The Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe (Easy Made With Fresh Lemons)

Sweet refreshing lemonade recipe yall are gonna LOVE! Perfect for picnics, cookouts, and summer jogs at the park. And the best part is YOU ONLY NEED 3  INGREDIENTS we all have in our kitchen!

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I’m excited to share this recipe with yall because it’s delicious, crowd-pleasing, and has been requested by fans. It’s so good that people ask for the recipe whenever I bring it to parties and cookouts.

So here it is, ladies and gentlemen—the Best Lemonade Ever! Give it a shot and tell me what you think. Those who follow me on Instagram may remember the video of my aunt Tina and me in the kitchen creating this recipe.

Well, it’s finally done, and I think this is the perfect time to post it. It’s getting hot now, so we’ll need some refreshing drinks to hydrate and cool down after long workouts and hikes around the park.

New Bostian neighbors

I remember moving into my third apartment during the hot summer of 2019, and ironically, Tina was with me. The new apartment was up the street, so a few friends and I carried my furniture instead of hiring movers.

I wasn’t just dehydrated because of all my walking but because it was as humid as ever. But to my surprise, as I walked up to my new apartment, I was greeted by my new lovely neighbors from Boston.

They were newlyweds in their late 20s and offered us some cold lemonade. I thought that was so sweet because it’s not every day you greet strangers that way.

But the gesture was the only thing that was sweet because the lemonade sho nuff wasn’t! Lol! Not that that’s a problem because that may have made us tired.

Tina loves her super-sweet lemonade, so she was very disappointed when she took a sip of their mildly sweet herbal lemonade! I’m a cook, so I’m open to all types and variations of beverages and food.

I really didn’t care how sweet or good it was, though, at that moment. I was thankful and appreciative because it was HOT, and we all needed to be hydrated! My homies darn sure didn’t complain!

Like me, they couldn’t care less how it tasted and just wanted something cold to drink. They made a whole pitcher of lemonade for us and sat it on the table on their porch—what a great memory!

Ok, so before I get into the details of this recipe, make sure you have all the utensils and ingredients listed below. You’re going to need them for this recipe.

Cookware & utensils you’ll need:

• Knife: You need a sharp knife to slice the lemons in half.
• Citrus juicer: A citrus juicer easily extracts lemon juice.
• Pitcher: You need a pitcher, obviously, to hold the lemonade.
• Big spoon: Make sure you also have a big spoon to stir in all the ingredients.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Water: Springwater
• Add-ins: Fresh lemon juice and sliced lemon peelings
• Sweetener: White Sugar

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Spring water is a must!!

We’re only using a few ingredients, so make sure each ingredient counts, and you can do that by making sure you use spring water; it makes a world of difference!!!

Make sure you use a good brand of SPRING WATER like Dasani, Poland Spring, Deer Park, etc. I hate using spigot water because it devalues the lemonade. It leaves a bad aftertaste. YUCK!

Aunt Tina, “Boy, keep them peelings” story.

I have a quick story for yall about lemon peelings, too. LMBO! Listen, this story is important because it took my lemonade to another level.  I remember making Lemonade for Tina years ago when I was over at her house.

Back then, I used to throw the lemon peelings away! I never kept them for the lemonade. Once, she caught me throwing them away and yelled, “Boy, what are you doing? Don’t throw them away; use them!”

She yelled as if I was burning her darn house down! Lol! I thought I had just committed a crime, like how she yelled and looked at me. It lowkey pissed me off! Lol!

After years of putting them in my lemonade and seeing how much of a difference they make, I understand why she was so adamant about keeping them – they make the lemonade so much better and are a big difference maker.

This is when I learned that, as I said earlier, the peelings enhance the flavor and save you lemons. So, ALWAYS add those lemon peelings to your lemonade!!

Benefits of a citrus juicer

Speaking of lemons, a juicer not only makes it easy to squeeze out the juice but also ensures that you get as much juice from each lemon as possible—sort of like getting more bang for your buck.

It will take forever to squeeze out all the juice from a lemon with your hands. Have you ever heard the saying, “Making lemonade with one lemon”? Well, that’s what a citrus juicer does—it gets the most out of each lemon.

You’d be surprised by how much more juice you can get from a lemon using a juicer than using your hands and, as a result, how many lemons you can save.

Citrus juicers are also a great option for older folks who lack the arm strength to squeeze out the juice. Lol! With a citrus juicer, you don’t have to squeeze a thing—just press and turn, and the juice comes right out.

