Classic Strawberry Lemonade is the ultimate refreshing summertime drink!

This version is super easy to make, with a short list of ingredients and no need to turn on the stovetop. It tastes sweet, tart, and full of strawberry flavor, plus the beautiful pink hue is unmatched!

Easy Strawberry Lemonade in a glass with a pitcher in the background

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

Many years ago, I created a couple of lemonade by the glass recipes. My single serving lemonade and single serving strawberry lemonade recipes have been two recipes I’ve turned to time and time again for quick, simple, small-batch lemonade.

But sometimes you need more than just one glass of lemonade. Sometimes, you need a whole refreshing delicious pitcher! Whether you’re serving strawberry lemonade to a crowd or just plan to do a LOT of summertime sipping, this strawberry lemonade recipe has you covered.

Easy Strawberry Lemonade in a glass with a pitcher and a pint of strawberries in the background

Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

  • It’s fast! Many lemonade recipes call for making a simple syrup, which means boiling water and sugar together. Which makes a delicious lemonade, don’t get me wrong! But I’ve found that stirring the sugar with some hot water achieves the same thing, which is to dissolve the sugar. And if I can avoid turning on the stovetop, especially during the summer, I’m going to avoid it!
  • It’s delicious! Seriously, the taste of fresh strawberries in tart ice cold lemonade can’t be beat.
  • It’s kid friendly! Listen, I know lemonade has a ton of sugar, but I also consider the nutrients in fresh lemon juice + strawberries a win. When you have pickier eaters in the house, you take what you can get!
Easy Strawberry Lemonade ingredients

Ingredient Details

  • Strawberries – You’ll need around a pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved. Note that I have not yet tested this recipe with frozen strawberries, but I suspect it will work just fine. You’ll just want to thaw them first.
  • Sugar – Plain old granulated sugar. Feel free to swap in honey if you like; I’d start with about 1/2 cup and go from there.
  • Water – You’ll start with some hot water to get the sugar dissolved, then add cold water.
  • Lemon juice – You need a lot of it, 1 1/2 cups! I find 10-12 large lemons are adequate.
  • Ice – For serving.

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade

  1. First, you’ll. place the strawberries and sugar in a bowl and mash them together. Puree all the way with an immersion blender if you want a smoother lemonade, or keep them chunky if that’s your preference.
  2. Next, you’ll add the hot water and stir. This dissolves any remaining sugar granules.
  3. Add the lemon juice, stir, then pour it into the pitcher.
  4. Add the cold water.
  5. Taste and add more lemon juice or sugar, depending on if you want it more tart or sweeter.
  6. Pour over ice and serve immediately, or chill for up to 3 days.
mashing strawberries for Easy Strawberry Lemonade
Adding lemon juice to Easy Strawberry Lemonade
A pitcher full of Easy Strawberry Lemonade

Tips for Success

  • Stir stir stir! Once you add the hot water to the strawberry and sugar mix, stir it well to dissolve the rest of the sugar.
  • Be willing to adjust to perfection. A lot can depend on the sweetness of your strawberries. Sometimes it will taste a tad sweet, other times, the opposite. Add more lemon juice or more sugar until it’s to your taste.

I hope you love this crowd-pleasing, super easy Strawberry Lemonade recipe as much as we do! It’s fun to make and is so super refreshing on a hot summer day.

Top view of a glass full of Easy Strawberry Lemonade
mason jar style mug full of Easy Strawberry Lemonade with strawbrerries and lemon slices around it
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Easy Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 8
In my opinion this is the easiest, fastest, and most delicious way to make strawberry lemonade. No boiling, no simple syrup, just fresh strawberries and fresh-squeezed lemon juice + water and ice, all sweetened to perfection.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups strawberries (16 ounces or 1 pound)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 10-12 large lemons)
  • 6 cups cold water
  • ice (to taste)

Instructions

  • Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut them in half if they're large and add them to a a large heat-proof bowl. Pour the sugar over the top. Use a potato masher to mask the strawberries and the sugar together until juicy. For a chunkier strawberry lemonade, leave some bits of berries. For a smoother strawberry lemonade, you can puree them with an immersion blender right in the bowl.
  • Add the hot water. Stir for a minute or so until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the lemon juice.
  • Add the mixture to a pitcher (straining over a fine-mesh sieve if you want a pulp-free lemonade). Stir in the water. Taste and adjust the lemon juice or sugar as needed. A lot depends on the sweetness of the strawberries, so you might find it's sweeter than you prefer. If that's the case, add more lemon juice. If it's not quite sweet enough, stir in some more sugar (you'll want to stir it for a bit so that it completely dissolves.
  • Add ice to a glass and pour the strawberry lemonade over the ice. Add fresh sliced strawberries if you like and garnish with a fresh strawberry and/or lemon slice on the rim of the glass, if you'd like.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1glass, Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 10mg, Potassium: 103mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 7IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.2mg

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