You’ll love this refreshingly cold Meyer lemon lemonade recipe, that tastes sweet and tangy and it is made with just 3 simple ingredients. Read about why I prefer to make lemonade from fresh lemons due to my sons’ pine nut allergy.
Disclaimer: Please check that all ingredients are suitable for your allergies and be sure to ask your medical care team regarding any allergy related questions (I do not share medical advice). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What is a Meyer Lemon?
Meyer lemons is a hybrid of lemons and mandarin oranges, which is why they look more orange-yellow in color, with a thinner skin than typical lemons. They also are less acidic and taste a little bit sweeter than typical lemons, which allows me to reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe and still have a delicious, lemony-flavored lemonade.
I used to buy lemons but I always forget to use them before they go bad. We planted a Meyer lemon in our yard many years ago and I love the convenience of picking fresh lemons as needed.
As a result, I have a lot of recipes which use Meyer lemons such as Meyer Lemon Bar with Brown Butter and a creamy, egg-free varation of a lemon bar The Best Egg-Free Lemon Bar: Creamy Lemon Crumble. You can see a photo of some of my beautiful Meyer lemons on this recipe for Lemon Vanilla Crinkle Cookies.
Homemade Lemonade is the Best
I love the freshness of homemade lemonade, that is made with three simple ingredients; Meyer lemon juice, sugar, and water. Depending on your other dietary needs, we can also better control the sweetness by adjusting the amount of sugar.
Do you have a favorite lemonade recipe? At the beginning of every summer, I realize that I forgot how do I make lemonade and will have to look up recipes to help me remember which recipe did I like, how did I adjust it, etc.. I don’t have time or patience for these memory lapses so I decided to share my recipe with you and for my own benefit next summer.
Allergy Aware Meyer Lemon Lemonade
This recipe is free of the top 9 allergens as written. The Meyer lemon lemonade is delicious and refreshing when you make it, chill it, and then serve over ice.
Another reason that I make lemonade from scratch every summer is due to a potential pine nut allergy risk with an emulsifying ingredient that is added to store bought citrus drinks.
Have you ever read some lemonade ingredient labels at a store and seen “Glycerol Esters of Wood Rosin (E445)” (GEWR) listed in the ingredients? GEWR is an emulsifier that prevents the citrus ingredients from settling in the drink.
However, it is derived from pine tree rosin that is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) and added to lemonade and other citrus flavored beverages to prevent the drink from settling. Granted GEWR is not likely to contain allergenic pinenut protein, some people with a pine nut allergy might want to be cautious about consuming foods with pine tree related derivatives.
My Personal Observations
Besides a pinenut allergy, I noticed that we had a lot of issues from handling pinecones or paper coated with rosin due to a contact dermatitis allergy to rosin or colophony. I also noticed a lot of coughing from being around people playing a string instruments. The rosin dust from when people apply rosin to the bow becomes an asthma trigger.
For all of the above reasons, I am reluctant to find out what happens if I serve citrus beverages with rosin-derived ingredients, which is why I make lemonade from scratch to hydrate and cool down from the heat every summer.
However, this does not mean that everyone with a pine nut (pignoli) allergy will react to GEWR. But I recommend being aware of the potential association, check labels, and be observant. Check with your doctor if you notice any discomfort.
Serving Suggestions
Refrigerate the lemonade in an 8-cup or larger pitcher without ice and pour it into a glass half filled with ice for a cold refreshing and sweet taste. I love to serve cold icy drinks in double walled glasses to minimize condensation or use a regular glass with a coaster.
If you are hosting a party and want to make it obvious that your pitcher contains lemonade, add a few thin slices of lemon to the pitcher of lemonade. I recommend adding it right before serving.
The Best Meyer Lemon Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar up to 1 cup if using conventional lemons
- 1 cup Meyer lemon juice need 4 large lemons, approximately
- 6 cups cold water
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Make a simple syrup. Combine 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar in a small sauce pan (a tall 2-quart size is better to catch the splashes). Cook on medium-heat for 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved, stir occasionally. Remove the simple syrup from the heat and set aside to cool down.
- Cut the Meyer lemons in half and juice about 1 cup of lemon juice. If your citrus juicer does not strain the seeds, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the lemon juice and pour the lemon juice into a large pitcher (8-cup size or larger).
- Add the simple syrup and 6 cups of cold water into the pitcher, stir, and refrigerate until cold (1-2 hours).
- When ready to serve, pour the Meyer lemon lemonade into glasses half filled with ice.
Notes
Nutrition
Related Recipes:
If you have access to a Meyer lemon tree or love them as much as I do, you will enjoy these lemony and mouthwatering recipes!
- The Best Egg-Free Lemon Bar: Creamy Lemon Crumble – nut-free, egg-free lemon bars with an oatmeal crust and crumble
- Meyer Lemon Bar with Brown Butter (Nut-Free) Recipe – nut-free lemon bars with a brown butter crust that is has a nutty flavor from the brown butter
- Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe: Easy, Moist, & Delicious – nut-free, egg-free recipe
- Easy Lemon Cake – nut free, egg-free, and easy to adapt to be dairy-free
- Delicious Lemon Vanilla Crinkle Cookies Recipe That is Nut-Free & Egg-Free
Some of my other favorite summer time food and drink recipes that are perfect for warmer weather dining:
- Watermelon Yakult Drink Recipe: Easy & Refreshing – sweet and tangy yogurt drink mixed with watermelon
- Hiyashi Chuka: Japanese Style Cold Noodle Salad – you can prep this Japanese noodle salad in the morning and enjoy it later in the day for a complete meal.
- Pasta with Chicken Sausages, Tomato & Brie Recipe – this recipe involves minimal cooking and can be served warm as a pasta side dish for a BBQ or as a main dish.
- Almond Tofu, A Nut-Free Dessert Recipe – this recipe is free of the top 9 allergens and you can serve as-is or as an Asian inspired sundae with fruit and ice cream.
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