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This Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade blends rhubarb compote with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar to give you the drink of the summer. Great for keeping cool on a hot day! Vegan and Gluten-Free.
This sweet and tangy Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade is easy to make with less than 10 ingredients in a blender! Fresh rhubarb is cooked down with vanilla and sugar before it’s blended with fresh strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and water. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a refreshing drink that practically screams “summer!”
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Sip on This Summer Lemonade
Slather on some sunscreen, pull up a chair on the patio, and treat yourself to what I’m calling the drink of the summer: this Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade.
With a perfect balance of sour, tart, and sweet flavors and an almost sparkling pinkish-red color, this refreshing strawberry rhubarb drink checks all of the boxes. All you need are a few fresh ingredients, like rhubarb, strawberries, and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a blender to make it!
It all starts by cooking down the fresh rhubarb with some vanilla and sugar to create a deliciously sour and syrupy rhubarb compote. The compote is blended with the strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and water until smooth, then quickly strained and left to chill in the fridge before the party. I know it’ll be hard to resist, but trust me—an ice-cold glass of this bright and tart drink is so worth the wait.
What You Need for Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
A mix of seasonal ingredients and pantry staples is all it takes to make this easy summer drink:
- Rhubarb: whether you’re picking it from the garden or buying it from the market, try to use dark red rhubarb for this drink. The redder the rhubarb, the more concentrated the tart, sour flavors will be.
- Sugar: lemonade needs sugar to cut through the tart lemon juice. I used cane sugar, but white sugar will also work well. An equal amount of agave syrup or maple syrup should also work.
- Strawberries: pick up fresh summer strawberries for this recipe. They’re typically easy to find at farmers’ markets and grocery stores from June to September.
- Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice is the key to this rhubarb lemonade’s perfect lip-puckering, bright flavors. Seriously, do not use bottled lemon juice. It just doesn’t compare!
- Water: you have two options here: (1) make it a fizzy lemonade with sparkling water, or (2) keep it simple with cold still water.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
- Add the rhubarb, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of cane sugar to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the rhubarb is tender. Set it aside to chill in the fridge or freezer.
- Blend the chilled rhubarb compote with the strawberries, lemon juice, remaining sugar, salt, and water until smooth. Taste and blend in more sugar if needed.
- Strain the blended lemonade into a large bowl or pitcher.
- Chill the lemonade in the fridge, then serve over ice. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- You can use frozen fruit if you’d like: While I do find that fresh rhubarb and strawberries give this lemonade the best flavor, frozen fruit does work in a pinch. Thaw the fruit in a bowl, then add the thawed fruit and any liquid released from it to the blender.
- Adjust the water-to-lemonade ratio: Making this in a small blender? Only blend in 2 cups of water in that case. Just add the rest of the water to the pitcher in step 3 after straining.
Serving Suggestions
The pitcher of strawberry rhubarb lemonade won’t go unnoticed at the party. Put it out at the pool party, Fourth of July celebration, backyard barbecue, or spring or summer get-together, and watch as it quickly disappears.
Now, in my opinion, it just isn’t a party without the snacks. There’s nothing like washing down some of this Mango Habañero Salsa, this Tomato Galette, or this Crunchy Cucumber Dill Salad with a glass of homemade lemonade. Make sure to have a few of these Chocolate Covered Banana Pops on standby for a kid-friendly treat as well.
If you’re looking for more refreshing summer drinks, you’ll also love this Blueberry Lemonade, this Watermelon Slushie, and this Iced Chamomile Matcha Latte!
Or, if you’re looking for more strawberry rhubarb recipes, you’ll also love this Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and this Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
How to Store Rhubarb Lemonade
Rhubarb strawberry lemonade can be made in advance if you’d like to prepare it ahead of the party or get-together. Just store it in an airtight jar or a covered pitcher without ice in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
The leftover lemonade will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Transfer it to an airtight container or covered pitcher without ice to avoid watering it down.
To freeze strawberry rhubarb lemonade, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze until the cubes are solid. Transfer the lemonade cubes to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Or, for a fun adult and kid-friendly trick, pour the lemonade into popsicle molds and enjoy when frozen!
Substitutions and Variations
- Strawberry Substitute: This lemonade would be just as tasty made with an equal amount of fresh or frozen raspberries.
- Add Ginger: Blend a 1/2″ knob of fresh ginger with the lemonade ingredients to give your rhubarb drink an almost spicy yet refreshing kick.
- Add Mint: For an ultra-refreshing strawberry rhubarb mint lemonade, blend 2 tablespoons of finely chopped mint leaves with the ingredients, plus fresh mint leaves to garnish.
- Less-Sweet Option: Personally, I like the sweetness from the full 3/4 cup of sugar. If you’d prefer a mildly sweet version, use only 1/2 cup of sugar.
- Customize The Ice Cubes: For a pretty presentation and a little extra flavor, freeze finely diced strawberries, rhubarb, and/or mint leaves in an ice cube tray before using the cubes in your drinks.
Recipe FAQs
A fine-mesh metal strainer will do the trick, but a nut milk bag or some layered cheesecloth also works really well.
Cooking the rhubarb down into a super concentrated compote extracts as much flavor as possible and makes it easier to blend. You just wouldn’t get the same results if you blended it raw.
You could use maple syrup or agave as a substitute for the granulated sugar, but I don’t recommend omitting the sweetener from the recipe entirely. The lemonade will be way too tart and sour without it.
Sure! For a summery party drink, replace 2 cups of water with prosecco (stir it into the pitcher in step 3 after straining) or add 1 ounce of vodka or gin to each glass of lemonade.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh rhubarb sliced into 1/2” pieces (about 2-3 stalks)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1/2-3/4 cup cane sugar divided; plus more to taste*
- 2 cups strawberries tops trimmed and cut in half
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
- Pinch of salt
- 4 cups cold water or sparkling water
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Rhubarb Compote: Add the rhubarb, vanilla (if using), and 1/4 cup cane sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is tender. Transfer to a glass container or bowl and set in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to chill while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Lemonade: Add the chilled rhubarb compote to a blender along with the strawberries, lemon juice, remaining sugar, salt, and water. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until smooth. (Note: if you have a smaller blender, use only 2 cups of water, then add the rest of the water to the pitcher in step 2 after straining) Taste the lemonade and add more sugar, if necessary.
- Strain: Pour the lemonade through a fine mesh metal strainer or nut milk bag into a large bowl or pitcher; compost or discard any seeds or fibers that do not pass through.
- Chill & Serve: Chill the lemonade in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes, then serve over ice or as desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Fresh vs. Frozen Fruit: I recommend using fresh rhubarb and strawberries for this recipe for the best flavor, but you can also use frozen in a pinch. I recommend thawing the fruit completely in a bowl and using both the fruit and any liquid released from it in the recipe.
- Sugar: For a mildly sweet lemonade use only 1/2 cup of sugar total; for a “standard” lemonade sweetness, use 3/4 cup
