Making Mint Lemonade (Limonana) requires only 3 basic ingredients and a few minutes. Poured over ice, this drink is so refreshing!

Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Nut Free | Vegan | Vegetarian

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My family has a favorite shawarma place that we go to often. We order the same thing pretty much every time we go. One of the menu items that we order comes with a drink, and one of the drink options the restaurant offers is house-made fruit juice. They have several types, but one of the options is a pale green mint lemonade. We order this option a lot.

While the restaurant doesn’t include the ingredient list on their juices, I got curious the last time we went and looked it up. I learned that Mint Lemonade is a common Middle Eastern drink also known as Limonana. The next time I happened to buy a bunch of mint for another recipe, I decided to make a test batch.

Two glasses of Middle Eastern Mint Lemonade with ice.

I enlisted my son to help, since he is the household lemonade-maker. We added our ingredients to the blender (I insisted on using a bit more sugar than he normally does – he likes it sour), and blended until it looked like the lemonade at the restaurant – pale green with tiny bits of mint floating around. We poured it through a fine mesh strainer to remove some of the excess mint, and served it over ice.

The result was absolutely delicious! Citrusy with just a hint of mint. So refreshing! I plan to make so much of this extra-special lemonade this summer when my mint is overflowing its pot in the backyard.

How to Make Mint Lemonade

To make this lemonade, start by prepping your ingredients. Rinse the mint, remove the leaves from the stems, and measure out one cup of mint leaves.

If you plan to use fresh lemon juice, cut the lemons in half and juice them by hand or with a citrus juicer (it’s easiest to pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the seeds). Measure out one cup of lemon juice.

Add the mint, lemon juice, sugar, and water to a blender and blend until the liquid is pale green with small flecks of mint floating in it. If you plan to serve the lemonade immediately or want it a bit slushy, you could also blend some ice into the mixture.

If you’d like to remove some of the mint flecks, feel free to pour the lemonade through a fine-mesh strainer, but this will only remove the larger bits. This step is optional.

Pour the lemonade over ice into the glass of your choice. If desired, garnish the lemonade with slices, wedges, or twists of lemon, and/or additional mint leaves or sprigs. Store any leftover lemonade in a bottle or pitcher in the fridge.

An overhead photo of two glasses of Middle Eastern Mint Lemonade with ice.

Mint Lemonade Ingredients

Making this refreshing mint lemonade only requires a few ingredients – three that don’t come directly out of your faucet.

Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best, freshest flavor, but bottled lemon juice will work just fine too. If you plan to use fresh lemon juice, buy 6-7 lemons to get enough juice. You might also consider keeping an extra lemon on hand to use for garnishing your lemonade.
Granulated sugar – I used regular granulated sugar for this recipe, but if your water is very cold, it might take longer for it to dissolve (the blender will help with this). Superfine sugar will dissolve more quickly and easily. Superfine sugar is simply sugar that is processed into a fine powder, and is easy to make at home in a food processor. Don’t substitute powdered sugar, as it contains starch.
Fresh mint leaves – You’ll want to use just the leaves, no stems. Make sure to rinse the mint before adding it to your lemonade. If you’ve ever grown mint before, you will know that it comes in a lot of varieties. If you’re buying it from a grocery store, you likely won’t have a choice, but if you’re growing it yourself, simply choose whichever mint variety you like the best. Use any extra mint leaves or sprigs to garnish your lemonade.
Cold water – Use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
Ice – You’ll probably want to serve your lemonade over ice, for the coldest, most refreshing drink possible. You can also blend a little ice into your lemonade to make it slightly slushy, and/or colder if you plan to serve it immediately.

Want more refreshing non-alcoholic drink recipes?

Strawberry Lemonade - Lightly sweetened and perfectly refreshing — Strawberry Lemonade

Glass of strawberry shrub with rosemary garnish — Strawberry Balsamic Shrub with Rosemary

A non-alcholic lime margarita over ice in a smoky grey margarita glass. — Smoky Non-Alcoholic Lime Margarita

Mint Lemonade Nutrition Notes

The nutrition information below is for one-sixth of the recipe, or just under a cup of lemonade. If your glass contains more than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.

This recipe is vegan and gluten-free as written.

Carissa Serink