Robyn Stone
Refreshing homemade Fresh Lemonade recipe made with fresh lemons! It’s a classic delicious drink perfect for any occasion! Makes the perfect cold drink and is such a family favorite!
Homemade lemonade is one of the most refreshing and easiest drinks to make and this recipe gives you that perfect sweet, yet tart drink we all love!
There are just a few simple tricks to make sure that your lemonade is absolutely perfect every time!
Fresh Lemonade Recipe
How to Make Perfect Fresh Homemade Lemonade
This homemade lemonade recipe is so simple to make and have on hand. It only takes a few minutes to have a gallon of it made and ready for serving.
It is perfect for serving anytime, but especially delicious for picnics, parties, and get togethers. And thankfully, it couldn’t get much easier and you know exactly what is in it! No powdery mixes used! 🙂
To make your lemonade, start by adding your sugar to a large, gallon-size pitcher. If you do not have a gallon-size pitcher, you can easily cut this recipe in half or even double it for larger quantities.
Then, pour in the hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. This basically creates a simple syrup and prevents your lemonade from being grainy or with sugar that sinks to the bottom of the pitcher.
Stir in your fresh lemon juice and cold water. I also like to add fresh lemon zest to my lemonade recipe, it increases the lemon flavor even more!
Now you are ready to serve it! I love to serve with lemon slices and over ice.
Can You Make This Recipe Ahead?
For best results, keep your lemonade refrigerated between servings. Not only does this make it more refreshing on a hot day, it keeps it fresher longer.
I’ve found that my lemonade stays fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. If making in advance for a party, simply wait about adding the fresh lemon slices to the pitcher until right before serving.
Here’s my Lemonade Recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Fresh Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups fresh lemon juice
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 lemon sliced
Instructions
- Add sugar to a gallon pitcher and pour hot water over sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add fresh lemon juice, cold water and lemon zest. Stir until well-combined. Serve with ice and fresh lemon slices, if desired.
- Keep refrigerated
Nutrition Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
This looks yummy, and I’ll definitely make it!  I’m also looking for an orangeade recipe, which is my husband’s favorite. Do you have one you can share?
Very nice easy recipe. Family loves it!
Thank you. So glad your family loves it. It’s a favorite with my family, too.
How many lemons for a pitcher
Mimi, you’d need approximately 8 lemons, maybe 10 if they aren’t particularly juicy! It all depends on the size and the amount of juice in each lemon.
I have read so many different recipes online and I’m such a decisive person to choose which one will be perfect. I am wanting to make this for my daughters baby shower. I just want to make sure that when you add a whole gallon of water to the sugar syrup and lemon juice that it is not watered down? I thought of freezing the concentrate and then defrosting and adding the gallon of water the day of the shower. What’s your thoughts? Thank you!
Crystal, this lemonade has never tasted watered down to me. I use 8-10 lemons to make the 2 cups lemon juice. You can add more if you want a stronger lemon taste. This lemonade will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 5 days. I haven’t tried freezing it so I can’t tell you how it will turn out but I would think it would be fine.