Homemade Pink Lemonade | Old-Fashioned Recipe

Bright and irresistible, our Homemade Pink Lemonade recipe is the perfect balance between sweet and sour. Cold, delicious, and ready for mass consumption, this recipe is homemade with a combination of lemon juice, cranberry juice, and sugar.

Guests will love the gorgeous color of our beautiful summery treat in a glass. Serve it for your next barbecue to keep soda or Kool-Aid off the table.

This Old-Fashioned Pink Lemonade recipe is one of our easy drink recipes you will want to bookmark for later.

Why This Recipe Is A Favorite

Refreshing. Nothing lifts your spirits on a hot summer day like an icy cold sweet and sour drink like this pink lemonade, it is is more flavorful than regular lemonade, and has no artificial colors. It is the perfect drink for summer!

Fast and easy recipe. It will take mere minutes to whip up this delicious drink for your family or guests and is the perfect way to take the burn out of summer heat. Nothing like a batch of lemonade for a super easy drink recipe.

Flavorful. If you are tired of drinking plain water 24/7 and don't want to be sipping soda all summer, you are my people. We need some fresh flavor. This homemade lemonade recipe is full of bright, tasty, flavorful juice for the perfect combination of tart and sweet. You can also use less sugar if you want to.

This easy lemonade recipe is one of our favorite beverage recipes - don't forget to bookmark it.

Like my Berry Lemonade, my Mango Lemonade and my Strawberry Lemonade, nothing beats an authentic homemade lemonade recipe on a hot summer day.

Ingredients for Pink Lemonade

This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients.

• Fresh Lemon Juice. Lemon juice from a jar loses some of its brightness and flavor. It is just not the same.
• Cranberry Juice. A surprising ingredient for a summer drink, the flavor and color add a unique twist to your beautiful pink lemonade.
• Granulated Sugar. You could use turbinado sugar or agave syrup as a substitute if needed.
• Water. Filtered water or spring water is preferred.
• Ice cubes. This ups the instant chill factor and could be replaced with water if you want to place it in the refrigerator and wait for it to chill. Just leave out the ice and fill the remaining space in the pitcher with water.

Substitutions and Variations

Different Fruits - Replace the cranberry juice with any other juice from red fruits for a fun variation on lemonade recipes. Crushed fresh strawberries will instantly turn your lemonade into strawberry lemonade and add a nice textural element. Fresh watermelon and fresh raspberries are also a good choices with a different flavor punch. Raspberry lemonade also has a beautiful pink color.

Sugar-Free lemonade - Use a sugar substitute instead of sugar.

Arnold Palmer - Serve lemonade with equal parts of iced tea for another summer drink idea. There are a lot of drinnks you can make with Pink Lemonade.

Equipment Needed

• Large Pitcher. If you have one with the plunger built in, you won't need a stirring utensil. This reduces mess and makes stirring up the lemonade thoroughly so easy.
• Saucepan. You can also heat the water in a microwave if you prefer.
• Stirring Utensil. You'll need one with a nice long handle to reach to the bottom of the pitcher.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Pink Lemonade

Step 1 - Squeeze lemons until you have a cup of juice.

Step 2 - Combine water and sugar and heat to make simple syrup. Add to pitcher.

Step 3 - Add cranberry juice to pitcher and stir.

Step 4 - Serve over ice and include a couple of lemons slices for garnish.

Timesaving and Pro Tips for Best Results

• While you don't have to heat the water, heating it for a few minutes in the microwave or stovetop will help the sugar dissolve more thoroughly and result in a smoother pink lemonade. Starting with cold water will result in a more satisfying experience.
• Be sure to use fresh ingredients. Do not use bottled lemon juice. It will be super bitter.
• Add fresh mixed berries and a mint leaf to each glass for a beautiful presentation.
• Make the simple syrup ahead of time (water and sugar) so that it is ready to go when you are.

Recipe FAQs

How many lemons do I need for homemade lemonade?

Generally, a regular-size lemon contains 2-3 tablespoons of juice. Fresh juice makes the best pink lemonade. A simple handheld citrus juicer (like this juicer) will help you get the most out of each fruit. This recipe calls for one cup of fresh lemon juice, which is equal to five or six lemons.

Is pink lemonade the same thing as strawberry lemonade?

No. Although many think the two titles are interchangeable, you can make pink lemonade with anything that will turn the sweetened lemon juice pink. Besides cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, fruit punch, or any variety of red juice will work.

What is the difference between pink lemonade and lemonade?

Pink lemonade, as the name suggests, is pink in color, due to the addition of red fruit juice.

More Great Refreshing Drink Recipes for Summer

• Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
• Salted Caramel Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat)
• Blueberry Mojito Recipe
• Passion Fruit Mojito
• Mango Lemonade Recipe

📖 Recipe

Pink Lemonade Recipe

Raquel Pineira

Bright and irresistible, our homemade pink lemonade is the perfect balance between sweet and sour. It's cold, tasty, and refreshing!

5 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 111 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup cranberry juice
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 ½ cups water divided
• Ice cubes
• Fresh lemons for garnish

Instructions

 

• In your pitcher, combine 2 cups water, lemon juice, and cranberry juice. To add the sugar, heat
• 1⁄2 cup water and stir in the 1⁄2 cup sugar. Add to the lemon and cranberry juices. Stir to combine.
• Fill your glasses with ice, pour over pink lemonade, and garnish with fresh lemon slices.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container.

You can also make lemon ice cubes with leftover lemonade.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.003gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 25mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.1mg

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