Go Back
–+ servings
Pitcher of lemonade with a glass

The BEST Lemonade EVER

My family agrees. This is the best lemonade we've ever had.
4.56 from 142 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course beverages, Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 1332 kcal

Equipment

  • vegetable peeler
  • large pitcher
US Customary - Metric

Ingredients
 
 

  • 6 lemons thoroughly washed
  • 1-1¼ C. granulated sugar I prefer using 1 cup of sugar.
  • 4 C. boiling water
  • 1 C. ice plus extra to serve

Instructions
 

  • Thoroughly wash and dry the outsides of the lemons.
  • Using a vegetable peeler, gently peel the zest of the lemons into a large bowl. Try to avoid the bitter white pith beneath the zest.
  • Set the peeled lemons aside.
  • Pour the sugar over the lemon peels. Stir well and cover and let the mixture rest at least 2 hours or overnight.
  • The lemon and sugar mixture should look wet at this point. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the sugar and lemon peel mixture. Stir to dissolve all of the sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  • Strain out the peels from the lemon syrup.
  • To the warm syrup at 1 cup of ice.
  • Squeeze the juice of all of the lemons (approximately 1 cup of juice) and add it to the now room temperature syrup.
  • Chill the lemonade for a couple of hours and serve over plenty of ice.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from Chef John's at Food Wishes.
I have made this recipe several times now and prefer is with just 1 cup of sugar. It's still plenty sweet, but less sugar allows the lemon to shine through. 

Nutrition

Calories: 1332kcalCarbohydrates: 356gProtein: 7gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 75mgPotassium: 900mgFiber: 18gSugar: 311gVitamin A: 143IUVitamin C: 343mgCalcium: 207mgIron: 4mg
Keyword best lemonade, beverages, lemonade, lemons, State Fair Lemonade
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!