This quick and easy strawberry lemonade is the perfect summer beverage. Naturally flavored and colored with fresh strawberries, make a large pitcher to serve at parties or to simply beat the heat.
I feel that lemonade has a sort of cult status in every cuisine. I applaud whoever it was that first took this sour fruit, juiced it, sweetened and then diluted it to come up with the bestest summer beverage ever!
When I tire of plain lemonade, I love flavoring it with seasonal fruits. I remember drinking packaged “strawberry lemonade” when I first came to the US and thinking that it tasted neither like strawberries nor like lemonade! Trust me, I have had my share of flavored drinks and mixes as a young kid, but the very thought makes me cringe nowadays. My son on the other hand, is very happy with a juice box.
But when summer comes calling and you have more berries than you know what to do with, you must make strawberry lemonade at home.
Call it pink lemonade, red lemonade or berry lemonade, it is super simple and very addictive.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, strawberry puree and a simple syrup come together to make this amazing cold drink that is just perfect for the hot summer months ahead. Plus, it keeps well in the refrigerator. So you can make it ahead for your next party or cookout and serve strawberry lemonade over ice in a large pitcher. Garnish it with fresh mint, basil, thyme or even rosemary for a fun twist. All the better if you are grown them in your garden this summer!
Sometimes, when I am super lazy, I simply muddle some berries and mint leaves together in a glass and then top it with homemade lemonade. But for a larger batch, the easiest way is to make a berry puree and flavor the lemonade with it. How sweet and red you want your strawberry lemonade to be, is a matter of personal preference. I tend to go for a more red shade because I love the sweet-tart taste of summer strawberries.
That being said, I end up serving it over tons of ice so the final drink is lighter on the palate. So, how much water and ice you add will depend a lot on how tart, sweet or strong you like your lemonade to be. Isn’t that super fun? Customizing your own drink?!!
- Water - 2 cups
- Sugar - 1½ cups
- Fresh strawberries - 8 oz, hulled
- Fresh lemon juice - ⅔ cup (6-8 lemons, depending on size)
- Cold water - 6 cups
- Ice - as needed
- Mint leaves - to garnish
- Prepare a simple syrup by heating sugar in 2 cups of water till dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Puree the strawberries with 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice. Strain to remove seeds.
- In a large pitcher, combine rest of the lemon juice with strawberry puree, simple syrup and cold water. Mix well.
- Serve strawberry lemonade cold over lots of ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Stay hydrated and stay cool this summer with this delicious and easy to make strawberry lemonade beverage.
Here are more lemonade/limeade recipes for you to try.
Brazilian lemonade (with coconut milk)
Or better yet, go here to see all my beverage recipes on the blog.
Don’t forget to PIN & SAVE this recipe for later.
Do you like lemonade? What about flavored lemonade? Which one is your favorite? Do try this strawberry lemonade recipe and let me know how you like it.
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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday.
I have to try this for our summer BBQ parties 😀 It looks so good and I bet it’s super refreshing 🙂
Thank you, Sarah. I’m looking forward to summer parties too!!
This sounds really lovely and refreshing, pinned it for later when we finely have the weather to enjoy it properly. Thank you for sharing with FF:)
Thank you. I hope you do try it. Happy FF & thanks for visiting!!