Homemade Lemonade Recipe (2024)

June 8, 2022 By Sam 170 Comments

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You only need three ingredients to make this classic homemade Lemonade Recipe. It’s so simple and refreshing–perfect for a summer day! Recipe includes a how-to video.

The Easiest, Most Refreshing Lemonade Recipe

I know some of you are going to see this and think, “Do we really need a lemonade recipe?”. Sure lemonade is one of those things that can be thrown together and still taste great (like mac and cheese or French toast); however, having a reliable recipe is still important.

Lemonadeis easy to make, but getting the ratios right is critical. Too much lemon and it’s too tart and undrinkable, and too much water and it’s, well, watered down. What I’m sharing today is a perfectly balanced lemonade recipe that everyone is going to love.

Why You’ll Love My Lemonade Recipe:

Super smooth and evenly sweetened, thanks to simple syrup.
Can easily be doubled or tripled–perfect for lemonade stands!
Not too tart and not too sweet; the balance of lemon and sugar is just right.
Pairs well with iced tea to make an Arnold Palmer.

What You Need

You only need three simple ingredients to make this lemonade recipe (or two, if you don’t count water!):

Lemons. It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that I recommend using freshly squeezed lemons for this recipe (as I do with my lemon cheesecake). You’ll only need 3-4 nice sized lemons to get one cup of juice.
Sugar. Plain granulated sugar works just fine, you could also substitute caster sugar!
Water. I use tap water because mine doesn’t have a flavor, but if yours has a chlorinated taste use bottled or filtered water.

SAM’S TIP: This isn’t totally necessary, but I like to garnish my homemade lemonade with additional sliced lemons for a bright and sunny look.

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Lemonade

Combine 1 cup each of sugar and water and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
Set the syrup aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Combine the cooled syrup and freshly-squeezed lemon juice in a pitcher.
Add the remaining water and stir, then pour over ice and enjoy!

SAM’S TIP: I like to use this tool to juice my lemons; it makes the job so much easier!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use honey to make lemonade?

You could, but keep in mind the honey will impart a different flavor. I’d start with about ½ cup of honey and taste test before adding any more.

Can I make lemonade using bottled lemon juice?

Yes, you can make this lemonade recipe using bottled lemon juice. My brother does this all the time, and the lemonade is still excellent.

What can I add to homemade lemonade?

Fresh mint, rosemary, and lavender are all delicious pairings with homemade lemonade! Or, you could always make my easy strawberry lemonade.

You can find me sipping a glass of this on my front porch all summer long 😎

More Summer Recipes:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Lemon Curd
Key Lime Pie
Lemon Blueberry Cake

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together!I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andvideobelow! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onInstagram, and you can also find me onYouTubeandFacebook

Homemade Lemonade Recipe

A simple and refreshinghomemade lemonade recipe! You only need sugar, water, and lemons to make this classic drink recipe. Check out the step-by-step video just below the recipe!

This recipe makes ½ gallon of lemonade but can successfully be doubled!

4.97 from 156 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 8-oz glasses

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

▢ 6 cups (1.4 L) water divided
▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
▢ 1 cup (236 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹ seeds removed, pulp may remain

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

Combine 1 cup (236ml) water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
6 cups (1.4 L) water, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice into a pitcher. Add sugar/water mixture (simple syrup).
1 cup (236 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹
Add remaining 5 cups (1180ml) water and stir well. Pour over ice and serve, or transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill several hours before serving.

Notes

¹Lemon Juice

I really recommend fresh squeezed, but my brother often makes this recipe using bottled lemon juice with success.

