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This Watermelon Lemonade is one of the easiest summer drinks you can make. It is cold, sweet, tart, and so refreshing on a hot day. All you need is fresh watermelon, lemon, water, and sugar to make a big pitcher that tastes like summer in a glass.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Great taste. I did add a can of lemon ice tea, it added a real good flavor as well it would’ve still been just as good without it so overall two thumbs up!!” – Amy
“So delicious! I used watermelon and strawberries I had. Turned out fantastic.” – Carol
“OMG this is fantastic and so refreshing!” – Aimee
Why I Love This Summer Drink
Have you ever watched someone eat or drink something on a television show and immediately crave that thing? I have to admit, this recipe was created because of a cartoon called Homestar Runner. The main character talked about drinking a cold glass of “Melonade” and I had to create a real version. It tasted even better than it sounded in my head.
I love this watermelon lemonade because it is such a simple way to use up extra watermelon, especially when we have a big one sitting in the fridge. Instead of letting those last few slices go to waste, I blend them up and turn them into this bright, fruity drink. It is sweet from the watermelon, tart from the lemon, and easy enough to make for a BBQ, picnic, pool day, or just an afternoon on the patio.
This recipe also works well because watermelon blends into a naturally juicy puree, so you don’t need much to turn it into a drink. I like using True Lemon when I don’t feel like squeezing lemons, but fresh lemon juice works great too. Either way, the flavor is light, cold, and so good poured over ice.
🩷 Emily
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Watermelon: Use ripe, seedless watermelon if you can. It should be sweet, juicy, and easy to blend into a smooth puree.
- Water: Cold water thins the watermelon puree and keeps the lemonade from being too strong or syrupy.
- Sugar: Sugar balances the tart lemon flavor. You can adjust it depending on how sweet your watermelon is.
- Lemon flavor: True Lemon is quick and easy, but fresh lemon juice gives the drink a bright, classic lemonade flavor.
- Ice: Serve the watermelon lemonade over plenty of ice so it stays cold and refreshing.
- Optional garnish: Fresh mint, lemon slices, or watermelon wedges make each glass look extra pretty.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Fresh lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice instead of True Lemon if you prefer a more traditional homemade lemonade flavor.
- Lime juice: Swap some or all of the lemon juice for lime juice to make watermelon limeade.
- Sparkling water: Use sparkling water or club soda in place of some of the still water for a fizzy watermelon lemonade.
- Mint: Add fresh mint to the pitcher or muddle a few leaves in each glass for a cool, fresh flavor.
- Other fruit: Blend in strawberries, peaches, raspberries, pineapple, or blueberries with the watermelon for a fruitier drink.
- Lemon iced tea: One reader added a can of lemon iced tea and loved the extra flavor.
- Sugar adjustments: If your watermelon is very sweet, start with less sugar and add more as needed.
How to Make Watermelon Lemonade
- Blend the watermelon. Dice the watermelon into chunks, remove any black seeds, and blend until smooth.
- Strain if desired. For a smoother drink, pour the watermelon puree through a fine mesh strainer. If you like a little pulp, you can skip this step.
- Mix the lemonade. Add the watermelon puree, cold water, sugar, and True Lemon or fresh lemon juice to a large pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Chill and serve. Refrigerate until cold, then serve over ice with lemon slices, watermelon wedges, or fresh mint.
Recipe Tips
- Use a ripe watermelon. The sweeter the watermelon, the better the lemonade will taste.
- Chill the ingredients first. Cold watermelon and cold water make the drink taste better right away.
- Strain if needed. If your blender leaves pulp or seed bits behind, strain the puree before adding it to the pitcher.
- Adjust to taste. Watermelons vary a lot in sweetness, so taste before serving and adjust the sugar and lemon.
- Do not add too much ice to the pitcher too early. Ice can water it down as it melts. Add ice to glasses if you are not serving it right away.
- Make it smooth or slushy. Blend well for a smooth lemonade, or leave it a little icy and slushy for a frozen-style drink.
