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    Home » Lifestyle » Summer

    Strawberry Basil Lemonade

    Published: Jun 12, 2022 · Modified: Mar 5, 2024 by Mariana · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

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    This honey sweetened strawberry basil lemonade is perfect for the hottest of summer days! Pick some basil fresh from your garden to create a deliciously unique summer beverage.

    When summer comes around, we want to stay cool. Enjoying a delicious iced beverage on a hot day is one of the simple little joys of this season. We also love to make lavender honey lemonade as well as adrenal cocktails for a cold and sweet drink to sip on!

    Picking our own strawberries at a local farm is a summertime tradition for our family. It is so much fun and oh so delicious! For this recipe, we also use fresh basil from our own little herb garden. Any opportunity to use what we have in our own garden is happily taken! We also support our local beekeeper by buying honey from him regularly! So even though our lemons are storebought from further down south, so much of this recipe is proudly locally sourced.

    honey sweetened pink lemonade served iced on display

    This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.

    Reminder: Do not serve honey to children under one year of age!

    Disclaimer: This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of individual medical care.

    What is honey sweetened strawberry basil lemonade anyway?

    It's homemade strawberry lemonade with a unique touch of basil sweetened with honey instead of sugar.

    Reminder: Do not serve honey to children under one year of age!

    What you need for this recipe

    Strawberries - This ingredient gives this summer beverage its vibrant exciting color while adding the lovely sweet taste of strawberries!

    Basil - This herb is known for its savory and sweet flavor profile. The addition of fresh basil enhances the strawberry and lemon flavors without overpowering it!

    Lemons - Lemonade without lemons just isn't possible. Squeezing the juice from your own is much healthier than using powdered mixes! It is not as hard as you think and it's fun to slow down and enjoy the process.

    Honey - Most homemade lemonade recipes call for a lot of sugar. I like to sweeten ours with local raw unfiltered honey to avoid that! The benefits of raw honey are incredible whereas we all know about the negative impact of too much sugar in our diets. This is an easy place to make a healthier swap!

    Water and Ice - You will be using 6 cups of water, divided, for this recipe. The first 3 cups will be used hot to dissolve in your honey. The last 3 are added at the end. I like to keep the remaining 3 cups in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use it so it is nice and cool! Serving this summer beverage iced is so refreshing on a hot day!

    close up of a lemon, a bowl of fresh strawberries, and fresh basil

    How to find a local u-pick strawberry patch

    U pick strawberries can be found in most farming communities! There may be one closer to you than you think. As always, I will first suggest you ask friends and family if they have a trusted local farm to support. Then, again as always, I will suggest using Facebook to search for local farms and easily see what they offer! If all else fails, there is a great farm finder called pickyourown.org

    How to get the most juice out of a lemon

    Juicing your own lemons takes a little extra time and effort. To ensure you get the most juice from each lemon, roll it!

    1. Use the palm of your hand to gently roll the lemon before cutting and juicing it.
    a woman gently rolls a lemon

    2. Use gentle pressure while juicing your lemons and rock each back and forth on the juicer to get the most out of each one!

    a woman squeezing juice from a lemon

    How to muddle strawberries

    You may be wondering how do you muddle strawberries? Or even...how do you muddle strawberries without a muddler?

    I use my mortar and pestle to do the job!

    1. Cut the tops off of your strawberries. (You may also choose to chop them a bit smaller but it's not necessary!) Place them in your mortar.
    a woman chopping the tops off of strawberries

    2. Finely chop your basil and add it to the strawberries in your mortar.

    a woman chopping fresh basil

    3. Gently pound the mixture until it is basically a puree.

    a woman using a mortar and pestle to muddle the strawberries and basil

    You will be adding your muddled strawberries and basil to your sugar free lemonade. Once it is all combined, you will use a stick blender to make sure everything is well combined!

    Can you make this into a strawberry basil lemonade mocktail?

    If you want to convert this recipe into a mocktail for a summer party, simply swap out the last 3 cups of water you add at the end for sparkling water!

    Ingredients

    • 6 cups water, divided.
    • 1 cup honey.
    • 8 lemons.
    • 1 cup strawberries.
    • ¼ cup fresh basil.
    • Ice.
    ingredients and tools laid out

    Tools

    • Knife.
    • Cutting board.
    • Measuring cup.
    • Mortar and pestle.
    • Medium size pot.
    • Pitcher.
    • Lemon juicer.
    • Immersion blender.
    • Optional: mesh strainer.

