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 basil infused 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.
What is basil lemonade
Basil and lemon are the perfect combination of flavors and it really shows through with this basil lemonade. If you have never made this before, basil lemonade combines fresh lemons, simple syrup and fresh basil to make the most amazing floral flavored lemonade.
I 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 or lavender water for this same reason.
Both are so delicious and perfect for this sweet summer drink! Serve alongside your favorite grilled hamburgers , grilled pork chops or hot dogs for a perfect summertime BBQ.
Ingredients you will need
- Fresh basil (a good few handfuls!). Fresh basil is a must when making this recipe.
- 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.
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!
How to make basil lemonade
Making this basil lemonade is such a breeze. It takes just a few minutes to make and just a little more time to allow it to cool.
Here is what it looks like:
- Add water and sugar to a sauce pan: Here you are adding the water, sugar and basil to a sauce pan to make the basil simple syrup. If you prefer to not use sugar, you can use can make a honey simple syrup with the basil instead.
- Heat gently: Allow the basil, sugar and water to come to a gentle simmer then remove from the heat. This part is important because you do not want to boil the basil, just get the water and sugar hot enough so that the sugar dissolves in the water.
- Allow to Steep: Once the water and sugar are just dissolved, remove from the heat, place a lid on it and allow the basil to infuse into the syrup until it comes to room temperature. This is the same process I follow for my lavender water and lavender lemonade recipes and it really is the best way to pull out the flavors of the herbs that you are working with, without over cooking them.
- Juice lemons: Juice the lemons for the lemonade. You can also use bottled lemon juice if you prefer.
- Mix it all together: Now mix the lemon juice, basil simple syrup and some additional water together.
That is it! So easy and so refreshing and delicious.
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 Infused Drink Recipes
If you love this easy basil lemonade recipe, you may also like these flavor infused drinks:
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
- 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.large bunch of fresh basil leaves
- 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
- Now 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
Mary Ellen says
This basil lemonade is amazing! I cannot stop drinking it 🙂 I had extra basil to use up so I gave this recipe a try and I’m so glad I did.
A keeper
Melissa says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