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–+ servings
Homemade Lemonade
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4.60 from 5 votes

Homemade Lemonade

This 3-ingredient homemade lemonade recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey, and easily adjustable to make as tart or sweet as you prefer.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 4th of july, 5 ingredient, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 8 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups freshly-squeezed lemon juice*
  • 6 cups cold water
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey simple syrup * or more to taste

Instructions

  • Squeeze the lemon juice.  Use a citrus juicer to strain the fresh lemons (or you can squeeze out the juice by hand, discarding the seeds) until you yield 1 1/2 cups of juice.
  • Add sweetener and water.  In a large pitcher, stir together the lemon juice, water and maple syrup (or honey simple syrup) until combined.
  • Make any adjustments.  Give the lemonade a taste, and add in any extra lemon juice (for tartness), maple syrup (for sweetness), or water (to dilute the flavor a bit) if desired.
  • Serve over ice.  Serve over ice, garnished with an extra lemon slice and/or fresh herb sprig if you'd like.  Or refrigerate in a sealed pitcher for up to 1 week.

Notes

*Lemons: I used about 8 large lemons, in order to yield 1.5 cups of juice.  But the size and juiciness of lemons can vary widely, so I vote bring home a few extra lemons just in case.  Feel free to also add in the zest of one lemon, if you would like to add a bit of tartness.
*Honey Simple Syrup: To make honey simple syrup, combine equal parts water and honey in a small saucepan and heat until the mixture reaches a simmer.  Stir until the honey is dissolved.  Then remove from heat and add your desired amount to the lemonade mixture.