This pretty pink blueberry lemonade is made with only 4 ingredients. It's easy, tastes absolutely refreshing, and makes a lovely party treat!
Blueberries are very rich in color. When heated up, they take on a deep purple color and this color, when diluted, takes on a very pretty pastel peachy pink tone.
And that is exactly how this pink blueberry lemonade drink is made. It starts with the basic lemonade recipe, and to this, you add a tiny bit of cooked blueberries. I say a tiny bit because you literally need only about 6 blueberries to get the lovely pink color for 2 liters of lemonade. The peachy pink color from the blueberries when mixed with lemon juice in the lemonade, turns into a lovely pastel pink. To this, you add some fresh blueberries and ice cubes to make a refreshingly pretty pink blueberry lemonade. Easy right?
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❤️Why you will love this recipe
- This is an easy recipe with simple ingredients. You only need lemons, blueberries, sugar and water to make this summertime drink.
- There are no artificial colors in the drink. The pink color is from the blueberries.
- The recipe uses only fresh ingredients - fresh lemons and fresh blueberries with all natural flavors.
- The pink color of the lemonade adds a fun spin to the lemonade. This, along with the little blueberries floating in it makes this a pretty drink, perfect for pink themed parties.
- Served chilled, this lemonade makes a perfect beverage on a hot summer day.
- The pastel pink color of the drink and the little blueberries floating in it makes this a pretty drink too, perfect for pink themed parties.
Like this homemade lemonade recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
- Classic Lemonade Recipe - 3 Easy Methods for the Perfect Lemonade
- Honey Lemonade
- Frozen Lemonade Concentrate
- Lemonade Popsicles
- Lemonade Sorbet
- Candied Lemon Peels
📋Ingredients
- Lemon juice - use fresh lemons. Strain the juice to remove any seeds.
- Sugar - use white sugar. Both coarse or granulated sugar will work fine with this recipe. Any colored sugar will not be suitable as it may alter the pretty pink color of the drink.
- Water - used in 2 parts. The first part is to make the blueberry sugar syrup. For this, use room temperature water. The second part is to mix with the syrup in a pitcher. For this part, it is best to use chilled water for a deliciously chilled lemonade.
- Blueberries - used to color and flavor the lemonade as well as garnish. Choose plump ones for the garnish.
- Ice cubes (optional)
*Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*
🧾Substitution and variations
- The second part of the water which is used to mix with the blueberry syrup can be substituted with soda water, sparkling water or club soda to make sparkling blueberry lemonade. The first part of the water which is used to make the blueberry syrup, however, should remain plain, filtered water.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!
👩🏻🍳How to make
Mixing the drink
- Start by juicing your lemons in a citrus juicer. Before cutting them to juice, it is good to roll them over your kitchen table or countertop. This helps to soften the lemon skin and loosen the pulp inside.
- Strain and measure the juice into a measuring glass. Set it aside.
- Next, make the blueberries sugar syrup. Measure 200ml drinking water into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and blueberries and cook these over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the blueberries turn soft. Press the berries with a fork to release as much juice and color as possible. Set aside to cool completely.
- Strain the blueberry puree syrup (with a fine-mesh strainer) into a large pitcher. Press the blueberries with the back of a spoon to release as much juice as possible. Add the lemon juice to it.
- Top up with the remaining 1300ml water and stir well.
- Keep the lemonade chilled until ready to serve.
- Add ice cubes and fresh blueberries before serving.
🍽️Serving & storage
- This drink is best served chilled. It can be served immediately after making. Leftover lemonade can be refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.
- It is best stored in a covered jug. If you like your lemonade with ice cubes, add them right before serving. This will avoid the lemonade from getting too diluted as the ice cubes will melt even when kept in the refrigerator.
- Also, add the fresh blueberries right before serving.
💡Expert tips
- Before cutting the lemons to juice them, it is good to roll them over your kitchen table or countertop by applying some pressure with your palm. This helps to soften the lemon skin and loosen the pulp inside and will make juicing the fruit easier.
- The lemonade is best made with chilled water and kept chilled. That way, you need not add too much ice cubes which can dilute the lemonade.
💭FAQs
Blueberries, when cooked into a compote or even syrup, turn into a deep purple color. This color is achieved when the blueberries are in a concentrated form.
When diluted, it still remains purple but becomes less intense. And when it is continuously diluted, it will reach a peachy pink tone.
