Stove top Instructions: Combine water and sugar in a sauce pan and cook on medium-high heat. Stir regularly until the water comes to a simmer. When the sugar dissolves completely, turn the heat off. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.Instant Pot Instructions: Add water and sugar to cooking pot. Close the lid and pressure cook for 2 minutes on high pressure. Wait 5 minutes then release pressure. Cool and refrigerate until chilled.
Juice the lemons using a lemon squeezer or simply twist the lemon halves with a fork to extract all the juice. Strain the juice to remove seeds. Press the pulp with a spatula to get the most juice
Add the lemon juice to the cooled simple syrup and give it a stir. Your lemonade concentrate is ready. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Pour the lemonade concentrate and chilled water into a large pitcher. Stir well. Taste the lemonade. Add more water to dilute it, although keep in mind that the ice will dilute it more. For a sweeter lemonade add more concentrate. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, add ½ cup ice in a tall glass and pour ¾ cup lemonade. Garnish with lemon slices and/or mint leaves and enjoy!
In a glass, add ½ cup ice. Pour 6 tablespoons of lemon concentrate and top that with ½ cup water. Stir to mix. Check taste and add more water or lemonade concentrate if needed. Garnish with lemon slices and/or mint leaves and enjoy!
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Notes
Lemons: Use ripe juicy lemons for this recipe. Avoid using the bottles lemon juice concentrate as that does not have the same flavor as fresh lemons.
Juicing lemons: Roll the lemons on your kitchen counter before cutting in half. Alternatively, pop them in the microwave for 5-8 seconds. This helps release the most juice out of lemons.
Dilute to taste: After tasting your lemonade, you can add more water if you like to dilute it more. Keep in mind that the ice in your glass will dilute it too. Alternatively, add more lemonade concentrate to make it sweeter.
Add honey instead of sugar: If you want to use a low-glycemic sweetener, use honey instead of sugar. Boil the water and turn off the heat. Now stir in honey and mix until well combined.
Make ahead: To make lemonade for a party, prepare the lemonade concentrate 2-3 days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. When ready, make a pitcher following the instructions.
Large Quantity: Use the Instant Pot to make simple syrup if making lemonade for a large gathering. Even though it takes about the same time, it makes the process hands-off. You don't have to monitor the pan over the stove.
Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.