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Refreshing, fruity, and the perfect balance of tart and sweet, this blueberry lemonade is sure to become a summertime favorite.
Even as someone who cooks and bakes from scratch on a regular basis, I fall back way too often on coffee shop drinks or bottled lemonades from the store.
And then I remember that I can make my own iced shaken espresso or homemade strawberry lemonade or chai concentrate and it becomes a hyperfixation for a while.
Last summer I was all about my watermelon lemonade and this year I’m all about this blueberry lemonade. It’s got a great blueberry flavor and is just the right amount of tart and sweet.
There’s nothing better than a cold glass of this lemonade while hanging out next to the pool!
How to make homemade blueberry lemonade
If you’ve never made your own lemonade before, you might be surprised to learn that it’s pretty easy. Get yourself a good citrus squeezer and you’ll be set to make your own blueberry lemonade all summer long.
Ingredients you’ll need
This blueberry lemonade only takes a handful of ingredients. You’ll need:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5-6 cups water (divided use)
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
Some of the water will be combined with the sugar to make a simple syrup.
If we just added plain sugar to the lemonade, it would not totally dissolve and the drink would be grainy. By sweetening the blueberry lemonade with simple syrup, we can get just the right amount of sweetness without that grainy texture.
If you want to make this lemonade when fresh blueberries are out of season, frozen blueberries will work just fine. Let them thaw before using them in this recipe.
You will need around 6-8 lemons to get 1 cup of juice. If your lemons are really big and juicy, you may only need 4-5. It really just depends on how juicy each lemon is.
Making this recipe
The first step to making this blueberry lemonade is to make the simple syrup we’ll use as our sweetener.
To do this, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is totally dissolved, then let the syrup cool.
If you already keep simple syrup on hand, you’ll need about 1 ½ cups for this recipe.
When the simple syrup has cooled, add the blueberries to a blender and puree until smooth. Press this mixture through a fine mesh sieve – this will give you about 1 cup of blueberry puree.
Some bits of blueberry skin will probably still make it through this first straining, but don’t worry – we will deal with those in a bit.
In a large (8 to 10 cup) pitcher, combine the puree, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
Now add the cold water. How much water you use will depend on how tart you like your lemonade; I recommend starting with 4 cups and then adding more to taste.
Serve the blueberry lemonade right away or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Remember how I said that some blueberry skin may still make it into the lemonade? If you want to get rid of those, simply pour the lemonade through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
You can either strain the entire pitcher of lemonade all at once or you can strain each glass as you serve it – it’s totally up to you.
I love to garnish my blueberry lemonade with a sprig of mint, lemon slices, and some whole blueberries. You could even garnish with some frozen blueberries to help keep the drink cold!
Blueberry lemonade recipe variations
My family adores this blueberry lemonade recipe as written, but there are a bunch of ways that you can change it up, too.
If you don’t want to sweeten the lemonade with granulated sugar, try making honey simple syrup to use instead.
Speaking of simple syrup, it’s a great way to add additional flavors into the lemonade.
Blueberries pair really well with herbs like mint and thyme; try making mint simple syrup or thyme simple syrup to add an herbal note to this recipe.
If you are making this recipe for a group of adults, turn it into a batched cocktail by adding 1 cup of vodka or gin to the pitcher along with the lemon juice and reducing the amount of water by 1 cup.
Finally, try turning it into a sparkling blueberry lemonade by replacing some or all of the cold water with your favorite seltzer water or club soda. Wait to add the seltzer/soda until just before serving so it stays nice and bubbly.
Frequently asked questions
Store your blueberry lemonade in the refrigerator in a covered pitcher for 4-5 days (not that it ever lasts that long around here!). Make sure to stir it or shake it well before serving.
Adding a bit of extra cold water can help balance out blueberry lemonade that is too tart or too sweet. If you’ve already tried that and it still isn’t quite right, you can add a splash more simple syrup if it is too tart or a splash more lemon juice if it is too sweet.
Yes! If you want to use frozen blueberries, let them thaw completely before pureeing them. Do not drain off the juices before adding them to the blender.
Blueberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice from 6-8 lemons
- 4-6 cups cold water
Instructions
- Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved; swirl the pan occasionally. Let cool. You will have about 1 ½ cups of simple syrup.
- Once the simple syrup has cooled, place the blueberries in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve. You should end up with about 1 cup of blueberry puree.
- In a large pitcher, combine blueberry puree, simple syrup and lemon juice and mix well.
- Add 4-6 cups of cold water. The amount of water you use will depend on your taste, so add as little or as much as you want to achieve your perfect sweet/tart balance. I recommend starting with 4 cups and adding more if desired.
- Serve over ice. If desired, garnish with fresh blueberries, fresh mint, and lemon slices.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