Nutrition

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Bronte
February 05, 2024 at 3:46 pm
My mother-in-law gave us a bag of lemons yesterday and so my daughters and I made this today as a treat. Early February in the Pacific Northwest and it brought a bit of sunshine to our day. Thank you! Perfect recipe as always.
Reply
Terry
January 09, 2024 at 6:47 pm
Great idea, but you’re giving us a lemonade recipe that you say you’ll be sipping on your porch all summer long?
Hate to break it to you – but it’s winter. Currently 2°F with a “Real Feel” of – 5°F where I live. Our nighttime temps are dropping to MINUS 39 & 43°F on Thursday & Friday (2 & 3 days from now).
And about those lemons at $1 each, which is pretty standard, year round…
‘Fraid this one’s gonna have to wait about 5 months – if we’re lucky.
Reply
- Sam
  January 09, 2024 at 9:12 pm
  That is really cold! I’m glad it doesn’t get that cold here. I did originally publish it in June, which is great lemonade time. I hope you love it when you do try it. 🙂
  Reply
  - Robin
    January 26, 2024 at 2:14 pm
    Great answer and Great tasting lemonade..!!
Alyson Morgan
December 16, 2023 at 10:42 am

This is very good as I like it not overly sweet. Perfect!
Reply
Jionni Villegas
November 19, 2023 at 8:49 pm

So good my whole family want me to make again
Reply
See Also
Eggs Benedict Recipe
- Sam
  November 20, 2023 at 4:36 pm
  I’m so happy to hear this, Jionni! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
  Reply
- Louise James
  December 08, 2023 at 4:08 pm
  
  It’s December in Russell, Ontario Canada. I recently bought a bunch of lemons that were reduced for a quick sale. I knew I was going to make lemonade and I came upon your recipe. It didn’t disappoint! I did revive the amount of water by one cup because I wanted it more tart. Absolutely amazing!
  Reply
Nicole
November 12, 2023 at 3:46 pm

Very good recipe. I swapped out 1 cup of regular water for strawberry water to make strawberry lemonade. Next time I will use fresh pineapple.
Reply
Maddie Cunningham
October 16, 2023 at 4:10 pm
This is the best lemonade I’ve ever had! I’m 13 years old and LOVE lemonade. Favorite drink of all time! When I saw all the lemons in the fridge I figured I’d try to make some for the first time. When I saw this recipe I decided to give it a whirl, and I’m so happy I did. Thanks for this!! I’ll be using it in the future for sure.
(PS: Me and my brother drained the whole picture in one night. Oops)
Reply
- Sam
  October 16, 2023 at 9:09 pm
  I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Maddie! 🙂
  Reply
Liz
August 21, 2023 at 5:08 pm

Just made this as we are getting ready for another HOT spell here in the Midwest and it is delicious. My lemons must have been huge as it only took 3 of them and then it was a little over 1 cup. I like to think I’m a lemonade connoisseur as I’ve made other recipes and bought bottled real lemonade but this tops them all. Thanks for the super easy recipe!!
Reply
Sylvia Toste Rodgers
August 03, 2023 at 7:57 pm

easy, but not quick, but I love homemade lemonade so I thought I would try this one out.
Reply
Pam S
July 28, 2023 at 2:37 pm

Perfect! As everyone else has said. My husband loves lemonade and vodka and sometimes uses those gross powder packets. No more. This is truly perfect with only 4 large lemons and water. Simple syrup is the secret! Thank You!
Reply
- Judith A Neary
  July 31, 2023 at 1:24 pm
  Do you know how many servings one recipe makes?
  Reply
  - Sam
    July 31, 2023 at 3:48 pm
    8-8oz glasses. For future reference, I put serving information in the purple box right above the ingredients. 🙂
Kori
July 26, 2023 at 4:35 pm

Simply perfect!
Reply
- Sam
  July 26, 2023 at 4:36 pm
  Thank you for trying my recipe, Kori! 🙂
  Reply
B2D2
July 16, 2023 at 9:54 pm

Perfect! The ratios are great. Neither too tart nor too sweet. Try it blended with ice (3 cups & 3 cups water) for a slushy too
Reply
- Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
  July 17, 2023 at 9:43 am
  We love the slushy idea! So glad you enjoyed it 😊
  Reply
Rachel
July 02, 2023 at 10:20 pm

Fabulous! It is perfectly balanced! A gallon lasted 2 days. We drank just the lemonade and had some with muddled blueberries and some with muddled strawberries. Your recipe is amazing alone and adding strawberries was amazing also.
Reply
Edith
June 29, 2023 at 3:54 pm

