Add some fresh new flavors to your summer barbecues with this incredible watermelon lemonade. It’s the most refreshing summer drink and is super easy to make!
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About this Watermelon Lemonade recipe
I am all for as many yummy lemonade recipes as I can squeeze in during the summer — pun intended. This fresh watermelon lemonade has quickly become one of my favorite. It’s jockeying for first place with my strawberry lemonade recipe!
This refreshing beverage is perfect for all of your picnics, cookouts and barbecues. And it’s especially refreshing at a pool party or sipping on the beach. With watermelon and lemon, it’s actually very hydrating too.
When watermelon is in season, I can almost make this lemonade without even adding sugar. The sweetness of a ripe watermelon is unmatched, and man does it make this recipe tasty.
There’s so many fun drinks to make with watermelon. From watermelon agua fresca to watermelon mimosas, I just can’t get enough of this juicy fruit! Whip up a batch of watermelon lemonade and sip on it to cool off on a hot day.
More watermelon drink recipes: Watermelon Mojito • Watermelon Agua Fresca • Watermelon Mimosas • Watermelon Margaritas • Watermelon Sangria
Why you’ll love this recipe
It doesn’t take long to mix up this yummy lemonade with simple ingredients. You’re going to love it:
- Easily make this beverage ahead of time and store in the fridge until you need it. A great way to save prep time later on.
- You can double or triple this recipe to serve a party of any size. This is a wonderful party recipe!
- Make this extra healthy by using a natural sweetener instead of sugar. With the loads of fruit in this recipe, it’s far better option than soda and sugary drinks.
Tools and Glassware
For your own watermelon lemonade, you’ll need a few things:
- saucepan
- spatula
- measuring cups
- watermelon knife
- blender or food processor
- fine-mesh strainer
- lemon squeezer
favorite pitchers
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Ingredients
This recipe is based on my homemade lemonade, but with the addition of juicy watermelon. Get some large lemons so that you can get plenty of lemon juice! You only need four ingredients, that’s about as easy as it gets:
- watermelon juice: You can either blend up some seedless watermelon to juice your own watermelon juice, or you can just buy some bottled at the grocery store. It can be a bit difficult to find pre-made, so making your own and could be the best option! (The juice brand Simply has watermelon juice now though!)
- water: For the best flavor, use filtered water so that there’s nothing funky tasting in your lemonade.
- sugar: Make a simple syrup from sugar to sweeten this watermelon lemonade recipe. You can also choose a sugar-free sweetener or use something natural, like honey.
- lemon juice: Squeeze fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Bottled will work but it won’t have as pure of a flavor.
Garnishes
Garnish each glass of watermelon lemonade with fun things like candied lemon slices or dehydrated lemon slices.
You can even do a sugar rim with margarita sugar. Fancy ice cubes like berry ice cubes and flower ice cubes would be great.
Watermelon cubes and small watermelon slices and fresh mint leaves would be a perfect, simple garnish too. Or use a melon baller to make little melon spheres to float on top of the drink.
melon essentials
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Substitutions & variations
Watermelon lemonade cocktail: Turn this drink into a delicious cocktail by adding some tequila, vodka or any other liquor you want. Use the amounts from this vodka lemonade cocktail recipe.
Watermelon mint lemonade: Make a watermelon mint lemonade by adding fresh mint to this drink or using some mint simple syrup to help sweeten the mixture.
Basil watermelon lemonade: Other herbs would be tasty in this drink too. Add them fresh or use something like basil simple syrup to your lemonade. Thyme or lavender would be nice too.
Fruity lemonade: Add strawberries or blueberries to make a berry delicious version, similar to this blueberry lemonade.
Instructions
Follow these simple step by step instructions to make delicious watermelon lemonade:
Slice fresh watermelon into cubes and then place them in a blender. Pulse until smooth.
Pour through a fine mesh strainer. Use a silicone spatula to push the puree through the mesh and repeat if needed.
Then make a simple syrup on the stovetop with water and sugar. Heat the water and sugar together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool slightly before using.
Combine the lemon juice, simple syrup and watermelon juice in large pitcher or bowl, then add the remaining cold water. Stir well to combine.
Refrigerate the beverage until you’re ready to drink it. The flavors do meld together better after about an hour or so in the fridge.
Tips & tricks
These simple tips and tricks will help ensure that your watermelon lemonade turns out absolutely perfect:
- Be sure to use room-temperature citrus. Refrigerated lemons will not juice as well as ones that have been warmed up.
- For 2 cups of juice you’ll need about 1 pound of cubed watermelon. Make sure you grab a large enough watermelon!
- Sweeten the lemonade to taste. Add the syrup that this recipe calls for and then add a little bit extra as desired.
- If the lemonade settles after some time in the fridge, simply shake it up or stir it before serving it. Settling is natural.
Food Pairings
Watermelon lemonade is the perfect sipping beverage with appetizers and snacks. From queso to fried pickles, lemonade goes with everything!
Serve it with tasty favorites like chips and guacamole. It would be so good with pineapple salsa or peach salsa too!
It’s also great for cookouts and barbecues. For an appetizer, make some Crock Pot little smokies or air fryer chicken wings. A summer salad like watermelon blue cheese salad is a great pairing too.
Pair it with summer picnic favorites like creamy pimento cheese, a bowl of colorful mint mozzarella melon salad and hearty hamburgers.
FAQ
Since there are tons of different vitamins and minerals in watermelon and lemonade, this is actually pretty good for you! There is a higher sugar content, some sugars from the fruit and more from the simple syrup. However, you could say it is better for you than many processed beverages. For less sugar, simply cut down or omit the simple syrup used.
Feel free to add some lemon lime soda, club soda or sparkling water to make this a bubbly lemonade. You can also use champagne or prosecco!
More summer drink recipes
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Watermelon Lemonade
ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon juice from about 1 pound fresh watermelon
- 5 cups water divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 ½ cups lemon juice from about 10 lemons
instructions
- If using fresh watermelon, slice it into cubes and place them in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Strain out the solids with a fine-mesh strainer. Use a spatula to push the liquid through the mesh. Repeat the straining process to remove even more sediment.
- Then, make a simple syrup on the stove with which to sweeten the lemonade. Heat 1 cup water and sugar on the stove over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Combine the lemon juice, simple syrup and watermelon juice in a pitcher. Top with remaining 5 cups cold water. Refrigerate until ready to drink.
notes
- Use the juice from fresh lemons. When making lemonade, where lemon juice is the star, it makes a big difference in flavor.
- Be sure to use room-temperature citrus. Refrigerated lemons will not juice as well as ones that have been warmed up.You can microwave them briefly for about 10 seconds to get a to warm them up or just leave them out for an hour or two before you plan to juice them.
- Sweeten it to taste, add a little bit of syrup and add more as desired.
- Settling is normal. Stir or shake the lemonade up if you notice some watermelon pulp has sunk to the bottom.
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