The Best Homemade Lemonade

The best homemade lemonade recipe using no refined sugar – a freshly squeezed lemonade with lemon juice and naturally sweetened with honey – perfect for hot summer days!

Is there anything better than a cold glass of fresh lemonade on a hot summer day? And no, I’m not talking about the fizzy soda type – but traditional lemonade with real lemon juice. The kind children used to set up stands for and sell to neighbors, the kind where you can taste the lemon juice from the freshly squeezed lemons.

This isn’t my first foray into homemade lemonade (I love lemonade!). In fact, I already have a recipe on the blog for this Simple Colour-changing Magic Lemonade. There’s something so refreshing about ice cold, tart, fresh-squeezed lemonade. It’s a tried and true classic for bringing to parties, family gatherings, afternoon tea, BBQs, and potlucks.

In fact, with a shelf life of 4-5 days when stored in the fridge, you can whip up a large batch of lemonade for days of deliciousness.

Plus, best of all is that this fresh lemonade is sugar-free! I used a natural sweetener instead, for a healthier version of this classic summer drink. I use honey because I love the taste it provides. However, you could also swap this out with your favorite syrup or a natural sweetener like erythritol (although I don’t use sweeteners, so this isn’t a version I’ve tried).

The Ingredients

Would it surprise you to learn that homemade lemonade uses only a few key base ingredients? THREE, in fact:

• Fresh lemons (of course)
• Water 
• Sweetener ( I’ve used honey)

You can then further flavor your base healthy lemonade with fresh fruits, herbs, and more. Also, I suggest sticking to fresh lemon juice here rather than a bottle of lemon juice – you can and will be able to tell the difference. The fresh lemons make all the difference for this to be the best lemonade recipe.

How To Make Lemonade With Lemon Juice

One of the best things about this recipe is how simple it is to learn how to make lemonade at home with fresh ingredients. There are really only two steps. Traditionally, homemade lemonade would have you whip up a simple syrup of granulated sugar and water too. However, this refined sugar free lemonade recipe skips that step entirely.

So no need to stand by a small saucepan with sugar and water, waiting till the sugar is dissolved into a simple syrup. This recipe uses no heat at all.

Step 1: Juice your lemons. Depending on the size of the lemons, it usually takes between 4-6 lemons per cup of lemon juice.

Step 2: Combine the lemon juice, cold water, and sweetener in a large jug.

Optional step 3: Infuse with herbs or other fruit, garnish, if desired, and serve with or without ice cubes.

How To Store:

Leftover homemade lemonade will store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Just give it a quick stir before using and away you go.

Note* I suggest serving your lemonade with ice-cubes in the glasses rather than the main jug. That way, you don’t run the risk of watering down the entire mixture. You can also add lemon-juice ice-cubes along with normal ones. 

Recipe Notes & Variations

• Top tip – There are a few ways to get the most juice out of your lemons. If you have a juicer, then feel free to use it. However, I sometimes  microwave my lemons for about 20 seconds (depending on their size) and then squeeze as usual. I’ve found that this method makes the process quicker AND gets out more juice!
• If you want a fresh version of lemonade soda, then simply add sparkling water instead of still.
• Once you have your lemonade base recipe, then this recipe can be easily customized with homemade syrups and ingredients. Add some fresh, muddled (or blended and strained) fruit like raspberries or strawberries, peach or blackberries, for additional flavor.
• You can also add various herbs to the lemonade, for additional flavor. My favorites include fresh mint, basil, lavender, or rosemary! (i.e., peach and thyme, raspberry and rosemary, blackberry and mint)
• For this refined sugar-free lemonade recipe, I decided to use honey as my natural sweetness. Swap this for your favorite natural syrup (although the flavor will change a bit too) or a natural sweetener like erythritol.
• If you decide to use erythritol or another ‘powder’ form of sweetener, then you still shouldn’t need to make a sugar syrup. Just mix it directly into the lemon juice to dissolve before adding the water.
• The level of sweetness that you like may differ from my own. I suggest adding half the amount of sweetener first and increasing as needed until you reach your desired level.
• The type of lemon you use will also affect the tartness of the lemonade. For example, Meyer lemons are sweeter and will require less additional sweetener. However, any lemons will work.

Other Recipes You May Be Interested In

If summer vibes are what you’re giving off of right now and you’re hoping to find more afternoon tea, BBQ, or similar recipes that you can serve alongside this homemade lemonade, then look no further.

Other Drinks You Might Like:

• Watermelon Keg/ Dispenser
• How to make pomegranate juice
• Simple Colour-changing Magic Lemonade ( with sugar syrup)

Summer Lovin’ Salads:

• Tropical Mango Salad
• Simple Charred Eggplant Salad Bowls
• Quick & Simple Watermelon Salsa
• Simple quinoa salad with walnuts and avocado
• Lebanese Spicy Potatoes Batata Harra
• Vegan Feta Cheese Greek Salad

Summer Small Bites & Main Dishes:

• Sweet Potato Crust Rainbow Pizza
• Sundried Tomato Savoury Muffins & Rainbow Hummus Frosting
• Mediterranean Vegetable Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Delicious Desserts For A Special Occasion: 

• 100% fruit Healthy Rainbow Fruit Lollies
• Simple Vanilla ‘Instant’ Ice-cream In A Bag
• Vegan no-bake layered Cherry Cheesecake (gluten-free)
• Raw Vegan Berry Cheesecake Slices

• Raspberry and Lemon Swiss Roll
• Fudgy Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
• Two-layer Raspberry Peach & Lemon Tart
• Raspberry-rose OR Mint Mini Vegan Tarts

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. You can also tag me in your recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie.