This Watermelon Lemonade is a cool, non-alcoholic summer drink bursting with watermelon flavor and fresh lemons!
It's one of our FAVORITES, right behind Blackberry Pear Lemonade, and Brazilian Limeade, some other family-friendly summer mocktails.
Homemade watermelon lemonade is a refreshing summer drink and one of my favorites for Memorial Day and the 4th of July/ Independence day, especially with a few sprigs of mint and maybe a sugared rim on the glass for fun.
Benefits include eating watermelon and your kitchen smelling like lemons! Then at the end, you get AMAZING LEMONADE. I use a secret ingredient to make it extra lovely.
Ingredients
Here's what we're working with:
- Watermelon - seedless
- Lemons - juice of
- Sugar - white granulated
- Vanilla Extract << this is the secret to the BEST lemonade!
- Mint - for garnish
The measurements are always in the recipe card below!
What happens when you mix watermelon with lemonade?
Magic happens. Tangy, beautiful, lemony magic. Watermelon is over 90% water, with plenty of vitamins like A & C, and minerals like magnesium and potassium.
Both Watermelon and Lemons contain antioxidants, which means that even though there is quite a bit of sugar in this drink, there are some benefits (besides feeling super happy about it) to drinking it!
Instructions
This watermelon lemonade is SO simple to put together, especially if you have a blender! The only messy parts are preparing the watermelon and squeezing the lemons.
START by blending 6-7 cups of cubed seedless watermelon. You'll want to strain it to get rid of the pulp before using it in the lemonade.
JUICE the lemons and strain the pulp and seeds out as well to make 1 cup. You'll need 5-8 lemons depending on the size and juiciness of the lemons.
MIX the water, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla into a pitcher that holds up to one gallon. Pour in watermelon juice and mix well.
ADD 2-3 cups of ice to serve, or use fancy large cubed or spheres of ice.
GARNISH with mint sprigs, lemon wedges, or small watermelon wedges.
How do you store Watermelon Lemonade?
You can store this lemonade refrigerated for about 3 days. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months and save it for later!
When you thaw it, be sure NOT to use a microwave, just let it thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a couple of days. A microwave would zap the good nutrients out of the juice, and probably some of the delicious watermelon flavor.
Tips and variations
- I recommend using seedless watermelon for this recipe, it is much easier to blend and strain!
- Make sure to use vanilla extract. It's the secret to making the flavors POP.
- This version is a little stronger so you can add extra ice without losing flavor.
- Add a little ginger beer to the glass of lemonade for a fun summer mocktail!
If you like this recipe, remember to rate and share it on your favorite social media channel!
📝 Printable Recipe
Watermelon Lemonade
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 pitcher (holds 1 gallon)
- 1 lemon squeezer
- 1 strainer
- 1 long handled spoon
Ingredients
- 4 cups strained watermelon juice (about 7 cups cubed watermelon)
- 1 cup lemon juice (5-8 lemons)
- 6 cups cold water
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups ice to serve
- Optional, mint to garnish
Instructions
- Blend about 7 cups cubed watermelon into juice, then strain to make 4 cups of watermelon juice.
- Squeeze 5-8 lemons and strain pulp and seeds out to make 1 cup fresh lemon juice.
- In a 1 gallon pitcher, combine water, white granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix well until sugar is completely dissolved. Then add watermelon juice.
- Add ice to serve, garnish optionally with mint sprigs, lemon wedges, or small sliced watermelon wedges.
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