Fresh Mint Lemonade

4.34 from 3 votes
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I love my fresh mint lemonade recipe because the fresh mint flavor is infused into the lemon simple syrup making one of THE most refreshing drinks. Make lots of the syrup with a double or triple batch and keep some in the refrigerator for homemade fresh mint lemonade on a whim all summer – a great way to put all of your fresh mint to delicious use!

Fresh mint lemonade with fresh mint sprigs in small glasses on a strawberry printed napkin.
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This recipe came together when my niece Victoria wanted to make a recipe using a new hack she saw for juicing lemons with tongs. I suggested adding some fresh mint, and we’d made the the best of all summer drinks!

Mint Lemonade Ingredients

  • Granulated sugar. The base of the lemon symple syrup. It doesn’t add any color to the syrup, keeping the lemonade clear and beautiful.
  • Water. We use both hot and cold water in this mint lemonade recipe. The sugar is dissolved in hot water, and cold water is mixed with the cooled syrup to create a delicious lemonade.
  • Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor! You’ll need about 5 lemons.
  • Fresh mint. We use lots of fresh mint leave torn in this recipe. Some recipes muddle or purรฉe the mint, but I like to steeping the mint to infuse the syrup because it keeps the lemonade looking clean.
  • Ice. Lots of ice is needed to keep this lemonade chilled and perfect for a hot summer day.
Picking mint sprigs from a mint plant.

How to Make Mint Lemonade

Step 1: Make the symple syrup. Combine the sugar and ยพ cups of the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the liquid reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Lemon being squeezed with a set of red tongs over a lemon reamer.

Step 2: Add flavor. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the lemon juice and fresh mint. Give the syrup a quick stir and set aside to steep and cool for at least 30 minutes. Once cooled, strain the syrup into a bowl, measuring cup or jar and discard the mint.

Fresh mint strained from lemon syrup for lemonade.

Step 3: Make the lemonade. In a large pitcher, combine the syrup with 4 cups of cold water and plenty of ice cubes. Serve in iced glasses with sprigs of mint.

Lemons cut for juicing on a board with a knife and towel underneath the window.

Helpful Tips

Make sure to remove the saucepan from the heat before adding the lemon juice. We want as much flavor of the freshly squeezed lemons so be sure to add the juice after taking the syrup off the heat.

Add lemon peel to the syrup. If you want to try and add even more lemon flavor, try adding some lemon peel to the hot syrup and letting it steep. After juicing the lemons, cut two peels in quarters and add to the steeping syrup.

Use fresh mint, not dried. Although dried mint can be delicious in recipes, you need fresh mint for this recipe!

Double or triple the simple syrup recipe! Make a large batch of the syrup and keep any leftover syrup in a jar in the refrigerator so you can have homemade lemonade on-demand.

Change it up by adding the syrup to sparkling water or making it a cocktail with a glug of gin or vodka! Freeze the lemonade in ice cube trays to make mint lemonade ice cubes, then pour sparkling water over top to serve in individual glasses.

Fresh mint lemonade with mint sprigs and little hand.

Peppermint or Spearmint?

Although peppermint is delicious, I recommend using spearmint for this mint lemonade recipe because it has a more subtle and sweet flavor. Spearmint, or na’na, is often used in Lebanese cooking and has a strong place in my heart. All Lebanese love na’na – it’s in our DNA!

If you love mint, you should make some strawberry lemonade, frozen mint julep, or try some melon drizzled with mint syrup.

For another refreshing cocktail favorite, try my Aperol Spritz recipe.

Fresh mint lemonade with mint sprigs and little hand, Maureen Abood.com
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4.34 from 3 votes

Mint Lemonade

The simple syrup base is just a way of dissolving the sugar, which wonโ€™t dissolve well in cold water. You can easily multiply the recipe for bigger batches of lemonade (highly recommended!). Keep any extra simple syrup on hand in a jar in the refrigerator for homemade lemonade on-demand!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 23 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1ยฝ cups granulated sugar
  • 4ยพ cups water, divided
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, abbout 5 lemons
  • 20-30 fresh mint leaves, torn
  • 6 small mint sprigs, for garnish
  • Lots of ice
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Instructions 

  • Combine the sugar and ยพ cups of the water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the liquid reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and fresh mint. Give the syrup a quick stir and set aside to steep and cool for at least 30 minutes.
  • Strain the syrup into a bowl, measuring cup or jar and discard the mint.
  • In a large pitcher, combine the syrup with 4 cups of cold water and plenty of ice. Serve in iced glasses with sprigs of mint.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Maureen Abood
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Course: Drinks
Servings: 6
Calories: 204
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21 Comments

  1. M says:

    I liked the steeping method, but it’s MUCH too sweet! Added extra water + a few more lemons worth of juice, which helped. Next time I’ll stick to a cup of sugar (or maybe even less) and steep it longer to get more mint flavor. Might also try cutting it with unsweetened tea for an Arnold Palmer.

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Oh goodness Natalie, thank you for your comments! Love the Arnold Palmer idea and absolutely can adjust the sweetness according to taste.

  2. Lucia says:

    3 stars
    This was so painfully sweet that it made my teeth hurt! ๐Ÿ™

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Lucia! Thank you for your comment and I’m sorry this was sweet for you–you can add more water to dilute (sparkling water would be delicious too!).

  3. Alexandra Tomes says:

    5 stars
    Perfect timing – just as summer turns on the heat and humidity! THANKS!

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      So refreshing!!!

  4. Russell Saray says:

    This looks delicious. I am a type II diabetic. Can this be made with artificial sweetener? Measurements? Thx.

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Hi Russell, great question, thank you. Yes, you can use artificial sweetener (sucralose) such as Splenda, subbing 1-1 for the sugar.

  5. Meredith Bartek says:

    I am so ready for summer with this recipe! We gifted our daughter with a hammock for her birthday; a few days ago she texted that she was lying in her hammock, reading a book, and drinking lemonade with fresh mint from her garden. I shared your great recipe w/ her so she can up her game! Thanks as always

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      How sweet is that?! Your daughter has so much love! And now incredibly good homemade lemonade with mint too!

  6. Ellen Taylor says:

    Always love to take different lemon juice. Going to try this and hope I’ll enjoy the mint flavor.

  7. Jane says:

    So delicious! Went and bought the ingredients when I saw you posted on instagram today … This tastes just like the mint lemonades I had in Lebanon. Yum! Thank you! Jane

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      I’m so glad you made and enjoyed it as much as we do! Thank you!

  8. Audrey says:

    Try infusing some thin bits of the lemon rind with the mint. Lemon juice only makes sour the peel gives the lemon flavour. A vegetable peeler takes nice thin bits. This is the third lemonade recipe I’ve seen on blogs this week! None use the rind!

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Thank you Audrey!

  9. Diane says:

    sounds mintalicious!

  10. Carlos Sandino Segnini says:

    I personally dislike the mess of blended mint leaves in traditional mint-lemonade drinks, Love the drink but hate the bits. This recipe is just what I was waiting for. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you, Maureen!

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Agree Carlos! Thank you and enjoy with a wonderful summer!

  11. Leo Chade says:

    It sounds that it is great in this summer heat.

  12. Memee says:

    Thank you for the mint lemonade recipe. I will make it today as heat index here in North Carolina will be 115+. My Mother used to make the chocolate balloon ice cream “dishes” for her bridge club, but she also put in cubes of pound cake and fresh strawberries with the ice cream.

    1. Maureen Abood says:

      Your mom’s chocolate cups sound SO good Memee, thank you!