Desserts / Drinks / Seasons / Summer
ByMelissa JohnsonPublished On: Updated On:
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Does anyone else drink fresh lemonade by the gallon during the summer?? Seriously as soon as June hits, I start craving fresh, homemade lemonade. My absolute favorite lemonade though is pink lemonade! Is anyone surprised? ;) I’ve been making pink lemonade for years now, and a few years back I cracked the recipe with a secret ingredient! By adding just a dash of vanilla to a batch of pink lemonade, you end up with the most amazing summertime lemonade! This lemonade is sweet, refreshing, and most importantly – pretty in pink! ;)
Vanilla Lemonade Recipe
Oh my gosh, I truly can’t even begin to describe how much I love this pink vanilla lemonade recipe! Pink lemonade has always been my favorite and the subtle hint of vanilla in this recipe is the perfect little touch of sweetness. It truly doesn’t feel like summer to me until I’m sipping a glass of this delicious lemonade! For me, this lemonade recipe needs to start with a bag of fresh lemons. I know a lot of people swear by premade lemon juice or a can of lemon concentrate, but I’m telling you fresh lemons make ALL the difference! The store bought kind can totally work in a pinch, but nothing beats the tartness of fresh lemons. You’ll need four and a half fresh lemons for this recipe! Cut each one of your lemons in half and scoop out all of the delicious pulp into your favorite blender. Pulse your lemon pulp with about half of the lemon rinds, your sugar, your vanilla extract, and two cups of the water. Continue blending your ingredients are smooth and then strain them into a serving pitcher. After you stir in the rest of your water, you’ll have a fresh batch of homemade lemonade!
Pink Lemonade Recipe
Once you have a full batch of the lemonade ready to go, it’s time to add in the pink! My favorite part ;) This step can actually be done two different ways, depending on your preference. When I’m making this recipe, I usually just add in three to four drops of red food coloring for the best color. For this option, just remember to stir continuously as you add in the food coloring, so you can see the exact color of your lemonade before adding too much. If you would rather not use food coloring for your pink lemonade, you can also use fresh strawberries! The juice of the strawberries will naturally dye your lemonade the prettiest pink color! To incorporate the strawberries, simply puree about one cup of strawberries in a blender with some ice. Keep blending the ingredients together until you have a smooth final consistency. This smooth texture will help the puree dissolve into the lemonade without making any awkward clumps or strawberry chunks. Not only do the strawberries give the lemonade a natural pink color, but they add a whole other delicious flavor to the recipe!
Star Drink Toppers
To totally showcase your patriotic spirit for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, you can add a star spangled topper to your lemonade recipe! I think these drink accents are so adorable! Plus they can literally be made in just a few seconds! Or you can even pick up a pack or two at a craft store to really save time! Either option adds a little sparkle to your drink, without breaking the bank! To assemble these drink toppers, you just need a few toothpicks and some gold stars. Adhere the gold stars to the top of the toothpicks, let them dry, and then top each lemonade glass with one of these beauties! How easy is that? I love the extra touch and am totally obsessed with the look of the pink and gold colors together.
I love to drink this amazing pink vanilla lemonade recipe allllll summer long! It’s the perfect level of sweetness and tartness combined! It’s super refreshing and of course super pink! It’ll definitely be the hit of any summer party!
Vanilla Lemonade Recipe
I’ve been making pink lemonade for years now, and a few years back I cracked the recipe with a secret ingredient! By adding just a dash of vanilla to a batch of pink lemonade, you end up with the most amazing summertime lemonade! This lemonade is sweet, refreshing and perfect for parties.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lemons
- 1/4 teaspoon Nielson Massey Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 white sugar
- 7 cups of cold water
- 3-4 drops of red food coloring
- 1 cup of strawberries optional
Instructions
Cut each one of your lemons in half and scoop the lemon pulp into a blender.
Add half of the remaining lemon rinds along with the sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of the water into the blender.
Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Strain final mixture into a serving pitcher and combine with the remaining water.
Add in red food coloring one drop at a time, stirring continuously.
Optional: To color your lemonade with strawberries, puree one cup of fresh strawberries in a blender with half a cup of ice. Stir the strawberry puree into your lemonade until the mixture has dissolved.
