Easy Strawberry Lemonade

This homemade strawberry lemonade recipe is easy enough for a kid's lemonade stand and they can make it all by themselves! Customers will love this fresh lemonade recipe.

Every summer my kids and I love to buy bottles of premade pink lemonade for the nights we grill out on the patio. I try to buy the brand that has the fewest amount of ingredients, but even still "pink" isn't exactly a real flavor. 

I think one of the very best parts about cooking with kids is introducing them to what an all-natural, homemade version of some of their favorite foods looks like when you make it from scratch.

My girls were surprised to hear that the pink lemonades they love often have raspberry flavoring to give it that color. 

I thought it would be fun to try making a homemade strawberry lemonade recipe with them this spring so they could see the fresh ingredients involved in making their favorite summer drink.

Ingredients

You only need to pick up a few items to make this homemade lemonade:

• Fresh lemons
• Fresh (or frozen) strawberries
• Sugar
• Fresh mint (optional)

Fresh or Frozen Strawberries

This strawberry lemonade is at it's best when you can buy fresh strawberries from your local pick-your-own farm or farmer's market.

This year, I just couldn't wait. Our strawberries are just barely coming into season here in the Carolinas and the farmer's market hasn't opened yet. I had to buy a quart of strawberries from the grocery store instead but it still worked out great.

If you need something to brighten up a dreary long winter, you could easily make this strawberry lemonade recipe with frozen strawberries that have been thawed, too.

It would make a fun treat to enjoy with a tropical-themed dinner menu to spice things up!

Make Ahead Tips

To keep things nice and fresh, I would make the lemonade just a day or so in advance of when you will need it.

You may find the strawberry juice settles as it sits in the fridge, simply give it a good stir and you're ready to go.

How to Garnish Your Lemonade

The obvious garnish would be to add some whole strawberries or lemon slices to your cup so guests know the flavors to expect.

If you want to add a fun spin to the lemonade, try adding a sprig or two of one of the following fresh herbs:

• Basil: this is one of my favorite combos with strawberries! In fact, a basil garnish would help the drink fit right in with this kid-friendly Italian dinner menu.
• Rosemary
• Mint

Easy for Kids to Make

Kids are totally capable of making this easy strawberry lemonade all on their own.

The simple tasks they will need to do include:

• Wash the strawberries and trim the tops off with a butterknife
• Puree the strawberries in a blender
• Pour the strawberry puree through a fine mesh collander into a bowl to remove the seeds
• Wash the lemons and cut them in half with a butterknife 
• Squeeze the lemon juice into a pitcher
• Measure and pour the water and sugar into the pitcher
• Add the strawberry puree and pour

I wrote the recipe below to match the same format as my cookbook for kids. I want you to be able to print this recipe off and hand it to your child. Let them take the lead on making it and wait for them to ask you for the help they need.

If you think they will enjoy being in charge in the kitchen, you might want to check out this simple Italian dinner menu I wrote to go with this strawberry lemonade. All the recipes there use the same kid-friendly format, too!

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Strawberry Lemonade

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This easy strawberry lemonade recipe is perfect for kids to make for a lemonade stand. It's the perfect way to have a taste of summer all year long.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 5 lemons
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• 3 cups cold water
• Fresh mint for serving (optional)

Instructions

Hey Kids, please get us started!:

Set out the pitcher you plan to use for your lemonade.

Rinse all the lemons and pat them dry with a towel. Cut one lemon in half at a time using a butterknife. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a liquid measuring cup. When you've got the juice from both halves, cut the next lemon. You only need 1 cup of lemon juice, you may not need all 5 lemons if they are extra juicy. Save the rest for garnish or another recipe.

Remove any lemon seeds from the juice with a spoon. Pour the lemon juice into your pitcher. Measure the sugar and add it to the lemon juice in the pitcher. Stir them together with a long-handled spoon until the sugar dissolves.

Rinse the strawberries under cold water and drain them. Cut off all the green tops with a butterknife and place the berries in the pitcher of a blender. Put the lid on the blender and then puree the strawberries until smooth. You might want to ask mom or dad about which button you need on your specific blender.

Hey Parents, it's your turn:

Help your child to pour the strawberry puree through a mesh colander into a small bowl to remove the seeds and pulp.

Teamwork gets it done:

Add the strawberry puree to the pitcher and stir to combine. Measure and add 3 cups of water and stir.

Store covered in the refrigerator until serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves if you like.