Skip the sugar and try making homemade lemonade with honey instead! Here’s a simple recipe for fresh lemonade, along with four delicious fruity variations to mix things up!
INGREDIENTS
For Homemade Lemonade:
- 6 cups water, divided
- ⅓ cup raw honey
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4-6 large lemons)
For Fruit Variations:
- Strawberry Lemonade:
- 1 lb strawberries (yielding ½ cup juice)
- 2 cups Homemade Lemonade (from the recipe above)
- Blueberry Lemonade:
- 2 pints blueberries (yielding ½ cup juice)
- 2 cups Homemade Lemonade (from the recipe above)
- Peach Lemonade:
- 3 cups chopped peaches (yielding ½ cup juice)
- 2 cups Homemade Lemonade (from the recipe above)
- Raspberry Lemonade:
- 1 cup raspberries (yielding ½ cup juice)
- 2 cups Homemade Lemonade (from the recipe above)
INSTRUCTIONS
Homemade Lemonade:
- In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with raw honey and heat gently until the honey dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool. Set aside.
- In a pitcher, add freshly squeezed lemon juice, followed by the honey syrup. Fill the pitcher with the remaining 5 cups of water. Stir to combine. This is your base honey-sweetened Homemade Lemonade.
For Strawberry Lemonade:
- Puree fresh strawberries in a blender until smooth.
- Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve to extract the juice.
- Pour ¼ cup of strawberry juice into a mason jar or tall glass, then add the Homemade Lemonade base. Top with ice cubes and stir.
For Blueberry Lemonade:
- Cook fresh blueberries in a saucepan over medium-high heat until they break down and release their juices, turning a darker color.
- Strain the blueberries through a fine mesh sieve to extract the juice.
- Pour ¼ cup of blueberry juice into a glass, then add the Homemade Lemonade base. Finish with ice cubes and stir.
For Peach Lemonade:
- Heat diced peaches in a saucepan over medium-high heat until soft and juicy, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the peaches through a fine mesh sieve to extract the juice.
- Pour ¼ cup of peach juice into a glass, fill with the Homemade Lemonade base, and add ice cubes to chill.
For Raspberry Lemonade:
- Puree fresh raspberries in a blender until smooth.
- Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve to extract the juice.
- Pour ¼ cup of raspberry juice into a mason jar or glass, then top with the Homemade Lemonade base. Add ice cubes to cool it down and stir.
Enjoy your refreshing, honey-sweetened lemonade and its fruity variations!
