The Ultimate Strawberry Lemonade is made in a blender, and will become one of the most addictive strawberry drinks you’ll ever try!
One of the first times I ever realized that – HEY! I can cook for myself! – was when I first learned to make lemonade. I magically found the refrigerated lemon juice at our house and followed the directions to make my own lemonade. I stirred and stirred and stirred again until that sugar was finally dissolved. Speaking of which, what gives sugar?! Why aren’t you easier to stir into cold drinks?!
Sorry for the detour. I don’t get sugar sometimes.
Anyway, there was a summer there where I made my own lemonade every single day, making sure to rub it in my sister’s face that I knew how to and she didn’t. Pretty fitting for the oldest child if I do say so myself!
The key to this being the ultimate lemonade is that you blend it up with the lemon rind in there. The oils from the lemons adds so much more flavor – and who doesn’t love some extra lemon in the summertime?! Give me a big tall glass of this any day of the week.
And any time of day for that matter.
THE ULTIMATE STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
(makes 2 pint-glass servings with ice)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large lemons, microwaved for 30 seconds
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup of frozen strawberries, microwaved for 1 minute (you could use fresh, but I think the frozen works better here)
In a blender squeeze the lemons and add the rest of the lemon, rind and all. Pour in the water and sugar. Add the strawberries. Pulse until everything starts to come together and the rind is starting to be processed. Remove the blade (or place the entire contents of the blender into a microwavable pitcher) and microwave for another 2 minutes. You can do all of this on stove top if you’d prefer, but the microwave is easy and quick. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, then strain into glasses loaded with ice. Enjoy!
**Note: I like to microwave the lemons to release more of the juices, and microwaving the strawberries does the same sort of thing. I like to microwave it all together at the end to release more of the oils in the lemon rind as well as dissolve the sugar. Any of these things you could do on a stove if you aren’t into microwaves.**
Now if that doesn’t say summer, I don’t know what does. Plus it makes you look fancy…and who doesn’t want that?!
_____________________________________________________________________________
***Edited to state that I understand stirring sugar and water together does not constitute cooking, but I was probably about 9 years old, so that was about as close to “cooking” for myself as I had ever been 🙂 I also do know that you can make a simply syrup, which is part of the reason for microwaving the mixture after processing it. Finally, there seems to be some concerns that adding the entire lemon rind would make the lemonade bitter – not so! It actually adds an entirely different dimension to the drink :)***
A tip from the late Chef Tell who was famous across America in the 1970s and 80s: Roll lemons on your cutting board or kitchen counter before cutting open and squeezing them. The juice comes out more copiously and freely.
i just made this today! i have alot of puree left over :/ anything to do with that i dont wanna waste it lol
Hey Heather! I would add club soda and maybe some vodka, or turn it into a margarita mix with some tequila! Or if you’re not going the alcohol route (totally fine) maybe add some ginger ale? Let me know what you do!
This looks so wonderfully refreshing!
Thanks Jacqueline! It really is – perfect for spring/summer 🙂
Looks yummy. 😀
P.S.: Just dissolve the sugar in some hot water before you put it in the lemonade. ^^
Splenda dissolves in cold stuff
Could just drink a glass of this now! Looks delicious and can’t wait to try.
I will definitely make these again. Thank you for this recipe.
Just a note on the organic v.s. non organic question…. Its not really the flavor that is so much different its the amount of pesticides that are in non organic citrus peels. When they spray the pesticides on citrus it is absorbed into the rind. I prefer organic citrus myself for that very reason!
making this today…its sitting in the fridge to chill 🙂 I dissolved the sugar in the water over the stove first.
Would it be possible to do the same but with blueberries instead of strawberries?
definitely! blueberries and lemon are great together as well!
I am glad I stumbled upon your site today..I can’t wait to try this. I love lemons SO MUCH. I must use 10-12 a week… and I love strawberries too. Thanks for sharing.
nice jug there 😛 or is that a mug? lol. anyways great pics. seriously its a drink that i will sip bit by bit.
So refreshing! Love this…now I’m pining for summer.
i just made this with the magic bullet. it was decent but very bitter bc of the rind in it, yes i strained it but the strong taste was still present. i tried to balance it by adding lots of sugar but it didnt really work, this recipe was awesome though!
LOVE IT!
hi
dont like the frozen strawberrys but maybe you like Lucas’semonade
3 lemons
2 limes
1/8 watermelon
1 orange
sugar
mint
btw matches perfectly with alcohol 😉
Can’t wait to try it 🙂
looks good.. try simple syrup instead of sugar!
I loved this! It looks so simple and delicious. I can’t wait to try.
I absolutely have to try this, I have a bag of frozen raspberries that I think I am going to try this on, and thanks to Costco always fresh lemons and limes in the fridge!
