Fresh Lemonade Recipe
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This classic, delicious Homemade Fresh Lemonade recipe is made all in one pitcher with just three ingredients! I’ve shared my timesaving simple syrup method, easy lemonade concentrate recipe, and tips to make the best homemade lemonade anywhere!
Fresh, made-from-scratch homemade lemonade is one of my favorite drinks! I’m picky about my lemonade – no powdered mix stuff for me. I grew up with my grandmother making it for us with fresh lemons in the hot summertime. And once I started making it myself, I found that it’s not hard to make it this way – and it’s absolutely delicious!
This recipe is a breeze to make with my easy, simple syrup made all in the same pitcher you’re using for your lemonade. And this fresh lemonade gives you that perfect sweet, yet tart taste that is so refreshing! It is great for serving throughout the year, but especially during warmer months. We love it with everything from BBQ pulled pork sandwiches to hamburgers and grilled chicken. It is a regular favorite in my house.
There are a few simple tricks I share to make sure that your lemonade is absolutely perfect every time! I originally shared my lemonade recipe many years ago in 2015, but have updated it with helpful information and tips. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love My Lemonade Recipe
Delicious and refreshing – Super tasty and smooth. By using the simple syrup, the flavor is blended in every drop and has just the perfect amount of sweet and tart. It’s delicious mixed with my Southern Sweet Tea to make an Arnold Palmer, too!
Easiest homemade lemonade – Made all in one pitcher, including my easy simple syrup, so no extra step of heating on the stove and no extra pot needed!
Fresh and from scratch – It’s so easy to make this from scratch in minutes. Made with fresh lemons for the best flavor!
Easy to increase/decrease size of the recipe – You can easily tailor the recipe to the amount you need to make at the time – either less than a gallon, double it for two gallons, or make even more.
Lemonade Concentrate instructions – Sometimes you may have to travel a long way with lemonade in hand (or car!). Or there’s no room for another gallon pitcher in your fridge today. These are great times to make this to take to your destination or store it in the fridge to mix on demand!
Featured Comment from Susan E. Harrison:
“Robyn,
Wow, Home Run!! I was looking for a fresh lemonade recipe and yours popped up on my search. This is just like my grandma used to make, brought back so many happy memories. Now I am able to have fresh lemonade ‘tea parties’ with my own granddaughter and continue the tradition. Thanks!! ❤”
How to Make Fresh Homemade Lemonade
This homemade lemonade recipe is so simple to make a pitcher for sipping on a hot afternoon or to make in large quantities for a party.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
Lemons – I recommend using fresh lemons for the best lemonade. You’ll use the juice, lemon zest, and lemon slices. My recipe is for one gallon of lemonade, and you’ll need about 8-10 lemons to get the 2 cups of fresh lemon juice and the zest and slices as detailed in the recipe. See my “Lemon Guide” for tips on zesting, juicing, and more tips for using fresh lemons.
Sugar – You will use granulated sugar.
Water – You’ll need both hot water and cold water. The hot water is needed to help dissolve the sugar, to make an easy “simple syrup” for the best-tasting lemonade. You’ll then add cold water as directed in the recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add sugar. 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.
- Pour in the hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. This basically creates a simple syrup and prevents your lemonade from being grainy. This method saves you the step of getting out a saucepan to make simple syrup on the stove.
- 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!
- Serve it over ice. I love to add fresh lemon slices, but you can decide if you want those.
Storage Tips
To store: For best results, keep your lemonade stored in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for up to 5 days if kept cold.
To make ahead: If making in advance for a party, consider using my lemonade concentrate recipe. You can also wait to add the fresh lemon slices to the pitcher until just before serving.
How to Make Lemonade Concentrate
Similar to my sweet tea concentrate, this concentrate is a winner! It takes up less room in the fridge, is easier to transport, and is perfect to make ahead to keep on hand!
Make it: To make lemonade concentrate, follow the recipe steps, but stop before adding the cold water and lemon slices. Then pour the concentrate into an airtight bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Serve it: To serve, add equal parts lemonade concentrate and cold water to a glass (for single servings) or a pitcher (for larger service).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Use your favorite sugar substitute that you would use in your coffee or tea.
The lemonade should last up to 5 days when stored in the refrigerator.
Some like to use honey or maple syrup for a more natural sweetener, but these will give the lemonade a different flavor than sugar does. While some people love the different flavor it creates, others may not. I recommend taste-testing a small amount with the honey or maple syrup to see if you like it, especially before making the entire gallon of it or serving it to guests.
Other Favorite Drinks
Here’s my Fresh Lemonade Recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Fresh Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 cups lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- cold water
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Add sugar to a gallon pitcher and pour hot water over the sugar, stirring to dissolve.
- Add fresh lemon juice, zest, and enough cold water to fill the pitcher. Stir until well-combined.
- Serve with ice and fresh lemon slices, if desired. Keep refrigerated.
Lemonade Concentrate
- Add sugar to a pitcher and pour hot water over sugar, stirring to dissolve. Add fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until well-combined. Pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to one week.
- To serve lemonade from the concentrate: Pour equal amounts of lemonade concentrate and water into a glass (single serving) or into a pitcher (for larger service). Serve with ice and fresh lemon slices, if you wish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I can’t see how many cups of cold water you add to the recipe from my phone.
can you please let me know
thank you!
Kiara, you add all the ingredients to a gallon pitcher and stir til all are well combined. Then you add enough cold water to fill the pitcher. Hope you enjoy!
i am going to try this 1 gallon of freshly squeezed lemonade
I hope you enjoy the lemonade, Glen.
Sorry, forgot to leave the rating with my last comment. 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe! We used the juice from the lemons we had left in the house and supplemented it with bottled juice. Hubby liked it so much that we made it again a few days later.
Christine, thank you for telling me how much you and your husband loved this lemonade.
Robyn I’m wanting to try this Strawberry Lemonade recipe but I hope this doesn’t sound stupid but I don’t know what you’re meaning by 2 cups fresh lemon juice?? are you meaning just plain lemonade?? Thanks for your reply… love all your recipes.
TJ, you would use juice you would squeeze out of fresh lemons or bottled lemon juice. Hope you enjoy!
This Lemonade pleased each & every person I poured a glass for. Very easily made & easily enjoyed by all LRD
Thanks so much, Lori.
The lemonade with lemon slices were perfect. Made lemonade 100 times without a recipe. Sometimes too sugary or not enough lemon or sugar. This recipe is perfect…
Thanks, Butch. I’m so glad this recipe helped you.
Hello Robyn, I am making this lemon Juice next week. I am going to make 3gallons of lon juice. The recipe is only for 1 gallon. How much do I need to add.
Thank you
Cathy
Cathy, if you are making 3 gallons of this lemonade, you would just use 3 times the ingredients in this recipe.
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.