I’m a big fan of my sangrias, especially in the summer, but sometimes you need something refreshing midday and wine cocktail concoctions just aren’t the way to go! I hardly ever order lemonade out, but I love making a homemade lemonade recipes where I can control the sugar and use fresh produce or good quality juices to mix up the flavor.
One of the great things about a fresh lemonade recipe is that the sweetness isn’t all from sugar. Each recipe uses fresh fruit – whole, pureed, or juiced so you can get some good vitamins and a great fresh flavor. These naturally sweet flavors are die for on these sweltering days!
I feel as though I could chug an entire pitcher of each of these lemonades. I’ll try to exercise some self control, but no guarantees!
Fresh Peach Lemonade
If you love lemonade but haven’t used the natural sweetness in other fruits, you are missing out. Whip up this classic lemonade recipe, but use the sweetness from fresh peaches for a flavor no amount of sugar can replace! But a little homemade simple syrup doesn’t hurt!
Strawberry Mint Lemonade {Recipe Below}
Fresh Lemonade Recipes
I remember the Country Time lemonade and pink lemonade powder mixes growing up. I thought they were the most delicious this ever – not surprising considering it’s pure sugar.
Now that I’m older, I don’t love that sweetness quite as much. What I do love just as much, however, is fresh produce which is EVERYTHING in the summertime.
Whether I’m making a simple dessert of yellow cake and homemade whipped cream topped with fresh fruit or even vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit, the sweetness of good produce never fails to satisfy everybody’s taste buds.
The same goes for these fresh lemonade recipes. You can adjust the sugar or simple syrup to add based on how sweet the fruit is itself.
In fact, I’ve even served lemonade like iced tea and let people add in their own sugar to taste. My husband likes lemonade much sweeter than I do, but I have some friends who’d opt for no added sugar, so this way I only make one recipe and I make everyone happy!
Frozen Lavender Lemonade
Have a little fun with this non-alcoholic spring and summer drink! Spice up your traditional lemonade drink with this lavender lemonade mix. Enjoy it frozen for a fun slushy all the adults will enjoy!
Fresh Cucumber Lemonade
Just your classic lemonade recipe with pureed cucumber (without skins) turned juice! It’s a fun twist on the familiar flavor with some added health benefits!
Prickly Pear Lemonade
Have you ever had prickly pears? They’re the fruit of cacti and extremely popular in the American Southwest. They’re sweet and tart at the same time, making them perfect in margaritas and lemonades! The soft fruit is easy to get out of the skin and then just puree it to get the juice!
Be sure to check out all of these summer mocktails!
STRAWBERRY MINT LEMONADE
Ingredients
- 2 cups cut-up ripe strawberries
- ½ cup mint leaves julienned or chopped
- ⅔ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup sugar*
- cups water
- ice
Instructions
- Combine strawberries, mint, lemon juice, sugar, 2 Cups of water, and small handful of ice to cocktail shaker or jar with lid.
- Shake vigorously until ice is melted to break up berries. Add remaining water. Stir.
- Serve over ice.
- *Add sugar to taste. ½ cup sugar will give you moderately sweet lemonade. You can also serve the lemonade without sugar and let people add their own sweetener of choice.
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Amy Desrosiers says
This lemonade looks incredibly refreshing. I love how it is made with fresh fruit. Nothing beats homemade!
Pam says
What a great collection of lemonade recipes and perfect for this hot weather!
Kushigalu says
Love lemonades. This is a great round Up post.
Gloria says
With the warm weather FINALLY here, this is the perfect roundup. Great for bbq parties. Perfect for sipping on the patio. Always a delicious summer stable.
Angela says
There are some great ideas in this post. Can’t wait to try them!