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What’s your favorite part of going to the country fair? If it’s state fair lemonade, you’re not alone because we all love that! When it’s made in front of you and you can watch the fresh zingy lemon being muddled right there in the cup in front of you and then sweetened and combined with water and ice and shaken to perfection, that’s the ideal summer drink right there! This nostalgic thirst-quenching drink is a festival classic that you will be making on repeat all summer.
This fantastic fair style lemonade recipe is sweet, fruity and delicious. Close your eyes and sip – you’ll believe you’re right there soaking up all the fun of the fair!
Lemonade lovers might like to try frozen mint lemonade, cider mojitos, strawberry lemonade, or boozy peach ice tea lemonade.
Why You’ll Love It
Simple to make: You only need lemons, sugar, water, and ice to make this fantastic fair lemonade. You can make it in just a few minutes!
Incredible flavor: Created in the same way as lemonade stand fair lemonade, this homemade version tastes perfect, balancing out the sweet with the acidic and offering a tangy lemon taste.
Thirst-quenching: There’s something about homemade lemonade served over plenty of ice that cools you down effectively when the weather is hot!
State Fair Lemonade Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Lemons: Nobody ever made great lemonade with bottled lemon juice, so grab a couple of fresh lemons and your taste buds will thank you later!
Sugar: White granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to this copycat state fair lemonade recipe.
Water: To dilute the lemon and sugar. I like to use bottled water for a fresher flavor than tap water but the choice is yours.
Ice: Ice cubes keep your fair lemonade perfectly cold.
How to Make State Fair Lemonade
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card
Prepare the lemons: Wash the lemons thoroughly and cut them into quarters. Put them in a 32-ounce plastic container (these ones are good) and muddle them to get as much juice out as you can.
Add the sugar: Pour in the sugar and shake the container so the lemon juice dissolves some of the sugar.
Add the ice and water: Next, fill the container about 3/4 full with ice and then add the water to the lemon sugar mixture.
The finishing touches: Put the lid on and shake well. Make a hole in the lid, add a straw and enjoy your state fair lemonade.
Substitutions and Variations
More lemon: If you want a stronger lemon taste, add lemon peels to the lemonade. You can use lemon zest strips, lemon peel strips, lemon slices or candied lemon peels.
Add strawberry: A splash of strawberry puree or strawberry syrup turns this tasty drink into state fair strawberry lemonade!
Sugar free: Swap the sugar for your favorite sweetener if that’s your preference.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers and snacks: Good old comfort food pairs best with fair lemonade. Perhaps cowboy sliders, cheddar stuffed burgers, or jalapeno corn dogs are great too.
Something sweet: Enjoy some caramel apples or beaver tails with your state fair lemonade!
How to Store Homemade Lemonade
Store: Refrigerate the prepared lemonade for up to 2 hours. If you aren’t going to use it within 2 hours, strain it into another container with a lid, and use within 4 days.
Freeze: This will freeze but it might suffer some impact to the fresh flavor.
Top Tips
Hole punching: Punch a hole in the plastic lid using a hole punch that’s 5/16-inch minimum in diameter, so you can fit a straw through it. No hole punch? Use a sharp knife to cut an X-shape for the straw to go through.
Sweetness: Start with 3 tablespoon of sugar. You can always add more later. But you can’t take some out if you over-sweeten the fair lemonade.
More a-peel-ing: If you add lemon peels for added flavor, remove them if you’re not going to drink the fair lemonade right away. After a while, it can make the lemonade bitter.
Country Fair Lemonade FAQs
This simply means to mush it up! You can use a muddler or a wooden spoon. Just bash the lemon a bit and get as much of the juice out as you can.
Yes. Why not make some fairground lemonade popsicles? Pour the lemonade into popsicle molds and freeze. Wait for a few hours so they set, and they serve and enjoy!
Absolutely – feel free to experiment. You could use limes, oranges or even ruby or pink grapefruit to make different versions of this refreshing summer drink.
State Fair Lemonade Recipe
Fair Lemonade
Ingredients
- 2 lemons, small
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ Cups water
- ice, as needed
Instructions
- Wash the lemons thoroughly.
- Quarter both lemons and place them in one of the containers.
- Muddle the lemons until you’ve gotten as much juice as possible out of them.
- Add the sugar to the container with the lemons and give it a little shake. The lemon juice helps dissolve the sugar.
- Fill the container ¾ of the way with ice and then add the water.
- Place the lid on, before making the hole in it, and shake it really well, combining all the ingredients thoroughly.
- Make a hole in the lid using a 5/16” hole punch, or by your preferred method, add a straw, and enjoy your fair lemonade!
Notes
Sweetness: Start with 3 tablespoon of sugar. You can always add more later. But you can’t take some out if you over-sweeten the fair lemonade.
More a-peel-ing: If you add lemon peels for added flavor, remove them if you’re not going to drink the fair lemonade right away. After a while, it can make the lemonade bitter.
Nutrition
If you love lemonade, you’re going to want to make your own version of this delicious country fair lemonade recipe. All you need to make perfect lemonade are fresh lemons, sugar, water, and ice, ingredients you almost definitely already have on hand. The recipe itself takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is sure to quench your thirst! There are fun variations to try too, such as state fair strawberry lemonade or you could add a splash of liquor for a cheeky grownup version!
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This state fair lemonade is a refreshing summer classic—so zesty and perfect for hot days!
It is absolutely refreshing. Perfect for our summer BBQs!!