Lemonade is a quintessential summer sipper packed with citrus flavor that’s perfectly refreshing on hot days. Try the classic recipe, one of its many tasty variations or a lemonade cocktail whenever you need to cool off.
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Your ultimate guide to lemonade recipes
When it comes to making lemonade at home, gone is the powdered stuff of your childhood. Homemade lemonade is way easier than you think and most recipes only need a handful of ingredients.
Bright lemons can stand strong on their own — obviously, since it’s such an iconic sip — but they also form a great base to build on. Add other flavors to create a drink for whatever occasion comes up! From cookouts to baby showers to pool days, lemonade is made for fun in the sun.
Quick tips for making lemonade
When it comes to crafting lemonade at home, here are my top tips:
- Not all sweeteners are created equal. Many lemonade recipes call for cane sugar (or granulated sugar) to make a simple syrup, but you can also use honey, agave nectar *, maple syrup or brown sugar. Keep in mind that these other sweeteners will change the color of your finished drink — but will still taste great!
- What’s in the water? Ideally you should use filtered water for the freshest taste. If you have a water filter pitcher *, that will work well. Bottled water works too, but you absolutely can use tap water if needed.
- Fresh is best. Your flavor will be much better if you use real lemons — trust me. It takes a little extra time, but I promise the effort is worth it! If you really need to take a shortcut, look in your grocery store’s produce section and see if the grocery store sells fresh lemon juice. You can get the same taste with less effort, though the fresh-pressed juice will likely be more expensive than the concentrate. The same goes for any other fruits you’ll be incorporating. Use the freshest options you can find (I love shopping the farmers market).
- Have fun with lemons. Regular lemons will be perfectly juicy. Meyer lemons have a sweeter flavor than regular lemons, but they are still perfectly tart. No lemons? Limes work well too — we call it limeade!
Serving suggestions
Just because a drink errs on the simple side doesn’t mean it shouldn’t get dressed up! Reserve some lemon slices or pieces of fruit as you craft the drink to act as a garnish. If you wanted to get really fancy, dehydrated lemon slices will certainly take your drink to the next level. You could even use herb ice cubes to add an unexpected flavor while keeping things cool.
While lemonade is perfectly at home at a backyard bbq filled with burgers and hot dogs, it can go with almost anything. Pair it with something salty to compliment the sweet and sour, like a charcuterie board or even fried pickles! For a sweet bite, add skillet peach cobbler to the menu.
The best lemonade recipes
There's nothing quite like a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade — and once you've made it from scratch, it's hard to go back. Whether you're after a classic or something more creative, a simple two-ingredient base or a fruit-forward version built on homemade syrups that take the whole thing to another level, there's a lemonade here worth making.
Fresh limeade recipes
Limeade doesn't get nearly enough credit. Bolder and more assertive than lemonade, fresh lime juice brings a tartness that stands up beautifully to herbs, fruit and simple syrup in ways that feel a little more unexpected. These three recipes are proof that lime deserves its own pitcher.
Lemonade cocktails
When life gives you lemons, sometimes you add vodka. These lemonade-inspired cocktails start with a fresh-squeezed base and build from there — some spirit-forward, some bubbly, some with a citrusy twist that makes them feel like more than just a mixed drink. The secret to all of them is using fresh lemon juice.
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