Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Lemonade is a lightly sweetened and refreshing drink that’s perfect for the warm days of spring and summer.

It’s that time of year again – Easter.

Better known as the day we eat chocolate and candy all day, then pack in a complete dinner of ham and all of its accompaniments. And don’t forget dessert – no Easter would be complete without that. Despite all of its sugar-laden glory (or perhaps because of it), I love Easter. In fact, when I was a kid, I probably would have said I preferred Easter over Christmas (even though I got stacks of presents every Christmas).  I think it’s the fact that it happens in the Spring, right around when the weather is starting to turn around that makes it that much more appealing to me.

That being said, I’ve been trying to dial it back on the sweets at Easter, and in general recently. While in previous years I’ve packed my freezer with loads of homemade Easter goodies, this year the only thing I made was Peeps. And the Easter bunny might be bringing a few store-bought goodies too. But our Easter bunny also brings some non-sugary treats – things like a new book, little toys and craft supplies.

If you’re also interested in pulling in the reigns on your kids’ sugar intakes, but still want them to feel like they’re getting a treat, try this Strawberry Lemonade. It’s made with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, water, and sugar. I usually make it more on the sour side, which is how it tastes with 1/2 cup of sugar (as per the recipe, below). This is how my kids like it too. Taste it after adding 1/2 cup of sugar (make sure it’s dissolved) and add more, small amounts at a time, until it tastes good to you. While 1/2 cup sugar may sound like a lot, this recipe makes about 10 cups of lemonade, so it’s only about 2.5 teaspoons or 13 grams per cup, which is lower than the same portion of unsweetened orange juice.

I have also made this with powdered Stevia, and while my kids loved it, I have never been a huge fan of the way Stevia tastes, and it really wasn’t for me.

I make this strawberry lemonade when I have leftover strawberries that are on their way out (this happens often, as pretty much every second time I buy a big container of strawberries from Costco, my kids decide they no longer like strawberries). It’s also good frozen and turned into popsicles. Also, try adding vodka to it. So versatile!

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Strawberry Lemonade

A lightly sweetened strawberry lemonade that is perfectly refreshing for hot days.

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings: 10 cups

Calories: 60kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound Strawberries, stemmed, cored and cut in half
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups lemon juice (from 8 lemons)
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar (or more to taste, or your favorite sweetener - see note)

Instructions

• Add strawberries and 2 cups of the water to a blender. Blend until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer in to a large pitcher. Discard the seeds and pulp. 
• Stir in the remaining 5 cups water, lemon juice and sugar into the pitcher with the strawberry mixture. Stir until sugar is dissolved, adding more to taste as desired. Chill before serving.

Notes

With 1/2 cup sugar, the lemonade will still be quite sour. But I like to use this as a starting point, and add more little bits at a time until you get to the sweetness you desire. 

I have also made this recipe using powdered Stevia instead of sugar - I used about 1/4 cup to get to a level of sweetness that tasted good to me.

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal

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Strawberry Lemonade Nutrition Notes:

Keep in mind that if you add more than the 1/2 cup sugar that is in the recipe, your strawberry lemonade will be higher in sugar and calories. Also, if you make it with a non-caloric sweetener, like Stevia, your lemonade will be lower in sugar and calories.