Nothing says warm weather like a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. It is such a cool and refreshing drink if done right. You’ll soon see, you may have been missing the mark by not using this method for making traditional lemonade.

Growing up (and still as an adult if I’m honest) one of my favorite things about going to the local community fairs was the fresh squeezed lemonade. Admittedly, I think my favorite part of that overpriced indulgence has always been the excess sugar I was able to slurp up through the straw! Are you judging me? Anyway, with this Traditional Lemonade recipe, you get even more rich lemon flavor and still with plenty of sugar (though it’s all dissolved when you drink it). Ha!
traditional lemonade in 4 easy steps
- Peel Lemons
- Add sugar to Lemon Peels/rinds
- Boil Water – add to lemon rinds
- Squeeze juice from lemons, add to sugar mixture, and chill
*Read on for more detail in each step*
everything you need to make traditional lemonade
A sharp knife or peeler
2 bowls
Medium – Large Saucepan
Citrus Juicer (optional)
ingredients
12 lemons
1 ½ C sugar
10 C water
how to make traditional lemonade
After washing your 12 lemons, the first step is to peel the rinds from all of your lemons into a large bowl. Cut lemons in half and set aside. *If not using a citrus juicer, you may prefer to slice the lemons rather than halving them.

Next, sprinkle the 1 ½ C of sugar over the rinds and let sit for about an hour. This will allow the sugar to begin pulling oils from the rinds.

When nearly 1 hour has passed since adding sugar to rinds, bring 10 C water to a boil. Pour boiling water over lemon rinds and allow to sit for another 20 minutes.

While rind mixture is cooling, squeeze juice from lemon halves into a separate bowl. I just love using this vintage Juice King that belonged to my mother-in-law.

After 20 minutes has passed, remove rinds and pour lemon juice into the sugar mixture. You can pass juice through a strainer if desired.

Stir well, pour into serving pitcher and place in fridge to chill. Enjoy!

is the extra effort worthwhile?
My fast answer to this question is a resounding yes! The flavor is so much more rich and complex with the addition of the lemon oil extracted from the rinds. Plus, there are numerous health benefits to be enjoyed by extracting the lemon essential oil and drinking it in your Traditional Lemonade.
Lemon Essential Oil Taken Internally can:
- Act as a mild detoxifier
- Help to reduce nausea
- Aid in digestion
- Improve blood circulation and white blood cell count
- Provide a feeling of satiety which can reduce overeating
To read more about the benefits of lemon oil, head over to Organic Facts and read their article Health Benefits of Lemon Oil.
If you want to have lemon oil on hand to use whenever you need it, you can get some pure lemon essential oil from my DoTERRA site HERE.
Traditional Lemonade

Lemonade with more depth of flavor than you've ever tasted. It's worth the wait and effort.
Ingredients
- 12 lemons (preferably organic)
- 1 1/2 C Sugar
- 10 C water
Instructions
- Wash lemons, peel rinds into a large bowl. Cut lemons in half and set aside
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 C sugar over the rinds and let sit for about an hour. This will allow the sugar to begin pulling oils from the rinds.
- Bring 10 C water to a boil. Pour boiling water over lemon rinds and allow to sit for another 20 minutes.
- While rinds mixture is cooling, squeeze juice from lemon halves into a separate bowl.
- Remove rinds and pour lemon juice into the sugar mixture. You can pass juice through a strainer if desired.
- Stir well, pour into serving pitcher and place in refrigerator to chill.
- Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend using organic lemons if possible. Since you'll be using the rinds, keep the pesticides out of your traditional lemonade.
Recipe
- Wash 12 lemons, peel rinds into a large bowl. Cut lemons in half and set aside.
- Sprinkle 1 ½ C of sugar over the rinds and let sit for about an hour. This will allow the sugar to begin pulling oils from the rinds.
- Bring 10 C water to a boil. Pour boiling water over lemon rinds and allow to sit for another 20 minutes.
- While rind mixture is cooling, squeeze juice from lemon halves into a separate bowl.
- Remove rinds and pour lemon juice into the sugar mixture. You can pass juice through a strainer if desired.
- Stir well, pour into serving pitcher and place in fridge to chill.
- Enjoy!
serving your traditional lemonade
I’m not usually one for fancy garnishes or presentations so I just served this up in our pretty white milk glass cups. However, it would be pretty easy to dress this up for an occasion. It could be as simple as using a few extra lemons to have slices slipped over the rim of the glasses. Or include a little something green against the yellow backdrop for a nice contrast. I’ve even seen some people use small flowers to top off this traditional lemonade; how pretty.
how long does traditional lemonade store in the refrigerator?
This traditional lemonade recipe will last about a week in the refrigerator…but it will be gone before that. It’s really that good.
Traditional Lemonade for treating nasea
Know a pregnant friend suffering with nausea? Make up a batch of this traditional lemonade to show them you care. It may even help them find some relief from all that morning sickness they’ve been dealing with all day every day.
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Yummy! This sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to try this with my kids this summer to enjoy together by the pool or on the patio! Thanks for sharing!
You know, given how much difference it makes to add lemon zest to baked good, it makes sense that it would vastly improve lemonade, as well. Do you get any bitterness if you get too much pith?
I didn’t really notice any bitterness and I wasn’t super careful about how much pith I took. However, some people may be more sensitive to the bitterness in the pith. Try it out and let me know what you think.
I LOVE the idea of using the peels! Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Wow! I thought I made good lemonade, but I’ve never thought to use the peelings! I’m pinning this for later, as we drink a lot of lemonade in the summertime especially. Brilliant! Thank you.