My blueberry lemonade uses a fresh or frozen blueberry simple syrup for a stunning flavor and color. It’s refreshing and perfect for summer, and it tastes great spiked too! Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Blueberry Lemonade
Ready to up your lemonade game? This blueberry lemonade is the latest addition to my collection of flavored lemonades here on the blog. It’s so pretty, flavorful, and simple to make! And it tastes SO much better than the store-bought kind.
Why try my recipe:
- Refreshing flavor: It’s a bright and summery twist on a traditional homemade lemonade.
- Easy: We’ll simply cook the berries into a syrup, strain, and combine with lemon juice and water–that’s it!
- Gorgeous color: Cooking the berries draws out their juices and creates a beautiful color. I found that simply pureeing raw berries created a not-so-pretty color–more on this below.
- Perfect for spiking: Add a splash of your favorite vodka or gin for an adult treat!
This recipe uses the same preparation method as my raspberry lemonade, which means we will be creating a berry simple syrup. This method is not quite as quick as the one used in my strawberry lemonade, but it’s every bit as tasty and worth the extra minutes!
What You Need
Seriously, just 4 ingredients. Besides water, you will need:
- Blueberries. Today’s recipe works well with fresh or frozen blueberries (if you’re trying to work your way through a surplus of fresh, try my blueberry cheesecake next!). Having super ripe sweet blueberries makes a big difference in the flavor of blueberry lemonade, so if fresh blueberries aren’t in season, you may actually be better off opting for frozen.
- Sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work just fine here. If you’d like to use a different sweetener, scroll down to the FAQ section below.
- Lemons. Yes, I recommend using squeezing your own lemons for this blueberry lemonade! While bottled lemon juice will work, fresh squeezed simply has an unparalleled flavor (sometimes the bottled stuff can taste like cleaner!). I find I typically need about six lemons to get one cup of juice, but your mileage may vary.
SAM’S TIP: To get the moist juice out of your lemons, try rolling them between your palm and your counter before cutting and squeezing. Microwaving your lemons will also give you more juice. Here is the citrus tool I like to use for juicing!
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 Blueberry Lemonade
- Cook the berries, sugar, and 1 cup of water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries are juicy. Stir occasionally while this mixture cooks and be patient, as it may take 10 minutes or so.
- Pour the berry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container/pitcher. Press the berries through the strainer with a spatula to get as much juice as possible, then discard the remaining pulp.
- Stir in the lemon juice, then either pour over ice and enjoy immediately or place in the fridge to chill.
SAM’S TIP: Always stir lemonade before serving, since the ingredients settle as it sits.
Frequently Asked Questions
During my research process, I actually tried pureeing the berries and then pressing them through a fine mesh strainer (like I do with my watermelon lemonade). This method did work, but the lemonade was a super dull and unappealing gray color, even after straining it twice. We eat (and drink!) with our eyes first, and this version just wasn’t visually appetizing at all– Luke wouldn’t even try it!
By cooking the blueberries until they’ve released their juices instead, we get a better flavor AND a much more beautiful color.
I’d recommend adding either vodka or gin. Flavored varieties would be fun to experiment with here; lavender, elderflower, thyme, and mint all pair well with blueberry lemonade!
You could substitute honey for the sugar, but just know your lemonade will have more of a honey flavor than a classic lemonade flavor. It’s still good this way, just less sweet.
I haven’t personally tried any other sweeteners with this recipe, so I can’t say how they’d work. If you do, please leave a comment!
This lemonade would pair nicely with iced tea. Or, if you really have a sweet tooth, pair it with my sweet tea!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! Find over 500 of my baking videos for FREE on YouTube.
Blueberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6 cups (1.4 L) water divided
- 2 cups (300 g) blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (236 ml) lemon juice – fresh-squeezed is best!
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup of water (236ml), blueberries, and granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat.6 cups (1.4 L) water, 2 cups (300 g) blueberries, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and blueberries release their juices (they will become very soft and tender and the liquid will become very blue!). This may take 10 minutes or even longer.
- Pour blueberries and liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof pitcher (or other bowl that you can easily pour into the pitcher). Use a spatula to press the berries to press through as much juice as possible. Discard remaining solids.
- Add lemon juice and remaining 5 cups water (1.18L) and stir well.1 cup (236 ml) lemon juice – fresh-squeezed is best!
- Pour over ice and serve immediately or refrigerate until chilled before serving. Always stir blueberry lemonade before stirring. Enjoy!
Notes
Lemons
This is typically about 6 medium-large lemons for me. Bottled lemon juice can be substituted but will yield a flavor that’s not as pure and fresh.Storing
Store in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to a week. Always stir before serving.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.
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