Homemade Blueberry Lemonade Recipe (with Low Sugar Option)
Published Jul 01, 2024
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Make a pitcher of fresh Blueberry Lemonade with this easy, low-sugar recipe! All you need are simple ingredients: fresh blueberries (or frozen!), fresh lemon juice, water, and your preferred sweetener! Garnish with fresh fruit and mint and enjoy this summer treat!
Table of Contents
What Makes This Recipe Great
In the South, we love our lemonades and our sweet teas, and there’s really nothing that says summer like an ice-cold glass of one of these beverages. Today, we’re making the most easy and delicious Blueberry Lemonade recipe that I’ll be serving all summer long! It’s the perfect balance of sweet blueberry flavor and tart lemon juice– the best!
Traditional lemonade has a ton of sugar so I’ve tested all the ways to make it lower in sugar, and I’ve created a chart in the tips below to help you make it your own! All you need are a few simple ingredients and the resulting recipe is one of our family favorites!
This recipe is super versatile and can be customized to your taste and flavor preferences! Make popsicles, make a different fruit variation, make it a cocktail– you name it! A perfect, refreshing beverage for a hot summer day!
If you love blueberry recipes, try this Keto Blueberry Cobbler, these Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, or these Blueberry Muffins!
Ingredient Notes
Blueberry Puree
- fresh or frozen blueberries
- water
- granulated monk fruit sweetener
Lemonade
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- cold water
- granulated monk fruit sweetener*
- ice cubes
- lemon slices and whole blueberries
- fresh mint leaves
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Place the blueberries, monk fruit, and 1/4 cup of water in a blender. Blend on medium-high for about 1 minute until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or sieve to remove any solids, or skip straining if you prefer some blueberry pieces in your lemonade.
- In a large pitcher, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, blueberry puree, and monk fruit sweetener. Stir well until the sweetener is completely dissolved. Add the 5 cups of water (cold) to the pitcher and stir to combine.
- When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour the blueberry lemonade over the ice. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh blueberries, and mint leaves if desired.
blueberry lemonade Pro Tip
Expert Tips
- Strawberry Lemonade: Swap the fresh or frozen blueberries for fresh or frozen strawberries to make a different variation of this delicious lemonade! You can also make variations with blackberries or raspberries.
- Cocktail Version: To make this a spiked lemonade, feel free to add 1-2 ounces of vodka to your glass and fill with the blueberry lemonade. To spike the whole pitcher, use 1 cup of vodka.
- Regular Sugar: Feel free to use regular cane sugar or simple syrup for this recipe, or choose a different sweetener using the substitution tips below.
- Popsicles: If you want to make blueberry lemonade popsicles, feel free to add the lemonade to popsicle molds and freeze them overnight.
Sweetener Substitutions
When substituting different sweeteners for 1 cup of granulated sugar, it’s important to consider their sweetness levels and properties. Here’s a guide for substituting honey, coconut sugar, allulose, and maple syrup:
- Honey:
- Measurement: Use 3/4 cup of honey to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Since honey is liquid, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used. Also, honey browns faster than sugar, so you might want to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F (about 15°C).
- Coconut Sugar:
- Measurement: Use 1 cup of coconut sugar to replace 1 cup of granulated sugar.
- Notes: Coconut sugar has a caramel-like flavor and can be substituted 1:1, but it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as regular sugar. It’s ideal for baking and cooking.
- Allulose:
- Measurement: Use 1 1/3 cups of allulose to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar. It doesn’t caramelize or brown like sugar, so the texture of baked goods might be slightly different.
- Maple Syrup:
- Measurement: Use 3/4 cup of maple syrup to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Since maple syrup is a liquid, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 3 tablespoons for every cup of maple syrup used. Maple syrup also adds a distinctive flavor to recipes.
Summary Table
These conversions should help you substitute these sweeteners effectively in your recipes!
| Sweetener | Substitute Amount for 1 cup Sugar | Adjustments |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 3/4 cup | Reduce other liquids by 1/4 cup, lower oven temp by 25°F |
| Coconut Sugar | 1 cup | None |
| Allulose | 1 1/3 cups | None |
| Maple Syrup | 3/4 cup | Reduce other liquids by 3 tbsp |
Serving and Storage Tips
Serve this homemade lemonade over individual glasses filled with ice. You can top it with a little sparkling water to make a bubbly version if desired. Garnish with fresh lemons, sweet blueberries, and fresh mint sprigs for an extra touch.
Store leftover lemonade covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Give the lemonade a good stir before serving. I recommend placing the ice cubes in glasses when ready to serve so that it does not dilute the blueberry lemonade.
More Summer Drinks & Recipes
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Homemade Blueberry Lemonade Recipe (with Low Sugar Option)
Ingredients
Blueberry Puree
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp granulated monk fruit sweetener
Lemonade
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice seeds removed (about 5-6 lemons)
- 5 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 cup granulated monk fruit sweetener* adjust to taste
- Ice cubes
- Lemon slices and blueberries for garnish, optional
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Place the blueberries, monk fruit, and 1/4 cup of water in a blender. Blend on medium-high for about 1 minute until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids, or skip straining if you prefer some blueberry pieces in your lemonade.
- In a large pitcher, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, blueberry puree and monk fruit sweetener. Stir well until the sweetener is completely dissolved. Add the 5 cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir to combine.
- When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour the blueberry lemonade over the ice. Garnish with lemon slices, fresh blueberries, and mint leaves if desired.
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- Strawberry Lemonade: Swap the fresh or frozen blueberries for fresh or frozen strawberries to make a different variation of this delicious lemonade! You can also make variations with blackberries or raspberries.
- Cocktail Version: To make this a spiked lemonade, feel free to add 1-2 ounces of vodka to your glass and fill with the blueberry lemonade. To spike the whole pitcher, use 1 cup of vodka.
- Regular Sugar: Feel free to use regular cane sugar or simple syrup for this recipe, or choose a different sweetener using the substitution tips below.
- Popsicles: If you want to make blueberry lemonade popsicles, feel free to add the lemonade to popsicle molds and freeze them overnight.
Sweeter Substitutions
When substituting different sweeteners for 1 cup of granulated sugar, it’s important to consider their sweetness levels and properties. Here’s a guide for substituting honey, coconut sugar, allulose, and maple syrup:- Honey:
- Measurement: Use 3/4 cup of honey to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Since honey is liquid, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used. Also, honey browns faster than sugar, so you might want to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F (about 15°C).
- Coconut Sugar:
- Measurement: Use 1 cup of coconut sugar to replace 1 cup of granulated sugar.
- Notes: Coconut sugar has a caramel-like flavor and can be substituted 1:1, but it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as regular sugar. It’s ideal for baking and cooking.
- Allulose:
- Measurement: Use 1 1/3 cups of allulose to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar. It doesn’t caramelize or brown like sugar, so the texture of baked goods might be slightly different.
- Maple Syrup:
- Measurement: Use 3/4 cup of maple syrup to replace 1 cup of sugar.
- Notes: Since maple syrup is a liquid, reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 3 tablespoons for every cup of maple syrup used. Maple syrup also adds a distinctive flavor to recipes.
Serving and Storage Tips
Serve this homemade lemonade over individual glasses filled with ice. You can top it with a little sparkling water to make a bubbly version if desired. Garnish with fresh lemons, sweet blueberries, and fresh mint sprigs for an extra touch. Store leftover lemonade covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Give the lemonade a good stir before serving. I recommend placing the ice cubes in glasses when ready to serve so that it does not dilute the blueberry lemonade.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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