A healthy fruit lemonade that is homemade and sweetened with fruit and without sugar. It's easy to make in just a blender with just two whole food ingredients - pears and lemons. A nutritious and delicious summer drink.
This fruit lemonade skips the sugar and is sweetened with pears! The addition raises this fruity drink to another level. Like my dragon fruit water, and my infused water recipes, this is an easy to make refreshing drink. And in fact, if dragon fruit is your thing, I even created a yellow dragon fruit lemonade you might want to try.
Why You'll Love This
No sugar but sweet. This fruit lemonade is based on water mixed with a 2-ingredient simple syrup made without cooking and without sugar - just blend pears and water. Pears lend a delicious sweetness to this lemonade that leaves a wonderfully clean aftertaste. Like my homemade lime juice and my celery juice, after you drink a refreshing glass of this homemade lemonade, you be saying, "what is that flavor?"
Easy homemade fruity lemonade. Just juice lemons, chop peel, chop pears, blend and strain. The result will be a flavorful lemonade the likes of which you have never tasted before, except perhaps in Florence, Italy if you've ever tasted European lemonade.
Nutritious lemonade. Apart from the potent vitamin C from the concentration of lemon juice, the addition of pears packs this fresh lemonade with potassium, vitamin K, copper, magnesium and B vitamins.
Ingredients
Fresh lemons. Choose lemons that are bright yellow. Pale yellows are older and have begun to dry and will be less flavorfull. You also want to avoid green spots which indicate unripe lemons. Lemons should be fairly firm to touch but not rock hard. Rock hard lemons have a thicker bitter white pith and will have a less sweet pulp.
Fresh pears. Choose ripe pears that are soft to touch, even with soft blemishes. You can cut off the blemishes. Pear flesh that is soft is most sweet and dissolves best into the lemonade. Blend chopped pears with water to make a simple syrup sweetened only with fruit.
Water. Use ice cold water if you want to serve as soon as you blend this lemonade. Otherwise chill the finished drink later. You can also replace one cup of the final added water with 1 cup ice cubes.
Garnishes: Slices of lemon and lime and kumquats lend color to the drink's presentation.
Equipment Need
- Blender or food processor
- Juicer
- Pitcher. This Luminarc with a useful pouring lid fits this recipe well and can easily be stored on the door of a refrigerator.
- Strainer
Steps to Make
Here are general steps to make this fruit lemonade. For specific measurements and instructions, scroll down to the bottom of this post for the printable recipe card.
Prepare lemons for juicing
1. Wash the lemons with soap and water, and rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean paper towel.
2. Put them two at a time in the microwave in an uncovered bowl and microwave for 10 seconds. Do that to the other lemons as well.
3. Lay a paper towel or flat dish on the counter. Then roll each lemon hard between the counter top and the palm of a clean hand twice. This explodes the inner flesh so you can extract more juice.
Juice the Lemons
1. Slice the lemons in half and either squeeze over a bowl by hand, or use a manual juicer.
Chop the peel
1. Once the lemons are juiced, remove the inner white pith from some of the peel and chop the yellow part. You want at least ¼ cup of peel, chopped and without pith.
2. Spread this peel on a clean flat dish or cutting board, and press hard with the back of a spoon. You are releasing the oils from the peel to add flavor to your lemonade.
3. Set aside the chopped pressed peel, and go chop and blend up pears.
Make a Simple Syrup using Pears
1. Peel the pears. You can leave little bits of peel if you intend to strain your lemonade. Add the pears to your blender along with two cups of water. Process until the pears are blended.
Make Lemonade
1. Add the lemon juice and the rest of the water to the blender, and process briefly. You can also use a food processor instead of a blender.
2. Set a strainer over a pitcher, and pour the lemonade through the strainer and into the pitcher. Chill the drink or enjoy over ice.
Storage
Store the homemade lemonade refrigerated whether made with sugar or fruit sweetened or else it could grow bacteria. Freshly made homemade lemonade can be stored refrigerated for 5 days.
Make ahead. To make it ahead and in bulk, freeze it away as ice cubes, and when ready to serve, fill a pitcher with the ice cubes, and allow them to melt overnight refrigerated. If preparing for a crowd, create lots of lemonade ice cubes and as they freeze, fill ziplock bags to store them for up to three months.
