Watermelon Mint Lemonade
This Watermelon Mint Lemonade couldn’t be more summery with its gorgeous bright pink color! It’s made with 4 basic ingredients and the entire batch takes about 20 minutes to prepare. If you’re looking for a refreshing drink to serve at a pool party, potluck, or cookout, this is it!
★★★★★
Chuck says –
“This was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be making this in the future for all of our BBQs.”
This the Most Refreshing Summer Drink Ever!
There truly isn’t a more refreshing drink for the whole family to enjoy with grilled burgers and hot dogs than this watermelon mint lemonade. I’ve been making my own lemonade for years, but this sweet-tart version made with fresh watermelon and mint leaves is easily my favorite!
Chick-fil-A used to have a watermelon lemonade that my kids loved (and let’s face it, I did too!), and this easy recipe is very similar. So whatever special occasion or craving has prompted you to make your own watermelon-infused lemonade, definitely make a batch ASAP!
Here’s why this recipe is SO good:
✔ Quick and Easy: You can prep the mint simple syrup, blend up the watermelon, and finish the lemonade in about 20 minutes. It’s ready to sip right away and is best enjoyed over ice.
✔ Great Use for Leftover Watermelon: If you’ve ever found yourself in the predicament of having a giant watermelon that you keep meaning to cut into but you keep forgetting and then you realize it isn’t ever going to get eaten in time unless you just blend the whole thing…. Yeah, that happened here. This is the perfect recipe for using up TONS of watermelon!
✔ Not Too Sweet or Sour: Since you’re making the lemonade yourself, you get to control how much sugar goes into it. I typically add half of the simple syrup to start since watermelon can be very sweet on its own.
Enjoy!
-Katie
Grab These 4 Ingredients
This watermelon mint lemonade uses very few ingredients (one more reason to love this recipe!). You’ll find a complete list of measurements in the recipe card below, but here are my tips for purchasing the ingredients.
- Granulated sugar — I prefer making the mint simple syrup with granulated sugar vs. another sweetener because it has a neutral flavor.
- Fresh mint — Only fresh mint will do here! Do not sub in dried mint, which is much more potent and doesn’t taste as fresh.
- Fresh watermelon — You’ll want to remove the rind and then cube the watermelon to make it easy to blend. I used a regular watermelon, but yellow watermelon works too.
- Lemon juice — You can either squeeze your own lemons (here’s how I get the most juice from mine) or you can buy a bottle of fresh lemon juice from the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. Do NOT use the bottled juice that’s sold on the shelf; it doesn’t taste super fresh.
How to Make Watermelon Mint Lemonade
- Make the mint syrup. After combining equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to a boil and then stir in the mint leaves. Lower the heat and simmer very gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and let sit for another 5 minutes.
- Blend the watermelon. My blender isn’t super big, so I had to blend the watermelon cubes in batches to make the juice.
- Strain the watermelon juice. Set a fine mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and pour the blended watermelon through it as you work through all of it.
- Make the lemonade. Combine the watermelon juice, lemon juice, water, and mint syrup in a large pitcher and stir to combine.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Make-Ahead Option
Once prepared, homemade watermelon lemonade is best enjoyed within 3 to 4 days. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare elements of this recipe ahead of time to minimize the prep later on!
- Watermelon Juice — You can blend, strain, and then freeze the watermelon in zip-top bags until ready to use. I suggest freezing in 2-cup portions, noting that this recipe calls for roughly 4 cups of juice. (You can also freeze cubed watermelon and blend it later to make the juice.)
- Mint Simple Syrup — Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Lemon Juice — You can squeeze the lemons and store the juice airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for several months.
Flavor Variations to Try
There are so many ways you can customize your mint-infused watermelon lemonade to make this recipe your own!
- Swap the mint simple syrup with rosemary simple syrup, blackberry simple syrup, or strawberry simple syrup
- Use sparkling water or club soda to make sparkling watermelon mint lemonade
- Replace the lemon juice with lime juice to make watermelon mint limeade
- Swap half of the granulated sugar with honey for a uniquely flavored mint simple syrup
- Make it a cocktail by adding 1 to 2 ounces of vodka per 6 ounces of lemonade
More Fruity Summer Drink Recipes
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Watermelon Mint Lemonade Recipe
This watermelon mint lemonade is made with 4 basic ingredients and the entire batch takes about 20 minutes to prepare. If you're looking for a refreshing drink to serve at a pool party, potluck, or cookout, this is it!
Ingredients
Mint Simple Syrup
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Fresh Mint Leaves, or more if desired
Watermelon Lemonade
- 6-8 cups Cubed Fresh Watermelon
- 3/4 cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Water
- Prepared Mint Simple Syrup
Instructions
Make the Mint Simple Syrup
- Combine the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Add the fresh mint leaves, stir, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.
- Remove saucepan from heat and let the mint steep in the sugar water for another 5-10 minutes.
- Strain out the mint leaves and discard, then set aside and allow the mint simple syrup to cool completely.
Make the Lemonade
- Place the watermelon in the jug of a blender and puree, working in batches if necessary.
- Place a large extra fine mesh strainer on top of a 6-cup glass measuring cup. As you puree each batch, pour the pureed watermelon into the fine mesh strainer to strain the pulp out of the juice. After the juice has strained, discard the pulp.
- Repeat until all of the watermelon has been blended and strained. You need a total of 3 1/2 - 4 cups of strained watermelon juice for use in the lemonade.
- In a large pitcher, combine the watermelon juice, lemon juice, and 1 cup of water. Stir to combine. Then, add half of the prepared simple syrup. Taste, and add additional mint simple syrup until you reach your desired sweetness.
- Chill the lemonade before serving over ice.
Notes
This homemade lemonade will last 3 - 4 days in the fridge.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 301Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 77gFiber: 3gSugar: 68gProtein: 4g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Lynn says
I looooove watermelon lemonade! It's one of my favorite summertime drinks 🙂 Yum, now I want to make me some.
Rebeca says
This watermelon lemonade looks positively refreshing. I only wish the weather around me would cooperate (cloudy, threatening rain). Either way, it is the perfect summery drink.
pomly says
My mouth is watering! Adding watermelon and lemons to shopping list right now. I'd like to try a taste test of mint and non mint versions. I have much of it growing in my garden and I love it so.
nikkos says
I was inspired by a comment made by Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy) in a New Yorker profile to mix mashed-up watermelon with a little sugar and a healthy pour of tequila, over ice of course. If you like watermelon lemonade, try the Bonnie Prince Billy version! :)I've also heard that watermelon drinks with a basil leaf garnish are nice- but I haven't tried it yet.
lunatepetal says
ahhhhhhhhh sounds yummy! I need a glass of lemonade right now!!!
chocolate tamales says
Love it! Refreshing!
Hoosier Homemade says
That looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!~Liz
Elle says
Oh, it looks so refreshing! And very pretty, too.
Katie @ goodLife {eats} says
Chuck – So glad you enjoyed it…thanks for visiting!
Chuck Underwood says
This was absolutely wonderful. I will definetly be making this in the future for all of out BBQ’s. Thank you for the share.