Paleo Chilled Cucumber Mint Lemonade
There is something genuinely refreshing about a cold drink that tastes this clean and bright without a single compromise. Fresh cucumber is blended and strained into a silky juice, then combined with real squeezed lemon and a homemade mint syrup sweetened with maple syrup — no refined sugar, no artificial anything. That mint syrup is the secret weapon here: steeping the leaves in warm maple syrup coaxes out a fragrant, pale green infusion that ties the whole pitcher together beautifully. Store-bought lemonades and flavored drinks are almost always loaded with cane sugar or mystery sweeteners, so making your own means you know exactly what's going in the glass. The cucumber adds a subtle, cooling depth that makes this feel more sophisticated than your average lemonade, and the fresh lemon juice keeps it lively and tart. It's the kind of drink you'll want to batch up and keep in the fridge all week — equally at home at a backyard gathering or just as a midday treat on a hot afternoon.
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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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