Your new favorite summer drink, this Basil Lemonade features freshly squeezed lemonade muddled with fresh basil. It’s an easy and fresh, herbaceous twist on traditional lemonade.
If you love lemonade and the taste of basil, I bet you’re going to love this incredibly refreshing basil lemonade recipe. It’s my absolute favorite summertime drink. And just so you know, this makes some mean lemonade even without the basil… if that’s more your speed. Feel free to use this recipe as a guide for just regular lemonade. Y’all enjoy!
What is basil lemonade?
Basil lemonade is just as the name states… lemonade with basil. But, it does go a bit beyond that with this particular recipe. Still super easy and only requiring four ingredients, the hardest part is juicing the lemons and muddling the basil and sugar together. The majority of work is in juicing 6 to 8 lemons. But, it’s absolutely worth it for this refreshing drink. Add in some lemon slices, pour over ice, and enjoy!
How to squeeze fresh lemons:
There’s more than one way to get the goodness out of a lemon, and I’m here to show you five easy methods to get that fresh juice flowing:
By Hand – Start by giving your lemon a good roll on the counter. Press down with your palm and roll it back and forth a few times. This little trick helps release the juices. Slice the lemon right down the middle, and with the cut side facing up, squeeze the juice out over a bowl. Holding it this way will help keep those pesky seeds and extra pulp from sneaking in.
Use a Fork – This method might take a bit more muscle, but it does the trick! Just like before, roll your lemon to loosen up the juices. Then, jab it with a fork a few times. Now, give it a good squeeze. The juice will pour out through those fork holes. If it’s being stubborn, give the lemon a little massage to coax out the rest.
Kitchen Reamer – Grab your kitchen reamer, slice your lemon in half, and press the cut side down onto the reamer. Give it a twist and watch the juice start flowing.
Citrus Juicer – The easiest way to squeeze a lemon? A citrus juicer. It’s what I use! These handy gadgets are made for juicing lemons and other citrus fruits, so you can get the job done fast and with less mess.
Recipe Card
Fresh Basil Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice ((6 to 8 lemons))
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, muddle the sugar and basil together with a wooden spoon. Add 2 cups of water and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the basil to steep in the syrup until cool.
- Once cool strain the simple syrup into a pitcher. Add 4 cups of water and the lemon juice. Stir well. Serve over ice with a garnish of basil and lemon.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Joyce Moreno
Trying it tomorrow. Looks yummy.
Sure hope you enjoyed it!
Robin Smith
Very light and tasty. Easy to make. I strained the pulp out of the lemon juice. Lovely flavor.
Awesome! This one often gets overlooked, but I think it’s super delicious! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Dena Barnes
Made this and it is PERFECT! No tweaking needed.
Awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Zara
I’m using this recipe today…I’ll be pepping it up with a bit of limoncello for that boozy vibe and using as a soaking syrup to make a Basil & Lemon Tiramisu!
Sounds great! Enjoy!
Jelenne Parker
My picky 7-year-old approved! It was so good! ????
Awesome! So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
Jaclyn
How many days will this lemonade last? I was thinking of making it a few days in advance
A few days – maybe 3. Hope you enjoy it!!
Emily
I thought this was fabulous and it was a hit at my party tonight. Everyone was asking for the recipe. I’m surprised at how yellow your lemonade is though, mine was a beautiful brown from all the muddling bruising up the leaves. Are you not muddling very hard? Either way, I will now choose brown lemonade over pink 😀
I’ve not had mine turn brown, but do put a little force into getting all that flavor out of the basil. Regardless, I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!
Caroline
Wow, I see that I am 1 1/2 years late coming to the basil lemonade party, but better late than never! Perfect for a pesto weary, basil growing warrior. What an addictive drink – our family of 8 can’t get enough! I just stripped our basil plant to freeze basil syrup because we are getting our first hard freeze of the year tonight here in Central Texas. So happy to have recently come across your website. I am looking forward to finding food recipes to go with my lemonade (rather than vice-versa)! May the Lord bless you and your family with a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much, Caroline! I’m hoping to get one more harvest off mine before the cold comes later this week. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this one and hope you’ll find lots more too! Happy Thanksgiving to y’all, too!
Amy
I’ve only recently come to love ‘proper’ lemonade. Growing up in England our lemonade was mostly a lemon flavored soda and did not have the sour greatness of fresh lemonade.
This recipe will for sure be used soon
Amy | https://bucketloadofjoy.com