Yes, you can make lemonade using whole lemons, the peel too. This is the whole-lemon lemonade recipe you’ve been looking for! You’ll use a blender, whole lemons, sugar, water, and ice, and it’ll be ready lickety split.
As much as I love lemonade in the summer, I’ve always hated the task of juicing lemons, and I never seem to have enough lemons on hand. Plus, between making a sugar syrup and waiting for it to cool… I’ve almost lost my thirst for it by the time it’s ready. So what’s the solution?
Using Whole Lemons For Lemonade
So when I heard about “blender lemonade” or “Vitamix lemonade” or “whole lemon lemonade,” it sounded like the perfect solution. In case you aren’t familiar, blender lemonade is based on the simple idea that you can blend up a whole lemon with some water, sugar, and ice and have a nice tall glass of cold lemonade in under 5 minutes. Magic, right?
But I was skeptical. Wouldn’t the rind make the lemonade bitter? Would it actually be as good as “real” lemonade? I decided to put it to the test.
How To Make Blender Lemonade
You can simply quarter your lemons and put them into the blender. However, you will then have to strain the lemonade in case there are any seeds or seed bits that don’t get blended up. I therefore find it easier to remove the seeds first.
So then, cut your lemon in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 quarters lengthwise so you end up with eight lemon wedges. Cut off the pith from the center of each wedge, then knock the seeds out with your knife.
Place your lemon slices into a blender. Add 2 cups of water, a handful of ice cubes, and some sugar (I used 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, but you could use more or less depending on your taste, or even try a liquid sweetener like honey or agave nectar).
Then just blend it up until it’s smooth. I used my Vitamix blender and it was done really quickly, but a regular blender should be able to do the job in 1-2 minutes.
The result? An opaque lemonade with a foamy top that tastes pretty darn close to the real deal.
How’s It Taste?
It isn’t too intensely lemony, so if you are after a lemon explosion, put the time in for a true lemonade like this classic version. The blender lemonade isn’t quite as pretty as real lemonade, and there’s a slight bitterness from the rind, but neither were bothersome enough to outweigh the convenience of the recipe. But if you want it less bitter, I have a method to get you there.
Removing Some Peel
If you find the whole-lemon lemonade to be bitter, or if you’re worried that it will be, don’t worry. You can still make a quick lemonade that doesn’t involve juicing tons of lemons, by removing some peel and thus removing some of the pithy bitterness.
Start with your whole lemon. Then you’re going to cut off some or all of the peel using a sharp paring knife. If you want to see pictures and a video of how to do this, check out the first steps in this tutorial for How To Supreme an Orange.
From there, cut your lemon in 8 wedges as instructed and proceed with the recipe. Enjoy!
More Refreshing Drink Recipes
Podcast Episode: Making Whole Lemon Lemonade
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
100% Whole Lemon Lemonade Recipe
We are the generation of instant gratification and this 100% whole lemon lemonade quenches my immediate thirst in a matter of minutes. Insert happy lemon emoji here!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
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Cut your lemon in half lengthwise, then cut each half into quarters lengthwise so you end up with eight lemon slices. Cut off the pith from the center of each wedge, then knock the seeds out with your knife.
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Place your lemon slices into a blender. Add water, ice cubes, and sugar.
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Blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
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This post originally appeared in August 2016 and was revised and republished in April 2024.
This was awesome! I used monk fruit for sweetening and after blending I added some kefir to make it creamy. This was a great combination and no bitterness.
Margaret, That’s wonderful to hear! I’m so happy you liked it. Thanks for coming back to let me know 🙂
I JUST made homemade lemonade 🍋 and now I want to try it this way.
Let me know if you end up trying it! Lemonade is pretty delicious either way, Patty. 🙂
Am I doing something wrong that mine has an awful bitter aftertaste?
You’re probably not doing anything wrong, Dolores. Sometimes I end up with lemons with a thicker than usual peel (or a thick white pith section) and that could be where the bitterness is coming from. If that’s the case, you can remove some of the peel when you’re cutting the lemons. There’s some more information in the post above. Hope that helps!
Oh My Word!!!! I followed your exact directions, and WOW, this is the best lemonade I’ve ever made or tasted. Who knew you could use the whole lemon? The amount of water, sugar and lemon was perfect! I can’t wait to serve this to my family and friends!
That’s wonderful to hear, Patricia! I’m so glad you gave it a try.
If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating which helps others find this recipe too. Thanks!