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    Home » Recipes

    Easy Healthy Homemade Lemonade with Mint

    Published: Aug 20, 2021 · Modified: Aug 28, 2021 by Naiby · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Here's a homemade lemonade that uses half the added sugar in many traditional recipes. It's even without refined sugar. 

    It takes 10 minutes to prepare and is made with just three simple ingredients: freshly squeezed lemons, water, and natural sugar that is much less destructive than white sugar. 

    Two glasses of lemonade garnished with mint on a surface
    Homemade lemonade is a perfect thirst-quencher on hot summer days! 

    Why this Recipe Works

    For many of us who grew up in North America, the only lemonade we knew was this yellow and brown jar from Country Time®. 

    We took the powder from it, mixed it with water, and as if by magic, we obtained a tangy yellow drink that was sweet enough to burn our throats. And we all called it lemonade (I say, shaking my head). 

    Or, we had lemon juice that came from a squeeze bottle and mixed with table sugar, like Equal®. It's sadly still relevant today. In a large glass, we squeeze ten squirts of lemon, add three sachets of sweetener and water to fill. The result is a screaming yellow, wildly sour, wildly sweet liquid, the kind of thing that I'm pretty sure will strip tooth enamel on contact. 

    Lucky for all of us, there's a better way to get our lemonade fix (without having to go to the dentist, thank you).

    This homemade lemonade contains just three essential ingredients: freshly squeezed lemon juice (real lemons), coconut palm sugar (a natural sweetener), and water.

    It combines the right ratio of crisp lemon flavor and sweetness to create the best lemonade ever: a tangy lemonade. It also has a touch of mint, making it even more refreshing.

    Children will undoubtedly welcome it.

    What Do We Put in It?

    Lemonade ingredients spread out on a surface
    You only need three simple ingredients to make this healthy homemade lemonade. Mint intensifies the refreshing side. 

    Ingredient Notes

    • Coconut palm sugar – it's a sweetener made from the sap found in the flower buds of the coconut palm. Considered a natural sugar, it involves minimal processing, and no chemicals are used. It's a good substitute for granulated white sugar. 
    • Lemons – choose lemons that are devoid of a green tinge, firm, plump, and heavy for their size.
    • Springwater – for crystal clear taste, this is the right thing to do.
    • Mint – choose leaves that are evenly colored and do not appear to wilt.
    Jump to Recipe for the exact quantities

    Simple Substitutions and Add-ins

    • Coconut palm sugar – replace it with cane sugar (Moscovao or Sucanat), honey (non-vegan), agave syrup, or maple syrup for something "healthier" than refined white sugar. For a lighter, sugar-free lemonade, you could also use erythritol (if your stomach is used to it, as it can cause intestinal discomfort) or xylitol. Stevia is another option.
    • Lemons – for a sweeter taste, you can choose Meyers lemons from California, but they're only available in November and last until May. They're smaller, smoother, darker in color on the outside, and sweeter (and more expensive). You won't have to use as much sweetener.
    • Springwater – if your tap water tastes pretty decent, use it. For something more sophisticated, you can make this lemonade with sparkling water.
    • Mint – you can use other herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, or basil.
    • Fruit – add berries to make it more playful or puréed fruit for color.

    How to Make it Step by Step

    It begins with simple syrup—water and sugar, boiled briefly to dissolve— infused with strips of lemon zest ①. Then you filter the syrup and chill it in the fridge ②. After that—or, even better, while the simple syrup is brewing—you squeeze the lemons ③, which you combine with cold water and ice cubes ④.

    Step 1: Make the simple syrup (flavored with lemon)

    Montage of two photos showing how to make sugar syrup step by step
    Simple syrup can easily be made ahead and refrigerated for later use.

    Step 2: Make the lemonade

    Montage of two photos showing how to make lemonade step by step
    If you have a bunch of lemons to extract, you can squeeze them and freeze them juice too.

    I added a handful of mint leaves to the entire jar before cooling it down to have a homemade lemonade that tastes of refreshing mint, which pairs beautifully with the acidity of lemons ⑤. 

