Old-fashioned Homemade Lemonade with just the right amount of sweetness is the perfect, easy, three-ingredient drink for your next gathering. Squeeze fresh lemons, take some help from bottled lemon juice, or do a combination of the two.
Lemonade from scratch
At our last BBQ, Bob wanted to make his grandfather’s lemonade recipe, which somehow, hadn’t come up before.
I love lemonade but I’m pretty picky about it. I don’t like it too sweet and this version was perfect.
I didn’t even water it down which I normally do with all juices (persnickety, right? I’m like a child). It will be known as Grandpa Dusty’s Lemonade around here.
What makes it a bit unique is that you can make it entirely from fresh squeezed lemons or give your hands a break and use some bottled lemon juice to pick up the slack.
I find either combination to work really well.
Why you’ll love this Homemade Lemonade:
- It’s light and refreshing – perfect for summer days.
- Only THREE ingredients!
- You control the sweetness.
- You can take a shortcut from squeezing lemons and make lemonade from bottled lemon juice to speed up the process.
Helpful Tools
- Lemon squeezer – If you plan to hand squeeze the lemons, this will make life easier.
- Strainer – To strain the lemon juice and catch any seeds/pulp.
- Tall pitcher – I like that this one has a lid.
- Long handled spoon – To stir it all up.
Ingredients for lemonade from bottled lemon juice
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- LEMON JUICE – You’ll need 3/4 cup lemon juice whether it is fresh or bottled. Depending on your lemon size, this is approximately 4-5 lemons. If using bottled lemon juice, pick one that is 100% juice. It will have some preservatives, but otherwise shouldn’t have any other ingredients.
- SUGAR – Granulated white sugar is what I’ve tested with.
- WATER
- ICE
How to make Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade 🍋
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump
- STEP ONE: Squeeze the lemons. Roll the lemons to help release the juice and then slice in half and juice them. Save the squeezed lemons and slice them. Alternatively, you can use bottled lemon juice. Whatever way you get there, you need 3/4 cup.
- STEP TWO: Make a simple syrup. To a large pot, add the sliced, squeezed lemons, and water. Bring to a slight boil over medium heat. Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Use a strainer to pour the sugar water into a pitcher to catch any lemon seeds, and pulp.
- STEP THREE: Assemble the lemonade. To the pitcher of lemon water, add the squeezed lemon juice and stir. Add in ice.
- STEP FOUR: Chill. For best results, chill 2-4 hours to really let the flavors come together and then enjoy!
What to serve with lemonade
Really, what doesn’t go with lemonade?? I generally associate it with classic BBQ foods like macaroni salad, baked beans, potato salad, and bbq chicken.
But if you have more lemons to use up, try crockpot lemon chicken or lemon chicken orzo soup.
Desserts
To keep with the lemon theme: lemonade ice cream pie, lemon bundt cake, or lemon cupcakes with raspberry frosting.
- Wash the lemons before you get started since you’ll be using the whole lemon in the process.
- Don’t be afraid to use bottled lemon juice – just watch the ingredients to make sure you’re not getting any unnecessary additives.
- I don’t find this lemonade overly sweet as written, but you can cut down the sugar to 1 cup (or even 3/4 cup) if you like tart lemonade.
How to store it
Homemade lemonade should be stored covered in the fridge for the best results.
How long is fresh lemonade good for in the fridge?
5-7 days. Keep it covered in the fridge. If it develops a strange smell or looks different, discard it.
FAQs
How do you make lemonade with store bought lemon juice?
Easily! Just follow the recipe as written but use bottled lemon juice in place of the fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Can you use bottled lemon juice in place of fresh lemon juice?
Sure can. This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of lemon juice. I don’t care how you get there – fresh squeezed, bottled lemon juice, or a combo of the two – just get to 3/4 cup.
How many lemons do I need?
Depending on the size of your lemons (they can vary greatly), you’ll need approximately 4-5 lemons, plus more for garnishing.
How much lemonade does this recipe make?
This recipe makes approximately 2 quarts, which is 8 cups.
How many does it serve?
Assuming each serving is a cup, this recipe will serve 8 people.
🍋 Want a flavored lemonade? Try these:
Blackberry Lemonade
Strawberry Lemonade
Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
Pineapple Strawberry Lemonade
Passion Tea Lemonade
Still thirsty? Try these:
Cranberry Orange Cider
Berry Sangria
Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea
Click here for my entire collection of drink recipes.
