Stay refreshed during these hot days of summer with an icy glass of strawberry-mint lemonade! Made with fresh mint and strawberry purée, this fruity lemonade features some of summer's best flavors. This lemonade comes together in just 20 minutes of hands-on prep time, and it's perfect for serving a crowd during your summer parties.
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Why You Need to Make This Recipe
With summer here, we can't get enough lemonade recipes in our lives, and this is one I love to make over and over again.
- Summer in a glass. I'm a big believer in embracing seasonal ingredients, and every bit of this lemonade will give you all the summery vibes. And look how pretty it is!
- Who doesn't love a fruited lemonade? With all the fresh, seasonal fruit available this time of year, adding a purée is a simple and fun way to give a classic lemonade a big flavor boost.
- Versatile for so many occasions. Brunch, patriotic holidays, a random summer gathering -- this lemonade feels casual enough for a backyard party, but the strawberry and mint give it a fancy flair if you're looking to class it up for a special occasion.
- Quick and easy for low-key entertaining. Even though this is a from-scratch lemonade recipe, it isn't difficult or hard.
Ingredients
As you can see, the strawberry-mint lemonade ingredients are straightforward. The mint simple syrup is a mixture of fresh mint, water and sugar, which we'll walk through how to make, and everything else is easy to find in the store. How's that for another reason to love this recipe?
My biggest recommendation here is to use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled lemon juice. Freshly squeezed juice is much brighter and more flavorful than anything you'd get in a bottle. Considering that lemon juice is the star of lemonade, we don't want to skimp with ingredients here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We begin preparing our strawberry-mint lemonade by making a fresh mint simple syrup. This is as easy as bringing water, sugar and mint to a boil in a small saucepan (photo 1). Once it boils, we turn off the heat and allow the mixture to steep to maximize that delicious mint flavor.
Step 2: Now we add fresh strawberries to a blender with a little water (photo 2) and purée the fruit until it's nice and smooth (photo 3). This extra bit of water helps make a smoother purée and gives our blender a little help to cut through the berries.
Step 3: And just like that, all that's left is to stir the mint simple syrup, strawberry purée, lemon juice and water in a pitcher until combined (photo 4) and chill the strawberry-mint lemonade mixture. That sure was easy, huh?
Recipe FAQs
This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of lemon juice. While lemons can vary depending on size, eight lemons should get you what you need. If you want to be on the safe side, you can grab 10 lemons.
I like to firmly roll the lemon on a countertop and then use a handheld citrus juicer to get every drop. Also, make sure you pick lemons that have some give when you press into them to ensure they're not dried out.
I recommend making this lemonade at least a few hours before serving, and it can even be stored overnight. Not only does the simple syrup need time to steep but it also gives the strawberry-mint lemonade time to cool for an ultra refreshing drink.
That said, I wouldn't make it much more than a day before serving for best results. The lemon juice starts to lose its brightness. However, the mint simple syrup will last in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, and the strawberry purée should last for a good three to five days if you'd like to make those components ahead of time.
Expert Tips
Add other fruit: Feel free to get creative and substitute other types of fruit. Blueberries, peaches, and raspberries, for instance, would all make delicious alternatives.
Experiment with herbs: Not a big mint fan? Try other herbs. Fresh basil would be my next choice. My strawberry-basil Tom Collins and strawberry-basil limoncello martini are proof that strawberries and basil are wonderful together.
Give it a kick: Love a spiked lemonade? Vodka and rum are classic options for a spiked lemonade, but bourbon, tequila and gin are also welcome additions. In fact, I even have a wonderful tequila lemonade recipe you'll love. You could even turn this into a mimosa by adding a splash of the lemonade to a Champagne flute and then filling the rest of the glass with bubbly.
Add some bubbles: If you decide to spike your lemonade, you can add alcohol right into the pitcher, or you can leave a few bottles to the side, so friends can pour their own alcohol. This works great if the little ones are joining the festivities. Plus, friends can add the alcohol of their choice.
Perfect Pairing
This strawberry-mint lemonade was made for summer al fresco dining. Given the heavy citrus notes, my salmon burgers are delicious with this lemonade.
With the fresh mint infusion, I recommend spooning some avocado pesto on the salmon patty after cooking. Mint pairs beautifully with basil and makes the perfect complement to this tasty drink.
If you'd like a couple dessert options, you won't be disappointed serving this minted lemonade with one of these sweet treats.
- Blueberry-strawberry shortcakes
- Mixed berry pie
- Strawberry poke cake
- Strawberry parfait
- Strawberry ricotta cake
I hope you stay cool during the summer months with this refreshing strawberry-mint lemonade. It's sure to be a crowd favorite.
Cheers!
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry-Mint Lemonade
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Citrus juicer
- Pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 5 ½-6 ½ cups water divided
- 1 handful fresh mint sprigs
- 1 pound strawberries hulled and halved
- 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice about 8-10 lemons
- Additional mint sprigs and lemon slices for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Combine sugar, 1 ½ cups of water and mint sprigs in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture is near boiling. Periodically stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, remove from heat and allow the mint to steep for at least 10 minutes. Cool the simple syrup and strain the mint leaves.
- In a blender, purée the strawberries with ½ cup of water. This should leave you with 3 ½ cups to 4 ½ cups of water.
- Pour the lemon juice, strawberry purée and simple syrup into a pitcher. Stir in 3 ½ cups of water and taste. If it needs further dilution for your taste, add a little water at a time until it suits your fancy. Drop in the additional mint sprigs and lemon slices if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate to chill. Enjoy!
Notes
- To get the most out of your lemons, firmly roll them on the counter a few times before juicing. I also recommend a handheld citrus juicer.
- Pick lemons that have some give when you press into them to ensure they're not dried out.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Recipe originally published in July 2018 and republished in July 2021.
Beth says
These pictures are so lovely! We loved this drink! Unfortunately my son is allergic to strawberries, but I made him just lemonade and he still loved it! On the other hand, this was so refreshing and so delicious! Definitely going to be made again very soon!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thank you, Beth! I'm so glad you enjoyed it even without the strawberries!
Toni says
Oh, I love how refreshing this is! Everyone at my house really loved it! The strawberries and mint were such a great summery combination.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
So glad to hear that, Toni!
AISilva says
My kids have been complaining lately. Complaining that we are making lots of drinks but none of them have been lemonade. So I surprised them this week and made this minted strawberry lemonade and the whole family loved it. Thanks so much for this great recipe. We'll definitely be making it again!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Awww, that's so sweet! I'm so glad y'all found a drink the whole family loves. 😀❤️
Jere Cassidy says
I love using strawberries in drinks and adding them to this easy lemonade recipe made for such a refreshing drink. The mint syrup gave it an extra fresh touch.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
It really does make for such a nicer texture!
Biana says
What a great idea for a refreshing summer drink! We served it with grilled burgers, and it was a hit. Definitely will make again.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Absolutely! It's perfect for grilling days.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
This is just about the most refreshing thing I've tasted all summer! I've always loved a strawberry lemonade, but it's even better with the mint.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
No argument here!