Frozen Lemonade Concentrate (A Homemade Recipe)

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This is a homemade, made from scratch recipe.
• It requires only 3 simple ingredients - lemons, sugar and water.
• The recipe is very quick and easy to make. The concentrate makes a great summer treat when mixed with chilled water or even sparkling water.
• It lasts long and makes it very convenient for you to have a glass of lemonade anytime you feel like it, including for special occasions.
• It is filled with all-natural goodness of freshly squeezed lemon juice (with loads of vitamin C). There are no artificial flavoring or preservatives.
• You get to totally adjust the taste. If you prefer your lemonade with a stronger tart taste, you increase the amount of lemon juice in the concentrate, but if you prefer lemonade that is more on the sweet side, you can increase the sugar concentration accordingly.
• And it is very easy to use too. All you need do is pop the frozen lemonade concentrate into a glass or pitcher, add some ice and water to it and you have your favorite homemade lemonade drink in no time at all. No need to go through the hassle of buying, cutting, and squeezing lemon juice, and making fresh sugar syrup every time you want to enjoy a glass of homemade lemonade. And there is no cleaning up each time too.
• It is a great way to use up lemons when you have them in abundance.

• Lemons - use fresh fruits. And strain the juice to remove seeds before using.
• Sugar - white sugar works best for this recipe. You can use both granulated or coarse sugar. Brown sugar can be used but do note that it will change the color your concentrate to a light amber or brown (like this brown sugar lemonade).
• Water - use filtered water.
• Lemon zest (rind) - This is optional but it does add to the depth in flavor. You can leave the rind out if you like. Or, you can even drop one or two thin lemon slices into the syrup as it boils, in the same way, I did in my homemade golden syrup recipe. This will also help with the additional flavor.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make

Preparing the lemon juice and rind

• Start by washing your lemons clean. For this recipe, you would need about 6 medium-sized fruits.
• Dab them dry. Grate the rind of 1 fruit. You only need the rind of one lemon for this recipe, however, you can always grate the rind of all the lemons and store it in the freezer for your other baking or cooking needs.
• Juice the fruits. You can do this with a citrus juicer or a citrus press. After the 4th fruit, strain the juice and measure it. That way, you can stop juicing once you have the amount required. Cover and keep the juice in the refrigerator while you make the sugar syrup.

1. Next, prepare the sugar syrup. In medium-sized pan, add the sugar and water.
2. Turn on the heat to medium-low and add the grated rind.
3. Cook the syrup until the sugar is all melted. This should take about 5 minutes. Stir to expedite the process.
4. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool down to room temperature.

1. Strain the sugar syrup (to remove the lemon rind) into a large pot or jar with a spout (for easy pouring into a bottle later).
2. Add the strained lemon juice.
3. Mix well.
4. If you wish to make the liquid version of the concentrate, pour the concentrate into clean and dry bottles or mason jars. Put on the lid and refrigerate until ready to use. The concentrate is best used within 2 weeks.

To make the frozen version of the concentrate, pour it into smaller containers. For easy use, it is best to measure the concentrate into individual molds (like ice cube trays) or ziploc bags and label the quantity accordingly. Freeze the concentrate until completely set. Always keep the frozen concentrate in covered airtight container or sealed ziploc bags.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Line your muffin cups with cling wrap, leaving enough excess on the sides to wrap the frozen concentrate later (step 4 below).
2. Pour the measured lemonade concentrate into each cup.
3. Freeze the concentrate until it hardens completely (overnight is best). Remove the frozen concentrate from the muffin cups along with the cling wrap.
4. Wrap the frozen cubes completely with the cling wrap. Place the wrapped cubes a zip lock back or covered container and return to the freezer until ready to use.

🍽️How to Use

To use the concentrate, mix one part of it with 3 parts of chilled water, soda water, club soda, sparkling water or even unsweetened iced tea (to make iced lemon tea). If you wish to add ice cubes, reduce the water and replace it with ice cubes. This will ensure your lemonade does not get too diluted when ice is added.

Making lemonade with liquid concentrate

• Lemonade drink in a pitcher (2000ml): Add 500ml of lemonade concentrate into the pitcher. Top with 1500ml of chilled water. Mix and serve. Reduce the water accordingly if you wish to add ice cubes.
• Lemonade drink in a single serving (350ml): Add 75ml of lemonade concentrate into the glass. Top it with 225ml chilled water. Stir to mix and serve. Reduce the water if you wish to add ice cubes.
• In baked goods or other treats: As specified in the recipe

Making lemonade with frozen concentrate

If you freeze your lemonade concentrate in larger blocks (for eg 500ml), it is best to let the concentrate thaw first before mixing it with water. If you freeze the concentrate in smaller molds, the concentrate will not take too long to melt and therefore, need not be thawed first before using.

• Lemonade drink in a pitcher (2000ml): Use the same measurement as above. For easy use, freeze the concentrate in 500ml volume ziplock bags or molds.
• Lemonade drink in a single serving (350ml): Use the same measurement as the liquid concentrate above. For easy use, freeze the concentrate in 75ml capacity molds. To make the lemonade, simply drop one cube of the frozen concentrate into your glass and top it with water. Let it melt completely before adding any ice and serving.
• In baked goods or other treats: Thaw the concentrate first and use as specified in the recipe.

🍽️Storage

• In its liquid form, pour the prepared concentrate into a clean and dry bottle that has a lid. Keep it refrigerated all the time, with the lid on. It is best consumed within 2 weeks.
• In its frozen form, this concentrate is best kept in a sealed zip lock bag or a container with lid. Leaving it open in the freezer can dry it out. This frozen lemonade concentrate can last for a good 3 to 4 months.

💡Expert tips

• You can use any type of lemons for this recipe. For best results and effective juicing, roll the lemons with your palm on your kitchen countertop before cutting and juicing. This helps with easier juicing of the fruits. You can use a citrus pressor or a citrus juicer. Both are better than trying to squeeze out the juice with your bare hands unless you have the strength to do that for about 5 to 6 lemons.
• Also, remember to grate the lemon for rind before you cut and squeeze them. It is a lot easier to grate the rind from a full, plump fruit than one that has been squeezed out.
• When measuring the lemon juice, do it after straining it. When juicing the fruits, you will end up with some of the seeds and pulp in it. These are best removed by straining the juice for a smooth lemonade concentrate.

💭FAQs