Easy Strawberry Lime Lemonade Recipe

Quench your summertime thirst with this incredibly easy Strawberry Lemonade recipe. This is the recipe your friends will be calling to get for years after you’ve served it!

Exaggeration? Nope! One of my friends called me to get this recipe literally 20 years after she had this refreshing drink at our house on a hot summer day. She thought that this pink lemonade would be perfect for her daughter’s baby shower!

Best of all, you don’t have a lot of added sugar by using simple syrup. Crystal Light lemonade packets make it super easy to make a large pitcher in minutes. 

Equipment needed:

• Large glass pitcher
• Drink muddler
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Darling glasses that we used

Simple Ingredients:

• Crystal Light Lemonade packets
• Fresh strawberries, washed
• Fresh Limes, washed
• 7 cups cold water (note: the directions call for 8 cups, but we like it a bit tangier and only add 7 cups)
• Ice cubes

Optional:

• 7 UP or sparkling water

Directions for our almost homemade lemonade:

1. Fill your pitcher with water. Add one packet of Crystal Light lemonade.

2. Cut the stems off of your sweet strawberries and quarter them. Place 2-3 strawberries in each glass and use the muller to squish them and release their natural flavor. 

3. Cut your limes into wedges and then cut each wedge in half.  Place 2 pieces of lime in each glass and mull them.

4. Fill your glasses with ice cubes and then pour prepared lemonade over them. It will have a beautiful pink hue.

If you are using the optional 7-up, leave an inch of space in each glass and pour the sparkling beverage on top. We love a bit of fizz in our lemonade and even order it this way in restaurants. 

Variations:

• Substitute frozen strawberries for fresh ripe strawberries.
• Use Strawberry puree or strawberry syrup instead of mashed fresh fruit.
• Use fresh lemons instead of limes for a more classic lemonade. Use lemon slices for garnish. 
• Use fresh or frozen raspberries instead of juicy strawberries for a raspberry lemonade. 
• Add a watermelon slice for a watermelon lemonade version 

Tips and Tricks:

If you do not like strawberry seeds in your drink, run the strawberries through a food processor and then use a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. 

If you’d like to make the entire homemade strawberry lemonade recipe in a pitcher, start by muddling the strawberries and lime slices in the pitcher. Once that is finished, add your water, ice cubes,  and Crystal Light packet. 

Any time you can add real fruit to a refreshing summer drink, do it: strawberry slices, lemon wedges, even a slice of kiwi. 

If your lemonade has a tendency to be watered down, freeze some lemonade in an ice cube tray and use that instead of regular ice.

We have seen many variations of ways to wash strawberries. Our favorite is to fill a bowl with cold water, and add white vinegar (3 parts water to 1 part vinegar). Place strawberries in the water and soak for 5-10 minutes. Drain strawberries and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. 

With the availability of fresh strawberry pints year-round at Costco, you do not need to wait until strawberry season to enjoy our perfect summer drink.

Any time of year is perfect for our delicious strawberry lemonade. This is our family’s personal favorite and we drink it year round. We absolutely love all things strawberry!

Having the ingredients (and lots of ice!) on hand to make the perfect refreshing summertime drink recipes is a brilliant way to beat the summer heat and make your home the neighborhood hangout during the summer months!

Nothing is better than a cold refreshing homemade drink on a warm day! 

Looking for more homemade drink recipes? We love coming up with new recipes that help to beat the summer heat. Make sure to try our layered patriotic red, white and blue drink recipe, perfect for the 4th of July but also a great option all summer long.