Homemade Blueberry Lemonade

Lemonade is a summer staple, and this blueberry lemonade puts a flavorful twist on the classic. Made with four simple ingredients, it gets its flavor from an easy homemade blueberry syrup. Fresh blueberries and sugar are reduced to a concentrated syrup, then mixed with the right ratio of lemon and water for a refreshing and sweet warm-weather drink.

The real reason I look forward to summer: the lemonade. Well, one of the reasons, but it does give me an opportunity to make this blueberry lemonade. It’s usually on rotation with my strawberry lemonade and fresh ginger lemonade. Yes, I like lemonade.

For this blueberry lemonade, it was important that the blueberry flavor actually comes through — not just hints at itself. Just mashing fresh blueberries adds juice, but dilutes the flavor. So my method is to make a simple blueberry syrup. Heating the berries and sugar with a little water releases all the juice and intensifies the flavor.

And when I first made the lemonade, I discovered how beautiful it can look when you serve it un-stirred in individual glasses. Layers of syrup, lemonade, and fresh fruit slices are always the way to go!

Easy Steps To Make Blueberry Lemonade

Start with the blueberry syrup. If the berries are in season, choose fresh for the brightest flavor. Add the blueberries along with the sugar and a little water to a saucepan and heat until the blueberries start to break down and a syrup forms.

You can make the syrup ahead of time and refrigerate it. Or, a fun tip – freeze it in an ice cube tray to make blueberry ice cubes. These will flavor and cool the lemonade.

I like to make my blueberry lemonade in individual servings. First, add a few fresh blueberries to a glass, top with a slice of lemon, then pour some of the blueberry syrup over top.

Add the ice cubes, then pour over the lemon juice and water. This order is what gives that pretty layered look like in the pictures. Then your guests can stir the drink with their straw to mix it.

Or if you want to make it in a pitcher, it’s as simple as adding all of the ingredients to a 2-quart pitcher. And if you are serving a larger group, or want to make this a fun party drink in a punch bowl, just double everything.

Ways To Customize This Lemonade

Consider this recipe your base — it’s easy to dress up depending on the occasion. I’ve tried them all:

• Add a splash of sparkling water for a fizzy, fruity lemonade.
• Swap in your favorite sweetener — honey is one of mine (I use it in my watermelon slushies).
• Keep a few frozen blueberries on hand as garnish to help keep the drink cold.
• Turn it into a cocktail with a splash of vodka, or whatever spirit you like.

Homemade Blueberry Lemonade With Blueberry Syrup

5 from 5 reviews

This blueberry lemonade is a flavorful twist on classic lemonade, made with four simple ingredients and an easy homemade blueberry syrup. Fresh blueberries and sugar reduce into a concentrated, fruity base, then mix with lemon and water for a refreshing warm-weather drink.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield4 Servings

Prep15 minutes minutes

Total Time15 minutes minutes

Equipment

• ▢
  Small Heavy Duty Saucepan
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  Fine Mesh Strainer
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  2-Quart Pitcher

Ingredients

Blueberry Syrup

• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)
• ▢ 2 cups fresh blueberries (plus more to garnish )

Lemonade

• ▢ 4 cups water
• ▢ ⅔ cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

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Instructions

 

Blueberry Syrup

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  In a small saucepan, add 1 cup of water, sugar, and blueberries. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and the blueberries start to break down – about 5 to 7 minutes. While cooking, smash the blueberries with the back of a spoon to release all of the juices.
  ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 cups fresh blueberries, 1 cup water
Taste the blueberry syrup and adjust the sweetness to taste.
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  Over a small bowl, strain the blueberry syrup through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the blueberries through with the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.

Lemonade

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  Add the blueberry syrup, lemon juice, and 4 cups of water to your pitcher. Add more water to dilute the lemonade more if you prefer. Chill and serve over ice with extra blueberries and a slice of lemon.
  4 cups water, ⅔ cup lemon juice
You can use store-bought lemonade instead of water and lemon juice. Additionally, you can swap the water for sparkling water for a sparkling lemonade.
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  Presentation Note – The photos in the post represent serving the lemonade in individual glasses un-stirred. If making individual servings, add about 3 tablespoons of syrup to each glass. And you will want to stir the lemonade to get the right flavor.

Notes

• Serving Size – Easily double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch, or punch-bowl size lemonade.
• Sweetness – Adjust the sugar to your taste. I prefer a less-sweet lemonade and more of the sweetness to come from the blueberries.  Note that adding more sugar may dilute the blueberry flavor.
• Lemon – I use bottled lemon juice for this recipe, but you can use the juice from about 5 to 6 large lemons. You can also use store-bought lemonade instead of the water and lemon juice.
• Water – Adjust the water to your taste.  I recommend starting with at least 4 cups of water to make the pitcher of lemonade.
• Make it Bubbly – Swap the water for sparkling water.  Or use a half/half mix for a sparkling blueberry lemonade.  

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.