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    Home » In the kitchen » Homemade Lemonade

    Homemade Lemonade

    Published: Feb 11, 2020 · Modified: Mar 15, 2020 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background
    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background
    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background

    This homemade lemonade syrup is the perfect summer drink. Made from lemon juice, sugar and water it takes 15 minutes to make and keeps in the fridge for weeks!

    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background

    This post was originally published in September 2015 – it has been retested, rephotographed, rewritten, and republished (to make it better for you!) in February 2020.

    It is HOT!! We are in the middle of the kind of summer days that I have always dreamed of. Slow mornings, picnic lunches on the lawn, afternoons spent in the paddling pool under the shade of the umbrella and homemade lemonade on tap all day long!

    I'm all for encouraging drinking lots of water at this time of year, but sometimes it just doesn't cut it and you need something a little sweeter which is where this homemade lemonade comes in.

    c

    The whole process only takes 20 minutes start to finish, and although you need to wait for the lemonade to cool, if you use a glass full of ice and cold water (if you are super impatient like my 2 year old!) you don't even need to wait!

    To start with, you make a sugar syrup. Usually sugar syrup is equal parts water to sugar but I find that too sweet. I want to drink this lemonade allthetime and so does Sadie, so I figure, the less sugar, the better! I used 3 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar. I also added the zest of 3 lemons, just to add a little extra lemon flavour. And it makes it yellow! Bring this to the boil so that the sugar dissolves and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the lemon juice and allowing to cool.

    That's it! Keep the lemonade syrup in the fridge and when you are ready to make it, add 1 part of lemonade to 3 parts water, or adjust to your taste.

    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background with jars of lemonade

    For kids, just put a splash of lemonade in the bottom of the cup and fill it up with water - it's enough to make them feel like they are having a special drink but not so much sugar that they'll be up until all hours!

    I love making mine up with sparkling water which makes it extra fancy but plain old tap water is be just as good. And I won't tell if you don't but I'm pretty sure a nip of vodka would make this a great summery cocktail...shhh adults only!

    We also love making lemonade popsicles out of this - I use a ratio of 50:50 lemonade and water in ice block moulds and they taste just like the bought ones!

    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background

    Other refreshing summer drinks to try:

    • Homemade Frappuccino
    • How to make cold brew coffee
    • Blender Iced Coffee
    • Peach Iced Tea
    Pitcher of homemade lemonade on a white background with jars of lemonade

    Homemade Lemonade

    This homemade lemonade syrup is the perfect summer drink. It takes 15 minutes to make and keeps in the fridge for weeks!
    4.95 from 19 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 20 servings
    Author: Laura

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups hot water
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 1 cup lemon juice About 5 lemons
    • Zest of 3 lemons

    To serve

    • Ice
    • Soda/sparkling/regular water

    Instructions

    • Add hot water, sugar and lemon zest to a medium sized pot. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes.
    • Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice. Strain through a sieve to remove the lemon zest and any pips that have made it in.
    • Allow to cool and store in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
    • To make lemonade mix 1 part lemonade to 3 parts water (regular, soda or sparkling)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Potassium: 12mg | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin C: 4.7mg | Calcium: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag @thekiwicountrygirl or tag #thekiwicountrygirl!
    If you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below!
    « Homemade Muesli Bars
    Homemade Lemonade Ice Blocks »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Helen says

      June 10, 2023 at 10:56 am

      5 stars
      Easy to make , great way to use up lemons 🍋 and tastes fab love it with tonic water and gin 😊. Thanks for the recipe the kiwi country girl

      Reply
    2. Anna says

      February 17, 2023 at 1:12 pm

      How many litres does it make, so I know how many bottles I need to prepare?

      Reply
      • Laura says

        September 03, 2023 at 2:52 pm

        This will make just over 1L of lemonade syrup

        Reply
    3. Michele says

      September 27, 2022 at 11:50 am

      Hi Laura, I was thinking of making the syrup to put into bottles and sell
      at our pet day this year. Would the bottles filled with the concentrate syrup be happy just sitting on the shelf until summer? Or would they have to be refrigerated ?

      Reply
      • Laura says

        September 08, 2023 at 12:11 pm

        Hi Michele. What a great idea! This recipe does need to be in the fridge

        Reply
    4. Kerry says

      September 23, 2022 at 11:53 am

      4 stars
      An excellent recipe thank you Ma'am, I also made some with limes, very nice indeed.

