Keto lemonade concentrate made from fresh lemons and monk fruit sweetener is the best low-carb drink recipe. You can enjoy it today, refrigerate some, or freeze for later. I often make several batches at once while my fresh lemons are in season. Each batch of this homemade low-carb lemonade concentrate recipe makes a half-gallon pitcher when mixed with water.
The sweet, tart, and bright flavors of lemons make for a combination that is the quintessential summer drink. But unfortunately, lemons are at their peak of the season in late winter and early spring. Still a great time to have homemade lemonade (I mean really my kids will drink lemonade any time). But when you want fresh homemade lemonade in summer, honestly the lemons are just not the same.
We have a large lemon bush in our yard that bursts with so much fruit each year, it is hard to use them all up. We share them with neighbors, friends, and family but still so many. Well, this year I decided to make lemonade often but wanted to preserve some for later. In the past, I would juice the lemons and freeze just the juice. I use it for hot water with lemon or when I want lemon juice for a cocktail - say Lemontini!
Landon picking fresh lemons
Then it hit me! Why not make homemade keto low carb lemonade concentrate? Then it is ready whenever we want in the months to come. All I would have to do is defrost it a bit and add water. I googled some recipes and there are none out there for a keto concentrate. So I set out to make regular and a keto low carb lemonade that I loved. After a few tries, I came up with two recipes that are foolproof amazing for lemonade! For the regular sugar version, find it at my HOMEMADE LEMONADE CONCENTRATE recipe.
Concentrate with Fresh Lemon Juice
Making this recipe calls for fresh lemon juice and a few other ingredients. It is a quick and simple way to make batches of concentrate to later turn into gallons of fresh lemonade.
Why is it called "lemonade" and not lemon juice? Well, simply it is an ade because it includes lemon juice, sugar, and water. Compared to orange juice, which is simply just fresh-squeezed juice from oranges with no added ingredients. To learn more about the history of lemonade, check out more on HOWSTUFFWORKS!
Keto Low Carb Lemonade Concentrate
Will fresh home-grown lemons be so much better than the frozen canned lemonade concentrate you get at the store? It is the best! Here are some great reasons why you need to make your own keto low carb lemonade concentrate.
- You not only know where your food came from, especially if they are your own lemons
- You can make it tarter or sweeter if you want.
- You can use your favorite low or no-calorie sweetener. ( I like Monkfruit Sweetener the best)
For regular lemonade - the recipe is HERE
Keto Lemonade & Snacks
I will be honest, lemonade is not something I drink all the time. Even a keto version is a treat and something for holidays, picnics, or once in a while. Many people drink it often and having a sugar-free version is important to maintain a healthier lifestyle. To go along with that lovely homemade keto lemonade concentrate, enjoy some sweet or savory snacks that are keto-approved. To find a list of my favorites, check out The Best Keto Snacks On the Go!
Other Keto Snack favorites include:
And if you are a lemon lover like myself and following a keto diet you do not want to miss one of my most popular posts for fat bombs! Check out Lemon Cheesecake Fat Bombs
Ingredients for Low-Carb Homemade Lemonade Concentrate
It only takes 3 ingredients to make lemonade concentrate from scratch. Since this is a keto-friendly recipe, instead of sugar, use your favorite sweetener substitute. I like monkfruit sweeteners such as the one made by Lakanto as shown below. It also takes fresh lemons to make this and also some water. That is all you need to make a great glass of classic lemonade but without the sugar and carbs.
Gather the ingredients you need
- Lemons
- Low / No Carb Sweetener
- Water
Ingredients
HOW TO MAKE LEMONADE CONCENTRATE THAT IS KETO-FRIENDLY
In just a few simple steps you can have fresh-squeezed lemons for mixing up a batch of sugar-free lemonade. This low-carb and low-calorie lemonade is easy to make. You will wonder why you haven't been doing this all along. The hardest part for the kids and I is getting leverage to muscle through juicing all the lemons. We grab our stool and get to squeezing, the effort is worth the reward.
- Wash & Slice lemons in half
- Squeeze juice from the lemons
- Make the simple syrup
- Combine
To make simple syrup, simply (hence the name) boil water and the sweetener. Stir to dissolve.
Enzo put his muscles into it
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE LEMONADE CONCENTRATE
This concentrate stores well in both the refrigerator and the freezer. Make sure to ensure the container or ziplock bags you are using are air-tight so that no frostbite ruins your freshly made lemonade concentrate.
- Save in sealed jar or quart-sized Ziploc bags
- Can keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator
- Can keep for up to 4 months in the freezer
Ziplocs work great - lay flat in the freezer
Time to Make Lemonade from Your Own Concentrate
When the time comes to enjoy the fruits of your labor, get ready to be so happy you prepped it weeks or months ago. If you froze your concentrate, remove it from the freezer to defrost. For the Ziploc bags, I place them in a pie dish in the fridge overnight. The next morning they are soft enough to unzip and dump into my pitcher. If you have the concentrate in a jar, just pour it into your pitcher.
