Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade is the original pink lemonade. I made this recipe with fresh lemon juice and one whole pound of strawberries! Ready in 15 minutes!

15-Minute Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Strawberry Lemonade, Pink Lemonade, whatever you want to call it, it’s my daughter’s favorite drink.

However, I don’t love how artificial and sugar-laden the store-bought or restaurant versions of lemonade can be, which is why I set off to create a from-scratch strawberry lemonade made with freshly squeezed lemons, real strawberries, and a honey simple syrup, that only takes less than 15 minutes to make. And really, homemade strawberry lemonade can pack a powerful nutritional punch; it has loads of vitamin C and potassium.

I use honey in my strawberry lemonade recipe to sweeten it, but you could also use sugar. I’m not saying it’s health food, but making homemade versions of our favorite things is certainly an improvement over what you can find at the store. And this pink lemonade is free of food dyes; the strawberries are all you need for color! Just let quality ingredients do the work for you.

I like to add rose water because it boosts the floral sweetness of the strawberries. You typically find it in rice puddings, strawberry compote, or candies like Turkish Delight, but it’s wonderful in all kinds of recipes. You don’t need it to make this lemonade delicious, but it adds a little something extra and gives my recipe a Mediterranean twist. It was a hit in my house, and I hope it will be in yours too.

What’s in Strawberry Lemonade?

This pink lemonade recipe is loaded with berries. If you have super sweet, totally in-season strawberries, you might be able to get away with a little less sugar or honey. If your strawberries aren’t very sweet, you might need a little more. Taste and adjust as needed. 

• Honey or sugar: Regardless of which kind of sweetener you use, make sure you warm it with water to either melt the sugar granules or make a honey syrup so it combines easily with the other ingredients.
• Lemons: Because lemons are used so much in the Mediterranean Diet, I always have them around. I juiced 6 lemons for this pink lemonade.
• Strawberries: Use the sweetest, juiciest strawberries you can find. We don’t strain this lemonade so you will get all of the benefits of eating the whole fruit. (It still pours like a drink and not a smoothie! Don’t worry!
• Water: I use 5 cups of water, but if you prefer your drinks a little thinner, increase the amount to 6. 
• Rose Water (optional) adds that something special that makes this strawberry lemonade stand out from the crowd.

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade

Making homemade lemonade is so easy to do. Just make the syrup, then blend everything together. Pour that beautiful pink drink into a pitcher and serve over ice! 

• In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add 1 cup of water and 3/4 cup of honey or sugar. Bring to a low simmer, stirring to dissolve the honey or sugar into the water. This should only take about a minute. If using sugar the liquid should go from gray to clear. If using honey, it should become cohesive. 
• Into a blender, add the lemon juice and strawberries. Blend for about 30 seconds until you’ve created a liquid and you don’t have any strawberries pieces. Depending upon the power of your blender you might have to blend it a little longer. 
•  Into a pitcher, combine the strawberry lemon puree, honey water (or sugar water), rosewater, if using, and 4 cups of cold water. Stir to combine. 

Tips for the Best Strawberry Lemonade

Lemonades are so fun to play with because they adapt beautifully to so many flavors. Here are a few ideas to dress up your lemonade game this summer. 

• Extra Sweet: If you like it sweet, increase the honey or sugar. 
• Get Zesty: Zest the lemons before squeezing them; add to the blender for an even stronger lemon flavor.
• Use fresh herbs: Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme, rosemary, or lavender. 
• Opt for bubbles: Swap out 4 cups of still water for carbonated water. 
• Make it a grown-up drink: and add elderflower liqueur like St. Germain, or keep it simple with gin, vodka or a bottle of white wine.  

What to Serve with Strawberry Lemonade

Sunny, pitchers of pink lemonade, frothy, refreshing pitchers of Mint Lemonade, and maybe even a batch of white sangria just scream summer to me. I love these long, warm nights with friends in the backyard playing games and catching up to break us from the isolation of winter. 

Put some chicken souvlaki on the grill, make a layered hummus dip, and some salads for the perfect, simple summer get-together.

When it comes to salads I like to let the season shine and keep it pretty simple: watermelon salad with mint and feta, cucumber radish salad, and Greek salad to round things out.

If I’m working with an abundance of garden strawberries, I may even make strawberry bellinis for the grown-ups and strawberry pudding for dessert.  

Part of living the Mediterranean Way is about coming together, sharing our gifts, and enjoying the company of friends and neighbors. 

More Delicious Summer Sippers

• Peach Lemonade
• Watermelon Lemonade
• Rosé Lemonade (Made with Rosé Wine)
• Mint Lemonade
• Ayran (Turkish Salty Yogurt Drink)

Frequently Asked Questions