So you want a delicious summer drink that looks fancy and complicated, but in reality, only takes 4 simple ingredients and will make you look like a superstar from the first sip? Look no further than this ultra-easy strawberry lemonade recipe.
This is one of my Drink recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
To me, summer means entertaining, and stiflingly hot weather.
And I don’t know about you, but when it’s ridiculously hot, I don’t want to make complicated things for a party.
This refreshing homemade lemonade is absolutely perfect for sipping on a hot day! It’s the perfect blend of sweet and tart, with a beautiful color.
Not to mention, it only needs 4 ingredients, one of which is water. Yep, it’s really that simple. Strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and water.
Plus, it makes enough to fill a pitcher, so feel free to invite some friends and enjoy!
How to make strawberry lemonade?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make syrup. Combining the sugar and water is what makes a simple syrup, which will sweeten the lemonade without any grittiness from the sugar.
- Puree berries. You can do this in a blender or food processor.
- Strain. If desired, you can strain the berries and lemon juice to remove pulp and seeds.
- Combine in pitcher. No need for a fancy order, just add the lemon juice, water, simple syrup, and pureed strawberries.
- Chill and serve.
Helpful Tip!
If you’re not a fan of strawberry seeds or lemon pulp in your lemonade, don’t skip the straining step, as it’s the best way to get a smooth pulp/seed free drink.
Variations of this recipe
- Strawberries – this recipe was designed to be made with ripe summer strawberries, however you may not have them available to you (or are making this in another season). You can use frozen strawberries for this recipe though; just use an equal amount, and thaw them completely before pureeing.
- Herbs – fresh mint and fresh basil both pair really well with the sweetness of strawberries. You could muddle some mint or basil leaves, or just add some to the pitcher.
- Sparkling – if you love a bubbly drink, try replacing some of the cold water used in lemonade with sparkling water or club soda.
- Frozen – for an ice cold frosty drink, try blending strawberry lemonade with ice (or a mixture of ice and frozen strawberries).
FAQ’s
You can serve this strawberry lemonade two ways. Both are equally delicious, it just comes down to how you want the drink to look.
1. You can pour the pureed strawberries into the lemonade pitcher and mix it all together. Then just pour into individual serving glasses and garnish as desired. This is the easiest way, (with less steps), as well as what’s pictured here in this post.
2. Or you can go for the ombre look. Just pour some pureed strawberries into a glass with ice cubes, then slowly pour in the lemonade, and garnish as desired.
Absolutely! I would add some vodka, rum, or tequila to make a fun adult beverage. You could also top off the glasses with prosecco for a fun bubbly twist.
Making lemonade ahead of time
You can make this entire strawberry lemonade ahead of time if you’d like!
Just keep the pitcher covered and refrigerated, and give it a good stir before serving.
You can also make the simple syrup and strawberry mixture ahead of time, check below for storage instructions.
Storage
Leftover lemonade should be covered and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Drink it within about 5 days for the best flavor.
If you want to make the simple syrup and/or pureed strawberries to store it ahead of time, the syrup should keep for up to 2 weeks (refrigerated in an airtight container), and the pureed strawberries should keep for several days (refrigerated in an airtight container).
More Lemonade Recipes:
My Favorite Blender!
I picked up this blender on a whim, but it’s such a workhorse! Great for frozen cocktails, smoothies, soups, and more!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 cups water, divided
- 1 pint fresh strawberries washed and hulled
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 8-9 lemons)
Instructions
Make simple syrup
- Add granulated sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of the water to a medium saucepan, and heat over MED heat.
- Stir as it heats, until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Puree the berries
- Add the strawberries to blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Strain (optional but recommended)
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a large pitcher, and pour the pureed strawberries into the sieve. Press and strain to remove any seeds.
- I like to keep the sieve over the pitcher and strain the fresh lemon juice as well, to keep any stray seeds and pulp from ending up in the lemonade.
Make the lemonade
- To the large pitcher (which, if you strained as recommended will already have the pureed strawberries and lemon juice), add the cooled simple syrup, and the remaining 3 1/2 cups water. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until well chilled.
Serve
- Add ice cubes to glasses, then pour in chilled strawberry lemonade. Garnish glass with a strawberry, a sprig of fresh mint, and a lemon slice, if desired.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Listed recipe times don’t include the time for the syrup to cool to room temperature, as this will vary from person to person.
- I’ve estimated this recipe will serve about 8, but feel free to divide the recipe up into as many servings as you’d like.
- If you decided not to strain the strawberries and lemon juice, you’ll add them to the pitcher in the “make the lemonade” step of the instructions.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Catalina says
My favorite summer drink! I need to try it in the strawberry version!
Sandra says
My family really enjoyed this! Such an amazing summer drink!
Erin says
Such an amazing drink! Can’t wait to make this!
Beth says
We’re having a party this weekend, and I’m going to be serving a big pitcher of this for everyone. It looks amazing.