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5.0 from 15 votes

Watermelon Lemonade

This crowd-pleasing watermelon lemonade is refreshing and the ultimate summer drink! This recipe yields a huge pitcher, so it’s perfect for summer barbecues, parties, and picnics. Made with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and seedless watermelon, it’s exploding with watermelon flavor. 

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
2 hrs
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup:
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (298g) granulated sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (340ml) water
  • 2 " strips lemon peel
For the Watermelon Lemonade:
  • 8 cups seedless watermelon cubed
  • 3 cups (681ml) water cold
  • 1 and 3/4 cups (171ml) lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • lemon slices garnish, optional
  • watermelon wedges garnish, optional
  • Fresh mint sprigs garnish, optional

Instructions

For the Simple Syrup:
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon peel.  Bring to a simmer over medium-heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  2. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool for at least 1 hour before use. Once cool, strain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard lemon peel. 
  3. Use at once, or cover and store in the refrigerator until needed, up to 2 weeks. 
For the Watermelon Lemonade:
  1. Place the watermelon in a blender or food processor and pulse until well pureed. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and into a large bowl.
  2. In a large pitcher, combine the simple syrup, watermelon juice, water, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. 
  3. When ready to serve, fill tall glasses halfway with ice. Pour the watermelon lemonade on top of the ice, and garnish each glass with a tiny wedge of watermelon, a lemon slice, and a sprig of fresh mint, if using. Serve at once!