic ingredients, high sugar levels and what is sometimes a tragic and complete lack of any actual lemon juice. Lemonade in its most basic form shouldn't have anything in it but lemon juice, a touch of sweetener and pure water.
Lemonade is a favorite with kids that many adults still like but seem to forget about, so why not give it another taste? It's full of vitamin C and pairs up well with a wide range of foods. Swap it in instead of orange juice at breakfast, and let it substitute for the soda at lunch. When lemons are in season, how can you not make lemonade?
Do You Like Lemonade?
What I talk about here is the U.S. version of lemonade, often recalled via the nostalgia of the childhood "lemonade stand."
I wasn't that big on lemonade as a kid. As an adult, I found out I did like it, but only when I can control how sweet or tart it tastes. I think a lot of other people feel the same way about lemonade as I do, as it can be very hard to get the taste you're searching for, even with something that seems as simple as lemonade.
I've learned that lemonade isn't the same in the rest of the world as it is in the United States. In Europe, it tends to be a carbonated drink, almost what Americans would call a lemon soda. You also find lemonade mixed with beer in Europe. Sometimes lemonade contains real lemon juice, and sadly, sometimes it really contains zero percent fruit juice. That's nasty so if you ever buy any pre-made lemonade, always read the labels!
Next, I have to learn to always remember to ask if the lemonade is made in-house when I go to a restaurant. I had two totally different experiences recently where I didn't remember to ask when I ordered. In one case, I was brought a perfect glass of homemade lemonade. Each sip started out with a tart splash on the tongue that then shifted to sweet as you swallowed and I could see real pulp on the rim of the glass. In the other instance, I was brought a can of commercial, pre-made bleech... That'll learn me!
Lemonade Trick #1
Soak your lemons in hot water before you squeeze them!
The pulp is more engorged in a warm lemon than a cold one and this lets you squeeze more juice out of them. Ten minutes in a bowl of hot tap water works great.
Juice Your Own Lemons for the Best Flavor!
For my own lemonade, I buy organic lemons and then juice them myself. I find the end product is much more flavorful then using a ready-made lemon juice, although that works too if you can't purchase whole lemons. I hope someday to have a tree or two and grow my own.
Lemonade Trick #2
Softening your lemons helps get more juice out of them!
"Tenderizing" your lemons is another way to yield more juice, so roll each lemon back and forth firmly on the kitchen countertop with your hand before squeezing/juicing them.
Lemonade Variations
Blending in other fruit juices and small amounts of flavored syrups are great ways to vary the taste of lemonade.
"Pink" lemonade can be made lots of ways, including adding a few drops of food coloring, blending the lemonade with cranberry or adding a dash of grenadine (a red syrup).
"Hard" lemonade refers to lemonade-related beverages that contain alcohol and which are appropriate for the 21+ crowd.
- Cooks Recipes | Pretty Lemonade Recipe
this variations has hibiscus and violets in it - green apple lemonade recipe
green apple lemonade recipe from our free lemonade recipes collection - Cayenne Lemonade Recipe
I've tasted this blend before, and it's quite interesting - Icy Hard Pink Lemonade
A cocktail version for those of legal-drinking age. - Hard Strawberry Lemonade recipe
A delicious recipe for Hard Strawberry Lemonade, with lemonade, La Paz® strawberry margarita mix, sweet and sour lemon bar mix, Malibu® coconut rum and vodka. - Extratasty—Hard Lemonade, Take 2 by RevDrDark—Ingredients: Vodka, Lemonade
Use a middle-shelf vodka. Get a first-rate, commercial, in-the-bottle, lemonade.
Juicing Tools
Depending on how much lemonade you are trying to make, there are a variety of tools that will help you get the juice out of your lemons. I happen to use a hand-held reamer as I'm a single person making small pitchers of lemonade, but if you've got a large family or want to make it regularly for larger groups, you might want to go with something a little more industrial.
Share your love of lemonade or tell us about a great recipe or flavor variation that you make! Please comment below.
Questions & Answers
Related
Lemonade Lovers Chat
Great tips. i want to try them with a recipe I found for blackberry lemonade. So good!
Thank you for the lemonade tips.
I only have a chance to drink lemonade juices whenever I do dining out but after reading this, I guess, I should start making myself one now :)
This is a great lens. I love fresh made and you give so many great options for recipes. Thank you...
I've really never tried to make it from stratch, I think now that I should give it a try!! Thanks :)
I Love lemonade and haven't had one in ages. Perhaps it's time to make one.
I begin each morning with the juice of a fresh lemon in water. Yum! :)
- AUTHOR
@Elaine Chen: The good part about making your own is you can get it just right.
I like lemonade with less sweet; I used to drink the hot one plus honey when I am cough.
nice.. slurp!
