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Strawberry Lemon Limeade
Published: Jul 5, 2021 · Last Modified: Jul 5, 2021 · by Lana Stuart · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
"Summertime and the livin' is easy..." It sure is! If summer is your favorite season, it'll only be made better by having a tall glass of this Strawberry Lemon Limeade in your hand.
This 15-minute recipe is the tastiest, most refreshing fruity drink for all your summer activities from pool parties to picnics to cookouts. This is the perfect drink to serve at a cookout featuring BeeBop's bacon cheeseburgers, southern baked beans, and potato salad!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Not too sweet; not too tart
Uses easily sourced ingredients
Versatile - can be served as is or made into an "adult beverage"
Very quick and easy to make
Ingredient Notes
Frozen Strawberries (using thawed, frozen strawberries saves time; you can use fresh but you'll need to wash and hull them and then crush them with a muddler or give them a quick blitz in a blender or food processor)
How to Make Strawberry Lemon Limeade
STEP 1. You'll start by making a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar. Bring it to a boil and stir until the sugar completely melts.
STEP 2. Cool the syrup in the refrigerator or add ice to cool it down right away.
NOTE: If you choose to use a sugar substitute in the recipe, you'll skip the cooking step and just dissolve your sugar substitute in water.
PRO TIP: Simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) is a great thing to keep on hand in your refrigerator for mixing cocktails and summer drinks. It eliminates the problem of trying to dissolve sugar in a cold drink.
STEP 3. While the syrup is cooling, remove the zest from one lime and one lemon. Set the zest aside.
PRO TIP: A microplane grater makes zesting citrus fruit so easy and gives you a very finely grated zest. Love that tool!
STEP 4. Juice all the lemons and limes (including the ones you previously zested) using a juicer or a hand reamer.
STEP 5. Add the thawed strawberries with their syrup in a large pitcher.
STEP 6. Add the lemon and lime zest, the simple syrup, and the juices. Stir together to blend. Add enough water to make a total of eight cups.
STEP 7. STEP 7. Now, taste your mixture. If you like it less tart, add water a cup at a time until you get just the taste you want. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon or lime slices.
Variations, Substitutions, and Tips
Of course, you can use all limes or all lemons in this recipe. Just make sure that you have at least 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of juice.
You can turn this recipe into a cocktail by adding tequila or vodka (about 4 ounces or either) and a splash of Gran Marnier. Or just add a little umbrella and call it a "mocktail."
I recommend holding the garnish until serving the drink. Sometimes citrus oils can be bitter and overpowering if allowed to sit in the liquid too long.
Substitute an equal amount of a sugar substitute if you like. If substituing, you can skip making the simple syrup in steps 1-2.
FAQs
Can I use fresh strawberries instead of frozen ones? You can easily substitute an equal amount of fresh strawberries for the frozen berries in this recipe. You'll need to hull and wash them, then either crush them with a muddler or give them a quick blitz in a blender or food processor.
What is "simple syrup?" Simple syrup is a mixture of equal parts sugar and water, cooked until the sugar is dissolved and then cooled. It makes sweetening cold drinks really easy - trying to dissolve sugar into something cold is really difficult (the sugar won't go into solution and sinks to the bottom) -- and simple syrup solves that problem. You can keep it in your refrigerator for about a month.
Can I freeze this? Actually, yes, you can easily freeze this recipe. Pour it into a freezer safe container, seal it, and keep it in the freezer for up to six months. Even better, freeze it in ice cube trays and add the individual cubes into other drinks such as Sprite or 7-Up.
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Have you tried this recipe? I'd love for you to give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card and/or in the comments section further down.
Strawberry Lemon Limeade
A 15-minute recipe for the tastiest, most refreshing drink for all your summer activities.
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Course: Beverages
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 150kcal
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove pan from the heat and add 4 cups of ice cubes.
While the sugar-water mixture cools, finely grate the zest from one lime and one lemon. Set aside.
Juice the lemons and limes. There should be about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups juice.
Put the thawed strawberries with their syrup in the bottom of a pitcher.
Add the finely grated zest, lemon-lime juice and the cooled sugar-water mixture.
Add enough additional water to make a total of 8 cups.
Serve over ice. Garnish with fresh strawberries and/or lemon and lime slices.
Notes
You can use all limes or all lemons in this recipe. Just make sure that you have the total amount of juice needed.
You can easily substitute an equal amount of fresh strawberries for the frozen berries in this recipe. You'll need to hull and wash them, then either crush them with a muddler or give them a quick blitz in a blender or food processor.
Turn this recipe into a cocktail by adding tequila or vodka (about 4 ounces of either) and a splash of Gran Marnier. Or just add a little umbrella and call it a "mocktail."
Hold the garnish until serving the drink. Sometimes citrus oils can be bitter and overpowering if allowed to sit in the liquid too long.
Substitute an equal amount of a sugar substitute if you like. If substituting, you can skip making the simple syrup in steps 1-2.
To freeze, pour into a freezer safe container, seal it, and keep it in the freezer for up to six months. Even better, freeze it in ice cube trays and add the individual cubes into other drinks such as Sprite or 7-Up.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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-- This post was originally published on May 10, 2011, and has been updated with new photos and text.
About Lana Stuart
Lana Stuart is the cook, writer, and founder of Lana’s Cooking. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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