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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!
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 purée 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.
How to Make Mint Lemonade
Step 1: Make the symple syrup. Combine the sugar and ¾ 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mint Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4¾ 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
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and ¾ 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so painfully sweet that it made my teeth hurt! 🙁
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!).
Perfect timing – just as summer turns on the heat and humidity! THANKS!
So refreshing!!!
This looks delicious. I am a type II diabetic. Can this be made with artificial sweetener? Measurements? Thx.
Hi Russell, great question, thank you. Yes, you can use artificial sweetener (sucralose) such as Splenda, subbing 1-1 for the sugar.
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
How sweet is that?! Your daughter has so much love! And now incredibly good homemade lemonade with mint too!
Always love to take different lemon juice. Going to try this and hope I’ll enjoy the mint flavor.
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
I’m so glad you made and enjoyed it as much as we do! Thank you!
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!
Thank you Audrey!
sounds mintalicious!
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!
Agree Carlos! Thank you and enjoy with a wonderful summer!
It sounds that it is great in this summer heat.
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.
Your mom’s chocolate cups sound SO good Memee, thank you!