This homemade raspberry lemonade recipe only requires 4 ingredients and is perfect for Summertime! Packed with fresh fruits it’s my favorite on the go drink.
We live in Southern California and it’s warm year round (lucky us). One thing I work hard to do is keep hydrated all day. I’m much more likely to drink, drink, drink all day long if I have something yummy. That’s when I came up with this easy drink. (post may contain affiliate link)
Each year my resolution is to take better care of myself and part of that is drinking more fluids throughout the day. I found that keeping a tall bottle on my desk filled with fluids made it easier for me to accomplish this.
I have three kids in two different schools and needless to say I am always on the go. When I got this insulated water bottle I took it on as a challenge to keep it full all day long. Water is okay but with fresh squeezed lemonade I would be much more likely to chug it down over and over again so I got to experimenting!
Ingredient Notes
The star of the show are fresh squeezed lemons, I mean you can buy a bottle of juice but fresh lemons are so much better. Meyer are fantastic but harder to find and expensive so go with that you store has. You want them to have a bit of give to them, not mushy but not rock hard either.
You will want several cold cups of Water or sparkling water like in our lotus drink recipe is great too. You can adjust the amount depending on how potent you want it to become. More will not make the flavor as strong.
To add this duo of flavors you want fresh raspberries or frozen work too. We are going all out in this case. You could make a “fake version” with just extract but I am telling you that isn’t even close to the fresh flavors you get with actual produce.
To sweeten of course you want to add as much or little Sugar or sugar-free product like Splenda as you want. There are many of the latter out there and for the most part they taste similar but we prefer the real thing.
Mint is optional, but 1 leaf just takes it over the edge to deliciousness (and refreshing). If you want to go ALL OUT you can make one batch first, freeze into ice cubes so that it doesn’t get diluted!!
Raspberry Lemonade Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pitcher
- 1 lemon press
Ingredients
- 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed is best
- 5 cup water, more or less depending on how strong you want it
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup raspberry juice
- mint leaves, optional
Instructions
- Squeeze lemons into a measuring cup removing seeds until you have 1 cup.
- Pour into pitcher with 5 cups of water and sugar, stir well until sugar dissolves. (you can heat sugar and water on stovetop and dissolve sugar completely if desired, I usually don’t but some prefer this method)
- Use lemon squeezer to squeeze raspberries until you get about 1/2 cup and add it to your pitcher. Stir.
- Pour into glasses with a few ice cubes and a sprig of mint and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Whether you’re looking for a fresh drink that is packed with Vitamin C, something to do with all the lemons falling off the tree in your backyard, or just something new to keep you hydrated, this homemade raspberry lemonade is perfect!
Do you have to boil sugar to make lemonade?
You can dissolve the sugar and water on the stovetop beforehand and then add it into your pitcher with ice and lemon juice plus fruit. Some prefer this method to really dissolve the sugar crystals but I usually just throw it together as I showed you above and stir it up each time I pour a glass and it tastes amazing.
Either way it is great. Sweet and tangy just like you like it. Adjust sweetness to your preference.
You could use bottled lemon juice but really there is a difference in the taste, and during the Summertime lemons are usually really prolific and inexpensive.
How to not water down lemonade when served
This is a tip I have loved and passed on to others over the years. If you add ice to this or our sun tea recipe when served it will eventually water down your drink which is no good. Instead, freeze some of your lemonade in ice cube trays and use those! That way when they dissolve it keeps the same flavor in tact.
Have fun while your kids are on vacation this year, and try a few new drink or pink punch recipe ideas like this one to keep you hydrated when the sun comes out for good! How do you keep yourself hydrated throughout the year…have any other tips for me? Now jump to recipe below to get started and enjoy.
Do you have to strain raspberries to make raspberry lemonade?
You can smash the fruit as much or as little as you want for this, for a bit chunkier (which I like) you can leave some larger pieces. You’ll want to strain the raspberries if you want to get rid of the seeds with a fine mesh strainer. We didn’t bother, raspberry puree with them is more our style.
I’ve been cutting back in refined sugar by making infused or blended waters. Today I made a cucumber, ginger and pineapple water. I blended the cucumber and ginger then added some frozen pineapple. It’s refreshing and delicious. Good way to use up produce.