Grab some lemons and your largest pitcher because we're about to fill it up with some old fashioned lemonade. Made with lemons, sugar, and water, it doesn't get any simpler than this summer drink recipe!
If you love the taste of lemonade, then you're going to love this old fashioned homemade lemonade. Nothing is better than the classics, and this drink really hits the spot!
Packed with sweet and tart lemon flavor in every sip, this lemonade is a favorite for a reason. For more lemonade recipes, make sure to check out my Frozen Whipped Lemonade, Creamy Lemonade, and Single Serving Lemonade.
Why This Recipe Works
- Minimal ingredients. You only need 4 ingredients to make this drink, making it perfect for when you want something quick and easy.
- Tangy and sweet. This drink is honestly perfect. Not too sweet and not too tart, this lemonade is strong and well balanced.
- Easy to follow steps. The steps needed to make this recipe are simple and easy, making it perfect for everyone to give it a try! Dissolve the sugar and mix it all in a pitcher. Add ice and serve.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Sugar- You will need some granulated sugar to sweeten this drink.
Water- Water is the base of the lemonade and will help to dissolve the sugar so that it doesn't turn out grainy.
Lemon juice- You can use freshly squeezed lemons or lemon juice concentrate. Fresh lemons give a better flavor, but the concentrate is great for when you're in a pinch (plus it's cheaper).
Ice- Adding ice cubes to the lemonade will make it chilled and refreshing.
Lemons- If desired, you can slice some additional lemons and add them to the pitcher for a nice garnish.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make old fashioned lemonade with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Prepare the simple syrup by cooking 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a small pot just until the sugar has dissolved.
Allow to cool before use. Alternatively, you can make microwave simple syrup.
Pour the simple syrup into your pitcher.
Add in the lemon juice.
Now add in the water and enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher. Stir to combine.
Add sliced lemon for garnishes, if desired.
Pour into drinking glasses and enjoy cold.
Keep stored in the fridge. Enjoy!
🧾 Substitutions
Lemon juice. If you don't have real lemons on hand, you can use concentrate in a pinch. You can also use it to bring the fresh lemon juice up to the required measurement so you can keep that strong lemon flavor.
🍴 Recipe Tips
To squeeze more juice out of fresh lemons a tip I like to use is microwaving them for about 10-30 seconds. Then before slicing in half, roll them back and forth along the counter while pushing down on them, like you're rolling out a dough log. This helps to get more juice out of the lemons.
If desired, you can make Microwave Simple Syrup instead of cooking it on the stovetop.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
If you plan to make this recipe more than a few hours in advance, I recommend not adding the ice and garnishes until later.
Prepare the lemonade as-is, and leave it in the pitcher in the fridge for several hours or a day before serving. Then add the ice and garnishes closer to serving time.
This will keep the ice from melting too quickly and help you to avoid a watered-down flavor.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
This lemonade is good for up to 5 days. Make sure you keep it stored in the fridge when not being used.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
The BEST part about lemonade is that you can add just about anything to it and still have it taste great! For example:
- Add blue raspberry syrup for Blue Raspberry Lemonade
- Add in pickle juice for Pickle Lemonade
- Add in orange juice for Orange Lemonade
- Adding strawberry puree will give you Strawberry Pink Lemonade
Swap out sugar for sweetened condensed milk, honey, or maple syrup. Brown sugar also works well too.
There are so many different options available you can have a pitcher of unique lemonade recipes in the fridge all summer long.
💭 FAQs
The main ingredients in traditional lemonade are lemon juice, water, and sugar. Anything "extra" is exactly that.
Yes, absolutely! I often find myself using bottled lemon juice for lemonade instead of fresh lemons because it's much cheaper and easier to store. The lemon flavor might be more pronounced with concentrate so you may need some additional sweetener.
Your homemade lemonade can last about 5-7 days if kept stored in the fridge.
More great drink recipes to check out soon
📖 Recipe
Old Fashioned Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup Granulated sugar ($0.22)
- 4 cups Water, divided ($0.00)
- 1 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (5-6 large lemons) ($3.41)
- Ice Cubes ($0.00)
- 1 small Lemon, sliced *for garnish ($0.68)
Instructions
- Prepare the simple syrup by cooking 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a small pot just until the sugar has dissolved.
- Allow to cool before use. Alternatively, you can make microwave simple syrup.
- Pour the simple syrup into your pitcher.
- Add in the lemon juice.
- Now add in the water and enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher. Stir to combine.
- Add sliced lemon for garnishes, if desired.
- Pour into drinking glasses and enjoy cold.
- Keep stored in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions
- Lemon juice. If you don't have real lemons on hand, you can use concentrate in a pinch. You can also use it to bring the fresh lemon juice up to the required measurement so you can keep that strong lemon flavor.
Recipe Tips
- To squeeze more juice out of fresh lemons a tip I like to use is microwaving them for about 10-30 seconds. Then before slicing in half, roll them back and forth along the counter while pushing down on them, like you're rolling out a dough log. This helps to get more juice out of the lemons.
- If desired, you can make Microwave Simple Syrup instead of cooking it on the stovetop.
Make Ahead Instructions
- If you plan to make this recipe more than a few hours in advance, I recommend not adding the ice and garnishes until later.
- Prepare the lemonade as-is, and leave it in the pitcher in the fridge for several hours or a day before serving. Then add the ice and garnishes closer to serving time.
- This will keep the ice from melting too quickly and help you to avoid a watered-down flavor.
Storage
- This lemonade is good for up to 5 days. Make sure you keep it stored in the fridge when not being used.
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