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.
Lily
Amazing and delicious
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you love it, Lily!
Brett
Very tasty and simple to make.
Ty
Worked super well and very tasty. Highly reccomend,
Alyson
We made this for a couples dinner and EVERYONE loved it. I made it again for a birthday gathering and again, everyone LOVED it. So simple but a recipe i’ll hold on to for a long time. We enjoy it very much. All of our family looks forward to having it when we gather.
Chris
you stated the recipe is for 1/2 gallon (64 oz) yet your list of liquid ingredients is only 48 oz.. so which is it? did I miss something?
Sam
You forgot to account for the sugar and lemon juice.
Alyson
64 oz is 8 us cups. The recipe is 6 cups water, 1 cup lemon juice and 1 cup sugar. So 8 cups total product. Meaning it would equal to 64 oz or 1/2 gal.
Andrew
Good mixture of sugar water and squeezed lemon juice.
I used Meyer lemons from. the neighbor. Tastes a little different but still good.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Andrew!🙂 Thanks for leaving a review!
Carrie Lowe
Excellent, and so easy to make!
Rumaan
This is the best Lemonade recipe. As an Indian I wish there would be any spices in this lemonade.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you like it Rumaan! Feel free to experiment with your own additions 😊
Richard
It’s too sweet because of the 1 cup of sugar
Sam
So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it, Richard! While you can certainly adjust the sugar to your taste, I found 1 cup to be the perfect balance between sweet and tart and generally wouldn’t recommend anyone else lower the amount unless they know they like theirs quite sour. Thanks for your feedback!
Tobin Keck
This was awesome!!
Matt
easiest best lemonade I ever had. this is my first time making lemonade.
Rebecca A
Easy and delicious! A little sweet for us, so we added a bit of water and ice. But that just means more lemonade! 👏🏼
BK
Thank you. Clear& simple
Janeen
I had a bunch of lemons left over from making lemon posset. OMG this is the best recipe EVER. Even my 15 yr old loved it. We both said it also didn’t burn or scratch our throats like others do. This will forever be my recipe. Thank you so much! 🍋
darrell nixon
Like the 1-1-6 ratio, I needed 7 small lemons.
Courtney
Delicious! My boyfriend and I love it. I only have brown sugar and honey at home, so I used half a cup of brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of honey. And, the bottled lemon juice I was trying to use up was put to good use. It was the perfect sweetness for us. The only difference with using brown sugar is that the colour is more of an iced tea colour. Thanks!
Sloan
this recipe was amazing! it’s was super easy to make and I’m so happy I chose this recipe over some of the others! great job!