Dazzle your taste buds with this Pink Lemonade recipe! It’s made with a simple yet dependable lemonade base that adds a touch of 100% pure cranberry juice to create a beautiful color with a hint of fun flavor!

Close up of a glass filled with homemade pink lemonade.

The Homemade Pink Lemonade Recipe

This Homemade Pink Lemonade puts a tasty twist on traditional lemonade to create a beautiful colored drink that has a fun hint of flavor! A refreshingly bright drink that you can feel good about serving to your kids and family since it’s made without any crazy dyes!

And while Pink Lemonade is the perfect sweet yet tart drink to cool down within the heat of summer, it’s also a staple year-round in our house! We love lemonade so much that we don’t label it with a season.

Not only is this homemade lemonade recipe easy to make but it’s also totally customizable! Make it as sweet as you want, swap cranberry juice out for another juice of your choice, or even add a splash of club soda for some light fizz!

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Rebecca’s Recipe Review

Taste: Tart and sweet like traditional lemonade but with a twist!

Texture: Ice-cold and refreshing!

Ease: 3/10

Pros: A fun hint of flavor and beautiful color!

Cons: Maybe a bit more on the tart side for some, but you can always add more simple syrup for those who prefer it.

Would I Make This Again? Yes, we’re big lemonade fans!

Overhead photo of ingredients to make pink lemonade on a table.

Ingredients For Pink Lemonade

Simple Syrup: Making and using homemade simple syrup to sweeten your drinks is an absolute game-changer! It sweetens cold drinks without leaving those pesky sugar granules at the bottom of your glass or pitcher.

Therefore, simple syrup is the best choice when making this lemonade! And it’s incredibly easy to make, only calling for granulated sugar and water.

Lemonade: The cooled simple syrup is then combined with the lemonade. To make this you’ll need freshly squeezed lemon juice, cold water, and 100% pure cranberry juice.

Glasses of homemade pink lemonade on a table.

How To Make Homemade Pink Lemonade

Prepare the homemade simple syrup by simmering granulated sugar with water in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Stir the syrup often and then remove from the heat to cool.
Juice the lemons and then pour the lemon juice into a large pitcher.
Pour the 100% pure cranberry juice and water into the pitcher of fresh lemon juice. Then stir this mixture together.
Add in the cooled simple syrup and stir the pitcher of lemonade thoroughly.
Serve the Homemade Pink Lemonade in glasses over ice and then garnish them with lemon slices and fresh mint.

Cranberry juice being poured into a pitcher of lemonade.

How To Serve Pink Lemonade

Pack this Pink Lemonade up to take to the beach or serve it up at backyard BBQs! Since this drink is easily made with minimal ingredients it’s also a great option to whip up into a large batch to serve to big crowds at potlucks and celebrations such as a baby shower. Here are some different ways to serve and enjoy this lemonade:

Serving – You can serve this lemonade in individual glasses, a large pitcher, drink dispenser, or even a punch bowl!
Garnishes – Dress the lemonade up with garnishes for a fun touch that shows you’ve gone the extra mile! Hang a lemon wheel off the side of the glass and toss in some fresh mint. You can also use cocktail picks to garnish the lemonade with your choice of fresh fruit.
Ice Cold – As with any Lemonade, this drink is best served ice cold! For extra chill-effect, pop your glasses into the freezer to get frosty before pouring and serving. You can also freeze a portion of this lemonade into an ice tray so that you can serve it with Pink Lemonade Ice Cubes to prevent watering down the lemonade!
With Or Without Pulp – To serve up lemonade without pulp you can run the freshly squeezed lemonade juice through a fine mesh sieve. If you enjoy the pulp, then you can just make this recipe as is!
Frozen Pink Lemonade – Combine ice and pink lemonade in the blender to serve up a frozen pink lemonade slushy! The perfect summer treat! (If you opt for a sparkling lemonade, add the
Pink Lemonade Cocktail – For a Pink Lemonade Cocktail add in a shot of gin, vodka, tequila, or rum!
Pairing – Serve it up with the glorious iced Lemon Cookies.

Overhead photo of a pitcher of pink lemonade on a table.

Pink Lemonade Fruit Juice Variations

Don’t worry, if using cranberry juice in your lemonade isn’t for you there are lots of other variations that you can try! Check out these Pink Lemonade Fruit Juice Variations to see if there’s one that’s a better fit for you:

Other Red Juices – Feel free to experiment with other flavored red juices! Try grapefruit juice, watermelon juice, fruit punch, pure beet juice, or even red raspberry juice.
Simple Syrups – Using a flavored simple syrup in this lemonade recipe is a great alternative to cranberry juice. Blueberry Simple Syrup, Strawberry Simple Syrup, Raspberry Simple Syrup, as well as Cherry Simple Syrup would all give you a pink variation of color.

More Lemonade Recipes!

Creamy Lemonade – An easy summer drink brought to us by TikTok that’s made with only 3 ingredients!
Blueberry Lemonade – Made with a sweet homemade blueberry syrup!
Maine Maple Lemonade – A Maine inspired lemonade that’s perfect for Summer and Fall!
Strawberry Lemonade – The best flavors of summer combined into one sweet and refreshing drink!
Sparkling Mango Lemonade – Fizzy, pulpy lemonade made with mangoes and agave!

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.

This post was originally published in August 2019 and was updated for content and a from-scratch recipe in August 2024.

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Pink Lemonade Recipe

Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Nothing beats the refreshing taste of homemade pink lemonade during the summer. This recipe is incredibly easy to make, featuring a classic lemonade base with a delightful hint of cranberry that not only adds a beautiful pink color but also enhances the flavor, making it the perfect thirst-quenching drink for those hot summer days.

Ingredients

Simple Syrup

▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 1 cup water

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water just to a simmer, stirring often, and remove from heat to cool.
Meanwhile, juice 6 to 8 lemons to get 1 cup lemon juice and pour into a pitcher.
Add 5 cups cold water and ¼ cup 100% pure cranberry juice to the pitcher and stir to combine.
Add in the cooled simple syrup and and stir.
Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint for serving.