Name: Easy Strawberry Lemonade Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 quart of sliced strawberries; 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar - divided; 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (6 to 8 lemons); 5 to 6 cups of water; Ice cubes; Lemon slices

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The heat of summer has arrived. And that can only mean one thing. Time to keep a steady stock of cold, refreshing drinks in the fridge.

One of our favorite summertime treats is this strawberry lemonade. It’s just sweet enough to quench your thirst and make the heat disappear. At least while you enjoy the first glass.

But first confession time. The kids talked me into letting them pick 10 quarts of strawberries last week. I couldn’t remember how many we usually pick, but they said it was 10 quarts.

Once we picked the 10 quarts, I can guarantee to you that we have never picked 10 quarts ever before. It was a lot of strawberries.

I didn’t think we had a hope in the world to eat them all while they were fresh. Turns out that I was wrong again. We managed to finish every last strawberry.

Not without getting creative in the kitchen, though. I made this strawberry angel food shortcake in cute little mason jars. And my favorite eggless strawberry ice cream, which is so sweet and creamy that I can’t believe it’s homemade.

And then I transformed my mini berry tarts into this chocolate strawberry pie. The best part is that it’s no bake, which makes it the perfect dessert for a heat wave.

Even after all of that, I think my family’s favorite strawberry recipe is this strawberry lemonade. I made it the day we planted the garden. It was incredibly delightful after getting all hot and sweaty from picking weeds.

Most Necessary Lemonade Making Tool

Although there are couple of tools that I would categorize as “most necessary” in the kitchen (you can find my entire list here), when making homemade lemonade there is one tool that you can’t manage without. A juicer. (affiliate)

Coming from someone who spent her twenties squeezing lemons by hand and then trying to pick out the seeds, I promise you that a juicer will change your life. Or at least your homemade lemonade making experience.

This is my favorite juicer. My favorite juicer meet my readers. (affiliate)

I’ve had it for a couple of years now and use it all of the time.

The best part is that it measures the lemon juice as you juice the lemon. Most lemonade recipes call for a specific number of lemons to be used.

Have you ever looked at lemons? They are all different sizes. Which means if you follow this guidance, who knows how much lemon juice you will be using.

When you use a juicer, you can monitor the amount using the juicer’s measurements. I don’t like to leave a lemon “unfinished” though. So if you reach the correct amount and you’re in the middle of juicing a lemon, just finish the lemon. It will be for the best for the lemonade.

My other favorite feature of this juicer is the pouring spout. Once you have finished juicing the lemons, you can simply pour the lemon juice into the pitcher. And it all makes it in without spillage. (affiliate)

To Strain or Not to Strain?

One thing I learned from making strawberry lemonade is that when you blend strawberries, they are not smooth. They have a pulp with them. Almost like freshly made orange juice.

I had no idea.

So, I served this recipe two ways. One way I strained the pulp so it was more traditional lemonade. The other way I left the pulp in.

The strawberry lemonade recipe with the pulp was much thicker. But it was quite delicious.

In the end, we were evenly split on which version we liked. To decide, I recommend deciding based on how your family (or guests) drink their orange juice. If they like it thicker and with pulp, then you probably don’t have to strain it.

But if they prefer it more like a traditional juice, then I recommend straining it.

Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Here is my strawberry lemonade recipe. I wanted to use less sugar than other recipes that I’ve found, so I macerated the strawberries before blending them. Basically, I soaked them in some sugar to bring out more of their sweetness.

You Will Need:

3 cups of freshly sliced strawberries

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, divided

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice – about 6 to 8 lemons

5 to 6 cups of water (depending on how sweet you want it)

Ice cubes

Juicer (affiliate)

Sieve (if you decide to strain the strawberry juice) (affiliate)

Pitcher for Serving (affiliate)

1. Wash and hull (cut the green tops off) of 1 quart of strawberries. Pat dry. Slice the strawberries into quarters. This should equal about 3 cups of strawberries.

2. Place the strawberries into a medium bowl (affiliate). Macerate the strawberries in sugar to bring out their natural sugars. Basically, let them sit in sugar for 15 minutes and watch the magic happen.

To macerate, stir half a cup of sugar into the strawberries. Let them sit for 15 minutes.

3. While the strawberries macerate, use a juicer to make the lemon juice. Before juicing each lemon, roll the lemon. This activates the pulp and helps get more juice out.

4. After the strawberries are macerated, puree them in a food processor or blender. Strain through a sieve if desired. (affiliates)

5. Make the simple syrup. Add 2 cups of water to a pot. Stir in the remaining sugar – 1 cup. Bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

6. Cool your syrup. Depending on how soon you need your lemonade, you can allow to cool at room temperature or place in the fridge until cooled.

7. Pour the simple syrup into the pitcher. Add the lemon juice and strawberry puree. Stir.

8. Chill in the fridge until serving. Before serving, add ice cubes and slices of lemon on top.

Favorite Summertime Drinkware

One of my favorite parts about summer is all of the fun summertime entertaining ware. I recently took a trip to Homegoods and had to stop myself from purchasing a bunch of things for our summer table.

When serving lemonade, I use a clear plastic pitcher. I usually serve lemonade outside and this is definitely safer. I like to use mason jar glasses or tall plastic drinking glasses. (affiliates)

Don’t forget to add a sweet party straw in your favorite color (affiliate). And our Free Printable Citrus Straw Toppers are a festive addition to the lemonade feel.

You can also use a cute rattan tray to make it easy to transport the lemonade poolside. (affiliate)

Love Strawberries?

Strawberry season is one of our favorite times of year. We celebrate with strawberry picking and summer dessert making.

If you love strawberry season too, be sure to check out our strawberry crafts and recipes. We love celebrating this sweet berry all summer long.

Want to save this strawberry lemonade recipe for later? Be sure to pin it below!

Yield: 8 to 10 cups