Nitrate & Nitrite Free Fresh Raspberry Lemon Lemonade
Tart, fruity, and brilliantly pink, this raspberry lemonade is the kind of drink that makes any afternoon feel like a special occasion. A quick homemade raspberry syrup — built from fresh berries, maple syrup, and water — gives it a naturally sweet depth that no store-bought mix can match. Because every ingredient here is whole and unprocessed, you never have to second-guess what's actually in your glass. Plenty of packaged lemonades and flavored drinks sneak in preservatives and additives that people avoiding nitrates and nitrites have to watch out for, so making it yourself from scratch is genuinely the smartest move. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice keeps the citrus flavor bright and clean, while the strained raspberry syrup delivers gorgeous color without any seeds or pulp getting in the way. Serve it over ice with a few lemon slices and a sprig of mint for a presentation that looks far more impressive than the effort it actually takes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the raspberry syrup
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup water
For the lemonade
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 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 raspberries, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries break down completely and the mixture is bubbling and slightly thickened, about 4–5 minutes.
- 2
Pour the raspberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl or measuring cup, pressing firmly on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the seeds and pulp. Let the raspberry syrup cool for 15 minutes.
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