This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Basil lemonade is about to be your favorite Summer drink. All you need is 3 ingredients to make it, and it’s a total crowd pleaser for a party!
Benefits of Basil
Why add basil to your lemonade? Mostly, because it tastes ridiculously good. But, basil also has some potential health benefits.
Here’s what you’ll love about basil:
- It may help with memory loss associated with stress.
- Basil might have an antidepressant-effect, suggested by animal studies.
- According to one study, basil extract may help balance blood sugar.
- Sweet basil may aslo help lower blood pressure.
- Basil may even have some antifungal properties!
If you have a lot of basil on hand, be sure to try my other basil recipes, including the Summer Salad with Orange Basil Vinaigrette, Avocado Pesto, and Arugula Pesto.
Benefits of Lemon
When you pair fresh basil with lemon, it’s a match made in flavor-heaven. But lemon also has some other potential benefits!
Here’s what you’ll love about lemon:
- Lemons are high in vitamin C, which may help lower the risk of stroke and heart disease.
- The flavonoids found in lemons may also have a positive impact on several other issues in the human body, including insulin resistance and obesity.
- Plant compounds found in lemons may help to lower cholesterol.
- A study in mice suggests that lemon might help prevent weight gain. (There are no human studies to confirm this, though.)
- Drinking lemon juice may help to improve your iron absorption, preventing anemia.
- In one study, citrus-based juice helped reduce wrinkles in hairless rats.
Keep in mind that drinking this homemade lemonade will also help keep you hydrated, so I hope you’ll enjoy this Basil Lemonade soon.
How to Make It
This recipe makes 2 glasses of lemonade, but feel free to double or triple it if you need to serve more people. To prepare the lemonade, be sure to start with fresh lemon juice. (Not the bottled stuff from the store– it won’t taste the same!)
Once you’ve juiced the lemons, measure the juice and add it to a blender, along with the maple syrup, fresh basil leaves, and water.
You can use as many basil leaves as you want to in this recipe, but I like to start off with about 2 basil leaves per serving. You can always add more, to taste, later!
Blend until the basil leaves are totally broken down. If you don’t have a powerful blender, you can pour the lemonade through a fine mesh strainer to catch any pieces before serving.
My Vitamix totally pulverizes the leaves, so there’s nothing to strain.
How to Adjust the Flavor
Before serving, be sure to taste the lemonade and make any adjustments, as needed.
- Need a more tart flavor? Add more lemon juice.
- Want it sweeter? Add more maple syrup.
- Need a stronger basil flavor? Add more basil.
- Is the flavor too strong? Add more water to dilute it.
Really, you can’t go wrong with homemade lemonade, because you can taste as you go!
How Long Does it Last?
You can make Basil Lemonade up to 3 days in advance, as long as you store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then serve it over ice!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 4 fresh basil leaves (roughly 1 tablespoon minced)
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice, water, maple syrup, and basil leaves in a blender, and blend until the basil is completely broken down. No need to strain! (If your basil leaves are particularly large, start with just 2 leaves, and add more to taste.)
- Serve over ice right away, or store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Alternatively, you can shake the ingredients together, and allow the flavors to meld in the fridge overnight. Remove the basil leaves before serving over ice.
- You can replace the maple syrup with honey, if you don't need a vegan recipe. You might only need 2 1/2 tablespoons of honey in that case, since it's sweeter than maple syrup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for half the batch. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, and not a guarantee.
If you try this Basil Lemonade recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!
—
Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite summer drink? My other favorites are Watermelon Juice and this perfect Watermelon Smoothie.
We just did your recipe and it tastes good! Two glasses for me and my boyfriend. Greetings from Germany.
Made this today because I had all the ingredients on hand and it was so delicious! Super refreshing on a hot day and couldn’t be easier to make. My 14 month old kept stealing sips!
Tried this recipe today and it is delicious. The fragrance of fresh basil is breath taking. Thanks for sharing.
Would date syrup work for this recipe?
Sure, just use it to your taste!
Megan, this was delicious and SO refreshing! I finally pulled our 4 foot basil plant and had intended to make a bunch of pesto, until I remembered this. I subbed 3 dates to make it Whole30 approved and I was not let down! Thank you for this yummy recipe 🙂 I can’t wait to make a big batch of it…I think some tequila could be added, too 😉