Lemonade is a perfect summer refresher for young and old, and this Naturally Sweetened Lemonade can be enjoyed without any sugar guilt and with all the flavor options.
There is exactly one more week left until the official start of summer!
The weather is warming up even here in Canada and many kids are out of school already. Today I have a recipe for you that will be the perfect refresher for young and old on hot summer days. You'll see.
And, this lemonade can be enjoyed entirely guilt-free! How good!
Naturally Sweetened Lemonade
It is completely naturally sweetened - no refined sugar at all!! I used only light raw honey and a little stevia extract. I'm slightly excited about this recipe, as you may be able to tell.
A slight touch of the honey flavor remains even after adding the mouth-puckering, freshly squeezed lemon juice. The darker the honey, the more pronounced the honey flavor will be. Keep this in mind when you choose which honey to add to the lemonade as there are many options, depending on where you live.
Squeezing the Juice Yourself
Now, in my opinion, homemade lemonade beats store-bought every time - for flavor and feel-good factor. Instead of a list of unpronounceable ingredients, this recipe has only 4-6 all-natural ingredients.
However, there is no denying that homemade lemonade comes with a major arm workout. What is your preferred way of getting the face-contorting juice out of its golden fruit casing? I'm open to ideas.
For me, this "fold-over press" that is a lemon and lime squeezer in one works the best. I get out a lot of juice without draining all my energy for the day and I love how it keeps the (bigger) seeds from running down with the juice.
Get Creative With Seemingly Endless Options
The choices for variations are endless with lemonade:
- If you want to enjoy it frozen, you can make lemonade popsicles (I love them with raspberries).
- For fruity lemonade, you can infuse it with fresh or frozen berries or fruit slices. Or, you can puree/blend the fruit with some lemonade and then strain out any seeds or pulp.
- For sparkling lemonade, use carbonated water where is says cold water in the recipe. This would be great to use in homemade Lemonade Scones.
Whichever way you prefer your lemonade, I hope you'll enjoy some of this naturally sweetened version this summer!
Naturally Sweetened Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed from 4-5 lemons
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup hot water
- 5 cups cold water
- ¼ teaspoon stevia extract
- ice
- lemon slices or berries or fruit pieces
Instructions
- Stir together honey and hot water until the honey is completely dissolved. Chill until completely cool.
- Roll the lemons on the counter (this releases extra juice). Squeeze out the juice from the lemons. Using a citrus juicer like this is easiest for me. Then strain the juice to remove any seeds and pulp. Squeeze out the pulp to get as much juice as possible.
- In a large pitcher combine lemon juice and cold water. Stir in ¾ of the honey syrup and taste. Add all of the syrup and stevia extract, if you prefer more sweetness.
- Add ice and a few lemon slices and serve. You can add more water to cut the tartness, but keep in mind the ice melting will already dilute the lemonade.
- For different flavors you can also add berries or other fruit pieces. For non-chunky lemonade puree the fruit, stir into lemonade and strain.
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Angie (@angiesrecipess)
Just done with my yoga...would love one large glass now!
Regina
You are so right Angie! This would be a perfect post workout refresher
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
This looks soooo refreshing! And oddly enough, I have a lemonade post on the horizon. 🙂 Great minds... PINNED!
Regina
Great minds indeed 😀 Excited to see your lemonade post