This homemade lemonade recipe is the best lemonade you will ever try! With a surprising step you'll never guess, this will be a new family favorite this summer! Try it today!
Everyone thinks they make the best ever homemade lemonade right? And every one has their own special way of making this classic drink.
But when my friend told me about her lemonade recipe, the surprising step she added had me intrigued! I had a feeling it would be a game changer, and I was right!
Squeeze some lemons, add water and sugar to taste. That's it for most people. But not my friend Melissa! Oh no, she had to take lemonade to a whole new level!
Forget mint lemonade, or strawberry lemonade. This classic version will knock your socks off and leave you smacking your lips and looking for more!
Best Ever Homemade Lemonade
The surprising step takes place right off the bat! Instead of juicing the lemons, sweetening the juice and moving on, this recipe starts with a completely different take on the classic lemonade recipe!
Step One:
First, peel 5 lemons, place the peels in a bowl, and cover them with sugar. I use 1 cup of white sugar, others like 1.5 cups instead.
Let this mix soak for an hour to really pull out all the oils and flavor from the lemon peels!
Step Two:
After the hour is up, pour 1 gallon of boiling water over the mixture.
If you don't have a bowl large enough to hold a gallon of water, just pour the peel and sugar mix into the pot in which you boiled the water!
Let this mix soak for another hour
Step Three:
Juice your remaining lemons, or if you chose a mix of lemons and limes, juice whatever you have. 10 lemon and/or limes works best.
Remove the lemon peels from the boiling water soak and add the fresh juice. Stir well and taste. Add additional sugar as needed.
Step Four:
Your homemade lemonade is ready! You can pour it over ice right away, or chill for several hours before serving.
I prefer mine chilled for 4 hours in the fridge, then served straight without ice (as pictured).
Either way, this lemonade recipe is a winner!!
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Best Ever Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients
- 15 lemons optional: mix of lemons and limes
- 1-1.5 cup(s) sugar
- 1 gallon spring water
- Optional: Mint leaves
Instructions
- Peel 5 lemons. Place peels in a bowl and mix with 1 cup of sugar. Soak for an hour.
- Once an hour has passed, boil a gallon of water and pour the boiling water on the sugar/peel mix. Soak for another hour.
- Juice 10 lemons or a mix of lemons and limes.
- Remove the lemon peels from boiling water mix. Add juice to sugar water mix and stir well.
- Serve immediately over ice, or chill for several hours before serving.
Rebecca Parker says
I just told my husband last night that I needed to find a good lemonade recipe…….really, I did! How did you know? LOL! Seriously, thank you. I can’t wait to try it this weekend! Have a great day!
Victoria says
That’s great! I’m so glad all that consumer research is paying off ;-) Haha! Enjoy!
Johanna says
Wait, so the recipe calls for 15 lemons but 5 are only for the peel, and not to juice? Why not use the the peel AND juice? Seems like a waste.
Victoria says
Haha, you’re right Johanna! I found that most people don’t want to juice the peeled citrus, because it’s messy… so I wrote it that way. However, if you don’t mind then definitely just use 10 total, peel 5 of them and then juice them all! :-)
Karen says
Question: when you say peel the lemons, do you mean zest or whole white and yellow entire peel?
Victoria says
Hi Karen! It’s the actual peels, whole white and yellow (and green). I typed up the recipe the way my friend shared it, but someone else commented that you could juice all the citrus, then use 5 of the left over shells to soak. I haven’t tried that method, but I’m assuming it would work just fine! Enjoy!