The Best Easy Healthy Sugar-Free Lemonade
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This healthy sugar-free lemonade recipe is super simple to make, uses just a few wholesome ingredients, and is the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. It helps you stay hydrated and healthy on hot summer days, and all throughout the year!
Lemonade is known by many as the perfect summertime drink, but for me, it’s my all year round favorite drink.
This healthy lemonade is of course great to have on a hot summer day, but it’s also a great low calorie way to stay hydrated and also to stave off sweet cravings without all the added sugar. It’s also loaded with nutrition from vitamin C to minerals to phytonutrients.
Why This Is the Best Healthy Lemonade. Period.
In my opinion, I think this is the best healthy lemonade out there, and possibly the best lemonade period. Here’s why.
- It’s the easiest.
- It’s super flexible (as a most of my recipes) to help you choose whatever ingredients you would like to use for your diet.
- It uses basic ingredients that many people will already have in their pantry. No need to shop for exotic sweeteners.
- It’s frugal. While you can choose to use more expensive sweeteners, there’s no need.
- It’s the perfect balance of sweet and sour.
- It has healthy whole food ingredients: no white sugar and no icky additives.
- Finally, that added extra something: a dash of salt. It makes all the difference.
Ingredients
Here’s a short list of ingredients you’ll need. For the full details, see the recipe card below.
- water
- bottled or fresh lemon juice
- sweetener of choice (I prefer pure stevia extract)
- salt
Directions
Here are the basic directions. For the full directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- 1. Squeeze the lemons (if using fresh lemons).
- 2. Add lemon juice to the pitcher. Add water.
- 3. Add sweetener. Stir to combine.
- 4. Add ice to the pitcher, if desired.
- 5. Garnish, if desired.
Why Make Your Own Sugar-free Lemonade
Clean Ingredients
What I don’t love about regular lemonade is how much sugar it has in it. And that’s not to mention the not-so-savory ingredients in packaged lemonade drinks and powders like the ever-popular Country Time Lemonade. Get a load of this list:
high fructose corn syrup, modified cornstarch, glycerol ester of rosin, sodium benzoate, potassium sobate, calcium disodium EDTA, and yellow #5.
No thanks.
There’s been mercury detected in high-fructose corn syrup due to the means of processing, and sugar is now being linked to all sorts of health issues.
Make this instead and be in total control of the ingredients.
Save Money
Take a look at your grocery bill and see how much you are spending on drinks: sodas, sweet drinks, and “healthy waters”?
By making your own drinks like this lemonade, you can treat your whole family to a wonderful summery drink without breaking the bank. This is one of the best tips I know of for saving on your grocery bill, but this list of tips for healthy grocery shopping on a budget has a lot more.
Consume Fewer Calories
I focus on nutrition rather than calories, but sodas and juices are pretty much full of empty, sugar-laden calories that have been implicated as part of the cause of our obesity epidemic. Some brands of lemonade in the grocery store have 29 grams of sugar per serving; that’s a lot!
If you’re hoping to control your weight, it’s a good idea to restrict these sugar-laden drinks. Plus, I’d rather splurge on a healthy dessert than drink a soda. To quote my aunt, “I’d rather eat my calories than drink them.”
How to Store
If you’d like to have this stevia lemonade in the fridge at the ready, just mix the ingredients together, adding the ice when ready to serve. It should be kept in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
Recipe Notes, Tips, and Substitutions
Lemon Juice
Use more or less lemon juice as you’d like. 1/8 cup lemon juice is the equivalent of the juice from 1 lemon so use that approximation if using fresh lemons.
Sweeteners
You can use any sweetener you like for this lemonade. Traditional lemonade is usually made with regular sugar, but I love using pure stevia extract because it’s so easy, inexpensive, dissolves easily, is readily available, and doesn’t affect blood sugar.
A liquid sweetener (like liquid stevia or this sugar-free simple syrup) is the next best option since it dissolves easily.
If you’re not eating low-carb or keto, honey and maple syrup are great options. For those, you’ll need one-third to one-half less. This post on baking with honey has more information.
Other low-carb sweeteners can be used to make a keto lemonade, but if they’re granulated, powdering the sweeteners first is key so they dissolve well.
FAQs
How many tablespoons of lemon juice is in one lemon?
A typical lemon has 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. You can either use that approximation when making this recipe (or measuring lemon juice for any recipe that uses it). I recommend squeezing the lemon juice into a bowl, and then using a measuring spoon from there.
Is sugar-free lemonade good for you?
That depends on what you think of any given sugar substitute used in processed sugar-free lemonade and what your definition of sugar-free is.
