Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Hull your fresh strawberries by removing the green tops and any white core inside. Halve them to make them easier to blend and ensure they break down evenly.
- Cut your lemons in half and juice them using a hand juicer or electric citrus press to extract all the liquid. You need one full cup of fresh juice, so aim for 5 to 6 medium lemons depending on their juiciness.
- Remove your frozen acai packet from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes until slightly softened. This makes it blend much more smoothly without adding extra liquid or ice.
- Add the halved strawberries and thawed acai packet to your blender first. Blending fruit without liquid helps break it down completely before adding any water.
- Pour in your fresh lemon juice and add the sugar to the blender with the fruit. The sugar helps break down the fruit fibers and dissolves as you blend.
- Blend on high speed for 60 to 90 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth with no visible fruit chunks.
- Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pushing gently with a spoon to extract all the liquid. Straining removes the pulp and seeds, giving you a silky smooth lemonade.
- Pour three cups of cold water into the pitcher with the strained mixture and stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness or tartness by adding more water, lemon juice, or sugar as needed.
- Fill glasses with ice cubes and pour the lemonade over top. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices or a sprig of mint if you like, then serve immediately.
Notes
Make this lemonade concentrate by skipping the water, then add cold water or sparkling water to individual glasses for customizable sweetness. Store in an airtight pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir or shake before each serving since separation may occur. You can freeze the lemonade in ice cube trays to use later in smoothies or mixed drinks.