- Use bottled lemon juice only if needed. Fresh lemon juice has the best flavor, but True Lemon is a great shortcut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Fresh lemon juice works really well in this recipe. Use it if you want a more classic homemade lemonade flavor. True Lemon is just a quick shortcut when you do not want to squeeze lemons.
You do not have to strain it, especially if you have a strong blender. If you want a smoother watermelon lemonade, strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve before adding it to the pitcher.
You can reduce the sugar or try your favorite cup-for-cup sugar substitute, but I have not tested every sugar substitute with this recipe. Since watermelon sweetness can vary, start with less and add more as needed.
Yes! Replace some of the water with sparkling water, club soda, or seltzer. For the best fizz, stir in the sparkling water right before serving.
Yes, frozen watermelon works great and makes the drink extra cold and slushy. Blend it with a little water to help it puree smoothly.
Look for a watermelon that feels heavy for its size and has a creamy yellow field spot. A sweeter watermelon means you may not need as much sugar.
Absolutely. Strawberries, peaches, raspberries, pineapple, and blueberries all go well with watermelon and lemon. One reader made it with watermelon and strawberries and loved how it turned out.
It is best the day it is made, but you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Stir well before serving because the watermelon may separate as it sits.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: You can make watermelon lemonade a few hours ahead of time and keep it chilled in the refrigerator. Wait to add ice until serving so it does not water down the drink.
Storing: Store leftovers in a covered pitcher or jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Stir well before pouring.
Freezing: Freeze leftover watermelon lemonade in ice cube trays, then add the cubes to future glasses of lemonade or blend them into a slush.
Serving After Storing: If the lemonade separates in the fridge, just give it a good stir. Taste before serving and add a little more lemon juice, sugar, or water if needed.
Pairing Ideas
This watermelon lemonade is perfect with summer dinners, BBQ recipes, and picnic foods. Serve it with grilled hamburgers, BBQ hot dogs, honey BBQ chicken, grilled carne asada, sandwiches, pasta salads, fruit salads, or anything you would bring to a Fourth of July cookout.
More Cold Summer Drinks
This Watermelon Lemonade is cold, fruity, and so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. If you try it, please leave a comment and rating below. I love hearing how these recipes turn out in your kitchen! 💛🍉🍋
Watermelon Lemonade
Video
Ingredients
- 5 cups pureed watermelon
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or 2 tablespoons True Lemon
Instructions
- Dice watermelon and be sure to remove all black seeds (white seeds are fine).
- Add diced watermelon in blender.
- Puree until you have a nice smooth consistency. If you prefer no pulp you can also strain the watermelon puree.
- Measure out 5 cups of watermelon puree into a large pitcher, then add water, sugar, and fresh lemon juice.
- Serve cold over ice. Makes 2 quarts.
Equipment
Notes
- Use ripe, sweet watermelon for the best flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice gives the drink a classic lemonade taste, but True Lemon is a quick and easy shortcut.
- Strain the watermelon puree if you want a smoother drink.
- Adjust the sugar to taste depending on how sweet your watermelon is.
- For sparkling watermelon lemonade, replace some of the water with sparkling water right before serving.
- Add ice to individual glasses instead of the pitcher if you are not serving it right away.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and stir before serving.
- Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays and blend into a slush later.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So delicious! I used watermelon and strawberries I had. Turned out fantastic.
Great taste. I did add a can of lemon ice tea, it added a real good flavor as well it would’ve still been just as good without it so overall two thumbs up!!
This sounds so refreshing! Such a fun twist for summer.
OMG this is fantastic and so refreshing!
This was so delicious!
Refreshing and flavorful! Thanks for a great recipe!
This looks so refreshing! Can’t wait to try it on the next sunny day!
Hi Pretty Ladies. I am going to try your Melonade-it looks delicious! And I just love watermelon & lemonade. Something different for my 4th of July BBQ!