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 this incredible blueberry Italian cream soda and lavender honey lemonade.
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.
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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!
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!
- Use the palm of your hand to gently roll the lemon before cutting and juicing it.
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!
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Follow me on Instagram and tag me when you make your own! Also, use the hashtag #tulipsandtwill so others can be inspired by your post too!
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!
- 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.
2. Finely chop your basil and add it to the strawberries in your mortar.
3. Gently pound the mixture until it is basically a puree.
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!
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.
Tools
- Knife.
- Cutting board.
- Measuring cup.
- Mortar and pestle.
- Medium size pot.
- Pitcher.
- Lemon juicer.
- Immersion blender.
- Optional: mesh strainer.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade Recipe
- Roll, cut, and juice your lemons. Set aside.
2. Measure out your honey. Set aside.
3. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Mix in your honey and lemon juice until your honey is fully dissolved.
6. Let it cool to room temperature.
7. Cut the tops of your strawberries off. Place in a mortar.
8. Chop your fresh basil. Add to your mortar.
9. Muddle the strawberries and basil as much as possible.
10. Add to the pot and stir to combine.
11. Use a stick blender to fully combine all ingredients.
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.
14. Garnish with some lovely fresh basil and serve chilled, 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.
Related Posts
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
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.
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.
Marissa says
Oh my goodness, this looks sooo good. I’ve never tried basil in lemonade before but I really want to try this!!
tulipsandtwill says
Marissa,
Thank you so much! Give it a try, you'll love it!
-Mariana
Julie says
This looks so delicious and your photos are gorgeous... really makes it all the more enticing!
Julie says
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!
Felicia says
This looks so delicious and refreshing for summer!