Last Updated on August 17, 2022 by Karen
Sweet, tart, and refreshing. Strawberry Pink Lemonade is the drink you want to sip on at the beach, the park, or your Fourth of July cookout!
Pink lemonade is one of those summer classic recipes like Southern Peach Sweet Tea, Kansas City-Style BBQ Sauce, and Homemade Choco Taco (Klondike copycat hack!) that make you think “I could totally just go buy this at the store.” But before you buy another carton of pink lemonade mix or pink lemonade concentrate from the store, give this recipe a try. You’ll find that there is nothing like the tart, fresh flavors you get from homemade pink lemonade!
To make this sweet, tart, refreshing drink, you just need three ingredients. Not to mention that the bright pink tinge makes it so pretty, and you can be rest assured that it’s not from red food coloring.
This is the drink you want to make a big pitcher of for the beach, the park, or your Fourth of July cookout.
What is pink lemonade?
Pink lemonade is a beverage made from lemon juice, sugar, water, and artificial or natural pink dye for coloring. The earliest recipe for it is from the Science in the Kitchen book from 1892, which called for “a half a cup of fresh or canned strawberry, red raspberry, currant or cranberry juice” for the pink color. These days, lots of beverage companies like Minute Maid, Country Time, Koolaid, and Snapple have their version of pink lemonade.
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this Strawberry Pink Lemonade:
Lemon: Fresh lemons work best in this drink recipe. Sometimes if I can find Meyer lemons, I like to use them, as they are more juicy and taste sweeter. You can also use bottled lemon juice in a pinch.
Sugar: Granulated sugar is used for this recipe. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your taste preference.
Strawberries: You can use fresh strawberries or frozen ones if fresh strawberries are not in season.
How to Make Strawberry Pink Lemonade from scratch:
1. Make a strawberry flavored simple syrup. After simmering fresh strawberries, sugar, and water for 10 minutes, the strawberries will become soft and jammy.
2. Mix the strawberry simple syrup together with lemon juice and water in a pitcher or individual glasses. Garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices if you’d like.
By the way, you can save the leftover strained strawberries for other uses! It’s so delicious stirred into some oatmeal or Greek yogurt. Sometimes I’ll even use the strawberries in my fruit smoothie.
Can I make this Strawberry Pink Lemonade ahead of time?
Yes. Make a large pitcher of this pink lemonade and keep it chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also make the strawberry syrup ahead of time, and mix it with the lemon juice and water right before serving. When you’re ready to serve, fill a tall glass with ice, then add enough pink lemonade to fill it most of the way.
How long does the strawberry simple syrup last?
You can store the strawberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can you use a natural sweetener instead of refined sugar?
Yes, instead of using granulated sugar, you can make an unsweetened strawberry syrup by simply simmering it in water (do not add the sugar). Let it cool and add maple syrup, honey, or even zero calorie sweetener like monkfruit to taste.
Can you make this Strawberry Pink Lemonade alcoholic?
Yes, you can certainly spike it with alcohol if you like. For pink lemonade with vodka, you can add a 1 oz shot of vodka (such as Smirnoff Vodka Pink Lemonade) per glass. A splash of limoncello (an Italian lemon-flavored liquor) also adds extra lemon flavor and a little extra alcohol into the drink.
What are some variations to this Strawberry Pink Lemonade drink?
– Try this drink with sparkling water for a sparkling pink lemonade drink.
– Make a Starbucks Copycat Blended Strawberry Lemonade (frozen strawberry lemonade) by blending the strawberry lemonade with ice until it becomes slushy. You can also blend it with frozen strawberries instead of ice for extra strawberry flavor.
– As an alternative to strawberry pink lemonade, you can use watermelon, raspberry, pomegranate, or cranberries for the pink color.
– You can make a shortcut pink lemonade with storebought or homemade lemonade mixed with grenadine (a sweet, tart red syrup traditionally made from pomegranates)
If you like refreshing drinks made with strawberries, you’ll love these recipes:
Watermelon Coconut Agua Fresca
Strawberry Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 cups water divided
- 1 cup strawberries hulled and quartered
- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice cubes
- Lemon slices and strawberries for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, 1 cup of water, and strawberries. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, stirring often, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow the strawberries to steep in the syrup for at least 30 minutes. Strain the syrup through a wire mesh strainer into a glass jar. Refrigerate until ready for use.
- In a large pitcher, combine remaining 4 cups of water and lemon juice. Add strawberry simple syrup to sweeten the drink to taste.
- Serve chilled with ice cubes, lemon slices, and strawberries if desired.
