Honey Lemonade Recipe (3 Ingredients, Naturally Sweetened)

Lemonade is such a classic summer drink, and honey turns something tasty into an extra special beverage. This Honey Lemonade recipe sets a new bar for hot weather refreshments and is easy to make. Honey is an all-natural sweetener that brings homemade lemonade to the next level. Get out your lemons, honey, and some glasses for this delicious Honey Lemonade recipe.

Lemonade can be such a simple warm-weather luxury, but we can also bring something really interesting by using honey as the sweetener rather than granulated sugar. As a hobbyist beekeeper, I am always looking for fun ways to use the spoils of my work, and this honey lemonade fits the bill. Honey adds depth and complexity that makes this lemonade stand out.

Another wonderful summertime non-alcoholic drink you might want to try is our delicious Mangonada recipe. If you want something more on the adult side, check out this Paloma recipe or this Frozen Strawberry Margarita. No matter what you make, make sure to treat yourself

🔥 Ingredients

Lemons are the star here, but we have a few other ingredients:

Choosing Lemons

Lisbon and Eureka lemons are the most common types you will find in the store, but really, any lemon will work. People love Meyer lemons, and they would be great for this lemonade, but there is no need to go out of your way. Use what you have and try to use fresher lemons.

Choosing Honey

The type of honey you use can slightly impact the flavor of your lemonade, but I would not get too hung up on it. Where bees forage can also impact the flavor of your honey, and that may impart some of that flavor into your lemonade.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🍲 Instructions

Really, it typically is just as easy as mixing everything together and drinking!

Juice 4-6 lemons to make one cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain out the seeds, but leave the pulp in the juice to your taste. I am a big fan of pulp, as it really makes it feel like a fresh product. Set the juice aside.

If there is a trick to making this honey lemonade, it might be to ensure the honey is properly infused into the drink.

To help do that, add the honey and 1 cup of water to a pot over medium-low heat and stir until incorporated. We don’t want this to boil, but just get warm enough to melt the honey into the rest of the liquid.

Once the honey and cup of water are infused, combine the honey mixture, three more cups of water, and the fresh lemon juice in a large pitcher. Serve and enjoy!

This whole thing takes maybe five minutes. The hardest part is squeezing the lemons.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed.

• Fresh herbs – Add some fresh basil, thyme, ginger, or mint to the drink. You might need to let it sit for a while to get that flavor in there, but fresh herbs can add some interesting flavor.
• Make it an adult beverage – Add a bit of vodka or rum to the pitcher. I would say 6 to 9 ounces of vodka or rum to this size pitcher to serve 6 people.  
• Sparkling water – Try using sparkling water instead of tap water to make something more unique.

📦 Storage

This recipe can be kept in the fridge for about five days in a pitcher with a lid. Drinking it up in a day or two is better, but it will store well.

🎓 History tidbit

Lemons were first used for ornamental reasons and for medicine. With the discovery that citrus fruits can help prevent and treat scurvy, lemons became a bigger part of the diet of those traveling across the world.   

❓ Honey in Lemonade FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Increase honey to make a sweeter lemonade
• Roll your lemons on a table with your hand to help loosen the most liquid before juicing.
• Use fresh lemons. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but fresh juice makes a big difference.
• If you’re using crystallized honey, just warm it a bit before mixing.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• Lemon Juicer
• Pitcher

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Honey Lemonade recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.

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