They even have hand-free juicers available now, so get one if you don’t like squeezing lemons or have the wrong hands like Aunt Tina. Lol! So yeah, using a citrus juicer saves you some energy, time, and lemons.

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The sugar and alternatives

Ok, now when it comes to sugar, I like using white sugar, and I use a good quality of white sugar like Domino’s! Remember what I said earlier: make each ingredient count by using high-quality ingredients.

If you don’t have any white sugar or want to go a healthier route, here are some alternatives below that you can use instead of white sugar, which we use a lot of.

• Brown sugar: I like brown sugar as an alternative to white sugar because it won’t alter the taste—it will just darken it a bit. In my opinion, BROWN SUGAR is the best alternative to white sugar.
• Raw sugar: Raw sugar is an option if you want to go the healthy route. Many people use it and say it tastes great. I haven’t myself, but I’m assuming if you’re a healthy eater, you’ve tried it before and would know.
• Honey: Honey, to me, is the second best option after brown sugar if you want to replace white sugar! Honey is sweet, as we all know, but it also has a unique flavor! So, if you’re ok with honey-flavored lemonade, it will be a good alternative.

How to make homemade lemonade

1. When I make lemonade, I get the tedious part out of the way first! I extract lemon juice from the lemons using a citrus juicer and add it to a big pitcher.

2. After adding the lemon juice to the pitcher, I sliced the lemon peelings and added them.

• As mentioned earlier, the lemon peelings enhance the flavor, and they also make the lemonade look good, lol!

3. Add in the WHITE sugar.

4. Then add the water and stir everything.

• Stir it for a good 2 minutes to make sure the sugar doesn’t seep down to the bottom and that everything’s well incorporated.

5. Sit it in the refrigerator to chill.

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Tips for best results:

• Make it ahead of time: Lemonade always tastes better after it’s had time to sit and marinate for a few hours. I know it’s tempting to drink it right away, but try to wait a few hours if you can—the wait is worth it!
• Get rid of the seeds: When you’re hot and thirsty, the last thing you’re trying to do is remove seeds from your drink. You wanna gulp that lemonade down and quench your freaking thirst. So remove the seeds from the citrus juicer.
• Lemon flesh: As you can see in the photo above, there are pieces of lemon flesh on the top of my citrus juicer. It’s important to add them because, like the peelings, they enhance the lemon flavor.

Other beverages you might like:

• The Best Raspberry Iced Tea Recipe (Made Easy +Homemade Syrup)
• The Best Dunkin Donuts Frozen Coffee Recipe
• Easy Bangin Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri Recipe
• The Best Homemade Frozen Margarita Recipe

Frequently asked questions

• Can you use lemon juice from the bottle? The answer is YES, but I wouldn’t make lemonade if that was my only option. It’s too strong, with an artificial flavor and a bad aftertaste. If its my only option, I just wouldn’t make it and wait.
  
  Lemonade is one of those things you can only make if you have everything you need. There are only a few ingredients, so make each one count.

• Can I use powdered sugar? I never heard of such a thing. Powdered sugar is usually used for cakes, creams, and toppings for cakes, etc. But if you do, use half the amount because powdered sugar is sweeter.
• How long does it last? About 7 days, maybe? I run through my lemonade much faster than that, but about 7 days is the golden rule.

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Lemonade is one of my favorite drinks, so I expect to see more lemon beverage recipes in the near future. I’ll probably make a blue lemonade recipe soon. How does that sound?

I’ll also be posting some alcoholic beverage recipes soon, so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on these delicious beverages. This recipe is easy, delicious, and perfect for the summer, so try it out.

Please leave a comment below, letting me know how you like it. And please like, share, and subscribe to be notified whenever I post a new recipe.

Enjoy later!
PBJ~

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The Best Homemade Lemonade Recipe (Easy Made With Fresh Lemons)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: PhillyboyJay
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 6
• Category: Beverages
• Method: Soul Food
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

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Description

Sweet refreshing lemonade recipe yall are gonna LOVE! Perfect for picnics, cookouts, and summer jogs at the park. And the best part is YOU ONLY NEED 3  INGREDIENTS we all have in our kitchen! 

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Ingredients

1 Gallon Spring Water
1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
Lemon Peelings, slice
4 Cups White Sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Slice 4 to 6 lemons in half and squeeze out a 1 cup of lemon juice using your hands or a citrus juicer.
2. Remove the seeds.
3. Pour the lemon juice into a pitcher.
4. Slice the lemon peelings in half again, then add them to the pitcher.
5. Add in the sugar and water, then stir well.
6. Place the lemonade in the refrigerator to chill.

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