Mint Lemonade is the ultimate refreshing beverage! Lower in sugar than most lemonade recipes, this homemade mint lemonade is perfectly sweet-tart and kissed with the flavor of fresh mint.
While you will likely find me sipping fruit-infused waters most warm summer days, when I am looking for a sweeter refreshing beverage, mint lemonade is my go-to. Paired with a slice of homemade lemon bread or a lemon cheesecake bar, this lemon-lover is in a little bit of heaven.
Reasons I Love Mint Lemonade
- Amazing Combination. Lemonade is a favorite summer drink, but adding mint takes simple homemade lemonade and elevates it to what feels like a classy, sophisticated mocktail.
- Ultimate Refreshing Beverage. The fresh mint produces a cooling effect on the palate, which makes this mint lemonade the perfect beverage to sip on when the temperatures heat up!
- Lower in Sugar. Mint has a naturally sweet flavor, which allows us to decrease the amount of sugar added to the lemonade, yet still, balance out the tartness of the lemon.
- Super Simple Recipe. Making homemade lemonade is not hard. And making mint lemonade is as easy as adding fresh mint to classic lemonade.
Ingredients for Mint Lemonade
- Lemons: To make the BEST lemonade, you must use fresh lemons.
- Mint: This recipe uses fresh spearmint. Typically mint sold at the grocery store is spearmint but labeled simply as mint. While you can use peppermint, it is more potent, so you may want to reduce the amount added to your lemonade.
- Sugar: This recipe is made with less sugar than most lemonade recipes, thanks to the natural sweetness of the mint. However, if you like sweeter lemonade, feel free to increase the amount of sugar added.
How to Make Fresh Lemonade with Mint
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Prepare Simple Syrup. Rather than simply stirring sugar into cold water, it is best to heat a small amount of water with sugar dissolved, as this will ensure the sugar is evenly dispersed through the lemonade rather than the sugar simply sinking to the bottom.
Step Two: Steep Mint. The technique of muddling simply means gently mashing herbs or fruit, allowing them to release their juices. Muddling the mint will ensure the lemonade is infused with fresh mint flavor. Just be sure to use a gentle hand when mashing the mint leaves. Agressivingly mashing the mint, can cause it to become bitter.
Step Three: Juice Lemons. To get the most juice from your lemons, I highly recommend microwaving the lemons for 20 seconds and then rolling them on the counter. This will get the natural juices flowing and make them exceptionally easy to juice.
Step Four: Prepare Mint Lemonade. In a large pitcher, combine water, lemon juice, and ice. Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mint leaves from the sugar water. I don't recommend leaving the mint leaves in the prepared lemonade, as at this point, the mint has already released its flavor and can cause the lemonade to become bitter if left in the mixture for a long period.
Storage Instructions
You can serve this Mint Lemonade immediately after preparing it or refrigerate it for up to 7 days and enjoy it as desired.
More Refreshing Summer Beverages
- Fruit-Infused Water
- Blackberry Mojitos
- Mango Smoothie
- Watermelon Sangria
- Blueberry Smoothie
- Pina Colada Smoothie
If you tried this recipe for Mint Lemonade, I would if you would leave a comment and review below.
Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
- â…“ cup sugar
- 6 cups water divided
- 1 bunch fresh mint stems removed (about 20-25 mint leaves)
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice from about 6 large lemons
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, combine the sugar with ½ cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat.
- Place the mint leaves into a heat-safe mixing cup or cocktail shaker and add the sugar water. Using a wooden spoon or muddler, gently mash the mint leaves 4-5 times, allowing the mint to release their juices. Let the mint leaves steep in the warm simple syrup for 10 minutes.
- While the mint is steeping, juice fresh lemons over a fine-mesh strainer to catch any seeds or pulp. Measure out ¾ cup of the fresh lemon juice to use for the lemonade.
- In a large pitcher, combine the remaining 5-½ cups of water, lemon juice, and ice.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mint leaves from the sugar water. Mix the mint-flavored simple syrup into the pitcher.
- Serve with additional ice, sliced lemon, and mint leaves as desired.
Cheryl
Thanks Kristen, I've made similar before but either mint & lemon infused & another recipe just with the boiled water & sugar & lemon zest, then adding the lemon juice. I'm going to try this with my mint plant outside & fresh lemons I just bought.
Caroline Y
Super refreshing and delicious! I will drink this all summer long!
Kristen Chidsey
We are enjoying it on repeat here as well! Thanks for sharing you enjoyed this Mint Lemonade, Caroline!
Eden
I have so much fresh mint so this recipe was perfect! It gave it such a refreshing flavor, my kids loved it too!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Eden! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this lemonade recipe!
Kristyn
I will be adding mint from now on!! It's adds a great flavor & is so refreshing!! This will be my go-to summer drink!