Fresh Lemonade Recipe – Carlsbad Cravings

Lemonade is a a beverage high in sugar, but homemade lemonade typically has less sugar than store-bought concentrate. You can cut down on the sugar by using less or use natural sweeteners like honey or agave or artificial sweeteners like stevia.

Lemonade is high in Vitamin C which supports the immune system, aids in collagen production for healthy skin and connective tissues, acts as an antioxidant to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, and helps enhance the absorption of iron from plant-based foods. Consuming foods rich in vitamin C boosts the body’s ability to fight infections and maintain healthy skin, bones, and blood vessels.

Lemonade tastes the best when crafted with freshly squeezed lemon juice, striking the perfect balance of sweetness to complement its tartness. Using clean, filtered water ensures a refreshing taste, while serving it chilled with ice cubes enhances its refreshing nature. Most importantly, briefly simmering the sugar with water to create a simple syrup before combining with the lemon juice ensures equal sugar distribution for a cohesive, smooth lemonade.

Yes, you may use bottled lemon juice to prepare homemade lemonade in a pinch, but fresh is best! Freshly squeezed lemon juice boasts a brighter, cleaner flavor, whereas, bottled lemon juice can taste dull, not as fresh and even bitter.

Yes, you can make lemonade with honey instead of sugar, but be prepared for a honey flavored lemonade, instead of the clean, fresh taste.

See my variations section! Add fresh herbs like fresh mint, basil, and lavender, fruit like berries, peaches, or cucumbers, ginger or coconut water.

I do not recommend making lemonade without simply syrup. Sugar will not evenly dissolve in cold water, leaving the lemonade with crunchy crystals collecting at the bottom of the pitcher. The simply syrup, however, ensures
dissolved, evenly distributed sugar with a smooth consistency.

Absolutely! This lemonade recipe can easily be doubled, tripled and more, for a large gathering, potluck, barbecue, lemonade stand, etc. To increase the recipe, simply use the sliding scale that pops up when you hover over the servings in the recipe card.

Plain lemons, known as Lisbon or Eureka lemons, are best for making homemade lemonade. Do not use Meyer lemons because they are sweeter and lack the same vibrant sweet-sour citrus punch. If you do use sweeter Meyer lemons, reduce the sugar by ¼ cup and add more as needed to taste.

To make sugar free lemonade, replace the sugar in the recipe with your choice of zero/low sugar liquid sweetener. I have not experimented with the amount needed, so I would start with less and add more to taste. Because it’s liquid, you can add sugar directly to the lemonade once combined with the lemon juice.