This strawberry basil lemonade is the thirst-quencher you’ll crave all summer long. The sweet and tart combination of strawberries and lemons is made only more refreshing by the fresh basil infused in the lemonade.
Wash strawberries, remove stems, and slice in half. Wash and dry basil leaves. Place strawberries, basil, sugar, and water in a blender or food processor and puree. You can add more basil if you want a stronger basil flavor.
Tip the mixture into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Let cool for a few minutes.
Gently press mixture through a mesh strainer so you are left with a strawberry basil syrup.
Lemonade
Pour syrup into a pitcher and add in lemon juice. Stir in water. Chill until cold before serving. If you’re using sparkling water, add the lemon juice, chill, and then add the sparkling water before serving.
Video
Notes
Shortcut—Skip the Straining. Straining the chunks of strawberries and basil is not completely necessary. It makes for a smoother lemonade, which many people prefer. However, if you don’t mind little bits of strawberry and basil in your lemonade you can skip the straining. You may need to add extra lemon juice and water to account for the extra sweetness and strawberry basil flavoring added to this drink.
Using Frozen Strawberries. Thaw strawberries before using.
Make it Sugar-free. If you’d like to make this drink sugar-free, you can replace the granulated sugar with a sweetener that measures like sugar, like sucralose or monk fruit sweetener.
Use a Natural Sweetener. You can also replace the sugar with a natural sweetener like honey or agave when you make the syrup. I’ve found honey can dilute flavors so you may need adjust the lemon juice to account for this. Agave has a more neutral flavor profile and is therefore preferred.
Different ways to use the strawberry basil syrup. The strawberry basil syrup is delicious in more than just this lemonade recipe! You can use the syrup to flavor cocktails, mocktails, Italian sodas, limeade, or soda.