    Mint leaves dipped in a glass pitcher of lemonade

    Caution: If you like this idea, however, please note that the longer the mint leaves stay in the lemonade, the more it will taste minty.

    The Keys to Success: My Top Tips

    Buy quality lemons

    When buying lemons for lemonade, buy lemons that are big, heavy, and squeezable. If you've ever bought lemons just to cut them up and find that half the lemon is zesty and there is very little juice, welcome to the club. 

    For this reason, I always buy a few more. If I think I can get 1 cup of juice from six lemons, I buy eight.

    Note: Late-season lemons are less acidic than early-season lemons. Also, Meyer lemons are sweeter and juicier than standard lemons. They make amazing lemonade with a delicious sweet flavor. They're generally in season in winter and spring.

    Extract the lemon juice to the last drop

    Before squeezing the lemons, soak them in lukewarm water. 

    The heat relaxes the juice sachets and makes extracting the maximum amount of juice from each lemon easier. 

    Then, before cutting them in half, roll them on the counter with your palm, exerting some pressure. It also helps circulate the juice.

    For a fuller and more complex lemon flavor, steep lemon slices with the sugar in a bowl and store them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes if possible. Crushing lemon slices with sugar helps extract the oils in the lemon peel and adds a more fragrant citrus flavor.

    Don't ignore making sugar syrup (aka simple syrup)

    If you've ever tried to sweeten iced tea, you may have noticed that sugar doesn't dissolve well in cold liquids. In contrast, sugar syrup—a (usually) equal part mixture of sugar and water that has been briefly heated to help the sugar dissolve—mixes wonderfully in lemonade, iced tea, or cocktails.

    If you skip this step and mix the sugar, water, and lemon juice directly, the sugar will sink to the bottom.

    Well, if you want to do it your way, for the preparation of a small portion, add the sugar to the water and lemon juice in a shaker. For a large amount, tell me if you managed not to break your arm.

    Match it perfectly to your tastes 

    Start with the proportions of ½ cup of sugar for a slightly sweet lemonade or ¾ cup of sugar if you like it sweeter than that + 1 cup of water + 1 cup of lemon juice (or ¾ cup of lemon juice if you're worried about it being too tangy). Reduce the amount of sugar if you use Meyer lemons. 

    Essential Equipment

    • Zester – To get strips of zest, I use a zester with five teeth. You can use this one that is highly rated with consumers. 
    • Citrus juicer – I could squeeze my lemons in three ways (or even four, if I may say so): use my Slow masticating centrifuge would be overkill. What could be easier than squeezing lemons with it a wooden reamer or glass juicer with handle and spout. In fact, I always use my manual metal juicer.
    • Measuring cup – I use that one.
    • Fine-mesh sieve – I used a small sieve. It's worth having the whole set.
    • Container – pour your lemonade into a stoneware crock pot, ice bucket, or just a glass pitcher (I wish I had a pitcher like this).

    How to Serve this Drink

    This drink should be served cold. I love drinking it on its own after a hot morning or afternoon or with other summer dishes at barbecues, picnics, or poolside parties. 

    To make lemonade for one or two, simply divide the recipe by eight or four, respectively.

    This drink should be served cold. I love drinking it on its own after a hot morning or afternoon or with other summer dishes at barbecues, picnics, or poolside parties. 

    To make lemonade for one or two, simply divide the recipe by four or two, respectively.

    Other Creative Variations 

    Earlier, I talked about flavoring lemonade with herbs, but you could also:

    1. Decorate your lemonade with vanilla instead, or why not, lavender. 
    2. Qualify it rated R by preparing a lemonade with alcohol such as bourbon, tequila, whiskey, or vodka
    3. Add antioxidants by making a tea lemonade (green or black).
    4. Turn your lemonade into slush by adding lots of crushed ice cubes.
    5. Give it different shades by adding cranberry, pomegranate, hibiscus, or rhubarb juice to make it slightly pink; strawberry or raspberry juice to make it pink; peach juice to make it orange; blueberry juice to make it purple.
    6. Turn it into lemon bars by placing it in popsicle molds in a freezer. 

    Answers to Your Burning Questions 

    Is homemade lemonade healthy?


    Well, it depends. Since lemonade is made from freshly squeezed lemons, it should be much healthier than what you find in stores. 

