This Homemade Lemonade is made with just 3 ingredients – sugar, water, and lemons! The perfect refreshing, thirst-quenching drink to keep in your fridge all summer long!

Craving more of a frozen treat? Try our Chick-fil-A copycat Frosted Lemonade, also wonderful for hot days by the pool.

3 Ingredient Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Is there anything that says “summer” more than a glass of sweet-but-tart lemonade? While the powdered mixes can be convenient, there’s nothing quite as good or refreshing as a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade.

Homemade lemonade can be made with just 3 ingredients – water, sugar, and lemons. As long as you have fresh lemons on hand, you can whip up this easy lemonade recipe anytime, all summer long. We always like to keep a pitcher in the fridge for those hot afternoons!

Lemonade Recipe Ingredients

There are just 3 ingredients needed to make homemade lemonade – and you likely have them all in your kitchen.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements)

• Water
• Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed is a must! Lemonade should not be made with bottled lemon juice, the flavor will not be great.
• Granulated sugar – Sugar is necessary for sweetness and to balance out the tart citrus.

How Many Lemons Do You Need To Make Homemade Lemonade?

This will depend on how much lemonade you’re making and the size of the lemons but for this recipe, which makes 4 generous servings of lemonade, you need 1 & 1/4 cups of lemon juice, which is about 6 large lemons. If you have smaller lemons, you may need 7 or 8. Be sure to use only fresh squeezed lemon juice in your lemonade.

How to Make Lemonade

Here’s a summary of how to make this easy homemade lemonade.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements)

• Make the sugar-water. Heat half of the water in a small pot with the sugar, whisking until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is crystal clear.
• Juice the lemons. Juice the lemons. Strain the juice if you don’t want any pulp.
• Combine & chill. Add the remaining water to a pitcher, followed by the lemon juice and sugar-water. Stir to combine then chill for at least 2 hours.

Recipe Variations

• Pink lemonade. To make pink lemonade you can add a couple of tablespoons of grenadine until you get your desired color.
• Limeade or grapefruitade. You can also use this ratio for limeade or grapefruitade. Just replace the lemon juice with lime or grapefruit juice.
• Orangeade. If you want to make orangeade, I would cut the sugar in half since oranges are naturally sweet. You can also use a mix of citrus juices for a fun twist!
• Strawberry lemonade. Want some fresh strawberries in your drink? Try out strawberry lemonade recipe.
• Boozy lemonade. Feel free to add in some vodka for a grown up drink.

Serving Suggestions

Once chilled (this is partially so the flavors have time to rest), I only suggest pouring this over ice to serve and not adding ice directly to the pitcher. This will water down the lemonade. Feel free to garnish your glass with a cherry, lemon slices, or even muddle some mint at the bottom for mint lemonade.

Proper Storage

Homemade lemonade with lemon juice will last in the fridge for up to 10 days. You do want to keep it covered, either in a jug or bottle or covered pitcher. Stir before serving and enjoy!

More Summer Drink Recipes:

• Shirley Temple Drink
• Boba Tea
• Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade
• Wendy’s Frosty
• Mexican Horchata
• Strawberry Sweet Tea

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!