On a hot summer day, enjoy this tangy and cool low sugar lemonade that's naturally sweetened and bursting with citrus flavor!
This summer has been SO HOT here in Alberta. We're breaking records over here!
But look at the silver lining, right? Lots of excuses to make delicious cooling summer treats. My favorite this summer has been healthy chocolate fudge popsicles. Should I admit that I now eat one every day after supper?
Probably not.
Anyways, what's more cooling and refreshing than a tall glass of ice-cold healthy homemade lemonade on a sweltering hot day? When it's above 30°C every day, you've got to have a go-to easy lemonade recipe up your sleeve.
I love this one for its simple ingredients and balance of tartness and sweetness. Steeping some lemon zest peels also adds a nice punch of amazing lemon flavor.
This recipe definitely doesn't have as much sugar as most lemonade recipes and of course, you can adjust to your own personal preference.
I hope this delicious lemonade saves you the next time you're melting into the earth as the sun beats down on you. It really does feel like that sometimes!
Is This Lemonade Healthy?
Lemons are a fantastic source of Vitamin C, a vitamin essential for heart health, preventing kidney stones and iron absorption.
Lemons are also high in fibre which can stabilize blood sugar and improve gut health. However, you only get these benefits if you eat the lemon pulp. It's your choice whether you want to strain it out or leave it in your lemonade! Lemon juice is also a source of natural electrolytes.
I've chosen honey to sweeten this healthy lemonade because it is a natural sweetener and it does contain antioxidants, which may play a role in preventing many diseases. It is still sugar, so we want to use as little as possible.
And lastly, when you drink lemonade, you are also consuming water, which your body always needs. So that's a plus!
Can You Make Lemonade Without Sugar?
There are many sugar-free lemonade recipes on the internet that have zero calories. There are artificial sweeteners out there that don't contain sugar, so they don't increase your blood sugar levels.
However, that doesn't mean they are any healthier than refined white sugar or natural sugars. If you want to use a sugar-free sweetener, look into the negative effects, because each one has something undesirable about it.
Is Lemonade Keto?
Generally, no. Even lemonade sweetened with honey isn't, because honey is high in calories and carbs. If you want a keto lemonade recipe, check out this recipe, but keep in mind what I said earlier about sugar-free sweeteners!
Variations of Low Sugar Lemonade
- Throw some mint leaves in with the lemon rind peelings to steep, for a minty fresh lemonade. Or place them in each glass for garnish and a tad of minty flavor.
- Blend up 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, etc) and add it to the lemonade for a fruity twist.
- Swap out 3 cups filtered water for sparkling water to make sparkling lemonade.
- If you don't have lemons, you could use grapefruit, limes or oranges instead. You could use bottled lemon juice, but I don't recommend it! Fresh lemon juice is just so much better.
- I haven't tried it, but you could use a granulated sugar in place of the honey or maple syrup. Coconut sugar would be my recommendation. Just be sure it fully dissolves in the water when heating it.
Hand citrus juicer or lemon squeezer
How to Make Low Sugar Lemonade
INGREDIENTS:
- 3-4 fresh lemons (Meyer lemons are the sweetest, but it really doesn't matter!)
- 4 cups filtered water (we use the Berkey- read my review of it here)
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (or more, to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with your sweetener of choice over medium heat. Stir occasionally and heat until honey is fully dissolved and incorporated with the water. Remove from heat.
Peel the rind off of 1 lemon (make sure you've washed it well first!) and add it to the honey/water mixture. Cover and allow to steep for at least half an hour.
You can skip this step if you're short on time, but it really helps boost the lemon flavor in the final product. I got this brilliant steeping idea from Summer at summeryule.com. Here is her lemonade recipe.
Juice 3 lemons (or more if needed) to make ½ cup of lemon juice. Strain it through the sieve (unless you like chunky lemonade) and combine with the remaining 3 cups of water in a pitcher.
Once the lemon rind peelings have steeped, strain them out and add the honey/water mixture to the pitcher. Stir before serving. Chill or serve immediately with ice cubes.
This recipe makes 5 servings. Doubling the recipe should fill a large pitcher.
HOW TO STORE LOW SUGAR LEMONADE
This lemonade can be served immediately or stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Did you try this recipe and love it? If so, I would so appreciate a 5-star review and your comments below! Thanks!
More Nourishing Drinks
- DAIRY FREE HOT CHOCOLATE
- HIBISCUS TEA
- UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK
- CHOCOLATE ALMOND MILK
- CHOCOLATE MINT TEA LATTE
More Summer Treats
- HEALTHY CHOCOLATE FUDGE POPSICLES
- STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE WITHOUT ICE CREAM
- FRESH CHERRY TARTS WITH SPROUTED WHEAT CRUST
- CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA POPSICLES
- CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE WITHOUT ICE CREAM
📖 Recipe
Low Sugar Lemonade
Yield: 5 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
On a hot summer day, enjoy this tangy and cool low sugar lemonade that's naturally sweetened and bursting with citrus flavor!
Ingredients
- 3-4 fresh lemons
- 4 cups filtered water
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of water with your sweetener of choice over medium heat. Stir occasionally and heat until honey is fully dissolved and incorporated with the water. Remove from heat.
- Peel the rind off of 1 lemon (make sure you've washed it well first!) and add it to the honey/water mixture. Cover and allow to steep for at least half an hour.
- Juice 3 lemons (or more if needed) to make ½ cup of lemon juice. Strain it through the sieve (unless you like chunky lemonade) and combine with the remaining 3 cups of water in a pitcher.
- Once the lemon rind peelings have steeped, strain them out and add the honey/water mixture to the pitcher. Stir before serving. Chill or serve immediately with ice cubes.
Notes
This lemonade can be served immediately or stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram
