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Lemonade in glass pitcher with bowl of lemons and glass of lemonade.

Happy second day of spring!

I hope you are having a bright and sunny day wherever you are, and if not, maybe this Easy Homemade Lemonade recipe will be a reminder of the warmth that is surely on its way.

We have many lemon trees in our neighborhood, and my youngest loves to pick them and make lemonade. I think he actually loves the picking and juicing process more than he does actually drinking it!

Wooden bowl of freshly picked lemons and a glass of lemonade poured.

A few weeks ago, we went for a little bike ride and he loaded up my bike’s basket with fresh lemons, climbing high and low to reach all the best lemons. After squeezing the juice and mixing up this recipe, he asked if I would take some pictures and share this on “the blog” so here we are!

Wooden bowl of lemons with leaves attached from the front view with a dark grey background.

I know lemonade is a pretty simple thing, but there are a couple of things we’ve learned as we’ve made it at home that make it a little easier. The first trick is to make a simple syrup. This is just equal parts granulated sugar and water heated until the sugar dissolves. This makes for a smooth lemonade, without any graininess from the sugar crystals.

Top down view of wooden bowl of lemons with a glass of lemonade and lemon slices.

I’ve also learned that a pinch of salt makes a surprising difference in the taste! I’ve actually been reading about and experimenting with salt a lot lately after reading this book. If you are interested in not only making tasty food, but also the why behind the recipes, you should definitely check it out.

I learned that salt counteracts the bitterness that may be present, so the lemonade actually tastes sweeter and allows the true flavor of the lemon to come through. It’s a subtle thing, but fun to experiment with.

And do remember to taste your lemonade and adjust as needed. Not all lemons are created equal. Some are more sour than others. The flavors of lemons will even differ depending on when they are picked within the season.

Close up front view of glass of lemonade with lemon slices and crushed ice.

And of course, serve your Easy Homemade Lemonade with lots of ice and a slice or two of leftover lemons! Spring is here in sunny AZ and we are sippin’ and soakin’ up all the sunshine we can.

Before it gets too hot, and we all hibernate for summer.

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen

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Easy Homemade Lemonade

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews

Author: Julie
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Yield: 6 cups 1x
Category: Drinks
Cuisine: American

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Description

Here is an Easy Homemade Lemonade recipe with a few tips and tricks for making it taste especially delicious and refreshing.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups additional water
pinch of salt

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Instructions

In a small pan over medium heat, stir water and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large pitcher, stir together freshly squeezed lemon juice and cooled simple syrup (sugar and water). Add three additional cups of water and a pinch of salt. Stir and refrigerate.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories: 136
Sugar: 34g
Sodium: 38mg
Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 36g
Fiber: 0.3g
Protein: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg