Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade

Ingredients

• 1.25 cup sugar (for simple syrup)
• 1.25 cup water (for simple syrup)
• 2 lemon peels (peels from 2 lemons)
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 pineapple (diced)
• 1 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed (about 6-8 lemons))
• 2.25 cup cold water (divided; 1/4 cup for blending, 2 cups for diluting)
• ice (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, 1 1/4 cups water, and lemon peels.

2. 2

   Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.

3. 3

   Turn on low heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to steep for 15 minutes.

5. 5

   In a blender, combine the diced pineapple, 1/4 cup of cold water, and the strawberries.

6. 6

   Blend until the fruit mixture is completely smooth.

7. 7

   Strain the puree 1-2 times through a fine-mesh sieve, depending on how thick you want the final drink to be.

8. 8

   In a large pitcher, combine the strained pineapple-strawberry puree, the freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the prepared simple syrup.

9. 9

   Stir the mixture well to combine.

10. 10

    Stir in the remaining 2 cups of cold water to dilute the lemonade to your desired strength and sweetness.

11. 11

    Taste the lemonade; add more lemon juice if you prefer more tartness or more syrup if you prefer it sweeter.

12. 12

    Serve over ice.

Notes

You can adjust the texture of the lemonade by straining the fruit puree more or less. For a very clear drink, use a cheesecloth or fine sieve multiple times.

Nutrition per serving

• drink
• lemonade
• summer
• fruit
• refreshing
• vegan
• gluten-free
• non-alcoholic