    But afterward, if you put in a truckload of sugar, you just sabotaged the healthy side.

    If you do it right, homemade lemonade with a reasonable amount of sugar has many benefits. 

    Lemon juice extracted from freshly squeezed lemons is packed with minerals and vitamins, especially vitamin C, which help boost your immune system. Recently scientifically proven therapeutic activities include anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antiparasitic activities.

    Finally, a 2019 review reports that the antioxidants and flavonoids in citrus fruits may improve heart health and markers of metabolic health, including glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and fat metabolism.

    Is it healthy to drink lemonade every day?


    Calculate this like this, if 4 cups of lemonade contain 1 cup of sugar, that makes ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of sugar (55 g). The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that sugary foods make up no more than half of a person's daily discretionary calorie intake.

    According to AHA guidelines, most men should not consume more than 150 discretionary calories of sugar per day. This is equivalent to 38 g or 9 teaspoons of sugar. And women should not consume more than 100 discretionary calories of sugar per day. This is about 25g or 6 teaspoons of sugar.

    So, it is unhealthy if you ingest much more than the recommended daily allowance (besides that, you're probably already eating other sweet things).

    To drink it every day and stay below the recommended daily dose, you should reduce the quantity of sugar.

    What are the best lemons for lemonade?


    Lemons that are large, heavy, and squeezable are best for lemonade. They must not have green spots.

    Late season lemons are less acidic than early season lemons. Also, Meyer lemons are sweeter and juicier than standard lemons. They make amazing lemonade with a delicious sweet flavor. They're generally in season in winter and spring.

    How many lemons do I need if I use freshly squeezed lemon juice?


    For 4 cups of lemonade, you need to collect 1 cup (250 ml) of juice. And to do that, you need at least six lemons, maybe eight to be sure.

    Does lemonade hydrate me?


    There is nothing better than lemonade to quench your thirst and hydrate yourself since it contains a lot of water.

    How to Store It

    Store healthy homemade lemonade in the refrigerator, without ice, for 5-7 days. 

    Make it Now

    Homemade lemonade is a summer essential. 

    But lemon juice concentrates and powders just won't do.

    Fortunately, making a delicious homemade lemonade is super easy. The typical American palate likes the numbers 3-1-1-1. Namely three cups of cold water, 1 cup of lemon juice, 1 cup of sugar and another 1 cup of water to make the simple syrup. 

    But I prefer to use ½-¾ cup of sugar, or even use ½-¾ of the simple syrup quantity.

    This ratio is the key to a perfect thirst quencher. My recipe combines the right ratio of crisp lemon flavor and sweetness to create the best lemonade ever.

    It might not be instant on its own, but once the syrup is prepared, it's easy to put together whenever the mood takes you. (Which, if you're like me, is every day, around lunchtime.)

    Once you have mastered this recipe, it will be difficult to get store-bought ones again.

    I promise you. 

    Two glasses of lemonade garnished with mint on a surface
    Recipe inspired from The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis

    If you try this recipe, I want to know about it! I always appreciate your feedback. Leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

    Two glasses of lemonade garnished with mint on a surface
    5 from 14 votes

    Healthy Lemonade (with No Refined Sugar)

    I like my lemonade not too sweet with a strong citrus flavor, yes, tangy. If that's not your thing, you could add more sugar, but that would go against making it healthier.The proportions will vary depending on the sweetness and strength of your lemonade and the acidity of your lemons to begin with. Start with the proportions of ¾ cup of sugar for a more tart flavor or ½-¾ cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of lemon juice. Reduce the amount of sugar for lemonade with Meyer lemons. I infused some lemon zest for a more intense lemon flavor. If this is less your thing, you can skip this step.
    Save RecipeSaved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Drink
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    Keyword: coconut palm sugar, lemons, mint
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 69kcal
    Author: Naïby

    Equipment

    • Zester 
    • Citrus juicer 
    • Measuring cup
    • Fine-mesh sieve
    • Container (pitcher)

    Ingredients

    • ½-¾ cup coconut palm sugar or any sweetener (Notes)
    • 4 cups springwater or tap water, divided
    • 1 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
    • Ice cubes
    • 1 lemon thinly sliced
    • Fresh mint optional
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    Make the simple syrup:

    • In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and zest. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from fire.
    • Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and refrigerate (or even faster, in the freezer) until cold. Strain the syrup through a sieve into an airtight container, pressing hard, then removing the solids.

