Citric Acid Free Chilled Cucumber Mint Lemonade
Fresh lemon juice and blended cucumber do the heavy lifting here, creating a drink that's bright, cooling, and genuinely refreshing without relying on any processed citric acid additives. That distinction matters more than it sounds — commercial lemonades and flavored drinks almost always sneak in citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer, making a homemade version like this one a rare find. The mint simple syrup is made with maple syrup instead of refined white sugar, which gives the sweetness a subtle, rounded depth that pairs beautifully with the grassy cucumber base. Blending and straining the cucumber pulls out a clean, pale green juice that keeps the texture silky smooth rather than pulpy. Everything gets stirred together in a pitcher and chilled until cold, so it's low-effort but looks genuinely impressive served over ice with a few lemon slices and a sprig of mint. It's the kind of drink you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the mint simple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
For the lemonade
- 1 medium english cucumber (about 10 oz), peeled and roughly chopped
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
- 2 cups cold water
For serving
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 4 thin lemon slices (optional)
- 4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 1/2 cup water and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup fully dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the mint leaves, and let steep for 10 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and pale green. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the leaves to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
- 2
Place the chopped cucumber in a blender with 1/2 cup of the cold water and blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain the cucumber purée through the fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing firmly with a spoon to extract all the juice; discard the pulp.
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