It’s hot outside! I don’t know about you but I’m looking for all the ways that I can cool off this summer and my favorite one involves an ice cold glass of easy watermelon lemonade! This recipe has quickly become my new favorite because it’s packed with watermelon flavor and flavored lemonade is simply where it’s at!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Watermelon Lemonade:
- fresh watermelon
- fresh lemons
- organic cane sugar
How to Make Watermelon Lemonade:
To make this watermelon lemonade you’ll start by first gathering all of your ingredients. The main ingredient for this lemonade is of course the watermelon so you’ll want to start by preparing your watermelon by cutting it up into bite-sized pieces.
If you’ve never cut a watermelon before I find that the easiest way to do so is to grab the sharpest, largest knife in your kitchen and a large baking pan.
Place the watermelon on top of the baking pan and cut the watermelon in half then into smaller pieces so that it is more manageable. Cutting watermelon on top of a baking pan helps to keep the juices from getting all over your work space and makes clean up super easy.
Using seeded watermelon? To avoid the black seeds from your watermelon getting into the mixture you’ll want to use a mesh strainer to strain out all of the seeds. I found it easiest to place watermelon chunks into the basket of a mesh strainer and use the back of a fork to mash the watermelon and seperate the seeds.
This part can take a bit of time but trust me you do not want to leave those black seeds end the watermelon lemonade!
Unfortunately blending them up will interfere with the overall texture of the watermelon lemonade so it’s best to go ahead and remove the seeds before going any further.
Once you cut your watermelon it’s time to start juicing your lemons. If you have a traditional citrus squeezer or a handheld one, now would be the perfect time to get that out. If you don’t have a juicer of any kind you can squeeze the lemons by hand.
If you decide to go this route, I would recommend using a mesh strainer and placing it over top of a bowl so that as you squeeze the juice goes through the strainer and into the bowl. This will help you avoid the hassle of picking out all of the lemon seeds (you don’t want those!).
For this watermelon lemonade recipe I found that about eight lemons gave me the one cup of lemon juice necessary to make this dragon fruit lemonade. Of course, the amount of lemons you need simply depends on the lemons that you are using.
My lemons may be bigger or smaller than yours so I would recommend buying a few extra lemons just to be sure you have enough. Besides, can you ever have too many lemons around the house?
Now that your watermelon and lemons are prepared it’s time to mix everything together to make your watermelon lemonade! Pour the watermelon, lemon juice, warm water and sugar into your high speed blender. Mix on high for a minute or two until all of the ingredients have been well combined.
During this step it’s important to use warm water to help ensure that the sugar will dissolve. Once your mixture is combined give it at a taste and adjust as needed. To serve, pour it in a glass over ice and garnish with additional lemons if you’d like. Enjoy!
What if I Don’t Have a Blender?
No blender? No problem! You can totally make this Dragon Fruit Lemonade by hand, the blender just makes it that much easier. To make this recipe without a blender, you’ll want to combine the water and sugar together in a small pot or microwave safe dish to ensure that the sugar is able to dissolve.
If you’re dissolving the sugar on the stove in a pot, stir the water and sugar together over low-medium heat until the sugar is no longer visible. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then combine the sugar-water with the dragon fruit and fresh lemon juice in a large pitcher and stir thoroughly to combine.
If using a microwave, warm the water and sugar together in the microwave for about one minute, then stir together until the sugar is dissolved. Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then combine the sugar-water with the dragon fruit and fresh lemon juice in a large pitcher and stir thoroughly to combine.
Tips for Making the Best Watermelon Lemonade:
- If you’re looking to save time, use a seedless watermelon. I’m generally not a fan of fruit that doesn’t have seeds (weird, right?!) but for this recipe you can save a good bit of time by simply buying a seedless watermelon. This will save you from having to remove the black seeds from your watermelon before blending all of the ingredients together.
- Use warm water. Using warm water to blend all of the ingredients together will help to ensure that the sugar will dissolve properly.
- Always taste your final product before serving. Everybody’s taste buds are different and you might think that the final version needs more water or more sugar so just be sure to taste it before sharing with friends and family.
- Use a citrus juicer. Of course you can juice your lemons by hand, but using a citrus squeezer of some sort will save you lots of time.
Can I use a Different Sweetener Besides Cane Sugar?
Absolutely! You can substitute the organic cane sugar in this dragon fruit lemonade recipe for vegan honey (or real honey if that’s your thing) or agave in a 1:1 ratio, however I think that using cane sugar gives his watermelon lemonade the best overall flavor and that classic lemonade taste.
I know you’ll love this easy watermelon lemonade recipe! It is not only delicious but the perfect way to cool off this summer and this incredible heat! Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Need another idea to use up your fresh watermelon? Try making these watermelon boozy popsicles!
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Easy Watermelon Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh watermelon seeds removed
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
- ¾ cups organic cane sugar
- 2½ cups warm water
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a high-speed blender until well combined.
- Serve over ice and garnish with slices of lemon. Enjoy!