I don’t like the artificial sweeteners used in most store-bought sugar-free lemonades like Nutrasweet (aspartame), Splenda (sucralose with additives), and acesulfame potassium. However, I like and use a monk fruit sweetener, allulose, xylitol, but mostly stevia extract.
Can you use ReaLemon product for making sugar-free lemonade?
You can, but I don’t recommend it. That so-called “lemon juice” like “ReaLemon®” and similar knockoffs are loaded with stuff including preservatives that aren’t good for you.
Can you use Meyer lemons to make this lemonade?
Yes, just keep in mind that those cute little lemons are sweeter and less acidic than traditional lemons, so your lemonade will be less sour, so you might need less sweetener.
How to Make a Single-Serving Glass
Below are the full instructions for making a pitcher of this low-carb lemonade. For those times when you just want one glass, here are the ingredients for that:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar equivalent sweetener
More Healthy Lemon Recipes
For more healthy ways to enjoy the taste of lemon, try these:
- Easy Sugar-Free Strawberry Lemonade – the perfect easy strawberry lemonade mix alternative
- Whole Lemon Lemonade – another lemonade option, this one includes an extra nutritious boost from the peel and all.
- Lemon Smoothie – super refreshing. Literally like sunshine in a glass!
- Gluten-Free Lemon Tarts – delicious tartlets filled with Sugar-Free Lemon Curd
Homemade Sugar-Free Lemonade
Ingredients
- 8 cups water (64 ounces)
- 1 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract (or equivalent to 1 cup sugar (see notes)
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour water into pitcher.
- Add lemon juice and stevia or other sweetener.
- If using a granulated sweetener, dissolve it first by heating it with 1/2 cup water until fully dissolved. Then add to the remaining water.
- Stir, add ice cubes and garnish with fresh fruit or mint, as desired, and enjoy.
Notes
- Lemon Juice: Use more or less to taste. About 1/8 cup equals the juice of 1 lemon.
- Sweeteners: Use your preferred sweetener. I like pure stevia extract since it’s easy to use, dissolves well, and doesn’t affect blood sugar.
- Liquid sweeteners (like liquid stevia [store-bought or homemade] or sugar-free simple syrup) also work well.
- Honey or maple syrup can be used if not low-carb—use about 1/3 to 1/2 less. For granulated low-carb sweeteners, powder first so they dissolve smoothly.
- Ice Cube Alternatives: Frozen fruit or frozen cucumbers work great for this drink.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Im a diabetic and always looking for ways to make sugar free stuff but I cant use the artificial sweetners as im allergic to all of them example nutrasweet splenda equal sweet n low
Are you able to use stevia?
I use liquid stevia. It’s much better to me than the powders. One small bottle last a long time cause 1 drop will sweeten 16 oz of tea quite well.
LOVE liquid stevia. Did you see my recipe? https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/homemade-vanilla-liquid-stevia-extract/
The lemonade is great! I’m thinking that you meant a 1/4 cup of lemon juice per 8 oz of water though.
No, but I would love it that tart!
I bet if you made a batch of this into ice cubes, then use them to cool another batch you wouldn’t have any dilution issues.
Of course!! I have coffee substitute cubes in my freezer for that reason and to make a protein frappe.
I’m trying to find your blog about water filters. I came across it in a recipe and now I can’t seem to locate. Thank you! Victoria
Is this it? https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/is-your-water-safe/ I hope to have more soon.
hello, i just found your blog and am loving it so far. i just ordered my first bottle of stevia. the same you said to =) i would love to make this lemonade but am a littel confused about the stevia, am i going to use 8 scoops of 1/4 each scoop or a total of 1/4? thank you in advance especially ad im sure this is a dumb question.
HI and welcome! There’s a great giveaway coming today so make sure you are subscribed :). Here’s a post on stevia that should help. Keep in mind, that that stevia has changed. You will need about 60% more now. Your price shouldn’t be much more since it has larger volume. I am currently trying out different stevias to see which brand(s) I want to recommend.
Lovely!
I didn’t read thru all the posts so not sure if anyone else mentioned this, but, if you use San Pellagrino Sparkling Mineral Water with your lemon mix – ITS AMAZING! Tastes very much like Sprite. I easily drink a 32 oz. container of this on hot summer nights sitting on the porch.
Great recipe! I would substitute fresh lemon juice, I like the taste better and I don’t trust any of that bottled stuff, organic or not. Thanks for reminding me to make drinks at home!
Hi Adrienne. I tried this recipe with oranges lemons and sparkling water. instead of all the artificial sweetners mentioned I used Agave Syrup but only a small amount as its very sweet. It turned out brilliantly and my fussy 12 yr old loves it. Agave syrup is a low GI sweetner and has about quarter the calories that sugar has and none of the dangers alluded to for artificial sweeteners.
Great idea!!!