5 from 16 votes

Strawberry Lemonade

Name: Strawberry Lemonade
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 6 cups water (divided); 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (divided); 1 cup lemon juice¹ (seeds removed ); 1 ½ cups ripe strawberries (quartered, plus additional for decoration if desired); Additional quartered strawberries and sliced lemons for garnish (optional)

By Sam MerrittPublished Jul 06, 2022

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31 Comments

Servings: 8 8 oz glasses

8 mins

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Homemade Strawberry Lemonade isn’t just refreshing, it’s also incredibly simple to make! This easy recipe can be prepped and ready with just 4 ingredients in under 10 minutes. Recipe includes a how-to video!

large glass pitcher of homemade strawberry lemonade with sliced strawberries and lemons as a garnish

The Best Summer Drink Recipe

Today’s strawberry lemonade is simple, refreshing, and full of fresh strawberry and lemon flavor. It takes just a few minutes to make and delivers a perfectly balanced (and perfect for summer!) drink. As with my lemonade recipe and sweet tea, we start with a simple syrup, which not only gives a smooth flavor, but it also ensures the sugar is fully incorporated (no more stirring to make sure it hasn’t settled to the bottom!). Then on to the strawberries.

I experimented with multiple methods to get the most strawberry flavor for this lemonade, from simply pureeing the berries, to roasting or cooking them into a syrup on the stove. Every one of my taste testers liked the lemonade with the pureed, uncooked berries best–no complex steps or concoctions needed. Don’t you love it when things are easy?

This strawberry lemonade goes great with grilled or spicy foods, or you can simply enjoy it after a long day in the sun. I personally love serving it alongside tortilla chips and homemade salsa or alongside a warm funnel cake!

What You Need

overhead view of ingredients including strawberries, lemons, and sugar

The great thing about making homemade strawberry lemonade is that you can control the sweetness level; if your berries are extra sweet or you simply prefer a less sweet drink, just use less simple syrup! Here’s what you need:

Strawberries. Fresh picked, sun-ripened summer berries will give you the BEST strawberry flavor, but you can certainly use grocery store berries if that’s all you can find.
Lemon juice. You probably already know I’m going to recommend fresh-squeezed lemon juice…but bottled can work in a pinch. I really recommend fresh though!
Sugar. Granulated sugar works just fine. I haven’t experimented with making this with any artificial or alternative sweeteners and can’t say for sure how much you’d need and how it would turn out. If you do, please let me know how it goes!

SAM’S TIP: I recommend adding additional berries and lemon slices to your strawberry lemonade pitcher for an extra burst of flavor and color.

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 Strawberry Lemonade

overhead view of strawberries in a blender before blending

Heat 1 cup each of sugar and water over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves, then set this aside.
Puree the strawberries, remaining sugar, and ½ cup water, then pour this through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher.
Stir in the lemon juice, simple syrup, and remaining water.
Add additional berries or lemon slices as desired, then pour over ice.

SAM’S TIP: I prefer my strawberry lemonade to be smooth, but if you like the pulp and seeds, simply skip the straining step and add the berry puree right into the pitcher!

strawberry puree being poured through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl

Frequently Asked Questions

Are strawberry lemonade and pink lemonade the same thing?

No. Pink lemonade is simply classic lemonade that’s been tinted pink, typically with food coloring or sometimes a small amount of fruit juice.

Strawberry lemonade has a distinct fruity strawberry flavor, and the color will vary depending on the ripeness of the berries that you use. If you can get your hands on juicy, freshly picked, local strawberries, you’ll have a lemonade that’s much richer in color than if you use supermarket berries.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

You can, but their flavor will probably not be as good as ripe, in-season strawberries. You’ll need to thaw them first, and once you do, they will be pretty juicy (I talk about this in my macerated strawberries post), so you may not need to add as much water when pureeing them.
As with my strawberry frosting, strawberry cream cheese pie, and just about any other strawberry recipe out there, fresh, sun-ripened, hand-picked berries are always best!

Can I double this recipe?

Yes! This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled–you name it! It’s great for cookouts and summer picnics and can be made in advance.

mason jar filled with strawberry flavored lemonade, sliced strawberries, and lemon slices

If you’re interested in spiking your lemonade, vodka, gin, or white rum would all be great options!

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

5 from 16 votes

Strawberry Lemonade

An easy and refreshing Strawberry Lemonade recipe that can be prepped in under ten minutes!

This recipe makes ½ gallon but can be doubled.

Includes a how-to video!

Prep: 5

Cook: 3

Total: 8

Servings: 8 oz glasses

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Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 6 cups (1.4 L) water, divided
▢ 1 cup (200 g) + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
▢ 1 cup (236 ml) lemon juice¹, seeds removed
▢ 1 ½ cups (210 g) ripe strawberries, quartered, plus additional for decoration if desired
▢ Additional quartered strawberries and sliced lemons for garnish, optional

Instructions

Prepare simple syrup first by combining 1 cup (236ml) water and 1 cup (200g) sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium/low heat and stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
6 cups (1.4 L) water, 1 cup (200 g) + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
Combine strawberries, ½ cup (120ml) of water, and 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar in blender and blend until strawberries are completely pureed.
1 ½ cups (210 g) ripe strawberries
Pour strawberry puree through a fine mesh sieve² into pitcher and use a spatula to press/work as much strawberry juice through as possible. Discard remaining pulp/seeds.
Add lemon juice and simple syrup to pitcher.
1 cup (236 ml) lemon juice¹
Add remaining 4 ½ cups (1065ml) water and stir well. If desired add additional quartered strawberries and sliced lemons to pitcher for added flavor and decoration.
Additional quartered strawberries and sliced lemons for garnish
Pour lemonade over ice and serve or chill and then stir again before serving.

Notes

¹Fresh squeeze preferred, but bottled lemon juice will also work

²I like my strawberry lemonade to be nice and smooth and I don’t like pulpy, seed-y bits of strawberry in my lemonade, which is why I use the strainer. If you don’t mind the texture, feel free to skip the straining and leave this in your lemonade!