Concentrate to Water Ratio :
One Batch of Concentrate + 3 Cups of Cold Water = ½ Gallon of Fresh Homemade Lemonade
Two Batches of Concentrate + 6 Cups of Cold Water = 1 Gallon of Fresh Homemade Lemonade
homemade keto low carb lemonade concentrate
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Product Recommendations for this Recipe:
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For The Best Keto Snacks to go with this recipe, click the image below!
The Best Keto Snacks on the Go
Homemade Keto Lemonade Concentrate
Equipment
- hand juicer
Ingredients
- 1.25 C fresh-squeezed lemon juice about 8-10 lemons
- 1.25 C hot water
- 1.25 C monkfruit sweetener or other no-calorie sweetener of your choice
Instructions
- Pick fresh lemons from your tree. If you do not have a tree, get them at the store or farmer's market. Wash them and slice them in half.
- Using a hand juicer, squeeze the juice from the lemons. You will need 1 and ¼ cups of fresh juice.
- Add to a large mason jar or big pyrex measuring cup to hold.
- Boil water in a large measuring pyrex or tea kettle.
- In a medium-sized bowl or your pyrex measuring cup, stir together the boiling water with the 1 and ¼ cup of sweetener. Stir to dissolve.
- Once cool, add to the lemon juice. Stir.
- Store in mason jars or pour into a quart-sized Ziploc bag. The lemonade concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 5 months.
To Make Lemonade
- Each recipe will make one half-gallon of lemonade. Add one batch of the concentrate to 3 cups of cold water plus some ice in a pitcher. For a gallon, use two batches and 6 cups of cold water and ice. Stir and serve over ice. Enjoy!
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Laura Lee says
I love lemonade all year long, too! In fact, it's my go drink whenever we go out to a restaurant.
Angela says
You will surely love this recipe! Enjoy -
Hillari says
Oooh, yes! I love that there is a low carb option. What a perfect summer drink!!
Jen says
This is a fantastic idea! My kids would love this for sure!
Tricia Snow says
I pretty much use lemon every day. I just planted my first lemon tree. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela says
Great, glad you have a lemon tree also.
Kirsten says
My girls LOVE lemonade, and want it all the time...even when I have no lemons. Creating some concentrate is such a great idea!
Beth Shields says
This sounds delicious and refreshing. I have not personally used Monkfruit before but know of several friends who do. Will have to check into it. Thanks.
Debbie says
Need this in my freezer!!
Lisa Manderino says
Time to make some lemonade goodness the keto way!
Eva Keller says
Looks like a great recipe and a good idea now that the weather is warming up in a lot of places.
Angela says
Now is the perfect time to get those concentrate in the fridge and freezer.
Lee Anne says
Great idea! I have struggled with keto friendly sweeteners. I cant seem to find one I like yet!
Angela says
I have tried several and so far monkfruit is the one I like best and can tolerate the best.
Holly says
Thank you for this low Carb version, can't wait to try it!
Angela says
I hope you enjoy it HOlly.
Diane Kurzava says
I love that you added a keto version of this! Thank you!
Angela says
You are welcome.
Jane says
I love lemonade and it always remind me of summer. This low carb recipe is amazing esp if you’re watching your sugar intake.
Kendra says
Yum! We love using the monkfruit sweetener for keto lemonade! This is a great idea to make ahead and freeze!
Angela says
Glad you love it too.
Carrie Cochran says
I would never have imagined this was so simple! Thanks for sharing!
Angela says
I know, right!?!?
Santana says
I love lemonade! My husband doesn't care for it, but that just means more for me 😂 Saving this!
Angela says
Then you are a winner for sure.
Shirley says
Love homemade lemonade!! Your pictures make it look so refreshing. I believe I may need to make some. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Angela says
I hope you enjoy some on the farm - once the snow melts!
Sandi says
This is so great, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.
Tiffany says
I might not feel so guilty if I used this keto concentrate!
Angela says
No guilt lemon love right here!
Maria Gustafsson says
Such a clever idea to store the concentrate in ziplock bags! A serious space saver in the freezer.
Angela says
Yes, a great way to stock up and not bulk up in the freezer.
Lisa says
This looks yummy! I have a bunch of lemons I need to use up and this is a great idea!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
There is nothing like homemade lemonade! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. I hope to see you again at tomorrow's party.
Cindy says
I’ll have to try monk fruit sweetener! I don’t do refined sugar.
Angela says
I hope you like it, I sure do.
Pauline says
This is so neat!! I love cooking with lemons and always buy atleast a dozen. I miss having a tree.
Angela says
Glad you like it.
Ruth Iaela-Pukahi says
This is such a fabulous idea! Now to plant a lemon tree! We just moved from a house that had an "ugly lemon" tree. I've been told they are the best lemons in Hawaii. Thank you for sharing!!!
Angela says
Ugly lemons can make beautiful lemonade!
Ariel says
I question your measurements as pure monkfruit sweetener is like a natural version of sucralose. Many sweeteners are 1:1 with sugar but with monk fruit you are looking at some hundreds of times sweeter. Shouldn’t the ration be between 1:100 - 1:250?
Angela says
Since this is a concentrated recipe, the amount may seem high. Compared to other recipes that make lemonade at regular strength it will not be similar in amounts. I have made this several times and now that my lemon tree is bursting will probably make it again soon. I will double-check my measurements again but it has been a good combination of sweet & tart in the past.