Is there anything more classic on a hot summer day than a refreshing glass of ice-cold lemonade? With the perfect balance of tangy citrus and sweet goodness, homemade lemonade is a timeless treat—and it’s surprisingly easy to make! With just three simple ingredients and fully customizable to your taste, you may never want store-bought again.
Ingredients for Homemade Lemonade
Making homemade lemonade requires just a few basic ingredients and minimal time. Once you try it, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for the store-bought kind. While the convenience is nice, nothing compares to the flavor of freshly made lemonade. All you need is:
- Fresh lemons
- A sweetener (sugar, honey, or maple syrup)
- Cold water
Helpful tools: A handheld juicer makes the process quicker, and a strainer or cheesecloth is useful if you prefer pulp-free lemonade—but neither is absolutely necessary.
How to Make Homemade Lemonade in 5 Minutes
This lemonade recipe comes together in just five minutes or less. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut your lemons in half and juice them until you have ½ cup of fresh lemon juice. The number of lemons you’ll need depends on their size and ripeness—this batch took about 2½ medium lemons.
- Strain the juice to remove seeds (and pulp, if preferred).
- Pour the lemon juice into a pint-sized mason jar.
- Add 3 cups of cold water and ¼ cup of your preferred sweetener (I used maple syrup, but sugar or honey also work great).
- Seal the jar and shake well until fully mixed.
- Serve over ice with a few lemon slices for garnish—and enjoy!
How to Customize Your Homemade Lemonade
One of the best things about this recipe is how easily it can be tailored to your liking:
- Prefer it sweeter? Add more sweetener.
- Love a tangy twist? Increase the lemon juice.
- Want a more concentrated flavor? Reduce the water.
- Avoiding refined sugar? Try raw sugar, maple syrup, honey, or your favorite sugar substitute.
Since you’re making it yourself, you can create the perfect glass every time. However you mix it, this classic homemade lemonade is guaranteed to hit the spot.
Try more refreshing drinks and smoothies this summer
- Watermelon Lime Slush
- Citrus Mango Smoothie
- Healing Ginger Turmeric Fruit Smoothie
- Healthy Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie
- Passion Tea Lemonade
Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients
- ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 3 cups cold water
- ¼ cup sweetener (sugar, maple syrup, or honey)
Instructions
- Add lemon juice, water, and sweetener to a pint sized mason jar. Put the lid on and shake to combine.
- Serve over ice with fresh lemon slices.
Jenny is a wife and stay at home mother of two. She loves good food, and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. When she’s not busy chasing kids, you can find her digging into a good book, enjoying the great outdoors, and trying not to kill her houseplants.
