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.
Lemonade is 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
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.
Yes, you can make this lemonade recipe using bottled lemon juice. My brother does this all the time, and the lemonade is still excellent.
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:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Homemade Lemonade Recipe
This recipe makes ½ gallon of lemonade but can successfully be doubled!
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.
Bronte
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.
Terry
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.
Sam
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. 🙂
Robin
Great answer and Great tasting lemonade..!!
Alyson Morgan
This is very good as I like it not overly sweet. Perfect!
Jionni Villegas
So good my whole family want me to make again
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Jionni! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Louise James
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!
Nicole
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.
Maddie Cunningham
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)
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Maddie! 🙂
Liz
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!!
Sylvia Toste Rodgers
easy, but not quick, but I love homemade lemonade so I thought I would try this one out.
Pam S
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!
Judith A Neary
Do you know how many servings one recipe makes?
Sam
8-8oz glasses. For future reference, I put serving information in the purple box right above the ingredients. 🙂
Kori
Simply perfect!
Sam
Thank you for trying my recipe, Kori! 🙂
B2D2
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
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love the slushy idea! So glad you enjoyed it 😊
Rachel
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.
Edith
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!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you like it, Edith! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 💛
Carol Purdy
About how many lemons
Sam
Hi Carol! I used 4 pretty good sized lemons. 🙂
Jennifer Welch
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!
Cassie
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.
bella
so good!