I like the fact that you did it in the food processor!
If you want a more drink friendly way to sweeten your lemonaid, try simple syrup. Its basically liquid sugar. If you combine two parts sugar and one part water, heat on the lowest heat on the stove in a pan. when it becomes clear, it is ready to cool and refridgerate. this will sweeten all your cold drinks without waiting to dissolve. Enjoy!
This looks like a nice and easy recipe. I wish I had seen this on those hot days back in July!
So our family tried this, but for whatever reason, it turned out wrong. Maybe we ground it all up too much, but when it was time to strain it, it was almost too thick of a mixture to strain. We added a lot of extra water at the end, but it was still more the consistency of a smoothie rather than lemonade. 🙁
interesting…i would say it does sound like it was processed too much, but the mixture will be thicker than water since it will have the sugar in there and some of the pulp from the berries. if you make it again maybe just roughly process it and see if that works better?
i hope that helps!
This is absolutely amazing! Instead of water, though, I used apple juice. It’s very very sweet! Try it out sometime. 🙂
Thanks!
Alex
first time I tried to make strawberry lemonade, I think i nearly fainted with the amount of sugar we had to use to make it taste good!!! 🙂 this looks awesome [and much less sugar than the pounds of sugar we used!]
I just made this and did a little taste test before I stuck in in the microwave and WOW this is super YUMMY! I used fresh strawberries, because that is what I had and I also used 1/2 cup raw sugar, because I don’t use white sugar and I don’t like super sweet. But this is a definite go to lemonade and it’s great you can use frozen strawberries. Lemonade all year round.
yay! so glad you liked it 🙂
wow… great lemonade…. just waiting to try one….
I’ve never heard of using the whole lemon rind—hesitant, but I’ll trust you 🙂 I can’t wait to try this!
My extended family is out to visit and my mom bought me a bunch of lemons and frozen strawberries to celebrate the occasion! It’s in the fridge cooling right now, awaiting dinner time. I’m SUPER excited to try it. It may be too sweet though. I didn’t end up following the recipe exactly since I was making it for 8 people. We shall see how it turns out.
I also forgot to wash the lemons…but I’m not terribly worried about it.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
YUMMY!!
I love this combination of strawberries and lemon drink … tasty and full of vitamin c, just the ultimate kind of drink!!
just made this it’s amazing!!! New fave lemonade!
I just tried this….amazing! I served it with frozen fruit instead of ice cubes and the kids LOVED it! I love the ‘mature’ flavor of this lemonade. The lemon rind really adds a depth of flavor you don’t usually find. I always hate to throw away all that lemony flavor in the rind…now I won’t have to! This will be a new regular at our house…Thanks for sharing!
Super Vita-licious, makes me thirsty 🙂
Hmm this looks like a very good idea. But doesn’t the texture come out a bit grainy? Guess i’ll make it for the kids tonight and we’ll see …
Great tip about microwaving the lemons first
Great tip about microwaving the lemons first
This sounds super refreshing! I bet I would make a great slushy too! YUM!
If you want the sugar to dissolve in cold drinks, just make a simple syrup first! Boil equal parts water and sugar together, then chill it in the fridge. It’s quite concentrated, so add to taste. 🙂
this is great! stumbled on this recipe and made it tonight. it’s so refreshing!
Is it possible to use other types of berries?
i don’t see why not, i just love strawberry lemonade 🙂 raspberries might be good though!
SO GOOD!
used agave syrup and xylotol instead of sugar, works great.
This has been saved to my favorites for awhile, & I finally got the ingredients to make it – I can’t wait!
This sounds so good right now!
OOPS! Forgot to add – it’s also great if you add about a teaspoon of FRESH ground ginger to the happy mix!
If you don’t want to get into making a simple syrup of all the sugar & water, just make 1/2 cup of the water VERY hot, mix in the sugar, stir until it melts and then continue with all the rest of the recipe the same. This is truly yummy stuff!!
I love including lemon zest into anything, but have never thought of grinding up the rind. Thank you so much for this! 🙂
I love the lemonade recipe. Lemons alkaline the body – very healthy and refreshing. Microwaving totally ruins any health benefits though.. Microwaving not only kills your food but kills you too. Radiation up to 30ft is detrimental, so, the stove top in a stainless steel pot would be perfect and very healthy. Cheers!!
I have an answer to your sugar problem… make a Simple Syrup! A simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water; take a few tablespoons of sugar (or however much you want) and a few of water, put it into a little pot on the stove and heat it JUST until it starts to bubble, give it a little stir to make sure the sugar disolved and add it to your lemonade! : )
try a little maple sugar instead of regular sugar. but only if you have the real stuff!