I love lemonade, but I have never made it from scratch. I think I just may have to try it. Great, informative lens. Thanks.
I was very happy to get your tips on soaking lemons in warm water & rolling them before squeezing to get more juice! I enjoyed visiting your informative & delightful lens!
I love lemonade although I rarely make it for myself. Don't know why. Got to change that. And the hot lemonade recipes sound perfect for this northern climate girl. So glad I stopped by.
I used to love to make lemonade as a kid. We did it in a cooler with sugarcane. I like how you included tips on asking in the restaurant. I would not have thought of that.
- AUTHOR
@Rhonda Lytle: I didn't think of it until having some really disappointing lemonade...
Fresh lemonade is the best.
I like the idea of putting herbs in lemonade. I think she put way too much sweetener in, in the video. I can drink water with nothing but lots of lemon in it, and often do. It helps my digestion. I do like lemonade, but not super sweet.
One of my pals used to smash lemon slices down into the sugar to make lemonade. Then add water in the lemon mash mix, stir, and serve. She tried this with Ponderosa lemons which didn't work out to well. Those lemons are VERY bitter. This lens is refreshing! =) Thanks for sharing!
I recently discovered Golden Bear lemonade by Arizona iced tea. Yum! Cheers~cb
The best lemonade is made from home lemons!
Hmmm...I wanna have some rightaway!
I'm going to have to make some lemon aid, sure will taste good. :)
I knew about rolling lemons, but not about soaking. Thanks for the information!
I never knew the tip about soaking the lemons in hot water. Great lens! Blessed
Way beyond what I made as a kid. Will have to try some of these.
perfect timing.. and a great lense
Love lemonade!.. Great summertime drink!
I love lemon, rum and honey heated up for sore throats
Mom used to get frozen lemonade concentrate. It really was good. The powdered stuff nowadays just isn't real lemonade. I'm a lazy cook, so not sure I'll get the energy up to try your recipe.
Love lemonade you are making thirsty just reading this.
Love lemonade and this lens! Thumbs up!
.......and pinned out under "My Style" - I can't claim that I invented lemonade, but I wish I could!
I love lemonade, and I often use it with Stevia.
Great tips! I didn't know about soaking lemons in hot water to get more juice!
theres nothing like good lemonade
I made 2 quarts of the best lemonade in the world with ONE fresh ponderosa lemon! Best lemons in the WORLD
Awesome and I loove lemonade! Kudos to the "purple star" also!
This is such a beautiful balanced, aesthetically pleasing lens (not to mention the pleasure of the topic itself!). How DO you do those cool post-it note effects? From a squibee (or a newdoo?) :-)
I LOVE lemonade, and I LOOOOVE it even more now that I'm pregnant. Maybe I can talk my husband into making me some! LOL
My little girl loves lemonade (and lemons, in general). You're right about the canned versions. Nasty stuff!
this lens maakes me thirsty !
Big fan of the Arnie Palmer (1/2 glass brewed ice tea and 1/2 lemonade) using lemonade made from real lemons. Nice lens
Thank you so much for the tips. My grandfather used to make the most fantastic lemonade I ever had. He used a few limes in his recipe and it was always perfect.
Great tips for lemonade, I didn't know that tenderizing and keeping it hot brings out more of the pulp. I add a little brown sugar sometimes instead of white, it gives it a different sweetness.
Cool tips.
I love your lemonade tips!
Thanks, great lens.
Wow ! I just learned a lot more about lemon and lemonade.I never knew there was so many ways to make lemonade.I enjoyed reading your lens.Thanks for the info.
Since eliminating pop from my daily routine, lemonade has become a welcome replacement. Thanks for the recipes and the lens.
Thank you for some ideas for a good lemonade.
I love raspberry lemonade made by Simply Lemonade. I know it's not 100% juice but it sure tastes great. I've never tried making my own but might try one of your recipes. I was impressed with combining the lemonade with warm rum as a natural healing remedy. Pretty cool.
lemonade is my favorite, nice lens
Great lens! I love lemonade. Blessings from a squid angel!
My grandmother used to make the yummiest lemonade ever where she would add few crushed raspberries for warmer color and unique taste. Delicious!
Nice lens made me start puckering for some lemonade... thanks for sharing!
I can't wait to make some lemonade. I haven't had homemade lemonade in years.
Great Lens. I like it tart !
You can't beat an all-natural glass of Lemonade on a hot summer day in the South. Great lens!
Great lens! I love lemonade. I make homemade lemonade with organic cane sugar so often for my fiancé that I've perfected it!
Very well done, very good lemonade recipe. See you around the galaxy...
yummy lemonade lots of vitamin c
This will be great for the entire family.
wow this is really good, i have a lens on lemonade and mines crap compared to this well done :D
i got excited when i saw a lens about lemonade, I love it that much!
