Are you looking for a refreshing drink to satisfy your thirst on a hot summer day? Or to serve at a summer cookout? Look no further than homemade lemonade with simple syrup! All it takes is a few simple ingredients to make this classic summer beverage!

Easy homemade lemonade in mason jars with paper red straws.

Do you like your lemonade sweet or do you like it a little more sour? Making your own lemonade allows you to control the sweetness and acidity of your personal tastes. By using fresh lemons and making your own simple syrup, you can create the lemonade the way that you like it.

Plus, you can customize your lemonade by adding a splash of flavor (or a subtle hint of flavor) by adding your favorite fruits or herbs, such as strawberries, blueberries, or mint. Just slice up the fresh fruit and serve it on the side of the pitcher of lemonade and let the family or guests choose the flavors of their lemonade.

Birdseye view of pitcher of lemonade with lemon slices and mint leaves.

Ingredients

It takes just three ingredients to make this simple homemade lemonade recipe.

Lemons

Lemons are the main ingredient when making lemonade so picking quality lemons will produce the best flavor. Hence, we need fresh lemons to not only get the best flavor but also the freshest juice.

The size of the lemons matter - the smaller the lemons the more lemons you will need to make lemonade. Depending on the size of the lemons, we'll need around 6-8 lemons to produce two cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice. To make squeezing lemons even easier, we use a citrus juicer to extract the juice from the lemons.

TIP: To get the most juice out of each lemon, we roll the lemons on the counter to break the fibers within the lemons free before slicing them and juicing them. This will help release the most juices from the lemons.

Sugar

Sugar cuts the sourness of lemonade and creates a balance between citrus and fruity. Making homemade lemonade with simple syrup will ensure that the sugars dissolve completely and don't create a grainy texture to the lemonade or settle at the bottom of the lemonade pitcher.

To make simple syrup for lemonade, we add two cups of water to a saucepan and heat on medium-low until the water begins to low boil. We then add the sugar to the boiling water and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Water

Water is the base of the lemonade and helps dilute the lemon juice and sugar. We like to use filtered water when making homemade lemonade but tap water works fine, too!

TIP: To dilute the sweetness of the lemonade, add more water to the glass or pitcher to adjust the overall flavor.

In summary, making homemade lemonade is easy and takes only three ingredients: lemons, sugar, and water.

Fresh lemons will produce better flavor, making simple syrup will make this beverage smooth and sweet, and by adjusting the amount of water to our liking, we can adjust the overall intensity of the lemons and sugar.

Two mason jars of lemonade with a pitcher next to them.

RELATED: Instant Pot Summer Chili

Instructions

Making homemade lemonade with simple syrup is simple and easy enough to do with kids!

Squeezing the Lemons

First, we need as much juice out of the lemons as we can. We like to use fresh lemons for the best flavor. As mentioned above, we roll the lemons on the countertop to loosen the fibers inside the lemons, then cut them in half and place them in a lemon squeezer to get the most juice out of the lemons. This part can be done by hand but it is tedious and makes your hands hurt!

Depending on the size of the lemons, six to eight lemons are needed to make this lemonade. A total of 2 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice are needed!

Making the Simple Syrup

Next, we need to make simple syrup for this lemonade recipe. To do this, we bring the two cups of water to a low boil in a medium saucepan and add the 1 cup of granulated sugar. We mix the sugar into the boiling water until the sugar dissolves completely and it becomes slightly thicker and smooth.

This usually takes about 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Once it is dissolved, we remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it cool before adding it to the lemonade.

A vintage pitcher with freshly squeezed lemonade with mint leaves on a serving tray.

RELATED: Orange Julius

Mixing the Lemonade

To make the lemonade we mix the freshly squeezed lemon juice together with the simple syrup and add the cold water. We then stir the lemonade until it is well mixed and add additional water to adjust the sweetness of the drink.

Upon serving, top the pitcher off with ice and serve with lemon wedges and garnish with mint if desired.

That's it! Homemade lemonade is a simple and refreshing drink that's perfect for a hot summer day and is a fun summertime activity to make with kids.

Close up of the inside of a glass pitcher with lemonade and lemon slices.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Easy Homemade Lemonade

Name: Easy Homemade Lemonade
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6-8 fresh lemons; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 cups water; 16 cups cold water

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

6-8 fresh lemons
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water
16 cups cold water

Instructions

Add the two cups of water to a saucepan and heat over medium low heat. It will come to a low boil.
Add the granulated sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
Stir until the simple syrup is slightly thicker than water and smooth.
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
Wash and roll the lemons to loosen the insides. Slice the lemons and use a lemon juicer to extract as much juice as you can from them. Juice enough lemons to get two cups of fresh lemon juice.
In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice and the simple syrup until combined well.
Pour in the cold 16 cups of water and stir until mixed well.
Upon serving, add ice and serve with lemon wedges and mint if desired.

Notes

A lemon squeezer is a quick way to extract juice from lemons.

Slice up fresh fruit such as berries and serve as mix-ins.

Easy Homemade Lemonade - A Refreshing Summer Drink