Strawberry Or Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

Make the simple sweetened lemon base: In a pitcher, combine 1 cup fresh lemon juice and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. If sugar resists dissolving, warm 1/2 cup of the water in the microwave or on the stove until slightly warm, stir the sugar into the warm water to dissolve, then add to the pitcher.

Add water: Pour in 5 1/2 cups cold water (reserve 1 cup if you plan to add club soda for fizz). Stir to combine and taste. Adjust sweetness by adding up to 1 tablespoon honey or simple syrup if needed.

Chill and ice: Add 4 cups of ice to the pitcher or prepare glasses with ice. Keep the base chilled while you prepare fruit or cucumber components.

Prepare the strawberry purée

Place the 2 cups hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, about 20–30 seconds. If you prefer a smoother texture, strain the purée through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove seeds and pulp.

Combine with lemonade

Stir 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the strawberry purée into the prepared lemonade base, depending on how strong and sweet you want the strawberry flavor. Taste and adjust: add more purée for stronger flavor or a touch of honey/simple syrup if it needs sweetness.

Serve

Pour strawberry lemonade into glasses filled with ice. Top each glass with a splash (about 2 tbsp) of club soda if using. Garnish with sliced strawberries and a lemon wheel. Serve immediately.

Prepare the cucumber purée

Place the 1 cup chopped cucumber and optional 6 of the mint leaves into a blender. Purée until smooth, about 20–30 seconds. Optionally strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove fibrous bits for a silky lemonade.

Muddle alternate (no blender)

If no blender is available, place chopped cucumber and mint leaves into a bowl or pitcher and muddle with the back of a spoon or muddler to release juices. Press firmly until liquid is released, then strain solids through a sieve, pressing to extract as much juice as possible.

Combine with lemonade

Stir 3/4 to 1 cup of cucumber purée (or juice) into the prepared lemonade base. Taste and adjust: add more cucumber for a greener flavor or up to 1 tablespoon honey/simple syrup if it tastes too tart.

Serve

Pour cucumber lemonade into glasses filled with ice. Add a splash of club soda to each glass if you want fizz. Garnish with cucumber slices and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

Batch adjustments: The recipe as written yields ~6 servings. If making just strawberry or just cucumber version, reserve the unused purée in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours to stir into additional lemonade or use over yogurt/oatmeal.

Balancing flavors: Always taste after adding fruit purée. Fruit adds natural sweetness and acidity; adjust with more water, lemon juice, or sweetener to suit preference.

Fizzy option: If using club soda, add it only to individual glasses to preserve carbonation. About 2–4 tbsp per glass gives a pleasant fizz without diluting flavor too quickly.