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.
Pook’s Pantry participates in affiliate programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
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.
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.
- 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.
Strawberry lemonade FAQ’s
No. This version does not have caffeine.
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.
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.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
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.
Serving suggestions
Lemonade goes with nearly everything. It’s perfect for summer gatherings, BBQ’s, or just a warm summer afternoon.
- Grilled lemon herb shrimp skewers
- Grilled chicken and peaches
- Summer grain salad
- Grilled steak gremolata
- Strawberry cream cheese cupcakes
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.
Please share
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
I hope you love this strawberry lemonade recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.
Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.
Strawberry Lemonade
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
- In a small sauce pot, combine sugar and water over medium heat. Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat until dissolved.
- Remove from heat, cool to room temperature.
- In a blender, combine strawberries and simple syrup. Blend until smooth.
- Combine lemon juice, strawberry simple syrup and water in a pitcher. Stir to combine.
- Serve over ice and garnish with sliced strawberries and lemons, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂
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!
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!
Lemonade is refreshing, but it can be a little tart. Adding strawberry juice to lemonade mellows out the flavors and adds some natural sweetness.
So true! Thanks for the insightful comment, Ellen 🙂
this is kinda nice but it’s tastes to much sweetness
You can always reduce the sugar if it’s too sweet.
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.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you liked it and that you are able to adjust the sweetness to your personal taste buds! 🙂