Substitutions
To make a sweeter lemonade, you can add maple syrup and it will still remain refined sugar free. Add 1 tablespoon at a time and taste-test between each. The lemonade will be less bright in color with each addition.
Swap the pears for green grapes. To use green grapes instead of pears wash 1 cup of green grapes, and don't peel, and drop them into the blender with the lemon juice and water. You will need to strain the final lemonade to remove grape pulp. The flavor will be greener, and the sweetness will vary according to the sweetness of the grapes you chose.
Use bottled juice instead of fresh lemons. If you want to use bottled juice, use a pure unsweetened lemon juice, and choose a high quality organic brand that has only lemons in the ingredients, no other additives. Santa Cruz is a good brand. If possible, get one fresh lemon to complete the peel step or your lemonade flavor will not be as strong.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- While peeling lemons, be sure to remove all white area or the lemonade can be bitter.
- Be sure to crush the chopped lemon peel, don't just add it to the drink uncrushed. Crushing it releases lemon oils that add a powerful lemon flavor to your drink.
- The lemonade might be a bit cloudy from the pears, even after straining. To clear it further, pour it through cheesecloth for a finer strain.
FAQS
Is drinking homemade lemonade good for you?
Lemonade is high in vitamin C and antioxidants which boost the immune system, support skin, joints and other body processes. Drinking fruit sweetened lemonade is healthier because of the lack of sugar, and the added micronutrients the fruit provides.
Is lemonade just lemon juice and water?
You can make lemonade with lemon juice and water, but you also need a sweetener. Most recipes use sugar, but my fruit sweetened recipe here is healthier using pears or grapes to sweeten it.
Is it cheaper to make your own lemonade?
It can be cheaper if you use bottled lemon water.
Other Healthy Drinks
- Strawberry Water
- Watermelon Juice
- Celery Juice
- Turmeric Shots
- Apple Cider Vinegar Drink
- How to Make Infused Water
- Ginger Shots
- 5 Wellness Shots
- Dragon Fruit Water
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📖 Recipe
Fruit Lemonade (homemade)
Equipment
Ingredients
Optional
- 1 lemon, sliced for garnish
- 1 lime, slice for garnish
- 3 kumquats, slice for garnish
Instructions
Prepare lemons for juicing
- Wash the lemons with soap and water, and rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean paper towel.6 lemons
- Put them two at a time in the microwave in an uncovered bowl and microwave for 10 seconds.
- Lay a paper towel or flat dish on the counter. Then roll each lemon hard between the counter top and the palm of a clean hand twice. This explodes the inner flesh so you can extract more juice.
Juice the lemons
- Slice the lemons in half and either squeeze over a bowl by hand, or use a manual juicer.6 lemons
- Once the lemons are juiced, remove the inner white pith from some of the peel and chop the yellow part. You want at least ¼ cup of peel, chopped and without pith.
- Spread this peel on a clean flat dish or cutting board, and press hard with the back of a spoon. You are releasing the oils from the peel to add flavor to your lemonade. Scoop the chopped and crushed peel into the blender.
Make syrup from pears
- Peel the pears. You can leave little bits of peel if you intend to strain your lemonade. Add the pears to your blender along with two cups of water. Process until the pears are blended.1 cup (140g) pear (2-3, roughly peeled, chopped)
Make the lemonade
- Add the lemon juice and the rest of the water to the blender with the pears, and process everything briefly. You can also use a food processor instead of a blender.1 cup (140g) pear (2-3, roughly peeled, chopped), 6 lemons, 5 cups (1250ml) water
- Set a strainer over a pitcher, and pour the lemonade through the strainer and into the pitcher. Chill the drink or enjoy over ice.
Storage
- Lemonade needs to be refrigerated whether made with sugar or fruit sweetened or else it could grow bacteria. Freshly made homemade lemonade can be stored refrigerated for five days.1 lemon, sliced for garnish, 1 lime, slice for garnish, 3 kumquats, slice for garnish
Ela
This healthy pear lemonade looks so refreshing and delicious! I have to give it a try. 🙂
Dee
Ela, thank you! It is very easy to work with pears.
Melissa G.
I love this healthy alternative to sugar-laden lemonade! I'm going to have to try this with my kids this summer!
Dee
I am happy you like this idea!
Dale
I sweeten it with with dates. Just soaka few dates in the 1/2c of water overnight, then blend with the lemon juice -- voila!
Dee
Thanks for sharing Dale!