Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

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Real strawberries, fresh lemons, a little sugar, and ice. That's it. This is the drink that makes a hot afternoon feel like vacation. It costs about a dollar a glass to make, beats the bottled version in every possible way, and uses up those slightly tired strawberries sitting on your counter giving you the look.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Chill Time30

Total Time45

Course: Beverages, Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups

Calories: 131kcal

Cost: $4-$6

Ingredients

1 pound fresh strawberries hulled (about 3 heaping cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar adjust to taste
1/4 cup water for syrup
1 cup fresh lemon juice 6–8 lemons
4 cups cold water
Ice sliced strawberries, and lemon rounds for serving

Instructions

Combine strawberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, mashing berries as they soften.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract all the liquid. (Or skip straining for a rustic version.)
Juice the lemons and strain out seeds.
In a large pitcher, combine strawberry syrup, lemon juice, and 4 cups cold water. Stir well.
Taste and adjust sugar or lemon as needed.
Chill at least 30 minutes. Serve over ice with fresh garnishes.

Notes

Ingredient tips:

The softest, ripest strawberries work best here. They release more juice and have the deepest flavor. Save the pretty ones for garnish.
Let lemons sit at room temperature for an hour and roll them firmly before juicing. You'll get noticeably more juice out of each one.
Bottled lemon juice works in a pinch, but fresh is noticeably better.

Variations:

Sparkling: Replace half the still water with cold club soda right before serving.
Herb-infused: Add a small handful of fresh mint or basil to the syrup while it simmers, then strain.
Frozen slushy: Blend the finished lemonade with extra ice until slushy.
Grown-up version: Add a splash of vodka, gin, or sparkling wine.

Don't waste the pulp: The strained strawberry solids are wonderful stirred into yogurt or spooned over ice cream.

Storage: Best within 2 days; holds up for 3–4 days refrigerated. The strawberry syrup alone keeps up to 1 week in the fridge. Make a double batch and mix fresh lemonade all week long.

Nutrition