Artificial Food Coloring Free Classic Lemonade
Bright, tangy, and refreshingly simple, this from-scratch lemonade is the kind of drink that makes a hot afternoon feel instantly better. Store-bought lemonade and powdered mixes are notorious for sneaking in artificial dyes — that suspicious neon yellow hue is a giveaway — so making your own is the cleanest way to enjoy a glass without second-guessing the label. Here, the color comes entirely from real lemons, and the sweetness is built on a quick homemade simple syrup that dissolves perfectly into the juice. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice gets strained to remove seeds and pulp, giving you a smooth, vibrant drink that tastes like the real thing because it absolutely is. You can dial the sweetness up or down to suit your crowd, which is something no bottled version will ever let you do. Garnished with lemon slices and a sprig of fresh mint, it looks gorgeous in a glass without a single drop of artificial color in sight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the simple syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
For the lemonade
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6–8 lemons)
- 3 cups cold water
For serving
- ice, for serving
- lemon slices, for serving (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool for 15 minutes.
- 2
While the syrup cools, juice the lemons and strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher to remove seeds and pulp.
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