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This raspberry lemonade is the perfect combination of sweet and tart, with the loveliest shade of pink! It’s sure to be your new favorite summertime drink.
The Most Refreshing Raspberry Lemonade
If you’re looking for a signature drink to whip up for all your summer get-togethers, you can’t do much better than this raspberry lemonade. It has that bright citrus flavor we all expect from homemade lemonade, but the tartness is tempered a bit with the addition of raspberries. It’s popular with kids and adults, it can be mixed into all kinds of different cocktails and mocktails, and it’s a breeze to make.
In fact, this raspberry lemonade is so simple, you won’t want to reserve it for entertaining—you can easily make it all summer long and have a refreshing drink on hand in the fridge. It’s miles better than your typical store-bought pink lemonade mix, and when you make it from scratch, you can customize it to your tastes and preferences.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Raspberries – You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries; if you use frozen, thaw them first.
- Warm water
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice – You’ll need about 10 lemons for the amount of juice in this recipe.
- Cold water
How to Juice Lemons
You’ll need a lot of lemon juice for this recipe, so these tips will help you get the most juice out of each lemon!
- Microwave your lemons for 30 seconds.
- Use the palms of your hands to roll the lemons on the countertop to soften them a bit.
- Cut the lemons lengthwise.
- Use a reamer or juicer to extract the juice.
How to Make Raspberry Lemonade From Scratch
Here’s what you’ll need to do to make homemade pink lemonade:
Make a raspberry syrup. Combine the raspberries, warm water, and granulated sugar in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Strain the syrup mixture. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, then pour the raspberry mixture into it. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. You should end up with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of raspberry liquid.
Juice the lemons. Rinse the sieve to remove the berry pulp and set it over another bowl. Pour the lemon juice into the sieve to catch the pulp and seeds. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture against the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. You should get about 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice.
Finish. Combine the lemon juice, raspberry juice, and cold water in a large pitcher. Stir well, then taste and add more water if needed.
Expert Tips
Here are some hints and tips for perfect raspberry lemonade:
- Start with the best lemons. When buying lemons for lemonade, look for lemons that feel thin-skinned—this means they have less pith, which means they’re easier to squeeze and your lemonade is less likely to end up bitter.
- Add salt. If your lemonade tastes bitter, add a pinch of salt. This might sound strange, but it works!
- Don’t add ice. It can be tempting to pour your lemonade into a pitcher full of ice cubes, but once they melt, the lemonade will be diluted and bland.
Pink Lemonade Variations
There are so many ways to customize this raspberry lemonade recipe and make it your own!
- Swap out the raspberries. Strawberries will work just as well, or you can use watermelon for a paler shade of pink.
- Make it sparkle. Add sparkling water, lemon-lime soda, or champagne.
- Add some additional flavors. Mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, and even fresh ginger can be muddled and added to your lemonade. Follow this recipe for a lavender lemonade cocktail.
- Make it sugar-free. Substitute your favorite sugar-free sweetener for the granulated sugar.
- Freeze it for lemonade popsicles. Or just make my Berry Lemonade Popsicles or Passion Tea Lemonade Popsicles!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover lemonade in a covered pitcher for 3 to 4 days; give it a good stir before serving.
More Raspberry Recipes to Try
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Raspberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups lemon juice, about 10 lemons
- 6 cups cold water
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor combine the raspberries, warm water and granulated sugar. Blend until pureed. With a bowl underneath to collect the mixture, pour the raspberry mixture into a fine mesh sieve. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible, you should get about 1/4-1/3 cup raspberry liquid. Set aside.
- Juice the lemons. With a bowl underneath to collect the mixture, pour the lemon mixture into a fine mesh sieve. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible, you should get about 1& 1/2 cups lemon juice.
- In a large pitcher combine the lemon juice, raspberry juice and cold water. Taste and add more water if needed.
I used 1 cup of warm water and 1 cup of fresh raspberries and added 1 cup of allulose instead of sugar. I blended it together and strained the liquid. I got way more than 1/4 or 1/3 cup of syrup. About 1 1/2 cups. Next time I will try less water. I don’t know if using allulose instead of sugar would make a difference.