      Reply
    5. Paige says

      August 26, 2022 at 4:59 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing! I added more lemons and it tasted so good!

      Reply
    6. EmmaH says

      April 24, 2022 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Really Really Good Recipe

      Reply
    7. Sharon Hartog says

      January 09, 2022 at 7:54 pm

      5 stars
      This was the first time I had ever tried to make lemonade - surprised how easy and quick it was - a new family favourite - definitely a keeper. I know want my own lemon tree 🍋

      Reply
    8. Morgan says

      November 24, 2021 at 5:30 pm

      5 stars
      Such an easy recipe that was devoured by friends and family on a hot sunny day. I didn't realise how easy it was to make lemonade (and use up lots of our lemons) so thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    9. Ngaire says

      October 25, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! So easy and the kids can get involved in the making.

      Reply
    10. Anj says

      October 24, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      Lovely and easy and enjoyed by the family I added some frozen raspberries once it was boiling and served with cucumber and mint over ice.

      Reply
      • Grace says

        December 16, 2020 at 4:39 pm

        Anj, apologies as so don't know when you posted the reply on Kiwi Girls page about her fresh lemonade recipe, however you said you added raspberries and served over cucumber and mint. Was this in addition to the lemons??
        Thanks Grace

        Reply
    11. Claire says

      February 22, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      So easy to make with simple ingredients. Nice to try a recipe that works first time and simply delicious on a hot sunny days. It was a hit with the whole family and a great way to utilise our lemons!!! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Laura says

        March 01, 2020 at 8:16 pm

        I'm so happy you loved it Claire! Thanks so much for commenting 🙂 Laura

        Reply
      • Abby McLeod says

        September 13, 2020 at 3:27 pm

        Just started to get a few lemons on our little tree and my 6 year old was desperate to make lemonade. So we did. The syrup is currently cooling but it tastes good hot! So easy too!

        Reply
      • Selene says

        July 30, 2022 at 3:49 pm

        Accidentally threw everything in the pot to simmer including the lemon juice. Will this be an issue!?

        Reply
        • Laura says

          September 16, 2022 at 9:32 pm

          Not at all!!

    12. Lauren @ Create Bake Make says

      October 05, 2015 at 9:25 am

      5 stars
      I didn't realise how easy it was to make your own lemonade! I really wish we had a lemon tree in our yard 🙁 Thanks for linking up with us for Fabulous Foodie Fridays, have a great week 🙂

      Reply
      • Laura says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:01 pm

        It is the best thing...plant one!! It's like having lemonade on tap 🙂

        Reply
    13. Karen says

      October 05, 2015 at 7:13 am

      This looks great. We've got a lemon tree too, which gets a bit neglected sometimes, so this will be great in the summer. Visiting from Fabulous Foodie Friday.

      Reply
      • Laura says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:00 pm

        Great to have you here! I am definitely guilty of neglecting our tree too so I love it when I use a bunch of lemons in one go!

        Reply
    14. Dannielle @ Zamamabakes says

      October 03, 2015 at 12:42 am

      Laura our Mr 10 is always talking about making homemade lemonade, the closest he's got is squeezing a lemon into sparkling mineral water. I know he'll be super excited when I show him your recipe! Thanks for the inspiration! xx

      Reply
      • Laura says

        October 03, 2015 at 8:45 am

        Aw bless, kids are great! Well this is definitely kid friendly so I hope he likes it! xx

        Reply
        • Morgan says

          October 01, 2022 at 2:47 pm

          5 stars
          Amazing recipe! Tastes good and such an easy way to use up extra lemons. Have made it a few times when we've got people coming over and they remember it which is always a sign of a great recipe 😊

    15. Sarah says

      October 02, 2015 at 10:00 pm

      Nothing beats homemade lemonade - love it!

      Reply
      • Laura says

        October 04, 2015 at 2:28 pm

        I agree! It's so refreshing and summery!

        Reply
    16. Brighton Hill says

      September 29, 2015 at 11:39 pm

      Looks delicious! Beautiful photos! Have a fun week!

      xo, Bry

      Food.and.Fashion.Naughty&Nice

      Reply
      • Laura says

        September 30, 2015 at 8:20 pm

        Thanks, you too! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Laura!

    I live on a farm in rural New Zealand with my husband Josh, our kids Sadie, Macey & Finlay and our black lab Sage. We're all about simple & delicious, family friendly recipes that are made from scratch as well as tasty treats! Read More…

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