High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Chilled Cucumber Mint Lemonade
So much store-bought lemonade and flavored water is loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which makes finding a truly clean, refreshing drink harder than it should be. This version sidesteps all of that by using maple syrup as the sweetener, which dissolves beautifully into a fragrant mint simple syrup that forms the backbone of the whole drink. Fresh English cucumber gets blended and strained into the pitcher alongside real squeezed lemon juice, giving you that cool, subtly green flavor that tastes like summer in a glass. Every ingredient here is whole and recognizable — no mystery sweeteners, no shortcuts. The result is a chilled, elegant lemonade that's bright and herby without being overly sweet, and it looks stunning served over ice with a sprig of mint. It's the kind of drink you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all week long.
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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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