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Fare Isle » Drinks » Easy Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

Easy Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

published: August 5, 2022 / by Kaity Farrell
This refreshing summer cucumber lemonade is made with just 4 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
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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.

Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves on a wood table with a full drink pitcher and ingredients around them.

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!

Table of contents

  • A Refreshing Summer Drink
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Cucumber Mint Lemonade
  • How to Grate Cucumber
  • How to Store Fresh Lemonade
  • Simple and Healthy Variations
  • Cucumber Lemonade Cocktail Ideas
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • Love This Recipe?

Ingredients

Cucumber mint lemonade ingredients including fresh cucumbers, whole lemons, fresh mint and sugar on a table.

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

Heating mint simple syrup ingredients in a small saucepan.

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

Squeezing the juice from grated fresh cucumber through a cheesecloth by hand.

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

A clear glass pitcher of cucumber mint lemonade with cucumber and lemon slices.

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 on a metal box grater.

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.

Grated cucumber in a green bowl.

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.

Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves on a wood table with a full drink pitcher and ingredients around them.

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.

Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves on a wood table with a full drink pitcher and ingredients around them.

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.

Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves.

Recipe FAQ’s

Can I make this without mint simple syrup?

Yes, sweeten it with whatever you want or leave it unsweetened. Swap mint with other herbs such as basil, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon verbena, thyme etc.

How do I make frozen cucumber lemonade?

Blend the lemonade with ice to make a frozen lemonade.

Love This Recipe?

Please leave a star-rating review of the recipe and let me know what you think in a comment below. This small act is a great way to show your support for the food blogs you read and love.

Tag @fareisle in your photos on Instagram with #fareisle so I can see your creations!

Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves.
Two glasses of cucumber lemonade with ice cubes garnished with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves.

Cucumber Lemonade Recipe

Author: Kaity Farrell
This refreshing summer cucumber lemonade is made with just 4 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
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Mint Simple Syrup

  • 200 g sugar 1 cup
  • 236 g water 1 cup
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint

Cucumber Juice

  • 225 g cucumber 8 oz., 1/2 lb, about 2 medium cucumbers

Lemonade

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/3 cup cucumber juice
  • 1 cup mint simple syrup
  • 4 cups water

Garnish

  • 1 whole lemon sliced
  • 1 whole cucumber sliced, small cucumber
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint

Instructions

Mint Simple Syrup

  • Bring mint sprigs, sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Turn off heat and stir to dissolve sugar.
  • Cover the saucepan and let the syrup steep 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.

Cucumber Juice

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

Lemonade

  • Add lemon juice, cucumber juice, mint simple syrup and water to a pitcher and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the level of lemon juice or sweetness to your liking.
  • Add lemon slices, cucumber slices and mint leaves for garnish.
  • Serve the cucumber lemonade over ice.

Video


Notes

  • Store cucumber lemonade in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.
  • Store mint simple syrup in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
  • Add gin, vodka, tequila, rum or bourbon to make cocktails.
  • Add sparkling water to make sparkling cucumber lemonade or mocktails.

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cucumber lemonade, cucumber mint lemonade

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz. | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Kaity Farrell

    5 stars
    Ask me any questions you have!

    Reply
  2. Melissa Thornton

    5 stars
    I have had cucumber water, and lemon aid but together the combination is magic ! This is now a summer staple. We are having an extended heat wave, and the lemonade is so refreshing.

    Reply
    • Kaity Farrell

      So glad you like the recipe! Thanks, Melissa! xx

      Reply

Welcome to Fare Isle! I'm Kaity.


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