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Lemonade · Strawberry

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Fresh strawberries blended into homemade lemonade for a pretty pink, fruity sip. A showstopper at cookouts and birthday parties.

New, no ratings yet0 reviewsby Simmerbee Kitchen

Prep
20 min
Cook
5 min
Total
55 min
Serves
about 2 1/2 quarts
Level
Easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar ≈ 200 g
    Swaps for granulated sugar

    Instead of sugar

    • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
    • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
    • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

    All 4 swaps for sugar

  • 1 cup water, for the syrup
  • 1 lb strawberries, hulled, about 3 cups, plus more sliced for serving
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice, from 6 to 8 lemons
    Swaps for fresh lemon juice

    Instead of lemon juice

    • Lime juice: The same amount. A different, more floral aroma; works almost everywhere.
    • Bottled lemon juice: The same amount. More sour and flatter; fine in cooking and baking, less bright in dressings and drinks.
    • White wine vinegar or white vinegar: Half as much. Sharper, with no citrus aroma.

    More for lemon juice

  • 4 cups cold water
  • ice, for serving

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.

Steps

Kid helper. A child can do steps 4, 5 and 6: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a sharp tool or heat. Cooking with kids

  1. Heat the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves.
    ⏱ Dissolve sugar: 4 minGrown-up: heat
  2. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, or chill it.
    ⏱ Cool syrup: 30 minGrown-up: heat
  3. Blend the strawberries with the cooled syrup until completely smooth.
    Grown-up: sharp tool
  4. Pour the strawberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing with a spoon to get all the juice and leave the seeds behind.
    Kid step
  5. Stir in the lemon juice and cold water. Taste and add a little more water if you like it lighter.
    Kid step
  6. Serve over ice with sliced strawberries.
    Kid step

Tips

  • Frozen strawberries work too; thaw them first so they blend smoothly.
  • For a fizzy version, use sparkling water for half of the cold water right before serving.

Storage

Refrigerate covered up to 3 days. Stir before pouring since the fruit settles.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: strawberries (April to June), lemons (December to April).

Quick answers

What can I swap?
  • Instead of sugar: Brown sugar, the same amount, packed.
  • Instead of lemon juice: Lime juice, the same amount.

Frozen strawberries work too.

Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
120
Protein
0 g
Carbohydrates
31 g
Fiber
1 g
Sugars
28 g
Fat
0 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Sodium
5 mg

Whole recipe, 8 servings: about 970 calories.

Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 5 of 5 ingredients.

How we estimate

We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 8 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.

Not counted: ice (to taste or as needed).

Estimated cost

About $0.70 a serving

About $5.60 for the recipe as written (8 servings).

Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 5 of 5 ingredients, 100% by weight.

How we estimate

Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.

  • strawberries $3.80 BLS
  • fresh lemon juice $1.35 ERS
  • granulated sugar $0.45 BLS

Free: water, cold water (tap water).

Not counted: ice (optional, or to taste).

More dishes for less: cheap eats.

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Gear for this recipe

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands are suggestions; any similar item works.

Cleanup score 2/5 (more cleanup): 4 things to wash, saucepan, blender, pitcher, strainer.

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simmerbee.com/r/lemonade-strawberrySimmerbee