    Strawberry Basil Lemonade Recipe

    1. Roll, cut, and juice your lemons. Set aside.
    cutting lemons

    2. Measure out your honey. Set aside.

    measuring honey

    3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.

    adding water to a pot

    4. Remove from heat.

    5. Mix in your honey and lemon juice until your honey is fully dissolved.

    adding in honey
    adding in lemon juice

    6. Let it cool to room temperature.

    7. Cut the tops of your strawberries off. Place in a mortar.

    a woman chopping the tops off of strawberries

    8. Chop your fresh basil. Add to your mortar.

    a woman chopping fresh basil

    9. Muddle the strawberries and basil as much as possible.

    muddling the strawberries and basil in a mortar with a pestle

    10. Add to the pot and stir to combine.

    adding in the muddled ingredients

    11. Use a stick blender to fully combine all ingredients.

    using a stick blender to combine

    12. Optional: Use a mesh strainer to strain off any pieces of basil and pulp in the lemonade.

    13. Pour over ice and the remaining 3 cups of water.

    mixing everything in a pitcher

    14. Garnish with some lovely fresh basil and serve chilled, enjoy!

    a pitcher on a table and a drink ready to enjoy!

    Recipe Tips

    • Roll your lemons gently before cutting and juicing to get as much as you can out of them.
    • Chop your basil as fine as possible so you don't have big leafy parts left in your drink.
    • Put the remaining 3 cups of water in the fridge to keep it cold until you are ready to add it in.
    • To make this recipe a strawberry basil lemonade mocktail, swap out the last 3 cups of water you add at the end for sparkling water!
    • Garnish inspiration: fresh basil, a slice of lemon, a strawberry, or an edible flower! 
    • Reminder: Do not serve honey to children under one year of age!
    • Disclaimer: This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of individual medical care.

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    What's your go-to summer drink?

    Leave a comment below to help others come up with yummy ideas for the season!
    strawberry basil lemonade on display ready to be served

    Strawberry Basil Lemonade

    Mariana
    This honey sweetened strawberry basil lemonade is perfect for the hottest of summer days! Pick some basil fresh from your garden to create a deliciously unique beverage.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Additional Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 servings
    Calories 133 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 cups water divided
    • 1 cup honey
    • 8 lemons juiced
    • 1 cup strawberries
    • ¼ cup fresh basil

    Instructions
     

    • Roll, cut, and juice your lemons. Set aside.
    • Measure out your honey. Set aside.
    • Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
    • Remove from heat.
    • Mix in your honey and lemon juice until your honey is fully dissolved.
    • Let it cool to room temperature.
    • Cut the tops of your strawberries off. Place in a mortar.
    • Chop your fresh basil. Add to your mortar.
    • Muddle the strawberries and basil as much as possible.
    • Add to the pot and stir to combine.
    • Use a stick blender to fully combine all ingredients.
    • Optional: Use a mesh strainer to strain off any pieces of basil and pulp in the lemonade.
    • Pour over ice and the remaining 3 cups of water.
    • Garnish with some lovely fresh basil and serve chilled, enjoy!

    Notes

    • Roll your lemons gently before cutting and juicing to get as much as you can out of them.
    • Chop your basil as fine as possible so you don't have big leafy parts left in your drink.
    • Put the remaining 3 cups of water in the fridge to keep it cold until you are ready to add it in.
    • To make this recipe a strawberry basil lemonade mocktail, swap out the last 3 cups of water you add at the end for sparkling water!
    • Garnish inspiration: fresh basil, a slice of lemon, a strawberry, or an edible flower! 
    • Reminder: Do not serve honey to children under one year of age!
    • Disclaimer: This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to take the place of individual medical care.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 133kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.04gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 52IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Felicia

      June 20, 2022 at 8:39 am

      This looks so delicious and refreshing for summer!

    2. Julie

      June 18, 2022 at 9:43 pm

      What a delicious drink! I love that you can make it with honey instead of white sugar. This would be perfect for a summer party, baby or wedding shower!

    3. Julie

      June 17, 2022 at 11:41 am

      This looks so delicious and your photos are gorgeous... really makes it all the more enticing!

    4. tulipsandtwill

      June 16, 2022 at 1:30 pm

      Marissa,
      Thank you so much! Give it a try, you'll love it!
      -Mariana

    5. Marissa

      June 16, 2022 at 11:37 am

      Oh my goodness, this looks sooo good. I’ve never tried basil in lemonade before but I really want to try this!!

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