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Looking for something seriously refreshing to beat the heat? This lemonade slushie is icy and tangy: drink it straight up or spike it with gin for a kick!
Summer is here! Temperatures are edging up into the 90s and our mint patch is starting to run wild. What better way to beat the heat than a lemonade slushie recipe? This zingy drink is everything you need to cool off. It’s icy with the best sweet tart, citrusy flavor and a hint of fresh mint. If you’d like, make it into a cocktail by spiking it with gin. It’s irresistible either way!
How to make this lemonade slushie recipe
This lemonade slushie, or lemon slush recipe, is an icy version of lemonade that also stars aromatic mint. This one is naturally sweet using honey or maple syrup, but you can use sugar if you prefer. Seeping the mixture with mint adds just the right amount of complexity.
How to make a lemonade slushie? The hardest part is juicing the lemons…and waiting for the mixture to freeze! Here’s what to do:
- Juice the lemons: You’ll need 1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice, which equates to about 6 lemons. We wouldn’t recommend using bottled lemon juice here: for the best flavor, go with the real thing! We’ve yet to find a brand of bottled lemon juice that tastes just like fresh lemon juice.
- Simmer with sweetener and mint. After you’ve juiced all the lemons, you’ll bring the juice to a simmer with maple syrup or honey, then turn off the heat and add mint leaves. Let it stand for 10 minutes: this allows the mint flavor to steep into the liquid.
- Freeze in ice cube trays. After 10 minutes, you’ll combine with more cool water and freeze into ice cubes. It takes about 6 hours to freeze into cubes, so you may want to consider making this recipe the night before.
Serving this lemonade slushie
When it’s time to serve, blend up your lemonade cubes in a blender with just enough water, and you’ve got an instant lemonade slushie! You can drink it as is for a non-alcoholic beverage.
Or, our favorite is spiking this one with a bit of gin — it’s very delicious! The level of gin is just enough to give it some bite, without being too strong. It’s the most refreshing summer drink! Let us know in the comments below what you think!
More lemonade recipes
Outside of this lemonade slushie, we’ve got lots more homemade lemonade recipes! Here are a few of our top contenders:
- Make classic Fresh Lemonade
- Try colorful Pink Lemonade
- Add berries for Strawberry Lemonade or Raspberry Lemonade
- Mix with bubbles for Sparkling Lemonade
This lemonade slushie recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, vegan, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.
Print
Lemonade Slushie Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
Looking for something seriously refreshing to beat the heat? This lemonade slushie is icy and tangy: drink it straight up or spike it with gin for a kick!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey (or granulated sugar)
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1 handful fresh mint
- ½ cup gin (optional)
Instructions
- Juice the lemons. In a small saucepan, heat the lemon juice, honey, and ½ cup water. Stir to dissolve the maple syrup or honey. When the mixture reaches a simmer, turn off the heat, and add a large handful mint leaves. Let steep for 10 minutes. Remove mint leaves and add 2 ½ cups cool water. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze (the liquid will fill about 2 ½ trays) — about 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, place the lemon ice cubes into a blender with the gin (optional), and blend. Add just enough water to make it slushy (about 1 cup, or more without gin). Serve immediately.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Lemonade Slushie, Lemon Slush Recipe, Lemon Drinks, Summer Drink Recipes
This sounds so refreshing. I’m running a marathon this Sunday and am going to make this when I get home! It would be perfect!
Sounds delish — did it turn out?
Sounds great. We have a ton of mint as well.
I’ve lived in Indiana my entire life, and have never attended the race. Spending 4 hours in the baking sun for a car race has zero appeal to me.
Agree — same here! :)
Oh this does sound lovely! So cold and refreshing on a hot day. I’m so happy to have discovered your blog today :)
I have just the person who will love this drink. It might have to be added to the race day menu. And we have to find a camping blender. To sip while listening to “Back Home Again in Indiana.”
If you can keep ice cubes frozen until noon on Sunday, I’ll be impressed!
I’m so glad you posted this recipe! I’ve been looking for ways to use my ever expanding mint garden and this sounds delicious! Have a great weekend! :-)
YUM! Definitely making this. I love gin, my mint plant is growing out of control and it’s going to be a hot weekend! Thanks for the recipe!
These look so good. Sounds like a Memorial Day must have! YUM
Oh this sounds amazing (and easy)! The temps are in the 100s already here in AZ and this sounds like a nice treat!
Thanks!
Patricia
This looks incredible. It’s been so humid here – this would be perfect for my evening. :) {I have out-of-control mint, too!}
This with a splash of gin sounds fantastic! Might make these for my birthday BBQ in a few weeks!