Excellent. Very easy to make. Just the right amount of sweeet and tart! Thank you for an easy, quick, simple recipe! It’s great to be able to very quickly whip up a refreshing beverage when guests unexpectedly drop by. Who doesn’t like lemonnade!!
Reply
- Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
  June 29, 2023 at 4:25 pm
  We are so happy you like it, Edith! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 💛
  Reply
  - Carol Purdy
    July 09, 2023 at 7:55 am
    About how many lemons
  - Sam
    July 09, 2023 at 10:32 pm
    Hi Carol! I used 4 pretty good sized lemons. 🙂
Jennifer Welch
June 23, 2023 at 5:42 pm

DELICIOUS! I didn’t think the 4 lemons I had on hand would get me a cup but after I squeezed them with a press I used some tongs and got every last drop out. It was just under a cup. Simply perfect!
Reply
- Cassie
  July 03, 2023 at 11:30 am
  
  I doubled this recipe to make in my 1 gallon pitcher. I had 8 lemons that I had used for the zest to make lemoncello, so I figured I better make some lemonade too! The 8 large lemons I had weren’t enough, so I had to top off the remaining 1/3 cup that I was short with some bottled lemon juice that I had in the fridge. Turned out great! A little on the more tart side but delicious! My daughter prefers more sweet, so she added a little extra sugar to her glass.
  Reply
bella
June 16, 2023 at 1:21 pm

so good!
Reply

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FAQs

What is the formula for lemonade? ›

Start with the proportions of 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of lemon juice. Reduce the sugar amount if you are using Meyer lemons or if you like your lemonade less sweet. (I usually use 3/4 cup of sugar.)

Learn More Now ›

How to make lemonade step by step with pictures? ›

Lemonade

Step 1: Ingredients: 3 ripe lemons (they need to be a little soft!) ...
Step 2: Juice Your Lemons. You need between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of lemon juice. ...
Step 3: Make the Simple Syrup. Pour one cup of sugar into your glass measuring cup and add one cup of water on top. ...
Step 4: Mix and Serve!

Get More Info ›

How many lemons to make 1 cup of juice? ›

How Much Juice in One Lemon? On average, there are 3 tablespoons of juice in one lemon. So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. But, because some lemons are less juicy than others, it's safe to say you'd need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice.

Is Chick Fil A lemonade real lemonade? ›

Classic lemonade using three simple ingredients: real lemon juice—not from concentrate, cane sugar, and water. Nutrition information is calculated using standard product formulations and incorporates multiple data sources. Variation in nutrition & ingredients may occur.

What are the 7 steps of making lemonade without? ›

Loved by our community

Cut your lemon in half.
Squeeze all the juice out of it that you can.
Pour your juice into a container with 1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar.
Add a very small amount of water to your container.
Stir your solution until sugar dissolves.
Fill up a container with water and add ice.

More items...

Oct 16, 2020

How many lemons for 1 oz of juice? ›

1 lemon = 3 tablespoons or 1 3/4 ounces. 1 lime = 1 tablespoon or 1/2 to 1 ounce.

Discover More Details ›

Is lemonade good for you? ›

Heart healthy: lemons are packed with vitamin C, phytochemicals such as hesperidin and diosmin, and also fiber, all of which aid in keeping the heart and circulatory system healthy. Kidney health: in some studies, citric acid is believed to reduce the risk of kidney stones, and may help to prevent their formation.

Explore More ›

What is lemonade in chemistry? ›

Lemonade is a combination of lemon juice, water, and sugar. The lemonade is an example of a hom*ogeneous mixture. A hom*ogeneous mixture has the same composition throughout.

View Details ›

What is lemonade a compound? ›

In the context of chemistry, lemonade is an example of a solution, which is a hom*ogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In this case, it's primarily water (the solvent) with dissolved sugar and lemon juice (the solutes).

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What type of chemical is lemonade? ›

Lemonade (specifically the lemons) are made up of a type of chemical known as an acid. Acids have a low pH, like to donate their hydrogens and tend to have a sour taste. But in saying that- don't rush off to start tasting all chemicals for their acidic properties!