I love growing basil every summer! It is such a versatile herb, you can put basil in something sweet or savory. Basil lemonade is a fun alternative to traditional lemonade. It’s citrus sweet with a slight basil aftertaste. It feels refreshing and earthy. I love anything lemon, so I usually have a pitcher of this lemonade sitting in my fridge during spring and summer. It always feels great to be able to offer guests a fresh, cold beverage during those warm afternoons.
Why We Love This Basil Lemonade Recipe
- It’s a fun alternative to your favorite homemade lemonade recipe.
Who knew this simple summer drink could be so versatile? A cup of fresh basil leaves adds a slighly minty flavor to the mixture, and it is so refreshing! - It’s so easy to make.
Prepare your basil lemonade almost exactly the way you prepare any other cold drink. The herb-infused simple syrup makes it easy to add to other summer drinks too! - It is inexpensive and easy to make in large batches.
This recipe is simple to scale up or down. This makes it a fantastic drink idea for summer parties, picnics and potlucks.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lemons: You need the juice of about 8 lemons, plus an extra one to slice for serving. I recommend juicing the lemons yourself, skip the lemon juice from concentrate for the best tasting results.
- Simple syrup: A combination of sugar and water. You can easily make it at home or purchase in the store. You’ll also add basil to pack this homemade lemonade recipe with as much herbaceous flavor as possible.
If you’re looking for something to make that’s a little bit healthier, you could even add basil leaves to unsweetened lemonade. - Basil: The key ingredient for your freshly squeezed lemonade! You’ll need 1 cup for the simple syrup, plus some extra sprigs for garnish. Using fresh basil leaves is a must…this recipe won’t work at all with dried herbs.
How to Make Basil Strawberry Lemonade
To make a basil strawberry lemonade you will need to add sliced strawberries, strawberry powder or our strawberry syrup recipe. The amount added depends on personal preference. We recommend starting with the following:
- 1/4 cup strawberry powder and adding more as needed.
- 1 pound sliced strawberries
- 1/2 serving of our strawberry syrup recipe, again, adding more if preferred.
For more fun varieties try:
- Basil lemonade popsicles: Mix up the lemonade, pour it into popsicle molds, and freeze until solid.
- Lemonade cocktails: just add a splash of gin or vodka, or you could make an Arnold Palmer iced tea by combining equal parts lemonade with sweet tea.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
To get the most juice out of a lemon, roll it on your countertop before squeezing. If the lemons seem unusually firm, pop them in a microwave for 20 seconds to help the juices flow.
How to Make Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
- Put the cold water, sugar and basil into a medium size saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir constantly.
- Once the sugar is fully dissolved allow the basil sugar mixture to cool completely (about an hour).
- While cooling, slice each lemon in half and use the press to squeeze the lemon juice out of each half into a large bowl. Set aside.
- After the basil simple syrup mixture is completely cool, strain the basil leaves out of the simple syrup.
- Combine lemon juice, 5 cups of water, and the simple syrup in a large pitcher and stir. To serve, add ice cubes, lemon slices, and 1/2 a basil sprig to a glass and fill with lemonade.
Looking for more recipes to test out your newly acquired lemon-juicing skills?
Consider making braided lemon bread, or try your hand at our pesto salad dressing recipes.
Serving Suggestions
We love the idea of serving this summery basil drink with pasta pomodoro, salmon pesto pasta salad, or mozzarella & tomato basil. Honestly, it’s refreshing alongside anything that also boasts citrus and basil flavors!
You may serve it with cookies like easy chocolate chip cookies without eggs or sugar cookies with M&Ms!
Serve the drink in a tall glass over ice cubes. For a nice presentation, add a few slices of lemon and extra basil leaves, and rim the glass with sugar!
Recipe FAQs
While it is possible to smash the leaves with a mortar and pestle (many people use this ‘muddling’ technique to make pesto), it isn’t necessary for this basil drink. Just simmer the basil with sugar and water to make a simple syrup.
Make this basil lemonade as instructed then add your preferred type of strawberry- sliced strawberries, strawberry powder or our strawberry syrup recipe.
Again, this lemonade is best served cold. You can store any leftovers in a pitcher in your fridge, where they will keep for up to 1 week.
More Lemon Recipes To Try…
If you tried this basil lemonade recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Basil Lemonade
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 citrus press
- 1 mesh strainer
- 1 serving pitcher
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water cold
- 1 cup basil leaves
Lemonade
- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
- 5 cups water
For Serving
- 5 sprigs basil
- 1 lemon sliced thinly
Instructions
- Add sugar, water, and basil leaves to a 2-quart (or larger) saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir continuously until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let syrup cool in pan for 1 hour.
- While cooling, slice each lemon in half. Place each half into a citrus press and juice the lemon directly into a large bowl. Do this with each lemon half until you have approximately 2 cups of lemon juice.
- Combine lemon juice, 5 cups of water, and the simple syrup in a large pitcher. Stir to combine.
- To serve, add ice cubes, lemon slices, and 1/2 a basil sprig to a glass and fill with lemonade.
Notes
- To get the most juice out of a lemon, roll it on your countertop before squeezing. If the lemons seem unusually firm, pop them in a microwave for 20 seconds to help the juices flow.
- Strawberry basil lemonade: Stir in some fresh strawberry syrup or even just a few fresh berries.
- Basil lemonade popsicles: Mix up the drink, pour it into popsicle molds, and freeze until solid.
- Lemonade cocktails: just add a splash of gin or vodka, or you could make an Arnold Palmer iced tea by combining equal parts lemonade with sweet tea.
- Basil lemonade is best served cold. You can store any leftovers in a pitcher in your fridge, where they will be kept for up to a week.
- This basil drink doesn’t require smashed leaves on a mortar and pestle. Just simmer the basil, sugar, and water to make a simple syrup.
Nutrition
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below, and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.
Jane says
This lemonade is so good. I love the freshness of the basil and how it helps to cut through the tartness of the lemons.
Glenda says
I was so surprised at the lovely flavor that basil brought to this lemonade. I’ve never used herbs in lemonade before and now it will be our go-to recipe. It was so refreshing and unique. Love! Love! Love!
Bec - TFN Team Member says
Thank you for your comment, Glenda! SO happy to hear that you love the basil lemonade. Fresh herbs really do make all the difference.
TFN team member, Becca
Sage Scott says
So refreshing! And, it’s a fun way to use up all of the basil in our garden that isn’t a caprese salad or pesto. 🙂
Bec - TFN Team Member says
Thank you so much! You’re absolutely right about the pesto and caprese recipes, too. This lemonade actually tastes fabulous with caprese skewers. 😉
Gina says
I can’t think of anything more refreshing than this lemonade for summer. The fresh basil gives the drink the perfect amount of freshness and helps cut the sweetness just the right amount.
Rebecca Blackwell says
My grandma used to put fresh basil from her garden in her pitchers of lemonade, a memory I had forgotten about until I saw this recipe. I made a pitcher yesterday afternoon and just like that I was sitting in my grandma’s kitchen on a hot summer day. What a beautiful trip down memory land and a delicious way to squeeze out the last bit of summer.
Bec - TFN Team Member says
Oh my goodness, Rebecca – It warms my heart to know that this recipe helped you relive such a sweet memory! Thank you for sharing your story.
TFN team member, Bec