The ultimate summer refresher made easier and healthier! Tart lemon juice is blended with ripe strawberries and naturally sweetened with agave nectar to create the perfect balance of tart and sweet. This strawberry lemonade is bright and fresh with a beautiful pink hue! Just 3 ingredients, 10 minutes, and 1 blender required. Let us show you how it’s done.
Best Natural Sweeteners for Strawberry Lemonade
To ensure the best possible flavor while keeping this strawberry lemonade naturally sweetened, we did lots of testing: agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and stevia. A clear winner stood out: agave! It blended smoothly and also enhanced the strawberry and lemon flavors without being overpowering.
Not as winning?
- Honey stuck to the bottom of the blender, which made blending a little more finicky, however it was very floral and delicious.
- Maple syrup gave it a maple strawberry flavor — not something we preferred, but it would be nice with bourbon.
- Coconut sugar was a little too flavor specific and tasted like brown sugar.
- Stevia will work if you’re used to its aftertaste, but it’s tricky not to go overboard while still providing enough balance for the tartness of the lemons.
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade
This recipe is incredibly easy! Simply blend up fresh strawberries with water, agave, and a generous amount of lemon juice and it’s ready to serve!
With this dump and blend method, it will be a little frothy at the top (which we enjoyed). But if frothy isn’t your thing, you can blend the strawberries and agave with just a small amount of water then mix them with the lemon juice and remaining water. We’ve included a note for this method at the bottom of the recipe.
If you prefer a smoother option, you can strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the strawberry seeds.
Then simply serve it at room temperature, chilled, or over ice.
We hope you LOVE this homemade strawberry lemonade! It’s:
Refreshing
Lemony
Strawberry-infused
Tart-sweet
Quick & easy
& Perfect for summer!
It’s the perfect drink for hot summer days, berry season, and picnics!
More Refreshing Summer Drinks
- 4-Ingredient Citrus & Melon Spritzer
- Minty Iced Matcha Latte
- Watermelon Juice
- Easy Traditional Red Sangria
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup sliced ripe strawberries, hulled and halved (organic when possible)
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup agave* (we used the lesser amount for a more tart lemonade // or sub liquid monk fruit extract or liquid stevia to taste)
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (~6-8 large, juicy lemons as recipe is written)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (starting with the lesser amount of agave) to a high-speed blender and blend on medium-high until smooth — about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more agave for sweetness and to balance the lemon, lemon juice for tartness, or strawberries for more strawberry flavor.
- Optionally, for a smoother lemonade and to remove strawberry seeds, you can strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer before serving. We didn’t find this step necessary.
- Option to chill the lemonade by transferring it to a large jar and placing in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve immediately. You can also serve over ice, though it will dilute the flavor a bit. Serve this lemonade on its own or as a mixer with tequila, gin, or vodka.
- Lemonade will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, or freeze in popsicle molds for a sweet, cold treat! Can also be frozen into ice cubes and added to summer beverages.
Video
Notes
*The easy method used in this recipe creates a frothy layer at the top, which we enjoyed. But if the froth might bother you, you can blend the strawberries, agave, and 1 cup of water, then add that to a jar with the lemon juice and remaining water.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of agave.
PHILIP CONLEY says
Made it for a swim party yesterday. Big hit. I went even lighter on the agave than the recipe and it was perfect and just a bit tart. Many people topped it with seltzer to lighten it up a bit and I think that is best way to serve it.
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing, Philip!
Denise says
I made this strawberry lemonade twice already. It’s delicious. 2nd time I made a double batch & added more lemon juice as I like more lemon than strawberry. The agave was good. I didn’t try another other sweeteners. The straining is the worst part but I hate seeds. I strained the lemon juice as well. Thanks for a great summer recipe. It’s great with vodka or rum also!
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Denise! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Matthew says
After coming back from a walk, I had the craving from something refreshing and this recipe was perfect ! I used Plougastel strawberry 🍓, added 4 ice cubes and blended it all together so it was icy cold, the frothy layer was also very nice. I served the lemonade with a mix of Pink Schweppes !
