The Very Best Lemonade Options to Fuel Your Summer (2025)

For a lemonade that’ll please everyone at your next backyard bash, addSimply Lemonadeto your cart.

Pouring a glass of this lemonade, you’ll notice the homemade style right away thanks to a bit of pulp and a pale yellow hue. Tester after tester remarked how these two factors make a lemonade seem more appealing.

But what about the taste? “This has a nice, clean, bright lemonade flavor,” says our Test Kitchen’s Mark Neufang. And Mark hits it right on the head: Simply Lemonade is refreshing and has the perfect balance of tartness, sweetness and lemon flavor. In Mark’s words, “this would be great served over ice on a hot summer day.”

Do you like a little extra pucker in your lemonade? Get more sour power with Newman’s Own Lemonade.

According to Sarah Tramonte in the Test Kitchen, “this brand has a tartness that so many other lemonades lack.”

That’s thanks to plenty of fresh lemon juice and even a bit of lemon pulp inside. Sure, you’ll get a little sweetness—it is lemonade, after all—but Newman’s Own has that extra oomph of acidity that can be so refreshing on a hot day.

If you prefer your lemonade on the slightly sweeter side, snag yourselfFlorida’s Natural Lemonade.

This pleasantly pale yellow lemonade had a nice sweet finish that tasters really enjoyed. But when we say “best sweet lemonade,” we don’t mean that Florida’s Natural is overly sugary. Instead, this lemonade really has a great natural lemon flavor and plenty of acidity with just a smidgen of extra sugar to satisfy those of us that like drinks with just a touch more sweetness.

On a hot day at the state fair (or any other outdoor festival), no one is immune to the calls of the lemonade stand. The smell of freshly squeezed lemons, the sound of the juice being shaken up over ice, the sight of the finished drink being poured into tall cups—it’s irresistible. These state fair-style lemonades taste super fresh and are often a little mild—ideal for a summer day.

For a lemonade that brings back those memories, try Tropicana Lively Lemonade.

We get it: Not everyone likes pulp in their drinks. While this normally applies to orange juice, you’ll also find a pulp in some lemonades. For a super smooth sipping experience, tryMinute Maid Lemonade.

This lemonade is wonderfully sippable. It’s milder but has that tart (not sour!) flavor we’re looking for from a tall glass of lemonade.

How We Sipped and Sampled Lemonade

For thistaste test, our culinary pros sipped 16 different lemonade brands—16! The brands were kept a mystery to avoid any biases our team may have had. Each wasjudgedaccording to these categories:

• Appearance:Our Test Kitchen wanted to find lemonades that looked mouthwatering when poured into a tall glass of ice. Now, color isn’teverything, but we have to admit that neon yellow or off-colored drinks definitely give us pause.
• Balance:Lemonade is essentially just a mixture of water, lemon juice and a sweetener (usually sugar, though some brands use alternatives like honey). A good lemonade shouldn’t be too tart or too sweet.
• Overall satisfaction:At the end of the day, the best lemonade should be delicious, tart, sweet and oh-so-satisfying.

While we sampled plenty of options, just five got universally high praise and can be calledTest Kitchen-Preferred.

What to Look for When Buying the Best Lemonades

An essential part of finding the best lemonades is testing the acidity, sweetness and pulp levels. Of course, you can’t taste test in-store; there is a clever way to investigate before you buy. Start by checking the ingredients list. If a lemonade is composed mainly of lemon juice, it will be more acidic, causing it to be sour. The sourness can be combated with sugar, but you also want to see how many grams of sugar are being used. The key is to find a balance between the two for the best-tasting lemonades.

Why Trust Us

As experts in our field, we understand that an essential part of finding the best lemons is testing the acidity, sweetness and pulp levels. Our Test Kitchen team put all 16 to the test! Each culinary pro considered the drinks’ appearance, tasteandbalance before recommending that they make this list. From there, the team scores through shopper receive to learn more about how the lemonades compareoverall. Lisa Kaminsky is a formerTaste of Home editor and passionate baker specializing in all things sweet, including the best lemonades.We also tapped Test Kitchen’s Mark Neufang for extra expertise.

FAQs

Does pulp change the taste of lemonade?

Whether you’re team pulpor not, rest assured that pulp doesn’t negatively impact the taste of your favorite lemonade. Instead, it’s added to enhance the flavor to make it more of an authentic lemonade taste. It also adds texture to the smooth drink.

How do you spruce up lemonade?

In a perfect world, your cup of lemonade tastes excellent over ice, but if you’re craving more, try sprucing it up. A great way to elevate this traditional drink is to mix it in a pitcher and add herbs like rosemary, thyme, fruit and mint. Thisgives the lemonade a fresher taste, especially on a hot summer day. You can also have flowers if you’re serving them to guests.

But perhaps the best way to dress up your lemonade? Add some fizzy bubbles to it for a fun, bubbly beverage. You can also choose to pour in more adult-friendly bases. Lastly, if you like spicy things, grab the cinnamon. The hints of spice with the sweet and acidic lemonades create a unique recipe.

How do you fix lemonade that is too sweet?

If you purchased a pick that’s too sweet, we have a quick fix for you. Justadd water! Start by adding a cup of water to the jug of Florida and see if that dilutes the sweetness.

Check Out More Test Kitchen-Preferred Products

Our Test Kitchen is constantly testing food, kitchen gadgets and cleaning gear looking for brands that deserve the right to be called Test Kitchen-Preferred.

If you want to fill your pantry and fridge with the best products, check out these tests:

• The best guacamole
• The best hot dogs
• The best ice cream sandwiches