All you need are 4 simple ingredients to make this delicious basil lemonade recipe! With sweet basil flavors paired with tart lemons and sweetened with sugar, this basil lemonade is the perfect refreshing summer drink. Make it for your next summer gathering!

If you’ve got an abundance of basil this summer, then you need to make this flavorful basil lemonade! It’s so sweet, tart, and refreshing. It’s such a delicious variation of a classic lemonade recipe.

A glass of basil lemonade on a marble coaster with a second glass in the background along with a cut lemon.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s the perfect summer drink! It’s so refreshing and is the perfect way to cool down on a hot day.
You only need four ingredients! Fresh basil, lemons, sugar, and water!
This lemonade is super flavorful as you’re not just using lemon juice but lemon zest as well. When muddling the basil, zest, and sugar together, it releases even more lemon flavor.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make basil lemonade.

basil — I’ve only ever tested this recipe with fresh basil, so I’m unsure how this would taste with dried basil.
lemons — fresh lemon is ideal as you need the zest, and tastes more fresh and bright than bottled lemon juice. Some bottled lemon juice also have a slightly bitter aftertaste to them due to the preservatives.
sugar — you can’t make lemonade without sugar!
water — I always use my Brita for filtered water.

How to Make Basil Lemonade

Set of two photos showing basil, sugar, and lemon zest muddled together.

Add the basil, lemon zest, and sugar to a small saucepan.
Muddle everything together using a wooden spoon, making sure to press the lemon zest into the sugar.

Set of two photos showing before and after the basil in the water is steeped.

Add 2 cups of water to the saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently.
Once boiled, remove the mixture from the heat and let it come to room temperature or chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Set of two photos showing the steeped liquid strained into a pitcher and lemon juice added to it.

Strain the basil-lemon zest mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or large bottle.
Add the lemon juice to the pitcher.

Set of two photos showing water poured into the pitcher and drink served in a glass.

Add the rest of the water to the pitcher. Stir and let the basil lemonade chill in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

A glass of basil lemonade with basil garnish and a second glass with a cut lemon in the background.

Recipe Tips and Notes

You can use sparkling water to make this basil lemonade bubbly! I have a SodaStream and love using it for lemonade. If you are using sparkling water, you should chill the lemonade mixture without it and only add the sparkling water until ready to serve so it doesn’t go flat.
I like to garnish my lemonade with a few slices of lemon and a bit of basil.
I like to serve the basil lemonade with ice, so it’s ice-cold, but it’s still quite refreshing after being chilled in the fridge.
Room temperature lemons are easier to juice than lemons straight from the fridge. You can also roll the lemons under your palm on your kitchen counter to loosen up the juices in the lemons.
Remember to zest the lemons before juicing them! It’s much easier.
You are welcome to add more lemon zest if you’d like your lemonade to be more tart.
Don’t rush the process of chilling the basil-lemon mixture. You want the basil and lemon zest to steep for maximum flavor added to the lemonade.
Frozen lemon slices are a great way to keep your lemonade cold without diluting it with ice.
You can turn this into a cocktail by adding your alcohol of choice.

Overhead view of a glass of basil lemonade with ice and basil garnish on top.

Make Ahead Tips

Make ahead: You can make the basil-lemon zest mixture ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. You can also make the basil lavender lemonade 3 days ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not add ice.
Freezer: You can freeze basil lemonade in ice cube trays for another day.

Slightly overhead view of a glass of blueberry lavender lemonade with lavender garnish.

Want another lemonade recipe? Try my blueberry lavender lemonade!

Basil Lemonade

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Ingredients

1½ cup fresh basil
2 lemons zested
1¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ lemon juice, approximately 6 lemons
6 cups water

Instructions

Add the basil, lemon zest, and sugar to a small saucepan.
Muddle everything together using a wooden spoon, making sure to press the lemon zest into the sugar.
Add 2 cups of water to the saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring frequently.
Once boiled, remove the mixture from the heat and let it come to room temperature or chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Strain the basil-lemon zest mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or large bottle.
Add the lemon juice and the rest of the water (4 cups) to the pitcher.
Stir and let the basil lemonade chill in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

Nutrition Per Serving

Author: Carmy

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Nutrition Disclaimer

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