Did You Make This?
If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
You can also tag me on Instagram – @melissa_ppplates or share a pic in the Persnickety Plates Community Facebook group. I love seeing what you’ve tried!
Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lemon juice approximately 4-5 lemons
- 7 ¼ cups water
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 3 cups ice
Instructions
- Wash then roll then squeeze the juice from lemons until you reach ¾ cup (this should be approximately 4-5 medium lemons). Alternatively, you can use bottled lemon juice to replace or supplement the fresh lemon juice. Set aside.¾ cup lemon juice, 7 ¼ cups water
- Slice the squeezed lemons and set aside.
- To a large pot over medium heat, add the water and sliced lemons. Bring to a slight boil (about 8 minutes).
- Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved.1 ¼ cups sugar
- Use a strainer to pour the sugar water into a pitcher to catch any lemon seeds and pulp.
- Add in the fresh lemon juice and stir. Add in the ice.3 cups ice
- Let chill 2-4 hours in the fridge (or overnight) then enjoy!
Notes
- Wash lemons thoroughly since you’ll be using the whole fruit.
- Bottled lemon juice is fine—just check for minimal additives.
- Adjust sugar to taste: reduce to 1 cup or ¾ cup for a more tart lemonade.
- Store covered in the fridge for best freshness.
- Keeps for 5–7 days—discard if smell or appearance changes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see! Originally published May 31, 2016
Did you have a good Memorial Day? Bob wanted to barbecue at a beach about an hour away from us, but I really just wanted to stay home. As much as I love park get-togethers, the work of it makes me tired. I won, this time, and we had family and friends over to the house.
It was a gorgeous day so we got out Julia’s water table and kiddie pool. We also snagged a new (to us) patio set from a mom-to-mom Facebook group so we got some new cushions and gave it a wipe down and had a nice setup on our deck.
We made this last week. I loved it. The kids needed a little more water, they weren’t fond of the tartness. My husband mixed it with his tea. Win all the way around.
I’m newly a fan of Arnold Palmers and I always add water to my lemonade/juice because I am a child lol
Hello!
What may be used in place of sugar?
Thank you!
Happy Birthday! Really refreshing on a hot day. Good, old-fashioned homemade lemonade the way I remember
Lovely and easy recipe for the hot days. I used bottled lemon juice as I did not have lemons with me. Happy birthday!
It turns out great with bottled or fresh 🙂
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I love this easy recipe for the entire year! My grandsons LOVE lemonade!
Thank you!
ha, happy birthday to you, too!
Made this lemonade and it is delicious. It was simple and easy and my husband loves it! Will definitely use this recipe from now on.
Happy to hear that!
So does my oldest. Let me know how it goes1
How much water?
7 1/4 cups. Do you see the measurements above?
I’ve made this super easy and delicious recipe many times since I found it. Sometimes I use fresh lemons and sometimes I use bottled lemon juice but both ways turns out amazing! I recommend it to everyone!
That makes me happy, thanks for letting me know!
Can I use an artificial sweetener vs. sugar?
Probably so. I don’t use them so I haven’t tested, but people say good things about monk fruit.
This is a great recipe for lemonade! Next time, I will use a little less sugar for my personal taste; but as written, the recipe was a big hit at a party I had!
Thanks, Angi! I personally water mine down a bit & prefer it that way, too 😉
The lemonade was great and so easy to make. Can I use same recipe for making limeade?
I’m glad you liked it! But no to the limeade, we tested & it was terrible lol we’re working on a recipe 🙂
I made this using 6 fresh lemons. Refreshing lemonade for a summer drink.
Thanks, Cheryll!
No quantities? If I wanted to just dump in, I wouldn’t look up a recipe. I would just make it up myself.
Of course there are quantities – you scrolled past the recipe card to leave this comment (& 3 stars on a recipe you haven’t made 🧐)
Yummy! My Meyer Lemon tree was begging me to pick those ripe lemons and get to work! We absolutely love this lemonade! Not too sweet, just perfect! I definitely recommend!🍋
I love this! It also boggles my mind from snowy, below zero Michigan 😅
Your nutrition states the serving is 1g. Is that supposed to be accurate?? I’ve seen this on all your recipes!
The nutrition estimator I use defaults 1g meaning 1 serving. You would need to weigh your actual ingredients used to get anything accurate, it’s just provided as a rough estimate.