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Gloriously tart but sweet and endlessly refreshing, this cheery, ruby-hued Cherry Lemonade is a big part of some of my favorite summer memories. Whip up a batch of this lemonade, sit outside with your feet up, and relax!
My friends, I adore my lemonades. This cherry lemonade recipe is as simple as simple gets, making it the perfect way to bring a special touch to any day of the week. For a fresh herbal twist on this classic, my mint lemonade is divine. And, if you like this cherry lemonade, you’ll have to try my blueberry lemonade and strawberry lemonade too. Who knew that at my age, I’d feel like I was running a lemonade stand? But, they’re SO good!
Cherry Lemonade
Cherries are a fleeting summer joy, and they vanish from our produce section about as quickly as they appear. Because of that, this version leans on frozen cherries. They’re available year-round, and using them means I get to skip the pitting altogether.
I like to keep a bag in the freezer for occasions just like this. Then, I’m just a quick thaw away from a fancy lemonade. You won’t be able to tell the difference between fresh and frozen.
On days when the weather is simply perfect outside, this is the kind of pour that I turn to. It makes it just a little bit easier to linger in the fresh air, listen to the music of the birds and my windchime, and be present in the moment.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Cherries – My go-to for this drink is frozen cherries. They are lazy in the best possible way. You don’t have to pit them, and the flavor is fresh picked and fully ripe every time. But, you can swap for fresh cherries if you want to feel fancy!
Lemon Juice – On the other hand, the lemon juice is always worth squeezing fresh. I think the brightness of the fresh-squeezed lemons is what really makes the cherries pop.
Sugar – I include a range of measurements on this recipe card. There are two reasons. First, different varieties of cherry are sweeter and some are more tart. And, second, some people like it less sweet or more sweet. So don’t come at me in the comments if it’s too sweet. Start with less, then mix and taste. You can always add more!
Water – I usually just use the cold water from my refrigerator. But, sometimes, I add sparkling water when serving to fancy things up.
Fresh Mint – Technically this is optional. But, you want it. I give the leaves a smack between my palms, to release the minty fragrance, before dropping it into the glass, so it adds just a hint of those interesting minty herbal notes.
Notes on Equipment
- Blender
- Handheld juicer or reamer (for squeezing the lemons)
- Fine-mesh strainer (optional)
- Large pitcher
How to Make Cherry Lemonade
Thawing the Cherries: I just set the frozen cherries in a bowl on the counter for an hour or two before blending, and they’ll thaw beautifully.
Juicing the Lemons: Roll each lemon firmly under your palm on the counter before slicing. That tiny step loosens the membranes and gets you noticeably more juice per squeeze.
Blending: Now, you’ll add the thawed cherries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar to the blender. I keep pureeing until the mixture is completely smooth and ruby-red.
Straining: A quick pass through a fine-mesh strainer will catch the larger bits of cherry skins, giving you the silkiest concentrated cherry lemonade. This step is optional, and at my house we often skip it.
Chilling the Concentrate: I like to pop the concentrated mix into the refrigerator for a few hours to chill. But, you can enjoy it immediately, if you just can’t wait.
Serving: Add ice to your glass, then you’ll dilute the concentrate with some still or sparkling water. Then, I just give it a quick stir and add a fresh mint leaf.
Expert Tip
While this homemade lemonade with cherries is wonderful in and of itself, you can really gild the lily by popping the glasses you’ll use to serve it into the freezer for a few minutes first. Nothing, but nothing beats a frosty glass filled with icy cold cherry lemonade.
Taste the Concentrate – Spoon a small taste of the concentrate straight from the blender. It should skew a touch sweeter than you’d want to sip. If it’s perfect at concentrate strength, go easy on the amount of water you add to each glass.
Still vs Sparkling – Still water gives you the classic, easy-sipping pitcher lemonade. Sparkling water turns the same drink into a fizzy, brunch-friendly spritzer. For a gathering, I like to set out both options next to the concentrate and let guests mix to taste.
Fancy Ice Cubes – Drop a single fresh cherry into each well of an ice cube tray and fill with water before freezing. Those cherry cubes in a glass of cherry lemonade look extra special, and the whole effort is roughly thirty seconds.
Serving Suggestions
Cherry lemonade is one of my favorite summertime drinks. It goes perfectly on a potluck table, which means pasta salad is for sure on the menu with it. You can’t go wrong serving a pitcher of this with this bowtie pasta salad, a chilled tuna pasta salad, or even my meat lover’s salami pasta salad.
Want to serve up something a little sweeter for brunch with this? Look no further than freshly baked slices of cherry almond bread.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: Yes, yes, yes! This recipe for cherry lemonade creates a concentrate that is a make ahead hero. Make it on the weekend, and you’ll be enjoying freshly made glasses throughout the week.
How to Store: The concentrate keeps well in the fridge for up to a week in a tightly covered pitcher or jar. Just give it a brisk stir or shake before pouring, since the cherry solids settle while it sits. You can also freeze the concentrate for up to a month. I like to freeze it into an ice tray, so that the cubes can be dropped directly into my glass.
More Cherry Recipes
- Cherry Cake
- Cherry Cobbler
- Cherry Cookies
- Cherry Crisp
- Cherry Ice Cream
- Cherry Milkshake
- Glazed Cherry Pie Bars
- Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
- Rustic Cherry Tarts
Sweet cherries are the standard, if you’re buying frozen bags at the store. Tart cherries are punchier and more acidic, so you’ll want to dial the sugar up toward the top of the range, or even a touch over, if that’s what you have on hand.
For fresh and thawed cherries, you can muddle them with the sugar in the bottom of a pitcher to release the juice, then strain the solids out and stir in the lemon juice and water. The texture will be a little thinner, but the flavor still lands.
Actually, you can! If you don’t want to thaw the cherries, you can blend them together with the lemon juice and sugar. But, as a heads up, the texture will be more like a slushy than a lemonade, unless you allow them to thaw.
Cherry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen cherries thawed
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice about 6 lemons worth
- ⅔ – ¾ cup sugar adjust for desired sweetness
- 6 cups water still or sparkling
- fresh mint for serving OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Combine the cherries, lemon juice, and sugar in the blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until cold.
- When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice and add about ⅓ cup of the cherry mixture to each glass. Add ⅔ cup still or sparkling water to each glass. Stir and garnish with fresh mint and additional cherries, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
