Roasted Strawberry Lemonade with Cherry and Rhubarb adds a fun and fruity spin to a classic summer drink. This non-alcoholic, berrylicious drink adds just the right amount of sweetness and tang to picnics, baby showers, and brunches!
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Sweet and tangy strawberry rhubarb lemonade
Sunshine and warm weather calls for fresh produce. As soon as summer hits, I’m running to the farmer’s market to pick up all kinds of fruit and berries to make Blueberry Ricotta Cake and Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles. The rest is going in this Roasted Strawberry Lemonade with Cherry and Rhubarb!
What makes this lemonade recipe unique is the blend of roasted fruit. Roasting strawberries, cherries, and rhubarb in the oven will deepen their naturally sweet and tart flavors and promote caramelization due to the natural sugars. In the end, you’ll have a deliciously fruity lemonade that’s welcome at all kinds of parties and summer celebrations.
This deeply flavored homemade lemonade tastes like summer in a glass. Packed with fresh lemon juice and roasted fruit, each sip strikes the perfect balance between sweet and sour. Not to mention that it’s the prettiest shade of pink!
The benefits of roasting fruit
Roasting all kinds of fruits and vegetables helps to accentuate various flavors and promote caramelization due to the natural sugars within your produce along with the additional sugar added if preferred. Roasting fruits is a particularly favorite method of mine that I take advantage of during the peak of strawberry season! only takes a few easy steps!
In case you're curious what it looks like to roast fruits, I've added some step-by-step photos below depicting the process! As you can see, I scatter my strawberries, cherries, and cuts of rhubarb on a baking sheet, toss with a bit of sugar, and roast at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes gently stirring throughout the process.
What you’ll need to make strawberry lemonade
- Fruit - Strawberries, pitted cherries, and rhubarb make a sweet and summery medley that pairs well with the tart lemonade.
- Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed is always best! I recommend having a good juicer or a citrus reamer on hand.
- Granulated sugar - Sugar is a staple in almost all lemonade recipes because the sweetness brings balance to the tart lemon. In this recipe, granulated sugar is roasted with the fruit and used to make simple syrup. Using syrup to sweeten the lemonade instead of just granulated sugar will ensure the lemon juice, syrup, and roasted fruit mixture isn’t grainy and remains balanced.
- Water - A 1:1 ratio of water to granulated sugar is needed to make the simple syrup.
How to make roasted strawberry lemonade
Step 1: Prepare the fruit. Lay the chopped fruit on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle granulated sugar over top.
Step 2: Roast the fruit. Roast the fruit in the oven, making sure to stir it every so often to prevent burning. Leave it out to cool when it’s done.
Step 3: Make the simple syrup. Combine the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and heat on the stove until the sugar dissolves. Let the simple syrup cool or pop it in the fridge to speed up the process.
Step 4: Create the lemonade base. Add the cooled syrup, lemon juice, and remaining water to a pitcher. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Blend and enjoy! Blend the roasted fruit and lemonade base together. Strain the roasted strawberry lemonade back into the pitcher, serve over ice, and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Pit the cherries - Take the time to remove the pits from your cherries before roasting them. This can save you a lot of time and help avoid a mess later on!
- Strain the lemonade - It’s important to strain your lemonade before serving to help remove all of the pulp and seeds from the fruit.
- Flavored simple syrup - Add another layer of flavor to your lemonade with a custom simple syrup.
Frequently asked questions
Stone fruits and berries are the best fruit for roasting. Think peaches, plums, apricots, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, etc. These naturally juicy fruits take on a sweeter and deeper flavor when roasted in the oven.
To grill the fruit instead, pierce it onto skewers or use a grill basket. Grill the fruit over medium heat for roughly 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Yes! For an adult version of this strawberry lemonade, try adding 1 to 1.5 ounces of gin, rum, tequila, or vodka to each serving. My favorite is coconut-flavored tequila (it’s so delicious in a coconut pineapple margarita)!
Yes, the lemonade can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Just keep the batch in a covered pitcher or airtight container in the fridge. The flavor will get stronger the longer the lemonade chills.
Looking for more refreshing summer treats?
- Mini Strawberry Tartlets with Cream Cheese Filling
- Acai Smoothie Bowl
- Crumb Topped Mini Blueberry Muffins
- Blood Orange Pisco Sour
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try this recipe, please share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Roasted Strawberry, Cherry & Rhubarb Lemonade
Ingredients
Roasted Fruit
- 1.5 lbs Fruit, Strawberries, Pitted Cherries and Rhubarb
- ¼ Cup Sugar
Lemonade
- 1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 1 ½ cups Lemon Juice
- 7 Cups Water, to serve
Instructions
Roasted Fruit
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Line your rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and add your roughly chopped berries and sugar on top.1.5 lbs Fruit, ¼ Cup Sugar
- Place the baking sheeet in the over and roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Keep an eye on your fruit to make sure that they don't burn!!
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely!
Homemade Lemonade
- Combine 1 cup water and 1 ½ cups sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and allow it to cool completely. You can place the syrup in a container and pop it in the fridge if you'd like to speed up the process.1 cup Water, 1 ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- Add the 7 cups of water into a pitcher and add your lemon juice and chilled syrup stirring to combine.7 Cups Water, 1 ½ cups Lemon Juice
Assembly
- Blend the lemonade and roasted fruit together, then strain into your serving pitcher before enjoying! The straining allows you to get rid of any unwanted pulp - save that pulp and add it to your next smoothie!
Notes
- What fruits are best for roasting? Stone fruits and berries are the best fruit for roasting. Think peaches, plums, apricots, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, etc. These naturally juicy fruits take on a sweeter and deeper flavor when roasted in the oven.
- Can you grill the fruit instead of roasting it? To grill the fruit instead, pierce it onto skewers or use a grill basket. Grill the fruit over medium heat for roughly 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Can you make this lemonade with alcohol? Yes! For an adult version of this strawberry lemonade, try adding 1 to 1.5 ounces of gin, rum, tequila, or vodka to each serving. My favorite is coconut-flavored tequila (it’s so delicious in a coconut pineapple margarita)!
- Can you make roasted strawberry lemonade ahead of time? Yes, the lemonade can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Just keep the batch in a covered pitcher or airtight container in the fridge. The flavor will get stronger the longer the lemonade chills.
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