This Easy Lemonade Is The Perfect Way to Cool Off (2024)

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Lemon

There's nothing better than a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Updated March 24, 2024

118 Ratings

21 Summery Drinks to Sip and SavorFEATURED IN:

Lemonade: sugar, water, lemon juice. Easy, right?

The Secret to Making Sure the Sugar Dissolves

Well, the problem is that if you just stir all of these together the sugar will sink to the bottom. So the best way to make lemonade is to make a simple syrup first, by heating water and sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved, and then mix that with the lemon juice.

The proportions will vary depending on how sweet and strong you like your lemonade, and how sour your lemons are to begin with. Late season lemons are less sour than early season lemons. Meyer lemons are sweeter than standard lemons.

A Guide to Citrus FruitsREAD MORE:

This Easy Lemonade Is The Perfect Way to Cool Off (3)

Sweeten Your Lemonade to Your Taste

Start with the proportions of 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of lemon juice. Reduce the sugar amount if you are using Meyer lemons or if you like your lemonade less sweet. (I usually use 3/4 cup of sugar.)

Make the simple syrup, combine with the lemon juice, and then add more water (and ice) to dilute the lemonade to your taste.

Simple syrup you can easily make ahead and chill for later use. If you have a bunch of lemons you need to process, you can juice them and freeze the juice too.

This Easy Lemonade Is The Perfect Way to Cool Off (4)

Refreshing Drinks for All Ages

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Agua De Jamaica (Hibiscus Iced Tea)
Blended Whole Lemon Lemonade
Watermelon Lemonade
Pink Lemonade

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Perfect Lemonade

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Servings6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2to 3cups cold water, to dilute

Method

Make the simple syrup:
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir so that the sugar dissolves completely and remove from heat.
Juice the lemons:
While the water is heating for the simple syrup, juice your lemons. Depending on the size of the lemons, 4 to 6 of them should be enough for 1 cup of juice.
Mix the lemonade:
Pour the juice and the simple syrup sugar water into a serving pitcher. Add 2 to 3 cups of cold water and taste. Add more water if you would like it to be more diluted (though note that when you add ice, it will melt and naturally dilute the lemonade).
If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.
Chill and serve:
Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve with ice and sliced lemons.
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Lemon
Easy For Kids
Kid-Friendly
4th of July

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
104	Calories
0g	Fat
27g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	104
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 16mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg	29%
Calcium 9mg	1%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 45mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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