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This classic pink lemonade recipe is as refreshing as the concentrated stuff from your childhood but made better with the use of fresh lemons.
Some people may think of a refreshing glass of pink lemonade on a hot summer day, but for this Vegas girl, lemonade season is in the winter. Sure, I enjoy a refreshing glass when temps top 100F degrees, but my Meyer lemon tree doesn’t produce its beautiful golden fruit until December.
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Your New Favorite Healthy Lemonade Recipe
In addition to Meyer lemons, I have a lime tree, a mandarin orange tree and a variegated pink lemonade tree. I had never seen pink lemons before, but I grew up drinking pink lemonade (made from concentrate).
When I bought this tree, I thought fresh pink lemonade must come from pink lemons. Turns out I was wrong! Pink lemonade is just regular lemonade with a red sweetener added like grenadine, cranberry juice or raspberry juice.
You can use pink lemons, too, but they’re not easy to find and my tree only produces about 10 lemons a year. So I like to use them as a pretty garnish instead.
I don’t like my lemonade super sweet, and I don’t like to drink my calories, so I made this gorgeous pink lemonade skinny by using Truvia.
The whole pitcher has less than 150 calories. If you don’t care about the calories, you can replace the Truvia with a half cup of sugar.
It may seem strange to think of lemonade in December, but it’s a great light, colorful drink to serve over the holidays.
Skinny Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
- 5 Meyer lemons
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup Truvia, or 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons grenadine syrup
Instructions
- Microwave: Microwave four lemons for 30 seconds. This makes them easier to juice.
- Juice: Juice each lemon. Place a sieve over a large pitcher to easily collect the seeds and pulp.
- Boil: Boil 1 cup water and Truvia (or sugar) in a small pot to make simple syrup.
- Combine: Combine the fresh lemon juice, syrup, 3 cups water and grenadine in a pitcher.
- Add: Add lemon slices to the pitcher and garnish each glass with a slice.
- Serve: Serve over ice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for skinny pink lemonade
- Lemons: Meyer lemons are what I have on hand thanks to my garden, but you can use any variety. Five lemons should make about one cup of juice.
- Cold water
- Truvia or sugar: Depending on your preference.
- Grenadine syrup: You can usually find grenadine in the same aisle as club soda or seltzer.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make pink skinny lemonade
- MICROWAVE: Microwave four lemons for 30 seconds. This makes them easier to juice.
- JUICE: Juice each lemon. Place a sieve over a large pitcher to easily collect the seeds and pulp.
- BOIL: Boil 1 cup water and Truvia (or sugar) in a small pot to make simple syrup.
- COMBINE: Combine the fresh lemon juice, syrup, 3 cups water and grenadine in a pitcher.
- ADD: Add lemon slices to the pitcher and garnish each glass with a slice.
- SERVE: Serve over ice.
How to serve pink lemonade
While I love this as it is served over ice, there are plenty of ways to give it a fun little twist.
Try turning it into sparkling lemonade with a sprig of mint and some club soda or add iced green tea for a little kick of natural caffeine and extra amino acids.
You can also add vodka, gin, rum or a crisp white wine or prosecco.
Storage
This lemonade never lasts long in my house, but it can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or until finished. What I love about this recipe is that it’s so simple, you can make a fresh batch whenever the mood strikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but I highly recommend going with fresh lemons as it will provide the most robust flavor and a fresh flavor that can’t be beat.
Absolutely. This could easily be turned into a pink lemonade vodka recipe with the addition of your favorite vodka. You could even try gin or another clear spirit of your choice.
That’s a delicious idea. Strawberry lemonade is a classic. You could add fresh strawberries to the bottom of the glass and muddle them together for strawberry lemonade or use sliced berries as a garnish. I also think blueberries, blackberries or raspberries would be great here.
I’m harvesting my first crop of Meyer lemons this year! We planted our tree last year and have about a dozen and a half lemons this year. I’ve got several things in mind for those luscious little lemons!
Gorgeous photos!