Homemade Strawberry Lemonade | Wholefully (2024)

We’re fortunate to have a huge strawberry patch in our garden that gives us bucketfuls of fresh, red, ripe berries each June. When the strawberries are coming off, we whip up a fresh pitcher of this 4-ingredient easy homemade strawberry lemonade almost daily!

This strawberry lemonade is sweet, fruity, and refreshing—perfect for sipping on a warm afternoon while sitting on a rocking chair on the porch. This recipe only calls for four ingredients (strawberries, lemons, water, and honey or agave nectar), is all-natural, and takes less than 5 minutes to make. My favorite part? No juicing the lemons! You drop the lemon wedges whole into the blender to get all the tangy lemon flavor from the zest. Let’s get started!

What is strawberry lemonade?

Easy peasy—strawberry lemonade is a sweet, fruity drink made from lemon juice, strawberries, and sweetener, typically sugar. We swapped out the traditional granulated or cane sugar for honey (or if you want to make a vegan version, agave nectar does the trick, too). Not only is the honey a less processed sweetener, but liquid sweeteners like honey and agave syrup easily blend into the lemonade, so no need to make a simple syrup! We love a good shortcut.

Are pink lemonade and strawberry lemonade the same?

Not exactly. Store-bought pink lemonade is typically made pink by using food dyes—most of them aren’t even flavored any differently from regular lemonade!

Our strawberry lemonade turns this beautiful deep pink thanks solely to red, ripe strawberries and has a ton of fruity, strawberry flavor to enjoy!

What is strawberry lemonade made of?

You are going to be blown away by how simple this strawberry lemonade recipe is. Here’s all you need to have on hand:

• Strawberries—Obviously! You want fresh, red, ripe, sweet berries. Skip the pink-tinted berries that you get from the store in the winter.
• Lemons (or limes)—Since we are using the peel here, we recommend grabbing organic lemons if they are in your budget.
• Honey (or agave nectar)—We love the flavor of honey for this, but if you want this strawberry lemonade to be plant-based, you can easily swap in agave nectar.
• Water—Easy peasy!

How is strawberry lemonade made?

The best part about this lemonade is that it’s made entirely in your blender! No need to dig your citrus juicer out of the back of your cabinet. Here’s how to make it:

1. Wash, hull, and halve about a pound of ripe strawberries. You don’t have to be exact here, but we’re looking for around 4 cups of halved strawberries.
2. In the basin of the blender, add the strawberries, 3 cups of cold water, and the honey or agave nectar. We like 1/2 cup of honey or agave nectar when the berries are at their sweetest, but you might want to add a touch more if your berries are tarter or your family enjoys sweeter drinks.
3. Blend until very smooth, then pour the strawberry puree mixture into a large pitcher.
4. Wash two lemons and then cut them into quarters.
5. Put the lemon wedges and 3 cups of water into the blender. Blend until it’s mostly chopped up finely (it doesn’t have to be smooth).
6. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to push through any liquid remaining in the pulp.
7. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher with the strawberry mixture. Stir well to combine.
8. Pour over ice into Ball® Rose Vintage Jars. Garnish with lemon slices, strawberries, and fresh herbs, if desired. Enjoy!

How do I make strawberry limeade?

In the mood for limeade instead? Easy! Just swap out the lemons in the recipe for limes. If your limes are small (like if you’re using key limes), increase the number to three.

Can I make this without a blender?

Our method relies on a blender to get the best texture and flavor, but you don’t need a big blender to make it work. A stick blender (AKA: an immersion blender) will do the trick, too.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

You sure can! And, in fact, we recommend it when strawberries aren’t in season in your area. Just thaw the strawberries completely, and add the thawed strawberries plus their juices to the blender in place of the fresh strawberries.

What’s the best way to store this homemade lemonade?

Any container with a good-fitting lid will do the trick, but we recommend pouring your strawberry lemonade into Ball® Jars and stashing them in the fridge. The water-tight closure is perfect for storing liquids, plus, they double as a drinking glass! Just grab them out of the fridge and enjoy!

In these photos, we’re using the Ball® Rose Vintage Regular Pint Jars, which are beautifully rose-tinted and vintage-inspired. These jars would make beautiful drinking glasses for your Easter or Mother’s Day table!

Can I make this strawberry lemonade into a co*cktail?

This strawberry lemonade is a great kid-friendly summer drink, but if you’re looking to make it into an adult beverage, it works great as a mixer! Vodka, silver tequila, gin, or white rum all do the trick.

What else can I do with a surplus of strawberries?

Go a little overboard at the strawberry patch? No worries, we can hook you up with all the best ways to use fresh strawberries (beyond just eating them by the ton). Here are our faves:

• Make jam—Turn those strawberries into Strawberry Jam, Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, or Mixed Berry Jam to enjoy all year long.
• Turn them into wine—Homemade fruit wines are easier to make than you’d think! We have a full tutorial on how to make Strawberry Wine.
• Use them in recipes—Add fresh strawberries to Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats, Strawberry Spinach Salad, Summer Berry Salad, or our Fish Tacos with Strawberry Salsa.
• Make even more drinks—Enjoy your strawberries in our Cucumber Strawberry Margaritas, Strawberry Mojitos, or Strawberry Banana Smoothie.
• Bake with them—Use those strawberries in Strawberry Shortcake or Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Squares.
• Make some tasty frozen desserts—Our Strawberry Feta Ice Cream or Mixed Berry Yogurt Pops are sure to cool you off.
• Freeze them—When all else fails, learn how to freeze strawberries and save them for another day!

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Yield: 2 quarts (6-8 servings)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Cool off with this simple summertime favorite. Strawberry Lemonade is an easy 4-ingredient recipe that uses fresh strawberries and lemons for a great, refreshing taste.

Ingredients

• 4 cup hulled and halved strawberries (about 1 pound)
• 6 cups cold water, divided
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup honey or agave nectar, to taste
• 2 medium-size lemons, cut into wedges
• Optional garnishes: whole strawberries, lemon slices, fresh mint, or lemon balm sprigs

Instructions

1. In the basin of the blender, add the strawberries, 3 cups of cold water, and the honey or agave nectar. We like 1/2 cup of honey or agave nectar when the berries are at their sweetest, but you might want to add a touch more if your berries are tarter or your family enjoys sweeter drinks.
2. Blend until very smooth, then pour the strawberry puree mixture into a large pitcher.
3. Put the lemon wedges and the remaining 3 cups of water into the blender. Blend until it's mostly chopped up finely (it doesn't have to be smooth).
4. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to push through any liquid remaining in the pulp.
5. Pour the lemon juice into the pitcher with the strawberry mixture. Stir well to combine.
6. Pour over ice into glasses. Garnish with lemon slices, strawberries, and fresh herbs, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

• To make limeade, replace the lemons with 2 large limes. If all you have on hand are small limes or key limes, increase the amount to 3 whole limes.

• To make this using frozen strawberries, let strawberries thaw completely, reserving the juice. Use the thawed berries and juice in place of the fresh berries in the recipe.
• To make this into a co*cktail, add one ounce of white rum, silver tequila, vodka, or gin to each 8 ounce serving of strawberry lemonade.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 173Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 3gSugar: 41gProtein: 1g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.