Description
This Lemonade with Cherry and Vanilla pairs deep, sweet cherries with warm pure vanilla and bright fresh lemon into a rich, jewel-toned lemonade with a smooth, dessert-like quality that feels indulgent and refreshing all at once. The vanilla rounds out the tartness of the cherry and lemon with a creamy, aromatic sweetness you will want in every sip. You need just ten minutes to make this stunning cherry vanilla lemonade.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup simple syrup or honey (adjust to taste)
3 cups cold water
1 cup ice cubes
Fresh cherries and lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
1. Add pitted cherries into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth.
2. Strain the cherry puree through a fine mesh sieve into a large pitcher and discard all solids.
3. Pour in fresh lemon juice and add lemon zest.
4. Add pure vanilla extract, simple syrup or honey, and cold water.
5. Stir everything together until well combined.
6. Taste and adjust sweetness or lemon juice as needed.
7. Fill glasses with ice cubes, pour the lemonade over the ice, garnish with fresh cherries and serve immediately.
Notes
Use ripe, dark sweet cherries like Bing or Rainier for the deepest and most luscious flavor.
Frozen pitted cherries are a perfect year-round alternative and blend into a silky smooth puree.
Pure vanilla extract makes a significant difference here — avoid imitation vanilla for best results.
Strain the cherry puree thoroughly to achieve the most elegant, deep ruby-colored lemonade.
Store in the fridge for up to 2 days — stir well before serving as natural separation occurs.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass (12 oz)
- Calories: 95
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg