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+ servings
Two glasses of peach lemonade on brick steps with colored straws and lemon slices.
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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Peach Lemonade

Homemade Peach Lemonade is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. This ice-cold peach lemonade is so refreshing. Make a perfect summer cocktail by adding a little bourbon or vodka to it.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: homemade lemonade, lemonade cocktail, peach cocktail, peach lemonade, peach lemonade cocktail, peach lemonade from scratch
Servings: 8
Calories: 142kcal
Author: Kari

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 peaches cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice divided into two parts (about 4 lemons)
  • zest from one lemon
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 cups water divided into two parts
  • fresh mint optional garnish

Instructions

  • First, roughly chop 3 - 4 peaches into cubes. If you have washed your peaches well, you can leave the skin on - they are going to be mashed and strained anyway! You can also use frozen sliced peaches if you can't get fresh peaches and cut the peach slices in half. The size isn't too important for this - chunks around 1 inch will work.
    3 - 4 peaches
  • Next, zest one of your lemons completely. Every last bit of zest.
    zest from one lemon
  • Then, juice your lemons either by hand (squeeze out as much juice as you can!) or by using a juicer. Fill up a measuring cup up to 3/4 cup of juice. 
  • Split your lemon juice into two parts. Don't stress too much about this - it doesn’t have to be exact. 
    3/4 cup lemon juice
  • Then, split your water into two parts with 2 1/2 cups in each part.
    5 cups water

To Make Peach Lemonade on the Stove

  • Add one portion of water (2 1/2 cups), half of your lemon juice, all of your lemon zest, and 3/4 of a cup of sugar, to a medium-sized pot.
  • Bring this mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5 - 7 minutes. You want your peaches to be squishy and the peach skin should start peeling off. (If you are using frozen peaches, they might not have skin - you just want to let the peaches get really squishy.) Let this cool a little.
  • When you can safely handle this mixture, strain it over a bowl topped with a colander or a metal strainer and mash up your peaches with a potato masher or a fork to get all the yummy goodness out of them. When I say mash, I mean squish them to oblivion and make a huge mess. It is actually quite fun. You want to sort of press the peaches into the colander and scrape them through it. This will push the pulp through a little bit, but that’s okay for right now. This will leave you with a peach lemonade concentrate-like mixture.
  • Once your peaches have been mashed of all liquid, discard them (or dehydrate the mash to make a peach fruit roll), then add your remaining lemon juice and water to your peach/lemon juice concentrate.
  • Mix this together well, then strain a second time through a fine-mesh strainer if you want to remove the pulp or you can keep the pulp if you are a pulp fan!
  • Taste test your lemonade and adjust (see the tips section for suggestions on how to do this) based on your taste.
  • Serve over ice with a slice of lemon and some fresh mint.

To Make Peach Lemonade in an Instant Pot

  • Follow the same steps as above to prepare your ingredients. Then, add one portion of water (2 1/2 cups), half of your lemon juice, 3/4 of a cup of sugar, and the zest of one lemon, to your Instant Pot.
  • Close the lid, then set your Instant Pot to High Pressure (Manual Mode) for 1 minute.
  • It should take about 5 - 10 minutes for it to come to pressure and then it will begin counting down.
  • When time is up, leave the Instant Pot alone and let it Naturally Release for 5 minutes.
  • After 5 minutes, turn the Instant Pot off and Quick Release the remaining pressure.
  • Remove the lid of your Instant Pot and let the peaches cool a little bit. (You don't want to burn yourself!)
  • Now, mash up your peaches with a potato masher or a fork.
  • Next, pour the contents of your Instant Pot into a colander or a metal strainer over a bowl.
  • Using your potato masher or a fork, press the peaches into the colander and scrape them through it. This will push the pulp through a little bit, but that’s okay for right now. This will create a peach lemonade concentrate-like mixture.
  • Once your peaches have been mashed of all their liquid, discard the peaches (or dehydrate them to make a peach fruit roll!) and add your remaining lemon juice and remaining 2 1/2 cups of water to your peach/lemon juice concentrate.
  • Mix this together well, then strain a second time through a fine-mesh strainer if you want to remove the pulp (you can keep the pulp if you are a pulp fan!)
  • Taste test your lemonade and adjust (see the tips for suggestions on how to do this) based on your taste. Serve over ice with a slice of lemon and some fresh mint. 

Video

Notes

Tips

  • Taste test your lemonade and adjust based on your family's taste.
  • If it is too tart, add a little more sugar and stir until dissolved.
  • If it is too sweet, add more water. If your lemonade is too sweet, you should start by adding a little more water, then increase lemon juice if necessary. (If you immediately add more lemon, the flavor can get a little muddled or equally too sweet and sour. )
  • Make this into your new favorite summer cocktail.
  • If garnishing with lemon slices, do not leave them in your lemonade for a long time because the rind will create a bitter taste.

How to Store Peach Lemonade

Store your peach lemonade in mason jars in the refrigerator. It will be good for about a week. I would suggest drinking it fresh and keeping it cold. It is so good!

Peach Lemonade Recipe Variations

  • Make it Boozy: To make this peach lemonade into a cocktail, serve it over ice with 1 or 1 1/2 shots of bourbon or vodka per 12 ounces of lemonade. Garnish with a slice of lemon. You can also muddle some fresh mint leaves in the bottom of the glass before pouring in the alcohol or lemonade into the glass or garnish with fresh mint leaves to give it a little freshness.
  • Make it Keto: You could also make this peach lemonade mostly keto by using a sweetener like Swerve. Follow the recipe exactly the same way, but swap out the sugar for Swerve, 1:1. The only "sweetener" would then would be coming from the peaches.
  • Make it Bubbly: Leaving the usual obsession that my husband and I have with sparkling water out of the equation, it turns out that mixing sparkling water with peach lemonade is amazing. We have mixed peach lemonade with plain sparkling water - it watered it down but it was ever so slightly sweet - and REALLY refreshing. BUT my personal favorite was really making it bubbly by mixing it with Bubly. Mix half a glass of peach lemonade with Lemon Bubly, Peach Bubly, or Strawberry Bubly and serve over ice. It is SO GOOD. Next time, I want to try it with Mango Bubly. (I seriously think it would be delicious mixed with any flavor.)
  • Make it Paleo: I have also made this paleo by using honey, but the taste is very different - though also delicious.
  • Make it Green: You can make your peach lemonade into a green tea peach lemonade - a Copycat Starbucks Green Tea Peach Lemonade. Make your favorite green tea, then chill. Mix half green tea and half peach lemonade, then serve over ice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 428IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg