Summer Watermelon Lemonade

The sweetest way to cool down this summer is by sipping this refreshing watermelon lemonade! Real watermelon gives this drink it’s beautiful color!

You’d be hard up to find a more iconic summer drink than lemonade… but it’s fun (and tasty!) to add fruity flavors to the classic drink!  This watermelon version also has pineapple juice in it for a tropical twist, and is incredibly easy to make!

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Lemonade….. ahhhhh my favorite summer drink!  I’ve made a few lemonade drinks here on the blog, (the favorite so far has definitely been this raspberry peach version) but I realized a while back that I’d never made a version with my favorite summer fruit… watermelon!

What’s your favorite summer fruit?  I’ve always loved watermelon, although the other melons are great too… and strawberries.  Let’s just agree that I’m indecisive lol.  Of all the things I’ve passed on to my kids (stubbornness and clumsiness… cough cough…), one thing they both definitely have is my love of watermelon. They go crazy for it!  Well, as long as it’s either a seedless watermelon or we’ve taken the black seeds out.

Funny thing… back when I was a kid, I was absolutely convinced that if I ate one of those black seeds, a watermelon would grow in my stomach.  I have no idea who told me that, or why I believed them, but there was NO way I was going to eat one of those seeds!  Did you ever think that growing up?  Just pretend that you did so I’m not the only weirdo okay?

This is one of those drinks that will make you feel like you’re on a lounge chair at the beach, a cool breeze in your hair, with not a care in the world… it tastes like sweet sweet summer folks!  On a side note, doesn’t that beach scenario sound good?  We haven’t gone on a vacation in a couple years and that’s going to change next year!

I love the peachy pink color of this watermelon lemonade, even though I’m not a huge pink person.  It’s just so fun and bright!  And fellas, there’s no reason why you can’t be manly and drink a glass of this lemonade (maybe you could even spike it with some tequila or vodka to butch it up some).

Obviously there’s a lot of fresh watermelon in this (about 6 cups worth), but there’s also plenty of fresh pineapple juice as well!  I love the way the two fruity flavors combine, and you could absolutely add some fresh pineapple pieces to the drink as well, instead of just garnishing with the watermelon pieces.  I actually would have, but we had run out and I didn’t feel like running to the store — I’m lazy and I know it!

Looking for other refreshing summer drinks? Check these out:

• Fizzy Pineapple Punch
• Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade
• Raspberry Peach Lemonade
• Frozen Honeydew Jalapeno Margarita
• Kentucky Lemonade Cocktail

This recipe uses lemonade concentrate, since I’ve found a lot of people have a can of this in their freezer (instead of the many lemons needed to make fresh lemonade), but in the recipe notes section, I’ve shared a way to make it from scratch as well.  I know some of you prefer things from scratch, so I didn’t want to leave you guys out of this deliciousness!

Before all the tasty summer watermelon is gone, be sure to pick some up and make this Summer Watermelon Lemonade!  It’s an awesome drink the whole family will love!

 Tools Used to Make this Watermelon Lemonade:

• Blender – I just purchased this blender a few weeks ago and am very impressed so far!
• Mesh Sieve – these are invaluable in the kitchen, and I love that this set comes with three different sizes.
• Highball glasses – some of you have emailed asking what the tall glasses are, so here’s the exact set I purchased.  I love them, but you’ll want to hand wash them, as the dishwasher can break them easily.
• Pitcher – the exact pitcher here was a gift, but the one I linked here has good reviews and looks similar.

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Summer Watermelon Lemonade

The sweetest way to cool down this summer is by sipping this refreshing watermelon lemonade! Real watermelon gives this drink it's beautiful color!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 142

Recipe Author The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 48 oz (6 cups) cubed fresh watermelon (seeds removed)
• 1 1/2 cups 100% pineapple juice
• 12 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate , thawed
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar (or coarse white sugar)
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1-2 Tbsp light corn syrup (can use lemon juice or water if preferred)

Instructions

• In small mixing bowl, combine water and granulated sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• To a blender, add watermelon cubes and sugar water mixture. Blend until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, you may have to separate this step into batches.
• Place a large fine mesh sieve over a large pitcher and pour in the pureed watermelon. Use the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, pressing to remove liquid from the watermelon mixture. Discard solids.
• Pour in thawed lemonade concentrate and pineapple juice. Refrigerate until cold, about 1-2 hours.

TO SERVE:

• To a small plate, add a few tablespoons of sugar and ½ tsp lemon zest. Stir with a fork to combine. To another small plate, add a few tablespoons of light corn syrup. Dip top rims of serving glasses in corn syrup, then into the sugar mixture. Add ice cubes to each glass and pour in watermelon lemonade. Garnish with additional watermelon pieces and a pineapple leaf if desired.

Notes

If you’d prefer not to use lemonade concentrate, just use an equal amount (12 oz) of homemade lemonade (just make it strong).  6oz of lemon juice to 5 oz of water with 2 Tbsp of sugar stirred in should work just fine.

Recipe makes 8-9 cups.

Corn syrup seems to hold the sugar rim better than water or citrus juice, which is why I use it, but any other liquid can be substituted if you'd prefer.

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