Artificial Food Coloring Free Fresh Vanilla Berry Lemonade
Store-bought lemonades and fruit drinks are notorious for sneaking in synthetic dyes to achieve that vivid pink or purple hue, but this pitcher gets every drop of its gorgeous color from real strawberries and blueberries. The berries are muddled right in the pitcher, releasing their natural juice and creating a blush tone that no lab-made pigment could honestly compete with. A homemade vanilla simple syrup — built from maple syrup, water, and a real vanilla bean — adds a warm, floral sweetness that rounds out the bright citrus without any artificial flavoring either. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice ties everything together with a clean tartness you just can't get from a powder or concentrate. You can strain it smooth for a crystal-clear pour or leave the berry pulp in for something a little more rustic and textured — either way, it's stunning over ice. A sprig of fresh mint on top makes it feel like something you'd pay too much for at a fancy brunch spot, except you made it yourself in about 30 minutes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the vanilla simple syrup
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
For the lemonade
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6–7 lemons)
- 3 cups cold water
For serving
- ice, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the maple syrup, 1/2 cup water, vanilla bean seeds, and the scraped pod in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the maple syrup is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the syrup steep for 20 minutes.
- 2
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, discarding the vanilla pod. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
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