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!

• Save

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 every time I bring it to parties and cookouts, people ask for the recipe.

So here it is ladies & gentlemen… The Best Lemonade Ever! Give it a shot and tell me what yall think. Those of you who follow me on IG may remember the video of me and my aunt Tina 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’re gonna need some refreshing drinks to hydrate and cool us down after long workouts and hikes around the park.

New Bostian neighbors

I remember moving into my 3rd apartment during the hot summer of 2019, and ironically, Tina was with me. The new apartment was literally up the street so me and a few friends carried my furniture instead of hiring movers.

I wasn’t just dehydrated because of all the walking I had done 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 everyday you greet strangers that way. But the gesture was the only thing sweet because the lemonade sho nuff wasn’t! Lol!

Tina loves her lemonade super sweet so when she took a sip of their mildly sweet herbal lemonade, she was very disappointed! 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 in that moment. I was just thankful and appreciative because it was HOT and we all needed to be hydrated! My homies darn sure didn’t complain!

They like me, couldn’t care less how it tasted and just wanted something cold to drink. They end up making a whole pitcher of lemonade for us and sitting it on the table on their porch… what a great memory!

Spring water is a must!!

As I said, make each ingredient count and you can do that by making sure you use spring water, it makes a world of a difference!!! Make sure you use a good brand of SPRING WATER like Dasani, Poland Spring, Deer Park or etc.

I hate using spigot water because it devalues the lemonade. I noticed when using spigot water, it leaves the lemonade with a bad after-taste. YUCK! So yea, use spring water only

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

I have a quick story for y’all about lemon peelings too. LMBO! Listen, this story is important because it’s actually what took my lemonade up 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. One time she caught me throwing them away and yelled, “Boy, whatchu 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 darn crime or something the way she yelled and looked at me. It lowkey pissed me off! Lol!

Now, 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 the peelings not only enhance the flavor as I said earlier but it saves you lemons in the process. So ALWAYS add those lemon peelings to your lemonade, ALWAYS!!

• Save

Benefits of a citrus juicer

Speaking of lemons, a juicer not only makes it easy to squeeze out the juice but it’s going to ensure that you get as much juice from each lemon as possible. Sort of like getting more bang for ya buck.

It will take forever to try to squeeze out all the juice from a lemon with your hands. Ever heard the saying, “Making lemonade with 1 lemon”? Well, that’s what a citrus juicer does – 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 vs using your hands and as a result how many lemons you can save.

Citrus juicers are also a great option for older folks or weaklings out there like me who don’t have the arm strength to squeeze out every drop of 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 bad hands like Aunt Tina. Lol! So yea, save you some energy, time, and lemons by using a citrus juicer

Cookware & utensils you’ll need:

• Knife: To slice the lemons
• Citrus juicer: To extract the lemon juice
• Pitcher: For the lemonade
• 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

Sugar alternatives

Don’t have any white sugar or want to go a healthier route, here are some alternatives below you can use in place of white sugar, which we use a whole lot of. Listen, feel free to reduce the amount if you want. I like mine sweet!!!

• 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 so BROWN SUGAR is the best alternative to white sugar in my opinion.
  
  One thing I will say is, and I have to say this just once, if you do decide to use any alternative or anything I didn’t tell you to use, don’t comment saying, “I didn’t like your lemonade recipe”.
  
  The moment you use something I DIDN’T USE IN THE RECIPE or deviate from the exact recipe that’s posted, it’s no longer MINE it’s YOURS! LMBBO! So be mindful of that when rating the recipe.
• Raw sugar: If you want to go the healthy route, raw sugar is an option. A lot of people use it and say it taste 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 2nd best option after brown sugar if you’re looking to replace white sugar! Honey is sweet as we all know, but it also has its own unique flavor!
  
  So if you’re ok with honey-flavored lemonade, it will be a good replacement for white sugar. Honey didn’t stop me from drinking my Bostonian neighbors lemonade and that’s what they used as a sweetener! Lol

How to make 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 or whatever I’m putting it in.

2. After I add the lemon juice to the pitcher, I slice the lemon peelings and add them too. Not only do the lemon peelings enhance the flavor as mentioned earlier but they make the lemonade look good Lol!

3. Add in the WHITE sugar.

4. Then add in the water and give everything a nice stir. Stir it for a good 2 minutes just to make sure the sugar doesn’t seep down to the bottom and to make sure everything’s well incorporated.

5. Sit it in the refrigerator to chill.

• Save

• Save

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. The longer you let stuff like salads and drinks sit, the better it tastes.
  
  So if you can, prepare this recipe at night and have it for breakfast or lunch. Or… you can do as I do – make it in the morning, let it marinate throughout the day, and by dinner, it’ll be super delicious.
  
  Letting the lemonade sit for a few hours before serving it is as important as using real lemons and spring water. 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: Now when it comes to the seeds, removing them is a must for me. It’s ok if a few slip into the pitcher, but I try to remove them so the lemonade goes down smoothly. Lol!
  
  Listen, when you’re hot and thirsty, the last thing you’re trying to do is remove a bunch of seeds from ya drink. You just wanna gulp that lemonade down and quench your freaking thirst.
• Lemon flesh: As you can see in the photo above, there are pieces of lemon flesh on the top of my citrus juicer. Well, it’s important to add them to because, like the peelings, it enhances the lemon flavor.
• Use a good brand of sugar: Ok now when it comes to sugar, I like using white sugar and white sugar only – and use a good quality of white sugar like Domino’s!

• Save

Frequently asked questions

• Can you use lemon juice from the bottle? Some of my subs asked me if they could use concentrated lemon juice from the bottle… YES but I wouldn’t make lemonade if that was my only option.
  
  Lemonade is one of them things you only make if you have everything you need. There are only a few ingredients so make each one count.
  
  That means, use a good quality of sugar, good fresh distilled water, not tap water and fresh lemon juice. Using lemon juice from the bottle may give your lemonade a very artificial flavor and the lemonade will taste different.
  
  The only time I use lemon juice from out of the bottle is when I’m making tea, and even then I prefer to use real lemon juice. So yes you can use it but I wouldn’t…
  
  I’d just wait until I can get some lemons and make the lemonade then. I’d rather not have lemonade at all than to have bad weird artificial-tasting lemonade. Yuck!!
• What if I don’t have spring water? In case for some reason, you can’t get a hold of any spring water, boil the water. Bring it to a rolling boil and then allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes before turning the fire off.
  
  Let it chill and bam, there you have your homemade spring water. Be sure to add a half cup more water to the pot than the recipe requires because some may evaporate and cook down as it’s boiling.
• Can I use powdered sugar? I never heard of such a thing as powdered sugar is usually used for cakes, creams, and as a topping for cakes etc… but if you do, use half the amount because powdered sugar is sweeter.
  

• Save

Lemonade is one of my favorite drinks so expect to see more beverage recipes with lemon 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 as well, so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out on these delicious beverage recipes coming soon.

Anywho… this recipe is easy, delicious, and perfect for the summer so try it out. Please leave a comment below letting ya boy know how you like it. And please like, share, and subscribe to be notified everytime I post a new recipe.

Enjoy, later!
PBJ~

• Save

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

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Print Recipe

Print Recipe

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! 

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 6

Ingredients

2 Qts Spring Water
Lemon peelings, sliced
1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cups White Sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Slice 2 to 3 lemons in half and squeeze out a 1/2 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.

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