Lemonade Recipe: Fresh Homemade Lemonade with Syrup

The short answer: this lemonade recipe dissolves 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of hot water, cools it, then stirs it into 1 cup of fresh lemon juice and 4 cups of cold water. That is a 1 : 1 : 1 : 4 ratio, and it makes about 6 1/2 cups, enough for 6 glasses over ice.

• Key numbers: 4 to 6 lemons · 1 cup sugar · 1 cup hot water · 4 cups cold water · 10 minutes hands-on
• The rule that matters: dissolve the sugar first, then dilute, then taste and adjust
• Next step: get the free recipe book starter pages (we email it to you), or keep your ratio in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99)

Prep time: 10 minCook time: 3 minTotal time: 43 minServings: 6 servingsTotal includes 30 min of resting, chilling or rising.

Homemade lemonade comes down to three things: real lemon juice, sugar that is fully dissolved, and enough cold water to balance them. The syrup method below handles the second part, so the pitcher tastes the same from the first glass to the last.

Lemonade ingredients

Makes about 6 1/2 cups of lemonade. Serves 6.

How to make lemonade

1. Make the syrup. Combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid turns clear, about 3 minutes. It does not need to boil. Take it off the heat and let it cool, or set the pan in a bowl of ice water to speed it up.
2. Wash and juice the lemons. Rinse the lemons under running water and dry them. Roll each one firmly on the counter to loosen the juice, cut in half crosswise, and squeeze until you have 1 cup. Pour the juice through a fine strainer to catch seeds and most of the pulp.
3. Combine. In a 2-quart pitcher, stir together the cooled syrup and the lemon juice. Add 4 cups of cold water and stir well.
4. Taste and adjust. Too sour: add syrup or a little more water. Too sweet: add a squeeze of lemon. Too strong: add cold water 1/2 cup at a time.
5. Chill and serve. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes. Pour over ice in glasses and garnish with lemon slices or mint.

Why the syrup method works

Granulated sugar dissolves slowly in cold liquid. Stirred straight into a pitcher of cold lemon juice and water, some of it stays as crystals and sinks, so the first glasses taste sour and the last ones taste syrupy. Dissolving the sugar in hot water first makes a syrup that blends evenly into cold water in a few stirs.

You can make the syrup a day or more ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Then lemonade is a 5-minute job: juice, stir, taste.

No-cook option: stir the sugar directly into the room-temperature lemon juice and keep stirring for a few minutes until it dissolves before adding the cold water. The acid and the small volume help the sugar dissolve. It works, but it takes more stirring than the syrup.

Lemonade ratios at a glance

The concentrate row is useful for parties and picnics. Keep the syrup and juice mix cold in a jar, then add cold water at the rate of about 4 cups for the full batch when you are ready to serve.

Washing lemons and juice safety

You do not eat lemon peel in lemonade, but the knife still drags whatever is on the outside through the fruit. The FDA's produce safety guidance says to wash all produce thoroughly under running water before preparing it, even if you plan to peel it, because dirt and bacteria can transfer from the outside to the inside when it is cut. The FDA does not recommend washing produce with soap, detergent or commercial produce wash. Dry the lemons with a clean cloth or paper towel. If you zest lemons for garnish or flavor, washing matters even more.

Fresh-squeezed lemonade is unpasteurized juice. The FDA's juice safety page explains that untreated juice can pose health risks, with children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems at the highest risk. For those groups, wash hands and lemons well and cut away damaged spots, or use pasteurized bottled lemon juice instead. The same FDA page notes that most juice sold in the U.S. is pasteurized or otherwise treated; check the label.

Flavor variations

• Strawberry lemonade: blend about 1 cup of hulled, washed strawberries with 1/2 cup of the cold water, strain if you want it smooth, and stir it in. Strawberries also pair with strawberry shortcake for a summer dessert table.
• Raspberry or blueberry: same method as strawberry. Strain raspberries to remove the seeds.
• Mint or basil: drop a handful of washed leaves into the hot syrup, steep 10 minutes, then strain before cooling.
• Ginger: simmer a few slices of fresh ginger in the syrup and strain.
• Sparkling lemonade: make the concentrate, then top each glass with cold sparkling water instead of still water.
• Arnold Palmer style: mix half lemonade and half unsweetened iced tea.
• Honey lemonade: dissolve honey in warm water instead of sugar. Honey is sweeter by volume, so start with about 3/4 cup and taste. Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old.

Juicing tips and troubleshooting

Getting more juice. Room-temperature lemons give up their juice more easily than cold ones. Roll them under your palm on the counter before cutting. A handheld press or reamer gets more out than squeezing by hand.

Bitter lemonade. Bitterness usually comes from the white pith or seeds. Do not twist the rinds hard into the juice, and strain out seeds. If you zest, take only the yellow layer.

Cloudy lemonade. Cloudiness is normal in fresh lemonade and comes from the pulp and lemon oils. Strain through a finer sieve if you want it clearer.

Watery lemonade. Ice melting in the pitcher is the usual cause. Chill the lemonade in the refrigerator and put ice only in the glasses, or freeze some lemonade in an ice cube tray.

Make-ahead and storage

• Syrup: make it ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
• Juice: squeeze lemons the morning of a party and keep the juice covered and cold.
• Finished lemonade: keep the pitcher covered in the refrigerator and drink it within the first few days, while the lemon flavor is bright. Fresh lemon juice dulls as it sits.
• For a crowd: multiply the ratio. A double batch is 2 cups each of sugar, water and lemon juice plus 8 cups of cold water, which fills about a 1-gallon dispenser with room for ice.

Scaling the recipe for a crowd

Multiply every ingredient by the same number. The classic batch makes about 6 1/2 cups and serves 6:

For a big batch, make the syrup and juice mix ahead (the concentrate row above) and add the cold water and ice at serving time so the pitcher does not water down.

Lemonade for parties on a budget

Homemade lemonade scales easily, and the concentrate keeps the pitcher from watering down at a long outdoor event. Bottled 100 percent lemon juice can be a practical shortcut for a big batch when fresh lemons are pricey out of season; compare the price per cup of juice on the shelf. Pair a big pitcher with easy party food ideas and BBQ chicken for a cookout, and plan the shopping with how to grocery shop on a budget.

Plan the shopping and save the recipe

Add lemons, sugar and ice to the list the same week you plan the cookout menu.

• Meal Planner & Grocery List, $3.99. A weekly menu and an aisle-sorted grocery list.
• Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Write down your family's lemonade ratio and favorite flavor swaps.

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