This pretty pink lemonade recipe is naturally colored with cranberry juice. It’s so smooth and refreshing–perfect for sipping poolside! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Naturally Colored Pink Lemonade Recipe
Today’s recipe is inspired by my kids’ favorite summertime beverage! Pink lemonade is a special treat in our household during the summer months, but not the powdered kind full of artificial colors and sweeteners. We prefer to make our own from scratch–it’s easy to do and incredibly tasty too!
To be clear, this is a true pink lemonade recipe, not a strawberry lemonade or raspberry lemonade recipe. Pink lemonade is supposed to taste similar to regular lemonade, but with a pink color. Many versions rely on food dye to achieve this color, while others often add a small splash of cranberry or raspberry juice for a natural pink color (or grenadine, which is super sweet and usually highly artificial). We’re going the natural route today!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pretty and tasty! Cranberry juice gives a beautiful natural pink hue and adds a hint of tartness to complement the lemonade flavor.
- No artificial flavors or colors–just 100% pure fruit juice, water, and sugar.
- Super smooth, since we start by making a simple syrup. This step melts down the sugar, allowing it to evenly distribute and avoids any grittiness.
- You can customize to suit your taste by adjusting the sugar, adding your favorite garnishes, substituting sparking water, etc. I talk more about how you can customize this recipe below!
What You Need
Only four ingredients today!
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice truly is best. But you could use bottled if you are feeling lazy.
- Cranberry juice. Use 100% juice–not cocktail. It’s not that cocktail wouldn’t work, but it’s not going to give us the proper edge.
- Sugar. Stick with regular granulated sugar. If needed, you can reduce the sugar by up to half but you WILL lose depth of flavor; this is a personal preference for you to adjust as you’d like.
- Water. We’ll use one cup for the simple syrup and save the rest for stirring in at the end. Filtered water will provide the best flavor.
SAM’S TIP: If you have extra lemons leftover after juicing, you can slice them up and use them as a garnish or use them in one of my lemon recipes.
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 Pink Lemonade
- Make the simple syrup by combining the sugar and just one cup of the water in a saucepan. Stir frequently over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, then set aside to cool.
- Juice your lemons until you have 1 cup of juice, making sure to remove any seeds that sneak in. Pour this into your serving pitcher (it should hold at least a half gallon).
- Add the cranberry juice and cooled simple syrup.
- Pour in the remaining water and stir until the lemonade is uniform. Pour over ice if you plan to enjoy it right away, or cover and place in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
SAM’S TIP: Always, always, ALWAYS stir before serving! This will ensure each glass has the best flavor, as the ingredients tend to settle as they sit.
Customize your lemonade!
- 🌿 Add a garnish: Top with mint leaves, fresh or frozen berries, or a lemon slice for pretty presentation.
- 🍹 Spike it: Add a splash of vodka or gin for a fun and refreshing adult beverage.
- 🫖 Mix with sweet tea: Make an Arnold Palmer by mixing your lemonade with sweet tea.
- 🧊 Freeze it: Pour your lemonade into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.
- ✨ Make sparkling pink lemonade: Use still water for the simple syrup but replace the remaining 5 cups of water with sparkling water.
Looking for more kid-approved recipes? Try my dirt cookies and cheese crackers next!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6 cups (1.4 L) water, divided
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar (or adjust to-taste)
- 1 cup (236 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (seeds removed)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) cranberry juice (NOT cranberry juice cocktail, must be 100% juice)
Recommended Equipment
- Lemon juicer
Instructions
- Prepare the syrup: Combine a cup (236ml) of the water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Pour lemon juice into a large pitcher. Add cooled simple syrup and cranberry juice.1 cup (236 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup (60 ml) cranberry juice
- Add remaining 5 cups (1.2L) water and stir well.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator to chill before serving or serve immediately poured over ice. Always stir before pouring.
Notes
Storing
Cover the pitcher and store for up to 5 days. 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.
Leave a Reply