Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Prepare strawberries

Rinse and hull the fresh strawberries. Reserve 6 berries and 6 lemon slices for garnish; set aside. Roughly chop the remaining strawberries into quarters.

Make strawberry puree

Place the chopped strawberries, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt into a blender. Blend on high until smooth, about 30–45 seconds. Taste and add up to 1 tablespoon more sugar if berries are very tart. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or pitcher, pressing with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds and solids left in the sieve.

Juice lemons

Juice fresh lemons until you have 1 cup (about 4–6 lemons depending on size). Remove any seeds.

Combine base

In a 2-quart pitcher, combine the strained strawberry puree, 1 cup fresh lemon juice, and 3 cups cold water. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust: add up to 1/4 cup more sugar (stir until dissolved) for sweetness or more water to dilute if too strong.

Chill and serve

Fill glasses with ice. Pour strawberry lemonade over ice, stirring once in the pitcher before pouring if separation has occurred. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice, a halved strawberry on the rim, and a sprig of fresh mint if using. Serve immediately.

Make ahead and store

If not serving right away, refrigerate the lemonade in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving; add fresh ice and garnishes when ready to serve.