Put a fun colorful twist on your favorite summer drink with this orange lemonade recipe. Made with orange juice and lemonade, you already know it's going to be good!
Recipe: $2.73 | Per Serving: $0.27 | Servings: 10

This orange juice lemonade is truly refreshing and wonderful. We put a spin on Old Fashioned Lemonade and just can't get enough.
While all lemonade is wonderful and beautiful, the colors in every glass look like sunshine. I still can't decide if I like the appearance and taste of this lemonade or my Strawberry Pink Lemonade more.
Homemade orangeade is not only tasty but also a money-saving drink. Making it at home is affordable because the recipe is simple and uses basic ingredients.
Instead of buying ready-made drinks, you can squeeze fresh oranges and lemons, ensuring good quality without the extra cost of processing and packaging. Oranges and lemons, are usually cheap, especially when they're in season.
For more frugal lemonade recipes, make sure to check out my Pickle Lemonade, Whipped Frozen Lemonade, and Single Serving Lemonade.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Simple ingredients. Made with basic ingredients, this lemonade recipe is very simple and easy to throw together. This recipe is almost as easy to make as our Blue Raspberry Lemonade!
- Quick to make. Just a few moments in the kitchen and you'll have a pitcher full of lemonade ready to drink.
- Easy to double. Have a larger pitcher and looking to make enough for a party or to last a few days? Don't worry because this recipe is very easy to double or even triple as needed.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Orange juice. You can use freshly squeezed orange juice or find orange juice at the grocery store where there are no added ingredients. I like to use Florida's best orange juice (without pulp). If you still have orange juice leftover try making some Strawberry Banana Orange Smoothies.
Fresh lemon and oranges- For garnishes, you can use fresh lemons and oranges that have been sliced into circles or wedges.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 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.
🔪 Instructions for Orange Lemonade
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Pour the simple syrup into your pitcher.
Step 3: Add in the orange juice.
Step 4: Add in the lemon juice.
Step 5: Now add in the water and enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher. Stir to combine.
Step 6: Add sliced fruit for garnishes, if desired.
Pour into drinking glasses and enjoy cold.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Tip for squeezing more juice out of fresh lemons. I like to microwave 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.
⏲️ 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 FAQs
I highly recommend it. Dissolving the sugar in warm water only takes a moment, but if you add the sugar to the pitcher with cold water, you'll be stirring for quite some time to dissolve the sugar in instead. If you don't want to use sugar you can use condensed milk like in my Creamy Lemonade.
You can add in just about anything and have it taste great! Adding in a little fruit juice or fresh fruits can really add a lot of flavor and color. You can even add in fresh herbs like mint for a refreshing spin.
Honestly, it can be cheaper to buy pre-bought lemonade than it is to squeeze your own lemons for lemonade. That said, homemade is healthier because you are in control of the ingredients and can omit preservatives and reduce sugars as desired.
❤️ More Delicious Beverage Recipes
If you tried this orange lemonade, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Orange Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3 cups water, divided ($0.00)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.36)
- ½ cup orange juice ($0.03)
- 1 cup lemon juice (can use fresh, about 5-6 large lemons) ($0.88)
- ice cubes ($0.00)
- 1 small lemon, sliced *for garnish ($0.58)
- 1 small orange, sliced *for garnish ($0.88)
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 orange juice.
- Add in the lemon juice.
- Now add in the water and enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher. Stir to combine.
- Add sliced fruit for garnishes, if desired.
- Pour into drinking glasses and enjoy cold.
Notes
- Lemon juice can be replaced with lemon concentrate.
- For orange juice, use freshly squeezed or pure orange juice without additives.
- Microwaving lemons briefly and rolling them on the counter before slicing can extract more juice.
- For advanced preparation, store the lemonade in the fridge without ice and garnishes. Add these closer to serving time to prevent quick ice melting.
- Store the lemonade in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep it sealed when not in use.
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