This pineapple lemonade is fabulously fruity and refreshing with a zippy (optional) ginger zing. With just 5 ingredients, you can whip up a quick and simple pineapple lemonade or pineapple limeade – a perfect drink for the warm summer days!

When the sunshine appears, there’s lemonade in my fridge. I’ve already shared recipes for a simple homemade lemonade and ginger, cucumber, and raspberry-flavored lemonade. I’ve even shared a magic color-changing lemonade. Now it’s the turn of this fun and fruity pineapple lemonade!

This pineapple lemonade recipe combines fresh and ripe pineapple flesh with simple syrup and optional ginger and mint twist for the ultimate summery concoction. Serve still or sparkling, with mint or other herbs, using lemon or lime (for pineapple limeade), and with or without ginger, etc. I’ve even included some boozy pairing suggestions for those who want to turn this pineapple lemonade punch into an adult treat.

If you need a quick and impressive drink to serve at cookouts, picnics, and parties – you’ve found it! All you need to do for this drink is prepare a simple syrup (ready in minutes). Then just blend the fruity mixture and add your water or soda of choice! The resulting drink is tangy, sweet, and wonderfully tropical, and ready in under 10 minutes!

I love the addition of ginger for adding that zippy zing and a slight heat. It’s a common addition to my fresh juices, like orange and ginger juice and carrot ginger juice. However, if you’re not a ginger fan, don’t worry – this drink tastes delicious without it, too!

Even better, since this pineapple ginger lemonade recipe uses fresh pineapple, this summery drink is also packed with vitamins and minerals! You can even serve some pineapple limeade/lemonade directly from the cored pineapple with straws. It’s a fun way to use the whole fruit, like how I turned this watermelon into a watermelon juice keg.

Looking for more refreshing drink ideas to serve a large crowd? You might also like this strawberry limeade, blackberry earl grey iced tea, or even this compilation of beautiful (and refreshing) flavored water options! Or browse through my entire collection of drink recipes.

The Ingredients

• Pineapple: use fresh ripe pineapple for the best results. As a quick “cheat”, you can use pineapple juice, but I recommend fresh pineapple juice without any added sugars.
• Citrus: you can use lemon or lime depending on whether you want a pineapple lemonade or pineapple limeade (both versions are delicious!). If you’re using lemons, I recommend Meyer lemons, which are naturally sweeter.
• Mint: pineapple mint lemonade is a popular combination. Feel free to omit the mint or substitute it for other herbs if preferred – like basil, lemon basil, and rosemary.
• Water: you can use still water, sparkling water, or soda.
• Syrup: I use a homemade simple syrup, which takes just two ingredients and minutes to prepare and can be made with white or brown sugar. Alternatively, you could use a liquid sweetener like honey or agave syrup.
• Ginger juice: Ginger juice is optional, but I love the zippy flavor of this pineapple ginger drink.
  Alternatively – ginger syrup: you can use a simple ginger syrup (I make it homemade) in place of the sugar syrup and ginger juice.
• Ice: of course, use lots and lots of ice – it’s the perfect addition to make a refreshing summer drink.

Optional Add-Ins

• Other fruits: you could add several other fruits to this mixture for a delicious fruity lemonade. Pineapple strawberry lemonade is one of my favorite combinations. Other berries, peaches, and passionfruit also work well.
• Chili: this might sound odd but adding a little chili-infused syrup to the pineapple lemonade is a delicious treat.
• Chia seeds: you can add ¼ cup chia seeds to the pineapple ginger lemonade and leave to chill overnight for added texture, protein, and nutrients.
• Alcohol: for more of an adult treat, add some booze to this pineapple lemonade recipe. Tequila, vodka, peach schnapps, etc.

How to Make Pineapple Lemonade

Step 1: Prepare the pineapple

First, gather the flesh from the pineapple. If you want to save the pineapple to use as a serving container, first slice off the top. Then scoop out the flesh (it’s easiest to use a pineapple corer to get this done in seconds).

Alternatively, you can slice the pineapple and use a knife to cut away the flesh, leaving any tough core behind but making sure to collect all the juice.

Good news – you don’t have to throw away the pineapple skin either – you can use it to make pineapple skin tea!

Step 2: Combine the ingredients.

If you haven’t already, then now is the time to prepare the simple syrup, too. If possible, I recommend making this the day before (or at least an hour in advance) to allow it time to cool before adding to your glass pitcher (to avoid cracking the glass).

Then add the pineapple flesh, simple syrup, ginger juice (or ginger syrup), lemon or lime, and a few mint leaves to a large blender or a pitcher (if using an immersion blender). Then blend until a smooth, puree-like consistency.

Step 3: Add the water

Finally, add the water (still, sparkling, or soda) and ice cubes (if you plan on serving and enjoying it all immediately) and mix. You can first add half the water and taste test, then adjust the ratio to your liking.

Add a few more fresh mint leaves to garnish and then serve!

How to Store 

I recommend enjoying this fresh pineapple lemonade (or limeade) within 1-2 days for the freshest, nicest flavor (especially when using fresh herbs). If you’d like to serve after the second day, I recommend straining the old herbs and adding new ones.

Top Tip: You can even use leftover pineapple lemonade to pour into popsicle molds for wonderful and fun fruity popsicles.

Recipe Notes and FAQs

• Avoid watered-down lemonade: only add ice-cubes to the glasses when serving or use pineapple juice ice cubes.
• Using frozen fruit: if you can’t source fresh pineapple, then frozen will also work. You can allow it to thaw or even blend from frozen for more of a pineapple lemonade slushy.
• Using in–season pineapple: you may want to adjust the syrup/sweetener used based on how sweet your pineapple is. I’ve found that with in-season pineapples, sometimes I don’t need any extra sugar at all.
• Can I use canned pineapple? While this isn’t something I’ve tried, you may be able to use canned pineapple chunks when no other pineapple is available. You will likely need additional pineapple juice, though.
• Do I have to use simple syrup? If you’d prefer to use an unrefined liquid sweetener like honey or agave, you can also do that. If you use powdered sugar (learn how to make your own here even with unrefined sugars), then you can mix it directly with the lemon/lime juice, and it will dissolve in several minutes.
• Microwave the citrus: microwaving your lemons/limes for just 15-20 seconds and then rolling against your kitchen counter can help you extract as much juice as possible from the fruit!

Other Refreshing Drink Recipes

• Mexican horchata
• Bloody Mary (Classic or Virgin)
• Coconut vanilla bean creme Frappuccino
• Creamy mango lassi
• Ayran/Doogh (Salty yogurt drink)
• Tropical guava smoothie
• Pineapple Ginger Juice
• Pineapple Juice (With or Without Juicer)
• Peach Iced Tea
• Lebanese Mint Lemonade (Limonana Mint)
• Fresh Strawberry Kiwi Juice
• Tepache De Piña (Mexican Fermented Pineapple Drink)
• Or you can check my collection of 40+ summer refreshing drink recipes!

If you try this pineapple lemonade recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!