A simple and refreshing homemade lemonade recipe! You only need sugar, water, and lemons to make this classic drink recipe. Check out the step-by-step video just below the recipe! This recipe makes 1/2 gallon of lemonade but can successfully be doubled!
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT5M
Total time: PT15M
Rating
4.92 stars (312 reviews)
Keywords
best lemonade, homemade lemonade recipe, lemonade
Ingredients
6 cups water (divided)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice¹ (seeds removed, pulp may remain )
Categories
Drinks
Cuisine
American
Steps
Combine 1 cup (236ml) water and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice into a pitcher. Add sugar/water mixture (simple syrup).
Add remaining 5 cups (1180ml) water and stir well. Pour over ice and serve, or transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill several hours before serving.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 8 oz glass
Calories: 103 kcal
Carbohydrates: 27 g
Sodium: 8 mg
Sugar: 26 g
Reviews
Kay on 2026-09-13 (4 stars): For folks who like more tart/less sweet lemonade, I recommend making all the simple syrup but then adding it little bit by bit while tasting. I forgot to do this and it was too sweet for me - BUT I had calamansi juice (so tart!) in my fridge. I added a generous amount of that and brought it to a balance I like :).
thank you for this recipe. it's a good starting point. with the leftover rinds I'm making overnight lemon syrup! and cleaned my garborator with one!
Billie on 2026-08-27 (5 stars): I minimize carbs and made the simple syrup using Monkfruit with Allulose sweetener. The ratio for replacing the sugar is 1:1. Delicious!!
Carrie Handy on 2026-08-24 (5 stars): This is my go-to recipe for homemade lemonade! My son and I love this!! Thanks for the recipe, and I'll be scrolling around the rest of your site for other good ideas.
Georgiana on 2026-08-21 (5 stars): thank you for a great recipe!
Riley j on 2026-08-19 (5 stars): this is rlly good thanks for the recipe !!🤤
Laura on 2026-08-18 (5 stars): Super delicious recipe!
I halved it to make a smaller batch and it was so tasty. Thank you!
Debbie Reitmulder on 2026-08-14 (5 stars): So refreshing!! Nothing like fresh squeezed lemonade on a hot summer day!! I used organic lemons which made it even better!! Here's a tip....after you have made your lemonade, cut up those leftover lemon rinds into small pieces. Then sprinkle them around your yard. It keeps the skunks away. They hate the smell of lemons.
JA Luna on 2026-08-13 (5 stars): This recipe is simple and delicious the only thing I recommend is taking the sugar level down to half or ¾ because the sugar can overwhelm the natural lemon flavor, but that's just our family's experience.
leo jasieiwcz on 2026-08-08 (5 stars): I liked it a lot!!
Todd on 2026-08-07 (5 stars): So 👍👍👍👍👍😍😍😍😍😍😘😘😘😘✔️✔️✔️🤩🤩🤩🤩😃😃😃😁😁😆😆🥰🥰😘😘😍😍😻😻
amanda on 2026-07-30 (5 stars): i made this for the first time and it only took 1 good try to get the freshest and most delicious lemonade ever
Eleanor Hauser on 2026-07-29 (5 stars): This recipe was so good we had a lemonade stand and we got $158.
Candace Manning on 2026-07-24 (5 stars): This is the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
