Strawberry Lemonade

And here’s the fourth star in my Strawberry Week lineup: Strawberry Lemonade! Made with homemade strawberry simple syrup and fresh lemons, I think this the best I’ve ever had – and lemonade has been my favorite my whole life, so I’ve had a lot.

This recipe is almost as easy as the one for Roasted Strawberry Jam that I dropped earlier this week. I hope you’ll let me know what you think of this if you try it by coming back and leaving a comment and rating.

Lemons, Strawberries, and Sugar Oh My!

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Strawberry Lemonade recipe:

• Strawberries: It’s strawberry season in North Carolina so I am awash with fresh strawberries of magnificent quality and flavor. If you aren’t that’s OK! Frozen berries will work just fine. Thaw them before using, no need to drain them.
• Lemons: You’ll need about 8 medium-sized lemons, give or take. Roll them around on the counter vigorously to loosen the juice and pulp, which will make them easier to juice. You can also put them in the microwave for a few seconds. I like to keep the pulp in my Strawberry Lemonade, so I only pick out the seeds.
• Sugar, salt: Regular ol granulated sugar! I use organic cane sugar, but either one works. And the secret ingredient: salt. Just a pinch! It just elevates the strawberry flavor in our Strawberry Lemonade. Don’t omit it, you should trust me by now. You know how strawberries aren’t really ‘sweet’? Well, the salt brings out the complex flavors they have.
• Water, ice: Filtered water is what I always use, for everything, from the Brita pitcher in my fridge. Make sure the ice cubes are decently sized so they don’t water down the Strawberry Lemonade.

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Strawberry Lemonade recipe:

• Pick a method. If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok you’ll see that I used the oven method in the video for this recipe, but most often when I make this Strawberry Lemonade I normally use the stovetop method. I don’t find either to be easier or better than the other, so I’m providing both. The oven method is more hands-off but more time intensive.
• Stovetop. Add the strawberries, sugar, salt, and two cups of water to a medium-sized saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and cover with a lid. Allow the strawberries to steep, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and the liquid starts to become frothy. When this happens, increase the heat to high and bring everything to a boil. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved, then remove the pan from heat. Set it aside. 
• Alternatively, use the oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a large oven-safe dish add the strawberries, salt, sugar, and two cups of water. Roast in the oven until the berries have collapsed and are floating in a floaty liquid, about 40-45 minutes. Continue on with the Strawberry Lemonade recipe.
• Strain it. Place a mesh sieve over a large bowl or measuring cup and pour the strawberries into it, straining out the liquid. Use a spoon to press the strawberries into the mesh to express any liquid trapped in them. You should have around 3 cups of strawberry simple syrup now, possibly more depending on how juicy the berries were. Reserve the strawberry puree left behind. 
• Start building the Strawberry Lemonade. Add all of the remaining water along with the ice cubes and lemon juice to your pitcher. Give it a good stir. Pour 3 cups of the strawberry simple syrup into the pitcher and stir. Taste it. Add the remainder of strawberry simple syrup if you’d like it sweeter.
• Still not sweet enough? If you have an extreme sweet tooth you can add granulated sugar at this point too, about 1/4 C at a time, making sure to stir vigorously after each addition. 
• Chill and serve. Once you’re happy with the flavor, pop on the lid and stick the pitcher in the fridge. Allow the Strawberry Lemonade to chill completely, about 4 hours or so, before serving.  Add a bit of the strawberry puree you saved to the bottom of each glass before pouring in the lemonade. Garnish the top with a lemon wedge. 

Obligatory Pinterest Graphic –

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