Looking for a refreshing summer drink but don't want to share? This single-serving lemonade is perfect for making a tall glass of your favorite drink. No pitchers are required.
Lemonade is an incredible drink, and I love it so much I'd drink it all day, every day if I could, but sometimes making an entire pitcher's worth isn't necessary. And that's why it's great for smaller batch lemonade recipes like this one.
Looking for more? Check out my Strawberry Pink Lemonade, Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Orange Lemonade, and Pickle Lemonade. These flavored lemonades are sure to turn some heads, but Old Fashioned Lemonade is great too!
Why This Recipe Works
- Minimal effort. When you have a single drink, you have far less of each ingredient or space needed. Mix everything together in one glass, and you're good to go.
- Tangy and sweet. This drink is honestly a scaled down version of my traditional lemonade recipe, and the proportions are perfect. Not too sweet and not too tart, this lemonade is strong and well balanced.
- You can make two smaller glasses if desired. This recipe will fill a 16-ounce cup to the top, but if desired, you can make the lemonade mixture in a tall cup and then divide it between two smaller cups of ice for a drink to share with someone else.
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🥘 Ingredients
Lemon juice- You'll need some lemon juice for this lemonade. You can use fresh squeezed or lemon juice concentrate, depending on what you have on hand.
Sugar- Adding granulated sugar will give us a sweet taste and balance to the acidic lemons.
Water- You'll need some hot water to dissolve the sugar and create the base of this lemonade.
Ice- Adding in enough ice to give you a cold drink is important.
Lemon- This is optional, but if desired, you can slice a lemon and add it to your cup for garnish.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Single Serving Lemonade with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Add your sugar to a tall 16-ounce drinking glass.
Add in your warm water and stir until the sugar looks dissolved.
Add in the lemon juice and stir to mix.
Now add in ice and stir again to cool the drink down.
Add some sliced lemons for garnish (if using).
Serve immediately and 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.
You only need about ¼ cup of warm water to dissolve the sugar in. After that, you can add in cold water. Using ALL cold water is possible too, but note that you'll be stirring loner to dissolve the sugar.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
This lemonade is best served immediately, but if you want to divide the lemonade into 2 servings you can store the one that you didn't drink from in the fridge for up to 5 days. Once you drink from it, the shelf life is reduced significantly due to the bacteria in your mouth.
💭 FAQs
Lemonade is a combination of lemon juice, water, and sugar (or another sweetener). It's an uncarbonated drink that has been around for centuries.
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 flavors and color. You can even add in fresh herbs like mint for a refreshing spin.
Honestly, it's 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 great beverage recipes to check out soon
📖 Recipe
Single Serving Lemonade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar ($0.06)
- ¾ cup Warm Water ($0.00)
- ¼ cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (1-2 large lemons) ($0.96)
- Ice Cubes ($0.00)
- 1 small Lemon, sliced *for garnish ($0.68)
Instructions
- Add your sugar to a tall 16-ounce drinking glass.
- Add in your warm water and stir until the sugar looks dissolved.
- Add in the lemon juice and stir to mix.
- Now add in ice and stir again to cool the drink down.
- Add some sliced lemons for garnish (if using).
- Serve immediately and 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.
- You only need about ¼ cup of warm water to dissolve the sugar in. After that, you can add in cold water. Using ALL cold water is possible too, but note that you'll be stirring loner to dissolve the sugar.
Storage
- This lemonade is best served immediately, but if you want to divide the lemonade into 2 servings you can store the one that you didn't drink from in the fridge for up to 5 days. Once you drink from it, the shelf life is reduced significantly due to the bacteria in your mouth.
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