You only need 3 INGREDIENTS to make this easy, berry lemonade. It works great with frozen berries – which I always have on hand!
Homemade lemonade is SO much more delicious than store bought. This recipe doubles or triples great for parties. Bring it to your next bbq, baby shower or summer party!
I made this berry lemonade on a whim this weekend while my husband and son were hard at work in the yard. My husband is crazy about homemade lemonade and declared this recipe his new favorite. I have to agree!
Homemade lemonade is always a treat. But bright-colored, sweet berry syrup makes this lemonade extra special. I can’t think of a more refreshing drink for hot summer days. It’s such a fun spin on a classic lemonade recipe!
And before you get worried about all the time and effort it takes to make homemade lemonade…know that this is surprisingly simple to make.
The hardest part about homemade berry lemonade is squeezing the lemons! Luckily that’s a job my 3-year-old is more than willing to take over.
This lemonade is perfect for parties and summer holidays. It looks beautiful and a little fancy with a few fresh blueberries or raspberries and lemon slices in each glass!
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy to make
- Perfect for summer parties
- Deliciously sweet and tangy
- Made with simple ingredients
For more favorite summer recipes, try this corn salad with feta, potato salad, tomato cucumber salad and gluten-free pasta salad.
You also might like this gluten-free zucchini bread, gluten-free zucchini muffins, gluten-free raspberry bars, gluten-free angel food cake and gluten-free 4th of July dessert.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this berry lemonade at home:
- Frozen mixed berries: Since you’ll be boiling these down to a concentrate, you won’t know the difference between fresh and frozen. Plus, frozen berries are cheaper than fresh fruit! Frozen berries are also packaged at peak ripeness, so they’re more consistently sweet and flavorful than fresh berries.
- Water: You’ll need water to boil down the berries and sugar, and a few more cups of water to reduce the intensity of the lemonade concentrate.
- Lemon juice: I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Meyer lemons are my favorite!
- Sugar: Any granulated white cane sugar will work for this recipe. Sugar is the perfect balance to the tart lemon juice!
How to Make Berry Lemonade
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, frozen berries, and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cook for about 10 minutes, until the berries soften and burst.
- Pour the homemade simple syrup mixture into a blender and carefully blend until smooth.
- Place 2 cups of ice in a pitcher or measuring cup. Place a fine-mesh sieve or strainer over the ice and strain the berry puree (to catch all the small seeds) over the ice to cool it down quickly.
- Combine the ice cubes and syrup mixture, lemon juice, and 3 cups of cold water in a large pitcher. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine and add more water if needed.
- Add fresh summer berries and lemon slices to the glass, if you’d like. Enjoy this perfect summer drink!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover berry lemonade in a pitcher in the fridge for up to five days. Stir before drinking.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Since you’ll be boiling these down to concentrate, you won’t know the difference between fresh and frozen. Plus, frozen berries are cheaper than fresh ones! Frozen berries are also packaged at peak ripeness, so they’re more consistently sweet and flavorful than fresh berries.
- I like using mixed berries to add depth of flavor to this lemonade. But feel free to use any of your favorite frozen berries for this recipe, such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries. You could also use other frozen fruit, like mango or peaches. You also might like this strawberry basil lemonade.
- You can make this syrup in advance to save time on the day you’re hosting. Just let it cool and store it in a glass jar until you’re ready to add the ice, water, and lemon juice.
FAQs
If your lemonade is too strong, add more water to mellow out the flavor. You can also enhance the lemonade by adding fresh herbs, such as mint or basil. Or get creative and add berries, mango, or peaches.
Pink lemonade is often just lemonade with a bit of red food dye. However, sometimes pink lemonade is made with cranberry juice, raspberries, or strawberries.
McDonald’s carries Minute Maid brand lemonade at most locations nationwide. You can get the lemonade from the fountain drink stand, or some locations offer lemonade box drinks with kids’ meals.
I hope you love this delicious drink as much as we do! If you try this berry lemonade, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
MORE SUMMER FAVORITES
Easy, Homemade Berry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar depending on how sweet you like it
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
- 3 cups water
- ice
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, frozen berries, and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, the cook for about 10 minutes, until the berries soften and burst.
- Pour the syrup mixture into a blender and carefully blend until smooth. Place 2 cups of ice in a pitcher or measuring cup. Place a fine mesh strainer over the ice and strain the berry mixture (to catch all the small seeds) over the ice to cool it down quickly.
- Combine the ice/syrup mixture, lemon juice, and 3 cups of cold water in a pitcher. Stir to combine and add more water if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Since you’ll be boiling these down to concentrate, you won’t know the difference between fresh and frozen. Plus, frozen berries are cheaper than fresh ones! Frozen berries are also packaged at peak ripeness, so they’re more consistently sweet and flavorful than fresh berries.
- I like using mixed berries to add depth of flavor to this lemonade. But feel free to use any of your favorite frozen berries for this recipe, such as raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries. You could also use other frozen fruit, like mango or peaches.
- You can make this syrup in advance to save time on the day you’re hosting. Just let it cool and store it in a glass jar until you’re ready to add the ice, water, and lemon juice.
What a beautiful color & delicious & refreshing flavor! This hits the spot on a hot day! I am going to make sure I always have frozen mixed berries in my freezer!
what an amazing lemonade recipe! I think this is my new go to drink I will make for all my friends when they come over! thank you so much for sharing!
Just got an electric juicer, and this was the perfect recipe to break it in. 🙂 Simply delicious! I love that it uses frozen berries, so I can enjoy it in the dead of winter if I feel like it. haha
This is SO delicious! We used it for a bridal shower- it’s so pretty and simple to make.
How many much does this recipe make? I’m prepping for a party, so I’ll be scaling up.
I’m thinking about making this tomorrow for a bridal shower! Do you think that this would taste okay of guests wanted to add champagne? Can this be made ahead of time?
I don’t drink alcohol so I couldn’t say! Sorry about that.
This was so simple and I had all the ingredients on hand. I didn’t have lemons, so I used ReaLemon 100% concentrate which was good, but next time I’ll be prepared and use fresh lemons. I also used my Vitamix blender which eliminated the need to strain the berries. Thank you for such an easy and refreshing recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
One of my all time favorites homemade lemonade. Thanks so much for sharing. Great recipie.
Simon
refreshing summer drink. 🙂
What a wonderful summer drink! I’ll bet it would also make a great cocktail.