How to Make Frozen Lemonade

If it's a hot summer day, and you want something fancier than plain lemonade, you can always try frozen lemonade instead. There are lots of different kinds that you can make. All are easy to make, and just as tasty to drink. Once you know how to make frozen lemonade, you can serve it up at your next party or lemonade stand for something truly unique.

EditIngredients

EditSimple Frozen Lemonade

• 2 cups (300 grams) ice
• 2 cups (475 milliliters) water
• About 2 tablespoons powdered lemonade

Makes 2 to 4 servings

EditFrozen Lemonade from Scratch^[1]

• 1 cup (240 milliliters) freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 3 to 4 lemons)
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) white sugar
• 3 cups (700 milliliters) water, divided
• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

Makes 2 to 4 servings

EditCreamy Frozen Lemonade^[2]

• 1 cup (240 milliliters) freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 3 to 4 lemons)
• ½ cup (115 grams) white sugar
• 2½ cups (590 milliliters) water
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Makes 2 servings

EditSteps

EditMaking Simple Frozen Lemonade

1. Pulse the ice in a blender until crushed. Don't worry about turning the ice into slush just yet. You just want to break the ice up. This recipe will give you more of a slushy-like consistency; it will not be smooth like a smoothie.
   
2. Prepare 2 cups (475 milliliters) of lemonade. Fill a pitcher with 2 cups (475 milliliters) of water, and add the powdered lemonade into it. How much powdered lemonade you add will depend on what brand you are using; in general, it will be about 1 tablespoon per 1 cup (240 milliliters) of water. Stir it briskly with a whisk until combined.
   
3. Pour the lemonade into the blender and blend until everything is mixed together, or until you get a consistency you like. The ice should be mostly broken up. It won't be completely smooth, and there may be some larger chips left, like in a slushy.
   
4. Taste the frozen lemonade and make any necessary adjustments. If the lemonade is too sweet, add some more water. If the lemonade is too sour, add some sugar.
   
5. Pour the frozen lemonade into several tall glasses. This is enough to make two large servings, or four smaller ones. You can also garnish it with a mint leaf and/or a lemon slice for a touch of color.
   
6. Finished.
   

EditMaking Frozen Lemonade from Scratch

1. Place a 9 by 12 inch (22.86 by 30.48 centimeters) baking pan into the freezer 30 minutes before you start making the lemonade. You will be freezing the lemonade in this. Putting the pan in the freezer will make it extra cold by the time you are ready to add the lemonade. The result will be a somewhat smooth—not quite like a slushy, but not quite like a smoothie either.
   
2. Combine the sugar, lemon juice, and 2 cups (475 milliliters) of water in a pitcher. Save the remaining 1 cup (240 milliliters) of water for later. If you'd like, you can also add ¼ teaspoon of lemon zest for extra flavor and texture. Make sure that everything is evenly mixed together and the sugar is dissolved.
   
3. Pour the lemonade into the pan, and freeze it for 90 minutes, stirring it half hour. During this time, the lemonade will start to freeze and turn to slush. Every 30 minutes, open the freezer, and stir the lemonade with a whisk. This will break up any large, icy chunks, and give you a smoother drink in the end.^[3]
   
4. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup (240 milliliters) of water, and give the lemonade a taste. After the 90 minutes are up, take the pan out of the freezer and mix in the remaining cup of water. Give it a taste. If it is too strong, add a little bit more water. If it is too sour, add some more sugar. If it is too sweet, add a little bit more lemon juice.^[4]
   
5. Pour the frozen lemonade into a blender, and blend until smooth. Pulse it on low for 20 seconds, then on high for 20 more seconds. Make sure that there are no large, icy chunks remaining.^[5]
   
6. Pour the frozen lemonade into tall glasses, and serve. This makes either 4 small servings, or 2 large servings. For a fancier drink, garnish it with a sprinkle of lemon zest, a slice of lemon, or a mint leaf.
   

EditMaking Creamy Frozen Lemonade

1. Combine the lemon juice, sugar, and water in a pitcher, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If you can't get any fresh lemons, you can use bottled lemon juice (not lemonade) instead; you will need 1½ cups (350 milliliters) of bottled lemon juice.^[6]
   
2. Leave the lemonade in the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill.^[7] This will ensure that the lemonade is cold enough and doesn't melt the ice cream when you add it in later on.
   
3. Add 1 cup (240 milliliters) of the chilled lemonade and 4 scoops of ice cream into a blender. Save the rest of the lemonade for more servings or for another recipe. For best results, use good quality ice cream, and not the "frozen dessert" kind.^[8]
   
4. Blend the lemonade and ice cream together until completely smooth. Make sure that the ice cream is evenly mixed throughout the lemonade. There should be not streaks or swirls.
   
5. Pour the frozen lemonade into 2 tall glasses and serve. At this point, you can use the rest of the chilled lemonade to made more frozen lemonade. Remember, you will need 4 scoops of ice cream for every cup (240 milliliters) of chilled lemonade.
   
   • For an added touch, garnish the frozen lemonade with some whipped cream or a sprinkle of lemon zest.

EditVideo

EditTips

• Don't put too much lemonade mix in your lemonade. Remember that you can always add, but you can't take back!
• You can always make frozen lemonade in an ice cream maker. Mix the lemonade first, then chill it for 1 hour. Pour it into an ice cream maker, and freeze it according to the manufacturer's instructions until it turns slushy.
• If the lemonade is too sweet, add more lemon juice. If it is too sour, add more sugar. If it is too strong, add more water.
• If you don't have a blender, use a food processor instead.
• Garnish the frozen lemonade with some lemon zest, a lemon slice, or a mint leaf. You can also add a dollop of whipped cream for something extra fancy.
• If the lemonade is too thick to drink through a regular straw, try a thicker straw, like the kind used for bubble/boboa milk tea. You can also eat the chunkier bits with a long spoon.

EditThings You'll Need

EditSimple Frozen Lemonade

• Pitcher
• Whisk
• Blender

EditFrozen Lemonade from Scratch

• 9 by 12 inch (22.86 by 30.48 centimeters) baking pan
• Pitcher
• Whisk
• Blender

EditCreamy Frozen Lemonade

• Pitcher
• Stirring spoon
• Ice cream scoop
• Blender

EditRelated wikiHows

• Make Fizzy Lemonade
• Make Watermelon Lemonade
• Make Orange Lemonade Slush
• Create a Natural, Healthy Lemonade

EditSources and Citations

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