Watermelon Mint Lemonade has to be the best and most refreshing summer drink! It’s made with ripe watermelon, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a homemade mint simple syrup. It’s a simple 5 ingredient recipe that tastes like summer in a glass!
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Watermelon is naturally refreshing, sweet and flavorful and it makes this lemonade the best. Mint and and lemon pair really well with the queen of summer produce and it takes about 30 minutes to make from start to finish!
Try as we might, picking the perfect watermelon isn’t an easy task. Whether you hit the watermelon jackpot or you end up with fruit that is delicious but has a weird texture- this recipe is the perfect way to use it up! You’ll need about 7 – 8 cups of cubed fruit or about half of a medium watermelon.
Recipe Ingredients
- Watermelon – Ripe, watermelon cut into cubes. Since the fruit will be blended and strained, it’s fine if it’s seeded or has a weird texture. The most important thing is using a watermelon with a nice flavor.
- Lemon – You’ll need about 5-6 large lemons. Freshly squeezed lemon juice is the best to use when making homemade lemonade.
- Mint – 1 package of fresh mint leaves. To get the flavor of the mint to come through in the lemonade(without turning the drink a weird color) we need to steep it in a simple syrup or a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar.
- Sugar – Used to make a mint simple syrup to sweeten the lemonade. I used granulated cane sugar.
- Water – You’ll only need 1 cup of water to make the simple syrup, the rest of the liquid will be the watermelon juice.
How to Make Watermelon Mint Lemonade
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Make the mint simple syrup. Add sugar, mint leaves and water to a small saucepan. Bring the mixture up to a simmer then cover the pot and allow everything to steep for 20 minutes. Strain the syrup into a jar or measuring cup then allow it to cool.
- Make the watermelon juice. Add cubed watermelon into a blender, pulse until smooth and blended. Strain watermelon puree using a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- Make the lemonade. Pour the watermelon juice into a pitcher along with freshly squeezed lemon juice and ¾ cup of the mint simple syrup. Stir and taste. Add more of the syrup until it reaches your liking.
- Serving. Chill lemonade or serve immediately over ice garnished with lemon slices and/or fresh mint leaves.
Tips and Tricks
- Skip the simple syrup – If you want to make watermelon lemonade, leave off the mint then simply add the sugar to the blender with the cubed watermelon.
- How to get the most amount of juice from lemons – If you store your lemons in the fridge like we do, it’s helpful to sit them on the counter for 30 minutes or so that way the juices will release more readily. Rolling the lemon on the counter between your palm before juicing is another way to bring out more of the juice. For recipes like this, manual citrus juicer works better than a handheld one because it squeezes out more of the juice without too much effort.
Frequently Asked Questions —
It tastes like sweet watermelon juice with a hint of mint and lemon.
No, I don’t recommend using bottled lemon juice. It can sometimes have other additives in it and it overall doesn’t have the same flavor as freshly squeezed lemon juice.
This can be a little tricky. I used about 3 pounds of cubed watermelon, which is about 7 – 8 cups(depending on how large or small you make the chunks). Once blended and strained it should yield 5 cups of watermelon juice.
This happens when you add fruit puree or juice to lemonades, it’s totally normal. Just give it a stir before serving and it will be totally fine!
Looking For More Lemonade Recipes?
- Blackberry Lemonade
- Mango Lemonade
- Iced Tea Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Mint Ginger Lemonade with Homemade Mint Ginger Syrup
- Cherry Limeade
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Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepot
- 1 Pitcher
Ingredients
Mint Simple Syrup
- 1 (0.75 ounce) package of mint leaves or ½ cup packed, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
Watermelon Lemonade
- 5 cups watermelon juice 3 lb of cubed watermelon, or 7-8 cups cubed watermelon
- ¾ cup of the mint syrup or to your liking
- 1 cup lemon juice or 5 – 6 large lemons, freshly squeezed
- Ice for serving
- Lemon slices or mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- To a small sauce pot add rinsed and roughly chopped mint leaves, granulated sugar and water. Stir then heat for 10 minutes on medium heat or until it reaches a gentle simmer and all the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat, cover then allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain your simple syrup into a mason jar or measuring cup then allow it to cool completely.
- To a blender add cubed watermelon. Blend until smooth then use a fine mesh strainer to strain blended watermelon puree into a large bowl. You should have 5 cups of strained watermelon juice.
- Pour the juice into a pitcher with ¾ cup of the mint syrup and the lemon juice. Taste and add more syrup to your liking. Chill or serve lemonade immediately over ice with more fresh mint leaves.
Notes
Make ahead and storage instructions:
Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Separation is normal, stir before serving. Freeze leftover lemonade in an ice cube tray or popsicle mold for up to 3 months. Use it to make slushies or add it to lemonades or smoothies.Tips and Tricks
- Skip the simple syrup – If you want to make watermelon lemonade, leave off the mint then simply add the sugar to the blender with the cubed watermelon.
- How to get the most amount of juice from lemons – If you store your lemons in the fridge like we do, it’s helpful to sit them on the counter for 30 minutes or so that way the juices will release more readily. Rolling the lemon on the counter between your palm before juicing is another way to bring out more of the juice. For recipes like this, a manual citrus juicer works better than a handheld one because it squeezes out more of the juice without too much effort.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
