Make this refreshing Easy Strawberry Basil Lemonade using fresh or frozen strawberries. It is a great drink to serve for parties, BBQs, get together, potlucks, and brunches (vegan, gluten-free).
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About Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Strawberry Basil Lemonade is a delicious summer drink that has the tanginess of freshly squeezed lemon juice, the sweetness of strawberries, a refreshing twist of Genoese basil, and heaps of crushed ice.
This Italian-style strawberry lemonade is easy to make and you can make a big pitcher and refrigerate it to keep sipping throughout the day. It’s a great drink to serve the crowd.
This 4 ingredient drink is very easy to make and gets ready in less than 15 minutes. You can also make this drink into a cocktail by just adding some gin, white rum, or vodka. Interesting, right?
Strawberry Basil Lemonade Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
This ice-cold lemonade is my favorite drink to make for summer parties, BBQs, get together, wedding shower, potlucks, and brunches, as it is really easy to make for a large crowd and everyone loves it.
You can pour it into popsicle molds and freeze it too.
If you are looking for more strawberry recipes, here are some of my other favorites
- Strawberry Tea
- Creamy Strawberry Banana Milkshake
- Whipped Strawberry Butter
- Strawberry BBQ Sauce
- Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie
- Frozen Strawberry Margarita
- Strawberry Lassi
- Korean Strawberry Milk
Here are some more homemade lemonade recipes that you may like
- Sumac Lemonade
- Gin Lemonade
- Mango Ginger Lemonade
- Mulberry Lemonade
- Litchi Lemonade
- Brown Sugar Lemonade
- Charcoal Lemonade
Ingredients
Strawberry – The hero ingredient of this summer drink is strawberries. Pick up the best fresh strawberries that are red, ripe, and juicy.
You can make this drink using frozen strawberries too and enjoy this lemonade around the year. Check out how to freeze the strawberries when they are in season.
Lemon – Another ingredient that adds more flavor to this drink is Lemon. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best result. If lemons are not available, you can use lime juice. Just keep in mind that limes are tangier than lemons, so adjust the amount of juice accordingly.
Tip – To get the most juice out of lemons, be sure they are at room temperature when you squeeze them. Roll them over the counter by pressing them with your palms before cutting.
Basil – To add a little twist to this drink, I have added fresh basil leaves. Use Italian basil (sweet basil) to flavor the drink. If you cannot find basil, then you can use fresh mint leaves in its place.
Sugar – You can skip the sugar if the strawberries are sweet enough. You can also replace it with honey (not vegan), maple syrup, or agave nectar.
Water Or Soda? Top up the drink with club soda. You can replace club soda with water or sparkling water.
You will also need lots of ice cubes.
Garnish the drink with strawberry slices, lemon wedges, lemon rounds, and a sprig of fragrant basil.
How To Make Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Preparation
Rinse 9 oz (250 g) of strawberries and chop off their top leafy part. Cut the strawberries into half.
If using frozen strawberries, thaw them to room temperature.
Rinse the basil leaves. Juice 6-8 large lemons. We need 1.5 cups of lemon juice.
Make The Strawberry Syrup
In a saucepan combine 2 cups of water and 1.5 cups of granulated white sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.
Add 9 oz (250 g) of halved strawberries and ¼ cup of chopped basil leaves to the pan and stir gently.
Reduce the heat to low.
Let the syrup simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool down for 10 minutes.
Transfer the syrup to the large jar of a blender along with 1.5 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice and blend until smooth.
Make The Lemonade
Add ½ cup of syrup to a tall serving glass.
Add a halved strawberry, a few basil leaves, 1 lime round, and 4-5 ice cubes.
Top with chilled club soda and stir gently.
Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, pink lemonade and strawberry lemonade are not the same.
Fresh and juicy strawberries along with basil are used to make strawberry lemonade, while pink lemonade has cranberry or raspberry juice along with strawberry juice.
You can also skip the strawberry juice and make the pink lemonade only with raspberry or cranberry juice.
To make your strawberry basil lemonade fancier, you can rim the serving glass with sugar and lemon zest.
Brush the rim of the serving glass with some lemon juice, dip it in castor sugar mixed with lemon zest, and now pour the lemonade into this glass.
If you have a lemon tree at home which gives you a lot of fruit or someone gifted you a lot of lemons, what do you do with them?
You freeze the juice, easy 🙂
Just squeeze out the juice of lemons and freeze them in a freezer-safe container.
I also like to freeze the juice in ice cube trays. This way, I just have to pull out one cube and use it in my recipe.
Variations
Boozy – You can add alcohol of your choice like gin, limoncello, white rum, Moscato wine, sparkling wine, or vodka to this lemonade to make an adult version.
Mixed Fruit – Seasonal fruit purees like watermelon puree, mango puree, raspberry puree, etc can be added to this lemonade.
With Water– Replace soda with water or sparkling water.
Strawberry Lemonade Slush – Use frozen strawberries to make frozen strawberry lemonade. The texture of this will be like a slush.
Strawberry Kombucha – You can use this mix to make kombucha as well. This will give added nutrition to this drink in the summer.
Strawberry Lemonade with Limes – Replace lemons with limes for a tangier lemonade.
With Acai – You can add some acai paste or powder while making this lemonade.
Without a Blender – Mash the strawberries using a fork or a potato masher and pass the puree through a sieve. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix well. You can choose to use powdered sugar or sugar syrup in place of granulated as they will mix easily.
Storage Suggestions
You can make the strawberry basil syrup and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
You can also freeze the syrup for up to 6 months. Whenever you want to make this yummy drink, just thaw the syrup, add it to a glass, and top it with soda.
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Recipe Card
Easy Strawberry Basil Lemonade Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
- 9 ounce strawberries (250 g, fresh or frozen, halved)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian basil leaves
- 1.5 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
- chilled water or club soda (as required)
- ice cubes (as required)
Instructions
Make The Strawberry Syrup
- In a saucepan combine water and sugar and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.
- Add strawberries and basil leaves to the pan and stir gently.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Let the syrup simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool down for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the syrup to the large jar of a blender along with lemon juice and blend until smooth.
Make The Lemonade
- Add ½ cup of syrup to a tall serving glass.
- Add a halved strawberry, a few basil leaves, 1 lime round, and 4-5 ice cubes.
- Top with chilled club soda and stir gently.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!