• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bless this Mess
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Sides
  • Desserts
  • Snacks
  • Holidays
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • All Recipes
  • Recipe Filter
  • Cookbooks!
  • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Filter
    • Cookbooks!
    • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Bless This Mess > Recipes

    Easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe

    Published: Jun 9, 2022 · Modified: Jul 13, 2022 by Melissa · 1 Comment

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Mail
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    pin text reads "my favorite easy lemonade" with a photo of two glasses of iced homemade lemonade with blue star paper straws
    pin text reads "my favorite easy lemonade" with two photos, one with the lemonade pitcher and one with the top view of the lemonade being made and mixed into the pitcher
    pin text reads "my favorite easy lemonade" with a photo of a clear glass pitcher with ice and lemonade
    pin text reads "my favorite easy lemonade" with a photo of two glasses of iced homemade lemonade with blue star paper straws
    Easy Homemade Lemonade is refreshing and bright with fresh lemon juice and a bit of sugar to balance the sweet and sour.

    Homemade Lemonade is refreshing and bright with fresh lemon juice and a bit of sugar to balance the sweet and sour.

    two glasses of lemonade with blue straws, ice, and a lemon and mint garnish

    Homemade Lemonade Recipe

    Definitely do use fresh lemon juice for this one if you can. It makes it all the more refreshing and vibrant. The packaged stuff really doesn't compare when you're making lemonade from scratch. After all, the lemon juice is kind of the star of this drink, so go all in and use the fresh juice! And don't even get me started on frozen lemonade concentrate... This recipe takes just as little time to make but tastes SO much more incredible! Enjoy over a lot of ice, and add a sprig of mint for pretty garnish, if you'd like.

    Who knew that some juice, sugar, and water could have such a bright lemon flavor!?

    How to Make Homemade Lemonade

    Ingredients:

    • Hot tap water: I use this to dissolve the sugar right in the pitcher instead of making a simple syrup!
    • Granulated sugar: classic white sugar for lemonade. If you are using organic sugar just be sure to stir it long enough to dissolve, sometimes it takes a little longer than conventional sugar.
    • Fresh lemon juice: (from about 8 lemons, depending on the size) this is the star of the show!
    • Ice: because we used hot water to dissolve out sugar, ice is part of the recipe and I've planned on it melting about half way before serving for the perfect amount of water in the recipe.
    • Cold water: You don't want all hot water, so you'll add additional cold water to your pitcher.
    • Lemon slice: optional for serving, but boy to they make you feel fancy hanging off the rim of your cup.
    • Note: you can use bottled lemon juice for this recipe, just try to get a good brand, the really cheap stuff can taste bitter and have a bad after taste. If you are really in a pinch you can use half store bought lemon juice and half freshly squeezed lemon juice.

    Directions:

    1. Add the hot water and sugar to your pitcher and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved.
    2. Add all the other ingredients and stir well to combine.
    3. Serve right away and add a slice of lemon to the rim of your glass if you'd like.
    A glass pitcher of light yellow lemonade with ice in it

    What percent of lemonade is lemon juice?

    Traditional "old-fashioned" lemonade has about 15 percent lemon juice in it. This recipe has 1 part lemon juice, 1 part sugar, and 4 parts water, plus a lot of ice (which melts down to temper the sourness of lemon, too). You can always use less or more water depending on how sour or mild you like your lemonade.

    Does homemade lemonade go bad?

    Even though lemons are preservative citrus fruits, lemonade can go bad just like any other fresh food items. I'd recommend enjoying the batch within 3 days, and keep the pitcher refrigerated in between pours.

    A cutting board with cut lemon halves and a lemon juicer next to a green colander filled with fresh yellow lemons

    Does homemade lemonade need to be refrigerated?

    Lemonade should be kept in the fridge to keep it nice, fresh, and cold! It'll help preserve it for longer, too.

    Can you leave lemonade out overnight?