@UKGhostwriter: a refreshing drink for refreshing lens
What a great lens - I'm a big fan of a nice, sour lemonade myself, though nothing particularly spectacular in the way of recipes - just sugar, lemon, and water for me usually.
This is a nice lens...good job
Now a tip for the people working out during hot summer days....instead of wasting your money and buying the stupid isotonic drinks where you do not even know if they contain the ingredients they say they contain.....why not make a homemade isotonic drink......lemonade is a perfect isotonic drink for the people working out during hot days...but instead of sugar use honey that will make the whole difference
in a big bottle of water (1.5 lt) i add lemon juice from 2 lemons and 5 table spoons of honey (this is how I do it ) that's a lot of honey but i like it that way because it gives me more energy during workouts
you can expirement and see how you like it....BUT ... do not make it too sour...because increased soureness will make your mouth dry...
and do not make it too sweet...because increased sweetness will leave you with a burning feeling at your throat
this drinks works wonders (at least it worked for me and for my buddies)...it is natural...fresh...homemade....try it and see it for yourself
Awesome lens. It's now summer here in NYC and I have been craving homemade lemonade. Bookmarking this for future (soon!) use.
I love lemonade and make my own easily by squeezing one lemon into a quart pitcher and adding a few teaspoons sugar, just enough to take the edge off. I've never liked the super sweet lemonade most folks make. I chill it for a few hours and drink as is, no ice. Perfect beverage! Thanks so much for the lemon-warming tip. I didn't know about that and will try it when I make a new batch today.
I have a lemon tree in my garden and never really know what to do with all lemons. I will try the lemonade. Great lens.
I always wanted to do some homemade lemonade but couldn't find a recipe. Thank you for sharing yours.
There is nothing like real fresh iced lemonade! = great lens
Now that I live in England, what I think of as lemonade is unavailable unless I make it. Thanks for the hot recipes--we need some of that in the house right now for a sore throat.
Just what I was looking for, thanks. Great lens! :-)
Lemonade, yum, love this in the summer cold, and in the wintertime hot, to soothe a sore throat and cough.
We all love lemonade! Thanks for this lens!
"The Lemonade Wars" is a great kids' book about siblings w/lemonade stands. Great lens!
This lens is far from a "lemon". I love a good lemonade. Finding the perfect ratio of sweet to tart is the key. Blessed by the beverage angel and featured on Beverages Blessed by Beth.
This lens is far from a "lemon". I love a good lemonade. Finding the perfect ratio of sweet to tart is the key! Blessed by the beverage angel!
I like it really sweet..Then put tons of ice in my glass, and let the ice melt a bit, softening the the sweetness to perfection.
Great lens. It fits in well with mine so I'm adding it to my my list of featured lenses.
love lemonade!
Enjoyed reading this. I didn't know that there are variations of lemonade, like lemonade with strawberry, hot lemonade or combinations with some other fruit! I'm definitely gonna try those out.
I often just drink lemons squeezed into water with no sugar whatsoever -- very refreshing. If I do add sugar, I don't do more than a couple of tsp per half gallon. Like your tips about tenderizing and soaking.
I'd love to try it out, I'm sure my boyfriend will like it.
Love Lemonade, which is funny b/c I hated it as a child. I really enjoy the frozen strawberry lemonades that are so popular in the summertime.
Seem like I have struck a cord with your lenses. This is another great one that is *-*Blessed*-* and featured on Sprinkled with Stardust - Drinks
These all sound so good,I really like your lens. It gives me a lot of idea about homemade lamonade.
Nice lens and nice info. about lemonade in Europe.
Blessed by a SquidAngel :)
Great info on homemade lemonade.Thanks for the tips also.
Keep up the good work and congratulations on the purple star.
Love , love , love lemonade and lemonade ices. Congrats on your purple star!
Great lens deserving of 5 stars!
Not only did I learn more about lemonade, but how to create an interesting lens.
Thanks a million,
Theresa
I love lemonade but cold, surprise to know there is hot and it taste lovely. Congrats to your Purple Star.
Thanks for sharing the soaking lemon trick. Who knes?
'Tis the season for lemonade. Yummy! Congrats on the purple star.
I'd never heard of hot lemonade until, oh, about a year ago, when my grandfather-in-law ordered it at a Mexican restaurant. The waitress looked at him like he was nuts, but he explained it, they brought it, and all six of us at the table had a taste (with our own straws, that is!), and thought it was yummy!
Now I know how to make lemonade. I didn't know that soaking the lemons in warm water makes them easier to juice. Appealing lens that makes me want a nice cold glass of lemonade. Congrats on the purple star! Five stars for you.
I love lemonchello. My grand kids adore pink lemonade--even the boys!
Congratulatons on the purple star!
Congratulation on the purple star!
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