Homemade Lemonade Recipe

A simple and refreshing homemade lemonade recipe! You only need sugar, water, and lemons to make this classic drink recipe. Check out the step-by-step video just below the recipe! This recipe makes 1/2 gallon of lemonade but can successfully be doubled! 

Prep time: PT10M

Cook time: PT5M

Total time: PT15M

Rating

4.91 stars (261 reviews)

Keywords

best lemonade, homemade lemonade recipe, lemonade

Ingredients

6 cups water (divided)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹ (seeds removed, pulp may remain )

Cuisine

American

Steps

Combine 1 cup (236ml) water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice into a pitcher. Add sugar/water mixture (simple syrup).
Add remaining 5 cups (1180ml) water and stir well. Pour over ice and serve, or transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill several hours before serving.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 8 oz glass
Calories: 103 kcal
Carbohydrates: 27 g
Sodium: 8 mg
Sugar: 26 g

Reviews

james on 2025-09-21 (5 stars):
I really love this ricipy is so refreshing and taystey.
gooner on 2025-09-03 (5 stars):
10/10 it was delicous i recomend it for every famliy out in the univers
Dina Wilson on 2025-08-28 (5 stars):
Cute cup of it i love this so much cold tooth ahhh to much love for the lemonade
Heidi on 2025-08-24 (5 stars):
The perfect balance of sweet & tart. This is the summertime lemonade you crave!
Thomas on 2025-08-15 (4 stars):
This is a good measurement recipe for lemonade, but most people will find that it just doesn't have the lemon flavor they expect. For this, you need the zest from those lemons. This recipe should be amended to include the zest of the squeezed lemons. Let the zest sit in the lemon juice for 10 to 15 minutes before straining with a sieve or cheesecloth. You want to do this to keep it from becoming bitter, especially if you've got some of the pith in there with the zest.
Judah on 2025-08-04 (5 stars):
The flavor is so good. I could make it all the time. My friends like it too.
Pam on 2025-07-26 (5 stars):
Sooo refreshing on a hot and humid July day in North Florida. Thanks!