Instant Pot Lemonade
This easy recipe for Instant Pot Lemonade will show you how to make lemonade using your instant pot or pressure cooker. Customize the flavor to your liking by adding different types of sweeteners or fruits. Great as a refreshing warm weather drink!
Lemonade is an iconic drink for the summer months. It’s refreshing, flavorful, and perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot day. But did you know that you can make lemonade using your instant pot or pressure cooker?
The instant pot makes a lemonade concentrate containing lemon juice, zest, sweetener, and water. Once it’s cooked and infused, add in water to make a flavorful lemonade!
🤔Why Make Lemonade In The Instant Pot?
- It’s a great way to concentrate the flavor of the lemonade. This is especially helpful if you’re using fresh lemons, which can vary in terms of how tart they are.
- Use it to make a large batch of lemonade or concentrate that you can then store in the fridge for later.
- Use can infuse the lemonade with flavor extracts, fruits, and herbs to change up the flavor.
🍋What You’ll Need
- Lemons – Fresh lemon juice works best in this recipe as they are less acidic than store-bought bottled lemon juice. You’ll need about 4-6 lemons to yield one cup of fresh lemon juice.
- Lemon Zest – This adds a concentrated lemon flavor to the lemonade as the peel contains natural lemon oil.
- Water – This is the base of your lemonade so use filtered or distilled water for best results.
- Sweetener – You can use sugar, honey, agave nectar, or other sweeteners to taste.
🥤How To Make Lemonade In The Instant Pot
Prepare the lemons: Start by juicing your lemons. You’ll need 4-6 lemons to yield the amount of lemon juice needed for this recipe. Use a plane grater to zest the lemon.
Add to pressure cooker: Add the lemon juice, sugar, and water to the instant pot or pressure cooker. If you’re infusing with fruit or herbs, add them to the pot too.
Make the lemonade concentrate: Place the lid on the instant pot and set it to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then remove the lid.
Strain the concentrate: Let the concentrate cool for a few minutes, then strain out the lemon zest if desired.
Add water and adjust sweetness: Pour the strained concentrate into a pitcher, then stir in your desired amount of water. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed. Let cool completely or chill in the fridge. Serve over ice and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳Pressure Cooking Tips
- If you want to make a large batch of lemonade concentrate, increase the recipe ingredients by half or double.
- The amount of lemons you need to create one cup of lemon juice is about 4-6. When choosing lemons for lemonade, look for lemons that are bright yellow and have smooth skin. Avoid lemons that are dull in color or have wrinkled skin as they tend to be dry.
- Do not do a quick release of pressure as this will make the water boil fast which could make a bitter lemon flavor.
- The lemon zest is optional, but it does add a concentrated lemon flavor to the lemonade.
- If you find that your lemonade is too tart, add more sweetener until it reaches the desired sweetness. Conversely, if it’s too sweet, add more lemon juice to balance it out.
- You can store leftover lemonade concentrate in the fridge for up to one week.
🍓Lemonade Flavor Infusions
- Fresh or frozen fruit: add in strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, or blackberries.
- Fresh herbs: add in lavender, mint, thyme, rosemary, or basil.
- Flavor Extracts: Add vanilla extract, almond extract, or orange extract.
❔FAQ
Do I need to strain out the lemon zest?
You don’t need to, as the zest will be broken down and won’t add texture to the lemonade. However, you can strain it out if it’s an issue.
How long does it take to make lemonade in the Instant Pot?
It takes about 20 minutes total, including prep time, cook time, and pressure release time.
Can I make lemonade without an Instant Pot?
Yes, you can make it on the stovetop. Just heat the lemon juice, sugar, zest, and water in a pot over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Let it cool completely before straining and adding more water.
🧋More Instant Pot Drinks
- Instant Pot Iced Tea
- Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
- Instant Pot Coffee Concentrate
- Instant Pot Spiced Apple Cider
Instant Pot Lemonade
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Lemon Juice freshly squeezed from 6 lemons
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 8 cups Water divided
- ½ cup Sugar
Instructions
- Start by juicing your lemons. You’ll need about 4-6 lemons to yield the amount of lemon juice needed for this recipe. Use a plane grater to zest the lemon.
- Add the lemon juice, sugar, and 4 cups of water to the instant pot or pressure cooker. If you’re infusing with fruit or herbs, add them to the pot too.
- Place the lid on the instant pot and set it to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then remove the lid.
- Strain the concentrate: Let the concentrate cool for a few minutes, then strain out the lemon zest if desired.
- Pour the strained concentrate into a pitcher, then stir in the remaining 4 cups of water. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed.
