Black Pepper Free Classic Strawberry Lemonade
Bright, fruity, and refreshingly tart, this strawberry lemonade is the kind of drink that makes any afternoon feel like a celebration. A homemade strawberry syrup — made by gently simmering fresh berries with sugar and water — gives it a deep, natural sweetness that no store-bought mix can match. The syrup gets strained smooth before being stirred into a simple fresh-squeezed lemonade base, so every sip is clean and vibrant. For anyone avoiding black pepper, this recipe is a completely natural fit — there's nothing hidden here, just fruit, sugar, water, and lemon juice working together beautifully. It's easy to scale up for a crowd, and the syrup can be made ahead so assembly is effortless when guests arrive. Garnished with a few strawberry slices or a lemon round, it looks just as good as it tastes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the strawberry syrup
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
For the lemonade
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6–8 lemons)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 cups cold water
For serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh strawberry slices or lemon rounds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the strawberries soften and release their juices, about 5–7 minutes.
- 2
Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool for 5 minutes, then pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or measuring cup, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 20–25 minutes.
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