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Easy Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Strawberry lemonade is a simple and refreshing summertime drink. Made from only strawberries, sugar, lemons and water, this drink has nothing artificial and it is so much better than store-bought.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my strawberry limeade and my strawberry thyme lemonade recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my drink recipes in one place.

Glasses of fancy strawberry lemonade with yellow striped straws.

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Why you should make this recipe

  • Quick & Easy – This fresh strawberry lemonade takes about 10 minutes to make.
  • Fresh ingredients – No powdered mixes or artificial ingredients.
  • Versatile – You can adjust almost everything in the recipe to make it suit your personal preferences.

Easy strawberry lemonade

This fast and simple recipe comes together in about 10 minutes. I used fresh strawberries in the recipe, but I’ve also make it with frozen berries in the winter when they are out of season.

Glasses of strawberry lemonade.

If you are a fan of this drink from your favorite fast-food chain, give this a try. It’s less expensive and I’ll bet it is even better.

Ingredients

This homemade pink lemonade only has four ingredients, and one of them is a freebie.

Ingredients shot for drinks.
  • Strawberries – Fresh strawberries (or frozen strawberries), give it an extra fruity twist.
  • Lemons – We can’t have lemonade without lemons.
  • Sugar – Sugar sweets the lemonade and balances the acidity from the lemon juice.
  • Water – Add more or less water to adjust to your taste.

How to make

To make this drink, we’ll start with a simple syrup. That is a 1:2 ratio of sugar to water. It will simmer until dissolved, then it will be blended with the strawberries.

The simple syrup is stirred into the lemon juice and water to make the pink lemonade.

It is quick and easy, and if you have prefer to make this by the glass instead of a pitcher, you can freeze some of the simple syrup for the next time you want to make this drink.

Overhead image of drinks with strawberries and straws.

Strawberry lemonade FAQ’s

Does strawberry lemonade have caffeine?

No. This version does not have caffeine.

Why make a simple syrup?

The reason I make the syrup instead of just adding sugar to the pink lemonade is because sometimes it takes awhile for the sugar to dissolve. Have you ever had lemonade that had grains of undissolved sugar at the bottom? A simple syrup eliminates that because the sugar gets dissolved into the water over heat.

Can I make this sugar-free?

Yes, you can. If you like sour drinks, simply omit the sugar. If you want to sweeten it without sugar, you could substitute honey, agave, or a sugar-free sweetener like stevia or monkfruit.

Pink lemonade with striped straws.

Variations and substitutions

  • A splash of vodka in this drink would make a tasty adult beverage. Having a girls afternoon? Make a big pitcher of this pretty pink lemonade.
  • To keep this a virgin drink, but make it a little fancier, consider adding basil or mint. Add a few leaves to your simple syrup while it is simmering to make the purée. It gives this lemonade a great herbal flavor.
  • Swap out the strawberries to make my blueberry lemonade.
  • To make a fancy strawberry lemonade, add edible flowers as a garnish. It instantly gives your homemade drink a restaurant feel.
  • Another option would be to freeze it to make a strawberry lemonade slush or you could also try this 3 ingredient cherry coconut rum slushie. There is nothing like a frozen drink on a hot summer day to beat the heat.
Fresh pink lemonade in tall glasses with straws.

Serving suggestions

Lemonade goes with nearly everything. It’s perfect for summer gatherings, BBQ’s, or just a warm summer afternoon.

Strawberries and lemonade in clear glasses.

Helpful tools and equipment

  • Blender – Most of you already have one, but if you don’t or you’re looking for a new one, this one is great for smoothies too. Crushes ice like a champ! This is the one I own, and while it isn’t inexpensive, it’s worth every penny.
  • Citrus reamer – A step above the handheld version, this one measure the juice as your are juicing the lemons.
  • Manual citrus juicer – All you have to do is squeeze.
  • An electric citrus juicer – This is what I have. If you have arthritis or issues with your grip like I do, this could be a good option for you as well.

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Yield: 6 servings

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade

This quick and easy strawberry lemonade recipe uses fresh ingredients for a delicious summer drink.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

Strawberry Simple Syrup

  • 1 1/2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled (about 4 cups whole berries)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups water

Lemonade

  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (amount of lemons needed will vary depending on size)
  • 4 cups water

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pot, combine sugar and water over medium heat. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat until dissolved.
  2. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature.
  3. In a blender, combine strawberries and simple syrup. Blend until smooth.
  4. Combine lemon juice, strawberry simple syrup and water in a pitcher. Stir to combine.
  5. Serve over ice and garnish with sliced strawberries and lemons, if desired.

Notes

Depending on the size of your lemons, you may need anywhere from 5 - 8 lemons to get 1 cup of juice. The lemons I had were very large, but if yours are on the smaller size you may need more. Sometimes lemons are full of juice and sometimes they aren't. To be on the safe side, buy 1 or 2 more than you think you'll need and use them for garnish if they are leftover.

If you like your lemonade less sweet, you may want to reduce the sugar. If you like it sweeter, increase sugar to 1 1/2 cups.

I added edible flowers to makes the drinks a little fancy. This is totally optional, it's just for decoration and to make them pretty.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 2gSugar: 39gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information calculated by a third-party company as a courtesy. It is intended as a guideline only.

Did you make this recipe?

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

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Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

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6 Comments

  1. Lemonade is refreshing, but it can be a little tart. Adding strawberry juice to lemonade mellows out the flavors and adds some natural sweetness.

  2. I made this Memorial Day weekend. It was delicious. I think next time I would use 1/2 cup less sugar of the simple syrup. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. Hi Karen, I’m so glad you liked it and that you are able to adjust the sweetness to your personal taste buds! 🙂

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