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Matthew! Thanks so much for the lovely review.
ana says
i dont know how to make a smoothie bowl and have never tried to but its getting really hot these days so im trying to make one but i only have blueberries, and bananas (not frozen) those are the only fruits i have right now and i dont have any almond milk or coconut just regular milk and i also have 2 mango ice pops if that could be used in the smoothie bowl or not.
Hi Ana, we do have a smoothie bowl recipe! Frozen fruit works best, but you can freeze your own blueberries and bananas. Hope this helps!
Megan says
So good! I made this with fresh lemons and frozen strawberries.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing, Megan!
Abby says
Delicious! I used an equal amount of frozen berries with success, along with the full 3/4 cup of agave. So easy and tasty – thanks!
Woohoo! Sounds delish. Thanks for the great review, Abby!
B says
Hi!! Im curious how much honey you used when you tried making it with honey?
Hi, same amount as the agave. Hope that helps!
Food by hunter says
Amazing so nice
Anna says
My whole family loved this. I had a difficult time getting 1 cup of lemon juice from squeezed lemons, so I supplemented with store-bought lemon juice. (I probably need a juice squeezer.) In any event, this juice is delicious and much better than anything I’ve bought.
We’re so glad to hear your whole family enjoys it, Anna! Thank you for sharing! A juice squeezer definitely saves your hands from a workout in this recipe =)
Cathy Laffranchini says
In the last week I have made this lemonade 3 times. My husband has to have a glass everyday. It is so simple to make and extremely delicious! Can’t thank you enough for your wonderful recipe!!! So very refreshing…
1 cup is just the right amount of lemon flavor blended with the sweetness of strawberries. For those who are interested, I choose to use only 1/2 c. of agave and I prefer to follow the recipe directions for less foam.
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, Cathy! xo
Sindy says
Used fresh strawberries from the farmers market to make this and it’s so easy and delicious!!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sindy!
Brooklyn says
Ooh, this looks like a great summer beverage! And I love how you used agave as a sweetener. Its such a great natural sweetener that I feel like not many people have heard of before! I especially enjoy using it in my recipes because I feel honey and maple syrup sometimes have a “overly distinct” flavour whereas agave is more of a sweet syrup. :) Thanks for the recipe, will have to give it a try soon.
We agree! Can’t wait to hear what you think when you give it a try, Brooklyn!
Laura says
This was super delicious! My husband loved it and we will definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe.
Woohoo! Thanks for the lovely review, Laura. We’re so glad you both enjoy it! xo
Lily says
This recipe is amazing! First time I made it with fresh strawberries and second time I made it with frozen raspberries and both were delicious! I used stevia to sweeten it. This will definitely be a staple in our house!
Ooo – raspberries would be so good! Thanks for the lovely review, Lily! xo
Keith Meyer says
Can I use frozen strawberries, if so what quantity?
Hi Keith, we don’t think the flavor will be as nice. But if you want to try it, we’d suggest using the same amount and letting them thaw before blending. Hope that helps!
Monica says
My kids love strawberry lemonade and this one was very good but normally I put about a cup of sugar (!!!) to get it sweet. The Agave did the job just fine and they didn’t notice the change. Is it healthier than regular white sugar or does the body treat both sugars equally? I’ve tried using dates to sweeten this but that didn’t go over so well with my kids.
We’re so glad they enjoyed it, Monica! Thank you for sharing! That’s an area of debate in the health world, but many of our readers ask for recipes free from refined sugars so our goal is to provide alternative options.
Hanusia says
Thanks for the recipe! Out of curiosity, why is it important to you that it’s “naturally sweetened” (as opposed to regular cane sugar or simply syrup, which are also products of nature)? At the end of the day (e.g., when they’re broken down in your body), sugars are sugars. Would love to know your thoughts behind this.
Hi Hanusia, many of our readers ask for recipes free from refined sugars, so our goal is to provide alternative options for those seeking that. Cane sugar would likely work here as well.