If you have a mature lemon tree in your yard like my parents do, then I bet you’ve got lemons coming out of your ears. My parents were nice enough to share their abundance of lemons with me.
As the cliche goes, the best thing to do when you have lemons really is to make lemonade! And this is the recipe you want to use.
Start with a quart mason jar and add in the zest of one lemon.
Juice the lemons until you get one and a half cups of pure lemon goodness.
One tip for your electric juicer is to place a grippy sheet thingy under it so it doesn’t run around all over your kitchen counter tops. No one wants a crazy juicer running around, ya know!
Next, add the juice to the zest in the jar.
Marvel at how the cute little bits of zest swim around in that lovely juice.
Add your sugar to a small pot.
Then add the water and place it on medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Good job, you’ve just make simple syrup!
Add the simple syrup to the jar and allow it to steep until all the flavors combine and cool down. It’s ready to use once it’s cooled.
To make lemonade from this concentrate, combine 1 cup of concentrate to 3 cups of cold water into a pitcher. Then, pour over a glass of ice and enjoy the fruits of your labor………literally!!
Also, because this concentrate looks so lovely and fits so nicely into a mason jar, it also makes a great gift!
Homemade Lemonade Concentrate
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups water
Zest from one lemon
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
Measure the sugar and water into a sauce pan. While stirring with a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a boil until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool slightly.
Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to the sugar syrup. Allow it to cool. Pour the lemonade syrup into a quart jar. Cover tightly with the lid. The syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks.
Karen in the Kitchen 
Thanks! I’ve been looking for this!!!
Absolutely delicious!!! Just found this recipe this summer….and have lost count as to how many times I have made it! I also make limeade..using the same instructions .
So glad you like it! I’ll definitely have to try limeade too.
Karen, could you do this with Stevia in the Raw?
Yes, I imagine you could use Stevia the same way as can sugar. I’m not sure about the sweetness level as compared to sugar, so you may need to adjust it accordingly.
Do you think I could freeze this?
I don’t see why not, although I haven’t done it myself. Just be sure to only fill your container 3/4 full because the liquid will expand in the freezer. Good luck!
Related to the freezing question, how long will this keep?
Hi, can you use the thick skinned lemons? That have a slight bitter taste.
Yes, you can use any type of lemon. Just make sure that you do not grate the zest down to the white pith. Just get the yellow layer. The pith of the skin is what’s bitter.
Awesome Post, simple, easy & delicious.
I put juice into two different bowls then mix sugar into one half and stevia into the other half. That way I have sugar free concentrate on hand for when my diabetic friends and family stop by.
Thanks
Hi, this is similar to a recipe I lost and glad I found this one. Is it possible to use store bought lemon juice? Lemons are pricey right now and above my budget. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tamara,
Honestly I would not use store bought lemons, especially because the recipe calls for the lemon zest. The zest is what makes this lemonade so fabulous! Can you find a friend or neighbor with a lemon tree and trade them a jar of lemonade concentrate for free lemons?
Thanks for the post! I have way too many lemons in my lemon tree & was looking for a lemon concentrate recipe…