This honey lemonade is a breeze to make and is a great way to get rid of an overabundance of lemons! It’s also paleo with vegan options.
What I really needed when first making this recipe was a way to get rid of my zested lemons.
I had about 20 of them. I really like lemon zest in my baked goods! And they were on sale. I was desperate to make anything using lemon juice that didn’t require zest.
Some of my favorite lemon recipes, like this homemade lemon curd and these vegan lemon bars both require zest. So those weren’t helpful with my situation.
Anyone have some heavy-on-the-lemon-juice recipes? At any given point, I usually have about a dozen zested lemons in the fridge. I need to find more to do with them!
A nice healthy lemonade recipe seemed like the right thing to make with them. I love having some of this honey lemonade in the fridge when coming home on warm days.
I normally just drink water (and occasionally this raspberry smoothie) so this lemonade is a treat. A reward for getting my butt out of the apartment. ;)
This recipe calls for 1 cup of lemon juice. I’m always frustrated when I find a recipe that calls for the juice of so-and-so lemons or oranges.
I have no idea how much 2 lemons yielded for the recipe creator! So I usually don’t bother making those recipes.
Different sources say 1 large lemon yields anything from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lemon juice, hence the wide range of lemons (4-7) given in the recipe. But it really doesn’t matter to the success of this recipe because 1 cup of lemon juice always = 1 cup.
It is annoying that you don’t know exactly how many lemons to buy. I suggest getting 7. It’s always better to have too many than not enough!
If you need ideas on what else to make with lemon juice and honey, this herbal iced tea is super refreshing! It’s perfect for the hot summer days coming. And these raspberry lemonade bars are incredible – one of my favorite recipes!
This honey lemonade is just lightly sweetened. It’s not super sweet like store-bought lemonade. You can easily add more honey if needed.
For a vegan version, you can use agave syrup, but then it’s not paleo. If you don’t want to use honey but need a paleo option, you can use maple syrup.
Make sure to use the lightest grade maple syrup. A deep maple flavor is not what you want in this lemonade recipe! You can definitely taste a difference in the maple and honey version.
I prefer honey but would still be happy with the maple-sweetened lemonade if I couldn’t have the honey one. It sounds like a strange combination, but it often works, like in my lemon fudge and gluten-free lemon cookies.
One thing you can’t do is use granulated sugar. Traditional lemonade recipes, like this homemade lemonade, have you make a simple syrup first to ensure that the sugar dissolves.
This recipe is easier because you just have to stir together the 3 ingredients and you’re done.
As for a keto version, I’m working on it! I hope to post it soon.
If you need a keto treat in the meantime, someone said my almond flour chocolate chip cookies were the best keto cookies they’ve ever had. So maybe make those? ;)
If you want to try another naturally sweetened healthy lemonade recipe, try this homemade frozen lemonade! It’s another lemonade recipe with honey and sounds super refreshing. This healthy green lemonade also looks amazing!
Questions about this honey lemonade?
- How much juice is in 1 lemon? How many lemons should I buy?
Different sources say 1 large lemon yields anything from 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lemon juice, hence the wide range of lemons (4-7) given in the recipe. But it really doesn’t matter because 1 cup of lemon juice always = 1 cup.
- Can I use something other than honey or agave syrup?
If you want to use granulated sugar, I suggest finding a different recipe. The process is a little different than the recipe below.
I’m working on a sugar-free lemonade recipe! I’ll hopefully post that soon. - Is lemonade healthy?
It’s just water + lemon juice + honey so I wouldn’t call it healthy exactly but I definitely consider this honey lemonade to be healthier than traditional lemonade with lots of granulated sugar.
- Can I use something other than lemon juice?
I haven’t tried it but maybe lime juice would work. Although lime + honey doesn’t sound like such an excellent combination as lemon + honey. I’m not so sure about anything else. I think you’d need a different amount of sweetener, depending on what exactly you use.
- Can I make lemonade from bottled lemon juice?
Freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes so much better and a lot different than the bottled stuff. You can use bottled lemon juice but the result simply isn’t as tasty. If you don’t have enough freshly squeezed lemon juice, you can use a little bit of bottled (I think 1/4 cup) without it affecting the taste but I wouldn’t recommend using more.
Honey Lemonade (paleo, vegan option)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 6-8 servings (about 6 cups)
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups (1065 milliliters) water
- 1/3-1/2 cup (107-160 grams) honey or for vegan/not paleo, use agave or a light grade maple syrup (agave is more neutral)
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice - from about 4-7 large lemons
Directions
- If your honey is very runny or if using agave or maple, just mix everything together (starting off with 1/3 cup of sweetener). Add more sweetener, if desired.
- If your honey has crystallized or is firm, warm about a cup of water and 1/3 cup honey in a pot or saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve the honey and once dissolved, remove from the heat. This should only take about a minute. Add the remaining water and lemon juice and stir. Add more honey, if desired.
- Chill and serve.
Notes
- For paleo, use honey or maple syrup.
- For vegan, use agave or maple syrup.
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