Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

I finally broke down (or rather, my 10-year-old bender finally broke down) and bought a Ninja Ultima blender — seriously, best investment for the kitchen this summer. This thing doesn’t just blend, it pulverizes! Anything and everything I put in it! Needless to say, I’ve been on a juice and smoothie kick the last few…

Linda Ly

Written by Linda Ly

Fresh strawberry lemonade
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I finally broke down (or rather, my 10-year-old bender finally broke down) and bought a Ninja Ultima blender — seriously, best investment for the kitchen this summer. This thing doesn’t just blend, it pulverizes! Anything and everything I put in it!

Needless to say, I’ve been on a juice and smoothie kick the last few weeks. I’m not one of those green juice gals though. I love the fruits we’ve been picking from our garden (right now, our citrus and bananas are out of control) and the farmers’ market berries I’ve been buying every other week. I’m even making my own version of the Nutty Dang, my favorite smoothie from my favorite coffeeshop in Rincón, Puerto Rico. (In fact, that was the first drink I attempted in the Ninja… but with a heaping scoop of Greek fro-yo instead of milk.)

Most days though, I’m blending up baskets of berries to pair with the bottomless lemonade coming out of the backyard. Strawberry lemonade is my favorite, though you can also make this with blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, mulberries, or even a mix of all. It’s the kind of drink you want to sip on a hot summer day and share with friends outside.

Happy Solstice!

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Makes 10 cups (enough to fill a pitcher)

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

For the Strawberry Puree
2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
1/2 cup water

For the Lemonade
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cups water
5 strawberries, thinly sliced lengthwise

Making Your Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

To make the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the strawberry puree by adding the strawberries and water to a blender and pureeing until smooth.

Strawberries

In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, and remaining water. Pour in the strawberry puree and stir it all together. Add the strawberry slices and chill before serving.

Blended strawberries
Strawberry lemonade
Yield: 10 cups

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

Fresh strawberry lemonade

 It’s the kind of drink you want to sip on a hot summer day and share with friends outside.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar

For the Strawberry Puree

  • 2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered
  • 1/2 cup water

For the Lemonade

  • 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 5 cups water
  • 5 strawberries, thinly sliced lengthwise

Instructions

  1. To make the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, and let cool.
  3. Meanwhile, make the strawberry puree by adding the strawberries and water to a blender and pureeing until smooth.
  4. In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, and remaining water.
  5. Pour in the strawberry puree and stir it all together. Add the strawberry slices and chill before serving.

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© Linda Ly
Category: Everyday Eats & Sweets
Linda Ly

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in Time, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The National Parks Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »

38 Comments

  1. Yummy! Silly question.. when’s the simple syrup go in? As needed or all in with everything else?

    Reply

  2. Your recipes that use parts of the plant I’ve never thought of using before are my favorite! That leads me to wonder, can you use the tops of strawberries and/or leaves for anything?

    Reply

    1. If you like to make smoothies, you can certainly toss an entire strawberry (top and all) into a blender. Strawberry leaves are also edible. If you grow strawberries at home, take a bite – the leaves have a really lovely, fruity flavor. It’s advised to use completely fresh or completely dried leaves however, as the plant starts to create chemical compounds when its leaves are picked (it’s a natural part of their defense mechanism). So you shouldn’t harvest leaves and try to store them for a few days; it’s best to eat them right away. You can steep the leaves for tea to take advantage of their many medicinal benefits.

      Reply

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