Easy Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

This refreshing summer cucumber lemonade is made with just 4 simple ingredients and is ready in under 30 minutes! It’s sweetened with an easy-to-make mint simple syrup and flavored with fresh cucumber juice made easily by hand without a blender or juicer. Its the perfect refreshing drink to serve on a hot day!

The cooling cucumber and mint flavors mixed with sweet tart lemonade is the perfect combination for a delicious simple drink for summer days. Add a splash of your preferred spirit such as gin or vodka to make a delicious cucumber cocktail.

A Refreshing Summer Drink

Our garden is bursting with ripe cucumbers at the moment, and while I’ve been pickling as many as I can, there are more than I can process each day. Besides eating them fresh in salads and juicing them for morning green juice, one of my favorite ways to use cucumbers is this easy and deliciously refreshing cucumber lemonade with mint simple syrup.

Both cucumber and mint have naturally cooling properties and the flavors are just perfect with classic fresh squeezed lemonade. First I make a super easy mint infused simple syrup which is just equal parts sugar and water brought to boil. Once the sugar is completely dissolved I add the fresh mint sprigs then cover the saucepan and let the mint steep in the simple syrup to extract all of its flavor. To make the cucumber juice, I either puree it in a blender then strain it or grate it on a box grater and squeeze out the juice through a cheesecloth.

Once you try this homemade cucumber lemonade recipe you will never look at lemonade the same again! It’s amazing on its own but can be used in cocktails with your favorite spirits – I like gin – or mocktails with a splash sparkling water added to it. So good a hot summer day!

Ingredients

Cucumbers: Crisp cooling cucumber juice adds a delightful flavor and beautiful emerald green color to the lemonade base. Use any type of fresh cucumbers, such as English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or even pickling cucumbers. Opt for organic cucumbers without wax when making juice since the skin will be used. Add cucumber slices as a garnish.

Mint: Fresh mint leaves add a cooling and refreshing flavor to this cucumber lemonade. Use any type of mint. Fresh mint is preferred, but you can also used dried mint or a mint tea bag. Substitutions: Try other fresh herbs such as lemon balm, lemon verbena, basil, thyme, etc. to flavor the simple syrup or leave it out entirely if you prefer.

Lemons: Lemons are obviously a must for making classic lemonade. Fresh squeezed juice has the best flavor and is what I recommend for this recipe but you can of course use bottled lemon juice if you like. Add lemon slices for extra lemon flavor. Substitutions: Lime juice also works well in this recipe.

Sugar: White sugar or organic sugar have a mild flavor that won’t muddle the taste of the lemon juice, cucumber juice and mint flavors. I used organic sugar for this recipe. Substitutions: Try unrefined sugars and sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, whole cane sugar or agave nectar if you like. Just note that unrefined sweeteners will change the color to a brown hue.

How to Make Cucumber Mint Lemonade

Step 1: Make Mint Simple Syrup

Combine equal parts by volume sugar and water plus a few sprigs of fresh mint in a small saucepan. Then heat that mixture over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Once it starts bubbling around the edges, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it with a lid and let the mint steep and infuse into the simple syrup for at least 10 minutes.

Remove the mint sprigs and store the syrup in a glass jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Step 2: Make Cucumber Juice

Grate whole cucumbers on a box grater. Squeeze the grated cucumber through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag or a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the cucumber pulp.

Step 3: Mix the Lemonade

Add lemon juice, cucumber juice, mint simple syrup and water to a large pitcher and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the level of lemon juice or sweetness to your liking.

Add slices of cucumber and lemon and mint leaves for garnish and serve over ice.

How to Grate Cucumber

Grating cucumber is an easy way to make a simple juice without a blender or juicer. Simply grate the whole cucumbers on a box grater into a bowl. Transfer the grated cucumber to a fine cheesecloth or nut milk bag and squeeze out the cucumber juice into a bowl. Use the cucumber pulp to make a cucumber salad or sauces like tzatziki or raita, or simply toss it into the compost.

How to Store Fresh Lemonade

Keep lemonade chilled in a sealed jar or drink pitcher in the refrigerator and use it within 3 days. Or freeze leftover lemonade in an ice cube tray to add the lemonade ice cubes to drinks or cocktails.

Simple and Healthy Variations

If you’re not a fan of sugary drinks make a healthier option of this lemonade by simply omitting the sugar to make an infused lemon cucumber water instead. Just add the lemon and cucumber juices, sliced cucumber and lemon plus mint leaves to water and let it infuse in the refrigerator.

Instead of using white or organic sugar to sweeten the lemonade try using an unrefined natural sweetener instead like honey, maple syrup, whole cane sugar or agave syrup.

Cucumber Lemonade Cocktail Ideas

Cucumber Lemonade Gin & Tonic: Mix cucumber lemonade with gin and tonic water, soda water, club soda or sparkling water. Serve over ice. Garnish with slices of lemon, cucumbers and mint leaves.

Cucumber Lemonade Mojito: Mix cucumber lemonade with white rum and tonic water, soda water, club soda or sparkling water. Serve over ice. Garnish with slices of lemon, cucumbers and mint leaves.

Cucumber Lemonade Vodka Soda: Mix cucumber lemonade with vodka and tonic water, soda water, club soda or sparkling water. Serve over ice. Garnish with slices of lemon, cucumbers and mint leaves.

Cucumber Lemonade Margarita: Mix cucumber lemonade with tequila, shake in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice and serve in a salt rimmed glass or blend with ice to make a frozen margarita.

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