    Make the lemonade:

    • Add the lemon juice and lemon slices.
    • Optionally garnish with mint in the jar.
    • Add ice cubes to cool immediately or place in the refrigerator until the lemonade is cold enough to serve.
    • Placed in an airtight container, this healthy homemade lemonade will keep for up to 5-7 days.

    Notes

    Sugar: you can use any sweetener, like agave syrup or brown sugar. If using Erythritol, you can use 1 cup as it is not as sweet.
    Simple syrup can easily be made ahead and refrigerated for up to five days for later use.
    Buy quality lemons: big, heavy, and squeezable. Take six to eight so you don't run out. Late season lemons are less acidic than early season lemons. Also, Meyer lemons (available in winter and spring) are sweeter and juicier than standard lemons. They make amazing lemonade with a delicious sweet flavor. 
    Extract the lemon juice to the last drop: Before squeezing the lemons, soak them in lukewarm water and roll them on the counter with your palm, exerting some pressure before cutting them in half.
    Don't ignore making the sugar syrup (aka simple syrup): this will help the sugar to dissolve and blend beautifully into the lemonade.

    Variants

    Strawberry Lemonade: Puree 2 cups of fresh, cleaned, and hulled strawberries in a juice extractor or blender. If a blender is used, pass the mash through a mesh strainer to remove large pieces of pulp. Add the strawberry puree to the lemonade recipe above, but reduce the cold water to 2 cups.
    Lemon Cocktail: Combine the lemon juice and simple syrup with 2 cups of cold water from the recipe above. Add 1 cup of lemon or other vodka and 1⁄3 cup of orange liqueur. Mix well. Frost glasses with a sugar rim and pour over crushed ice. Add a lemon wedge to garnish.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4cups | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @biting.intolife or tag #bitingintolife!

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    Comments

    1. Amy Liu Dong says

      August 31, 2021 at 10:16 am

      5 stars
      That looks like a refreshing and delicious drink to make to everyone. I love it!

      Reply
    2. Amy says

      August 29, 2021 at 11:53 pm

      5 stars
      I hadn't used coconut palm sugar before and I'm so glad I learned about it here! This lemonade was delicious! My kids loved it and I felt better serving them a healthier lemonade. Will definitely be making this again!

      Reply
    3. Debbie says

      August 29, 2021 at 10:29 pm

      5 stars
      I love finding new recipes to use my mint that grows crazy in my herb garden, This Healthy Homemade Mint Lemonade was exactly what I needed. It's cool and refreshing , thanks for a great recipe .

      Reply
    4. LaKita says

      August 29, 2021 at 10:27 pm

      5 stars
      This lemonade is so delicious and refreshing. It is definitely the perfect summer staple to enjoy as much as possible!

      Reply
    5. silvia says

      August 29, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      So refreshing and delicious. I love the mint in it. I used monk fruit as a sweetener and it was so good!

      Reply
    6. Aya says

      August 28, 2021 at 4:34 pm

      5 stars
      This was so delicious and refreshing! I loved the use of coconut sugar. I will definitely be making this lemonade again.

      Reply
    7. Farrukh Aziz says

      August 28, 2021 at 5:01 am

      5 stars
      This is so refreshing! I love the few simple ingredients this recipe consists, and the preparation is really easy! 😀

      Reply
    8. veenaazmanov says

      August 27, 2021 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      This is so refreshing and the best Summer drink option.

      Reply
    9. Allyssa says

      August 25, 2021 at 5:54 am

      5 stars
      Thanks a lot for this lemonade recipe! Will surely have this again, really easy and tasty! Highly recommended!

      Reply
    10. Linda says

      August 25, 2021 at 12:53 am

      5 stars
      What a great idea to include mint and coconut palm sugar in this lemonade. The outcome is truly amazing and refreshingly good!

      Reply
    5 from 14 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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