Basil lemonade is one of my absolute favorite drinks to make in the warmer months and my basil lemonade recipe is really easy to make. I love this lemonade so much because it is so refreshing and the perfect summertime drink to sip on. You can make this lemonade with basil into popsicles or into a basil lemon cocktail or just serve it as is.

About this recipe:
Basil and lemon are the perfect combination of flavors and it really shows through with this lemonade. I also love making sweet things with fresh basil (citrus basil popsicles, basil simple syrup, Italian mocktail...) and for good reason, basil tastes amazing when sugar is added to it.
This basil lemonade encompasses all of these things and it is so easy to make. You just need to make a really easy basil simple syrup and juice your lemons. The rest is just assembly.
If you are not used to adding flavor to your drinks, adding floral notes to your homemade lemonade really benefits the drink. I also love making a lavender lemonade for this same reason. Both are so delicious and perfect for this sweet summer drink!
Ingredients you will need:
- Fresh basil (a good few handfuls!)
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Lemons. It is best to juice your own lemons if you are making this because bottled lemon juice is not as fresh.
This easy lemonade with basil makes a great summer drink because it uses up the abundant basil that everyone has growing. It is one of my favorite basil recipes in the summer and if I am not making this you can bet I will be baking up my basil olive oil cake 🙂 I really prefer basil in sweet recipes!
Tips/Faqs About this Recipe:
- Make sure to juice the lemons and not use bottled lemon juice.
- You can add in other flavors to this basil lemonade like fresh ground ginger (I've added proportions below in the recipe.)
- Feel free to make the basil simple syrup portion of this recipe with honey instead of sugar. Just measure out about the same amount of honey for the sugar and follow the rest of the recipe the same.
More Delicious Basil Recipes:
- Strawberry Basil Popsicles
- Grapefruit Basil and Lemon Popsicles
- Basil Olive Oil Cake
- Tomato and Basil Soup
- Italian Mocktail (Strawberry and Basil Non Alcoholic Drink)
- Italian Basil Mayonnaise
- Italian Potatoes with Italian Salsa Verde
Easy and Refreshing Basil Lemonade
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
Basil Simple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups of water
- 1 ½ cups of sugar
- large bunch of fresh basil leaves 15-20 or about 1 cup gently packed
Lemonade
- 1 ½ cups Lemon Juice fresh squeezed and pulp sifted out
- 4 cups water
Instructions
Basil Simple Syrup
- Add water and sugar to a medium pot over medium heat1 ½ cups of water, 1 ½ cups of sugar, large bunch of fresh basil leaves
- Warm the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
- Once the sugar dissolves, remove from the heat and add your fresh basil leaves and place a lid over top.
- Allow to cool with the basil leaves steeping in the simple syrup.
- When cooled, remove basil leaves and pour your syrup into a container and use right away or refrigerate.
Lemonade
- Juice the lemons and add it to a large pitcher.1 ½ cups Lemon Juice
- No add the cooled basil simple syrup to the pitcher.
- Add water and mix together.4 cups water
- Optional: Add some fresh basil leaves and lemon slices to the pitcher as garnish and to show what the lemonade is made from.
- Serve over ice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
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