Fresh Cherry Lemonade Recipe (2 Easy Ways)

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Total Time:
15 minutes mins

Yields:
5 glasses (with ice)
Recipe

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Craving a drink that captures summer in one sip? This fresh cherry lemonade blends juicy cherries and bright lemon juice into a ruby-red refresher you can whip up two ways—either blitz whole cherries for maximum antioxidants or pour bottled tart-cherry juice when time is tight.

Naturally sweetened with honey, easy to dilute to your taste, and just as happy spiked for a patio cocktail, the recipe delivers sweet-tart balance without artificial colors or flavors.

Freshly made homemade cherry lemonade.

Below you’ll find a fast juicing guide, step-by-step photos, flavor twists, make-ahead tips, and a printable card so you can scale the batch for cookouts or quick weekday hydration.

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Why It’s Worth Trying

Gorgeous ruby colour, zero food dye.
Two methods: bottled tart-cherry juice for speed, or quick blender juice for maximum antioxidants.
Honey-sweetened & totally customizable—scale sugar up or down, or spike it for an adults-only pitcher.
Ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients at a Glance

Cherry juice – ¾ cup bottled tart or 2 cups pitted cherries to blend.
Fresh lemon juice – about 3 lemons.
Honey – or your prefered sweetener (sugar/monk-fruit).
Cold water – still or sparkling.
Ice, lemon wheels, extra cherries to garnish.

See all measurements in the recipe card:

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Admire the beautiful rubby red color in this cherry lemonade

PRO TIP: How to Juice Cherries (Blender or Juicer)

Pit 2–2½ cups ripe cherries.
Blend or juice until smooth—no added water.
Strain through a nut-milk bag or fine sieve to remove pulp.

Tip: A metal straw makes a quick manual pitter—push through the stem end and pop out the stone.

Step-by-Step: How To Make Cherry Lemonade

You can make this recipe 2 ways:

with fresh cherry juice or,
store-bough cherry juice. Use tart cherry juice or black cherry juice. While fresh cherry juice offers an authentic, rich flavor and a host of nutritional benefits, bottled cherry juice provides convenience.

Step 1. Prepare the Lemonade Base

In a pitcher stir lemon juice and honey until the honey dissolves. The citric acid from lemons will help the honey disolve faster.

Step 2. Prepare The Cherry Juice: Bottled or Fresh

Fresh juice: Pit about 2 cups cherries (ripe and in season for the best flavor), or use thawed, blend until smooth, then strain through a nut-milk bag for pulp-free juice. You’ll need aproximately 2 to 2.5 cups of pitted cherries for making 40 ounces of cherry lemonade.

Steps on how to make fresh cherry juice for lemonade.

Step 3. Mix in the Cherry Juice

Add 3/4 cup cherry juice to the lemonade base and taste.

Step 4. Dilute

Add the cold water, adjust sweetness, then chill 30 minutes.

Step 5. Serve

Serve over ice, garnished with lemon slice and a whole cherry. Pair with a summer dessert.

How to assemble the cherry lemonade and serve!

Variations & Cocktail Twist

Sparkling cherry fizz – replace half the water with chilled seltzer.
Mint-cherry cooler – muddle six mint leaves in the pitcher.
Adults-only: add 1 oz vodka or gin per glass, or top the pitcher with 1 cup prosecco.
For variety, try my other lemonade flavors:

Storage & Make-Ahead

Freeze leftover juice in ice-cube trays to blitz into cherry slushies later.
You can store cherry lemonade in the fridge for up to 3 days or so, but it’s best consumed within 2 days. Stir before pouring—colour settles naturally.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid using bottled lemon juice or canned cherries, which can alter the fresh flavor of your lemonade. Also, remember not to over-sweeten; you can always add more sugar later, but you can’t take it away.

FAQs

Can I use frozen cherries for this recipe?

Yes—thaw, drain excess liquid, then juice as above.

Is bottled cherry juice healthy?

It’s convenient but may be pasteurised; fresh juice retains more vitamin C and polyphenols.

Can I reduce the sugar?

Absolutely. Start with 2 Tbsp honey, taste, and adjust. Bottled juice is often sweeter than fresh.

Will the lemonade separate?

A little. Give the pitcher a quick stir before serving.

Print Recipe

Fresh Cherry Lemonade Recipe (2 Ways)

Sweet-tart cherry lemonade made two ways: blitz fresh pitted cherries for vibrant, antioxidant-rich juice or simply stir in bottled tart-cherry juice when you’re short on time. Balanced with fresh lemon, naturally sweetened and easily scaled or spiked for a summer cocktail—this ruby refresher is ready in about 15 minutes.

Cook Mode
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time
15 minutes mins
If making fresh cherry juice, +
10 minutes mins
Total Time
15 minutes mins
Course:
Drinks
Cuisine:
American
Servings:
5 glasses (with ice)
Calories:
180kcal
Author:
Olga Caz
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Ingredients 1x 2x 3x

¾ cup cherry juice – bottled tart-cherry juice or juice from 2 cups pitted cherries
½ cup fresh lemon juice – aprox. 3 lemons
⅓ cup + 2 Tbsp honey – or preferred sweetener
3 cups of water – add up to 3.5 cups for lighter taste

For Serving

3 cups of ice
2 or 3 cherries and a slice of lemon

Instructions

Prepare The Lemonade Base

In a 2-quart pitcher mix lemon juice and honey until dissolved.

Method 1: Prepare The Fresh Cherry Juice

Pit The Cherries – Use fresh (ripe and in season for the best flavor) or frozen (and thawed) cherries to make juice. You’ll need aproximately 2 to 2.5 cups of pitted cherries.
Transfer the fruit to the blender and blend until smooth and juicy. No need for added water. To remove the pulp, pass the cherry juice through a nut milk bag.

Method 2: Use Bottled Cherry Juice

Use 3/4 cup tart cherry juice or black cherry juice. Add to the lemonade base.

Dilute With Water

Add water to dilute and then stirr until well combined. Taste, adjust sweetness. Chill in the refrigerator.

Serving

Serve your cherry lemonade over ice, garnished with a slice of lemon and fresh cherries.

What You Need

Glass Pitcher

Notes

Variations

Sparkling water, mint cooler, cocktail (see post).

Storage

Refrigerate 3 days max.

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Nutrition

Serving: 8oz
|
Calories: 180kcal
|
Carbohydrates: 45g
|
Sugar: 40g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.

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