A sweet take on traditional homemade lemonade recipes, Agave-Infused Homemade Lemonade requires just 3 base ingredients, takes less than 10 minutes to make, and uses agave nectar in place of granulated sugar.

Will we ever drink lemonade again? is a question I asked myself a few years ago. We gave up granulated sugar, which was the only sugary substance I ever knew existed. And while passing on the granulated sweetness has proven to be a wonderful decision for my health, I was sad to see many of my favorites go.

Sweet, refreshing, succulent lemonade on hot summer days? Yes, please. However, bless this mess, I totally thought the only way to make lemonade was with granulated sugar. Oh. My. God.

It has only taken me two years to realize there are countless other ways to enjoy lemony goodness when the humidity is high and the sun is out. Agave-Infused Homemade Lemonade is one delicious answer.

And talk about workable, this delight only contains three ingredients! THREE INGREDIENTS. Water. Check. Agave nectar. Check. Lemon juice. Check. So basically that means Agave-Infused Homemade Lemonade gets you back outside and enjoying summer that much sooner.

Speaking of summer and lemons, while you can use fresh-squeezed lemons for this recipe, I typically use lemon juice from a pretty green bottle, saving my fresh lemons for smoothies where I blend the whole fruit.

I did have one heart attack while making the first batch, though, and the first time you make it, the same might happen to you. But let’s avoid stressing, shall we? When I added the agave nectar to the water, it turned a weird brown color. My freak needn’t have freaked, though, and neither should yours. Once you add the lemon juice, the beverage will turn a beautiful golden yellow. See? Stress-free. Because summer.

But is it any good? you may be wondering. Let me just say we hosted a kindergarten “graduation” party last weekend for Toodle and a handful of her friends. This may or may not be because she got sick on her birthday and we sort of never got around to having a party for her. Oops. And that was last year. Oops again. We are good parents like that.

But I digress.

We hosted five kindergarteners, a few of their siblings, Toodle, Twinkle, and a partridge in a pear tree. And they all LOVED THIS DRINK. Including the partridge. With the politest of polite manners, they asked for more. And then some more. And then some more after that.

If kindergarteners, Toodle included, are willing to go back for 22nds, you know it has to be good. Kindergarteners are so honest. They don’t have time to blow hot air by drinking a beverage they cannot stand or using words like “delicious” when they mean “I can’t like that.” So when they are happy with a new recipe, I have full confidence to share the result with you.

K-Hubs also offered a rave review when he asked, “Are we done taking pictures of this? You know, so we can drink it now?” Jesus, please be a fence around his patience. Being married to a food blogger isn’t for the faint-hearted. Or the hangry. Or the thirsty-angry. Thangry?

As for storage, it keeps fairly well for a day or two. But the real gem of this is drinking it just about as soon as you make it, throwing in a handful of ice cubes for good, chilled measure.

Summer just got a whole lot sweeter.The way it was meant to be.

Agave-Infused Homemade Lemonade

Scale

Ingredients

4 cups cold water
1/3 cup agave nectar (I use Wholesome! organic blue agave)
1/3 cup lemon juice
Ice cubes, optional
Lemon slices for garnishing, optional

Instructions

Stir water, agave nectar, and lemon juice together in pitcher.
Keep chilled in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Add ice cubes and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Notes

While I like equal parts lemon and agave nectar, if you find that balance doesn’t suit your needs, considering adding more cold water. We did that for one kindergarten party-goer who liked the tamer flavor. It was a simple solution on the fly that worked like a charm!

(This post originally appeared on May 26, 2016. Tips have been added to help you adjust the sweet and sour to your liking, and the photos got a much-deserved makeover!)

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