In coming up with this recipe, I realized that to achieve the pretty pastel pink for the lemonade drink, I only required a tiny amount of cooked blueberries. In fact, for a 350ml individual serving of this pink blueberry lemonade, you only need one cooked blueberry.
Adding more blueberries into the drink will turn it into a maroonish color which is far off from the pink that is intended for this recipe. Hence, if you wish to add more blueberries, it is best to add the berries uncooked. This way, you do not disturb the pink tone of the drink and get to enjoy the full, fresh blueberries along with the drink.
You can use frozen blueberries to make the syrup. But it is best to use fresh blueberries for those that are separately added to the drink.
To use frozen blueberries for the syrup, thaw them first, and then drain the liquid. Cook them as you would the fresh blueberries and use them in the drink.
The highlight of this blueberry lemonade is it's pretty pink color. The lovely pink hue is achieved by mixing a tiny bit of cooked blueberries with lemon juice. Since white sugar turns clear when dissolved, it does not affect the pink hue that is achieved by mixing the blueberries with lemon juice.
Using sweeteners like honey and brown sugar or cane sugar will alter this pink hue because these sweeteners on their own give the lemonade an amber color.
I have seen some lemonade recipes that use agave, stevia, and even maple syrup (not my recipes) but I have personally not used any of these in my lemonade drink. Hence, I am not sure how they would impact the final color of this pink blueberry lemonade if used.
I prefer to stir my sugar in the water to dissolve it. It does not take more than a few minutes for the sugar to dissolve and it's easy.
The other option for dissolving sugar is by making a simple syrup with it. Simply add the sugar and about 300ml or 400ml water into a pot. Heat these up over a low flame. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir the sugar to dissolve it faster. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the syrup from heat and let it cool down to room temperature before mixing in the lemon juice, blueberries, and the remaining water.
Yes, you can.
If you use store-bought concentrate, follow the direction on the bottle and make 2 liters of lemonade.
You can also make your own lemonade concentrate with my frozen lemonade concentrate recipe. Add 500ml of the lemonade concentrate into a 2-liters pitcher. Add 1500ml water and stir. Remove about 100ml of the lemonade drink into a small pot. Add the blueberries and cook until they turn soft. Strain the blueberries-colored lemonade into the pitcher and stir well to mix. Chill and serve as usual.
Yes, it certainly can.
You can squeeze the lemon juice ahead of time and freeze it in either individual sizes (in tablespoon measures in ice cube trays ) or in larger pitcher serving sizes (for example in 150ml sizes). This way, you save time on squeezing fresh lemon juice every time you want to make the lemonade. You can either wait for the juice to melt before adding to the water and sugar, or simply pop the frozen cubes or blocks into your glass or pitcher. Let the juice melt completely before adding the blueberries and serving.
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📖Recipe
Blueberry Lemonade
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
- 150 ml lemon juice (juice of approximately 2 lemons, strained)
- 150 g white sugar
- 200 ml drinking water (at room temperature)
- 1300 ml drinking water (chilled)
- 6 blueberries (fresh)
- Ice cubes (optional)
Garnish
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh)
Instructions
- Measure 200ml drinking water into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and the blueberries. Turn on the heat to low and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries turn soft.
- Strain the blueberry syrup into a 2-liters pitcher. Add the remaining 1300ml chilled drinking water.
- Strain the lemon juice in.
- Stir the lemonade to mix.
- Keep the lemonade chilled until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh blueberries before serving.(Refer to notes below if you wish to add ice cubes to your lemonade)
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 liters of homemade pink blueberry lemonade made entirely with chilled water and without ice cubes.
- If you wish to add ice cubes, reduce the chilled water in the recipe accordingly. This will avoid the lemonade from becoming too diluted as the ice cubes melt.
- To make the lemonade in a single serving of 350ml glass, use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 blueberry, and 300ml of chilled water. Pour about 100ml water into a small pot. Add the sugar and the blueberry into it. Cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the blueberry turns soft. Let the syrup cool down to room temperature and strain it into a drinking glass. Press the blueberry with a spoon to release as much of the juice and color as possible. Add the lemon juice (strained) and top it up with the remaining 200ml water. Stir to mix. Garnish with fresh blueberries before serving. If you wish to add ice cubes, reduce the water accordingly and top up with ice cubes.
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