    No, you shouldn't leave lemonade out overnight. In fact, the FDA says perishable foods should only be left out at room temperature for up to two hours before it's considered unsafe to consume. If you're enjoying the beverage at a barbecue or selling it with your kiddos at a neighborhood lemonade stand, it might be work keeping the pitcher on ice in a cooler or other bin to keep it cold and crisp.

    two glasses of lemonade with lemon slices on the rim and straws with the lemon juicer in the back ground

    Here are some more lemon recipes you may enjoy:

    • 8 Different Homemade Lemonade Recipes (this is where you'll find my recipe for fruit lemonades like strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, etc.)
    • Made to Order Lemonade aka Fresh Lemon Shake-ups (just like at the county fair!)
    • North Carolina Lemon Pie
    • Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Legs
    • Lemon Chiffon Cake
    • Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
    • Blueberry Lemon Muffins
    • My kombucha recipe is so good lemon flavored!

    If you’ve tried this lemonade recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    two glasses of iced homemade lemonade with blue star paper straws

    Easy Homemade Lemonade Recipe


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Melissa Griffiths Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 10 minutes
    • Yield: 8 cups 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Easy Homemade Lemonade is refreshing and bright with fresh lemon juice and a bit of sugar to balance the sweet and sour. Read the NOTES in this recipe card to see my extra little trick to make this lemonade AMAZING!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups hot tap water
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
    • 4 cups ice
    • 2 cups cold water
    • Additional sliced lemons for serving

    Instructions

    1. Add the hot water and sugar to a large pitcher, and stir well until the sugar dissolves, about 90 seconds of stirring.
    2. Add the lemon juice and ice, and stir to combine well.
    3. Add the additional cold water, and stir to combine. Adjust the water to taste (if you like a less sweet lemonade, you may want to add more water).

    Notes

    • I love the trick of adding the hot water to the pitcher -- it's like making a fake simple syrup, and you don't have to wait for it to cool! You can definitely make a simple syrup though by heating the 2 cups of water and the sugar on the stove until dissolved. I recommend chilling your simple syrup before using.
    • I don't recommend bottled lemon juice for this recipe, UNLESS you can find that fancy volcanic lemon juice from Italy (sold at Costco). Here's what it looks like on Amazon, but it's silly expensive there. Other options would be high quality lemon juices that aren't from concentrate.
    • Want to take your lemonade up a notch? Zest 4 lemons and stir that lemon zest into the sugar before you add the sugar to the hot water! Mix the lemon zest and sugar together until it smells bright and fragrant. It's an extra step but that lemon oil in the zest adds tons of flavor to the lemonade and I like to do it occasionally when I'm in the mood to zest my lemons.
    • Looking for variations on lemonade? You can find 8 more lemonade recipe here (they include things like raspberry, strawberry, and tropical lemonade).
    • Prep Time: 10 min
    • Category: drink
    • Method: no bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: lemonade recipe, homemade lemonade recipe, drink

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    Pin with text "homemade lemonade recipe" and a close up picture of a glass of lemonade with a blue straw

    You need few other things than a tall glass of lemonade to make an afternoon perfect. This simple homemade lemonade recipe is going to be a stable in your home and you'll enjoy it again and again.

    « Six Quick and Easy Hummus Lunch Boxes
    Rainbow Cake »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Mail
    Craving More

    Take the hassle out of meal planning with: Dinner Made Easy, a FREE 1 week meal plan with full shopping list, easy dinners, nutrition information, serving suggestions for each meal, and more!

    Subscribe Now
    about me

    About Melissa

    Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Ryan Ferguson

      May 30, 2022 at 3:17 pm

      Love this simple lemonade recipe and my kids thoroughly enjoy the results!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    I’M MELISSA, AND I WANT TO HELP YOU FEED YOUR FAMILY WHOLESOME FOOD.

    As a hobby farmer and mom of five, I’m all about keeping it simple in the kitchen. I want healthy meals that feed my family well, and then I want to get back to my (messy) life. Let’s work together to find something yummy for your dinner table.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chocolate Babka
    • 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs
    • Easy German Pancake Recipe
    • Mexican Hot Chocolate
    Dinner Made Easy

    Get Recipes & More for Free!

    Get my FREE Dinner Made Easy meal plan, exclusive recipes, giveaways, and behind-the-scenes updates! Get my newsletter or a new recipe every day! Unsubscribe if you aren’t into it.

    Subscribe Now

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    SEEN ON

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Tools.
    • Terms Of Service.
    • Accessibility.
    • Bylaws.

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About Us
    • Cookbook FAQ
    • Find A Recipe!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 blessthismessplease.com. All rights reserved.

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter