Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Prep and macerate

Place the hulled and quartered strawberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over the berries. Toss gently to combine and let macerate for 10–15 minutes until strawberries release their juices.

Blend and strain

Transfer the macerated strawberries and their juices to a blender. Purée until smooth, about 20–30 seconds. For a silky lemonade, pour the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds and pulp left in the sieve (or reserve for another use). You should have roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of purée.

Make simple syrup

In a heatproof measuring cup or small saucepan, combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup hot water. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved to make a simple syrup. Let the syrup cool for 5–10 minutes.

Juice lemons

While the syrup cools, juice enough lemons to yield 1 cup (approximately 4–5 lemons). Strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds and excess pulp if desired.

Combine base

In a large pitcher, combine the strained lemon juice and the cooled simple syrup. Add 3 cups cold water and stir well. Taste and adjust: if too sweet, add a little more lemon juice; if too tart, add a bit more water or syrup. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes if not assembling immediately.

Combine purée with lemonade

Pour the strawberry purée into the pitcher with the lemonade base. Stir gently until the mixture is evenly combined and has a uniform pink color. If you prefer a layered look, pour slowly over the back of a spoon to float the purée briefly before stirring.

Serve

Fill 4 tall glasses with ice cubes (about 1/2 cup ice per glass). Pour the strawberry lemonade over the ice, dividing evenly. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice, a strawberry half on the rim, and 2 mint leaves if using.

Storage

Store any leftover strawberry lemonade in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir or shake before serving, as separation may occur. Do not freeze, as texture will change.