Looks amazing!!!! I just made a double batch of this! I want it NOW!!!! but it’s in the fridge cooling off. :p
My hubby loves strawberry lemonade
Using the full rind doesn’t make it bitter at all. This is the best strawberry lemonade I’ve ever had, letting the rind soak in it really rounds out the flavor perfectly.
Sugar doesn’t dissolve as easily in cold water because when it’s in hot water the heat breaks down the sugar molecules much more easily in an exothermic reaction.
If you’re worried about the lemon rind making it too bitter, try adding just the zest of the lemon. That’s what I did (based on the photos, I assumed “rind” meant “zest” here), and it was wonderful! It added a great flavour that made the lemonade taste “grown up.”
Also, you can definitely get away with less sugar, don’t trust the lukewarm liquid to be a good judge! When chilled, it was a lot sweeter than I expected. I’d add probably 1/2 cup instead of 3/4.
Great deal for summer! Put on a yellow tie with it and call it a day!
that looks sooooo good! i have a blender thati get i get teased for using until i make this lemonade
-thanks
This sounds delicious, but don’t forget food safety: remember to wash your lemons well before they go in the blender!
very good point…washing produce is a HUGE step in food safety 🙂
PLEASE be aware that supermarket lemons are waxed and any pesticides that are used on the lemons are preserved under that wax. Unless you want to drink pesticides and herbicides, either use organic lemons, or lightly scrub your lemons with a little liquid soap and a vegetable brush to remove the wax and residue. Otherwise, I can’t wait to try this scrumptious concoction!
I’d like to make this for a luncheon, and double the recipe….but whoa, that’s a LOT of sugar. do you think I could get away with less??
i think you probably could! just make sure you taste it before pouring to make sure it’s the right sweetness for your tastebuds 🙂
Strawberry lemonade is the best and I love the addition of the lemon rinds!
Where did you get the mug in the bottom photo? I love it! I love to drink out of jam jars anyway….
I actually borrowed it from a friend, although there’s a local hardware store here that sells them!
Pass me a glass of strawberry lemonade please.
Great idea to add the rinds! The key to getting sugar to dissolve in water is to make a simple syrup. Put your sugar and some water in a pot in a 1:1 ratio, then heat it up. Let it simmer until the sugar has dissolved, usually a couple of minutes. Then let the mixture cool. Add this and extra water to your lemonade mix 🙂
Here’s a tip to get the sugar to dissolve. Dissolve it in a small amount of hot water first, then stir that in. You can dissolve a lot of sugar with a small amount of hot water.
Wow! I try to prepare this recipe 😀
thanks!
Goodness gracious, this looks amazing. Haha–I love that lemonade was your revelation in cooking for yourself.
That looks AMAZING!!
I am intrigued by this – never thought to grind up the lemon rinds right in there! Such a great idea, I really want to try it! 🙂
I prefer strawberry lemonade over plain lemonade any day! I didn’t know about the microwave, so doing that!
It is 96 degrees right now so I will take one, please. 🙂
Strawberry lemonade is one of my favorite drinks to get while eating at a restaurant – but now I can have it at home, yay!
Lemonade is so refreshing in the summer/ I’m partial to cherry lemonade but maybe that’s because I’ve never had strawberry lemonade!
I want an ultimate drink! This looks perfect!
Can’t wait to try this, and hopefully it will rival McDonald’s strawberry lemonade and then I won’t have to go there anymore!
I made the ghetto version on saturday…pre-made lemonade, fresh strawberries and ice hahah. I am too lazygirl for extra steps but yours looks yummy too 🙂
This looks delicious! I’ll have to make this tomorrow to remind myself of summer (it’s October here in Minnesota!)
simply gorgeous!
I love the look of your blender too..
Organic lemons would make a difference no?
merci carolg
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I have ever tasted the difference in an organic lemon vs. a non-organic one…but I’m sure it couldn’t hurt! 🙂
If you’re going to use the rinds organic would be better due to surface pesticides.
Completely agree!
I am so excited to try this, especially with the lemon rind added in. It must have fantastic flavor.
I love this! I’m going to be making some lemonade soon!
That looks so delicious and refreshing!
Oh wow, I need this on the next 95 degree day!
This totally says summer – LOVE!!
wow, so neat that you leave the rind on! Looks excellent!
This looks awesome, Heather. Totally adding vodka! 😉
Trust me on this – RUM.
Trust me on this. Vodka.
Lets not forget a garnish of black tar heroin. How about a rail of cocaine around the rim?
Well thát esclated quickly..
Tequila would be best 😀 badass stawberry margiritas anyone?
I’ll take one 😉
This looks great, I’d love a glass right now!
To die for!