Mint Lemonade is one of the most refreshing beverages to sip on when the temperatures heat up! Lower in sugar than most lemonade recipes, this homemade mint lemonade is perfectly sweet-tart and kissed with the flavor of fresh mint.
When it comes to refreshing summer beverages, it doesn’t get much better than Fresh Lemonade.
Unless of course, you infuse lemonade with fresh mint. Fresh mint actually produces a cooling effect on the tongue, making Mint Lemonade the ultimate refreshing drink.
Mint also has a naturally sweet flavor, which allows us to decrease the amount of sugar added to the lemonade, yet still, balance out the tartness of the lemon.
This simple recipe for Mint Lemonade is the perfect choice for sipping poolside, enjoying while reading a book, or just for an afternoon treat.
Ingredients for Mint Lemonade
- Lemons: To make the BEST lemonade, you must use fresh lemons.
- Mint: This recipe uses fresh spearmint. Typically mint sold at the grocery store is spearmint but labeled simply as mint. While you can use peppermint, it is more potent, so you may want to reduce the amount added to your lemonade.
- Sugar: This recipe is made with less sugar than most lemonade recipes, thanks to the natural sweetness of the mint. However, if you like sweeter lemonade, feel free to increase the amount of sugar added.
How to Make Fresh Lemonade with Mint
Step One: Prepare Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is made by dissolving sugar into the water. It is the best way to evenly disperse sugar evenly throughout cold beverages. If you don’t dissolve the sugar prior to adding it to the lemonade, it will sink to the bottom of the lemonade, making some parts super tart and some super sweet. Using a simple syrup ensures each sip is perfectly sweetened.
- Combine the sugar with ½ cup of water in a small saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
- After the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat.
Step Two: Steep Mint
The technique of muddling simply means to gently mash herbs or fruit, allowing them to release their juices. Muddling the mint will ensure that the lemonade is infused with fresh mint flavor.
- Place the mint leaves into a heat-safe mixing cup and add the simple syrup.
- Using a wooden spoon or muddler, gently mash the mint leaves just a couple of times. This will allow the mint to release its juices, but not become bitter–which can happen if you aggressively muddle any fresh herb.
- Let the mint leaves steep in the warm simple syrup for about 10 minutes, further infusing the mint flavor into the simple syrup.
Step Three: Juice Lemons
In order to get the most juice from your lemons, I highly recommend microwaving your lemons for 20 seconds and then rolling them on the counter. This will get the natural juices flowing and make them exceptionally easy to juice.
- Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the lemon juice over a strainer into a glass measuring cup.
- Continue juicing the lemons until you reach ¾ cup of fresh lemon juice.
Step Four: Combine Lemonade
- In a large pitcher, combine the remaining water, lemon juice, and ice.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mint leaves from the sugar water. I don’t recommend leaving the mint leaves in the prepared lemonade, as at this point, the mint has already released its flavor and can cause the lemonade to become bitter if left in the mixture for a long period of time.
- Mix the mint-flavored simple syrup into the pitcher.
Step Five: Serve
You can serve this Mint Lemonade immediately after preparing or you can refrigerate the lemonade for up to 7 days and enjoy it as desired.
More Refreshing Summer Beverages
If you tried this recipe for Mint Lemonade, I would for you to leave a comment and review below.
Mint Lemonade
Made with less sugar than most lemonade recipes, this fresh lemonade is kissed with mint and absolutely refreshing.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 38kcal
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Instructions
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In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, combine the sugar with ½ cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat.
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Place the mint leaves into a heat-safe mixing cup or cocktail shaker and add the sugar water. Using a wooden spoon or muddler, gently mash the mint leaves 4-5 times, allowing the mint to release their juices. Let the mint leaves steep in the warm simple syrup for 10 minutes.
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While the mint is steeping, juice fresh lemons over a fine-mesh strainer to catch any seeds or pulp. Measure out ¾ cup of the fresh lemon juice to use for the lemonade.
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In a large pitcher, combine the remaining 5-½ cups of water, lemon juice, and ice.
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Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mint leaves from the sugar water. Mix the mint-flavored simple syrup into the pitcher.
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Serve with additional ice, sliced lemon, and mint leaves as desired.
Notes
Mint: This recipe uses fresh spearmint, which is what is typically sold at most grocery stores and is simply labeled mint. You can use peppermint, but as it is more potent, you may want to reduce the amount to 15-18 mint leaves.
Sugar: This recipe is made with less sugar than most lemonade recipes, thanks to the However, if you like sweeter lemonade, feel free to increase the amount of sugar added. I have personally not tried this recipe using any sugar substitutes.
Storing: Store Mint Lemonade in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
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