Making lemonade without sugar: a few nice suggestions!

Is there any more stereotypical picnic and BBQ drinks than lemonade? For many people, a summer party is not complete without it. Understandable, but a bit of a shame when you look at the ingredients. Despite the cheerful fruit pictures on the bottles, lemonade mainly contains sugar.
Is there any more stereotypical picnics and BBQ drinks than lemonade? For many people, a summer party is not complete without it. Understandable, but a bit of a shame when you look at the ingredients. Despite the cheerful fruit pictures on the bottles, lemonade mainly contains sugar.

Does that mean that from now on you should just go for bare water at the barbecue? Fortunately, it is not all that bad. Making lemonade without sugar is also a great option! To help you on your way, we have a few delicious suggestions in the blog today. That way you will get through that summer barbecue.
Does that mean that from now on you should just go for bare water at the barbecue? Fortunately, it is not all that bad. Making lemonade without sugar is also a great option! To help you on your way, we'll make a few delicious suggestions in today's blog. That way you will get through that summer barbecue.

Honey as a sweetener?

To start with, we naturally want our lemonade to taste sweet without sugar. So to really retain the lemonade feeling a bit, we will still want to use a sweetener. There are a few different options, such as fruit and honey. However, what they all have in common is that they still contain sugars.

This is less of a problem, especially with fresh fruit; fibers and other additives ensure that it is processed better. Honey is also slightly healthier than refined sugar, because it contains more vitamins and minerals. However, it is still very rich in quickly absorbed glucose. So don't eat too much of it!

Okay, then to those recipes for lemonade without sugar. As mentioned, we use honey in some of the suggestions below to sweeten things up a bit. Of course you don't have to!

If you like some fresher flavors, it can often be just as tasty to omit some of the honey. Of course, there is also plenty to vary with the ingredients of the different recipes. So we're happy to give you some extra suggestions here and there!
If you like some fresher flavors, it can often be just as good to omit some of the honey. Of course, there is also plenty to vary with the ingredients of the different recipes. So we're happy to give you some extra suggestions here and there!

With the following five recipes you can make a lemonade without sugar that is to your taste:

Ginger is not only very tasty, it is also very healthy, as we have already explained here! Ginger tea is a great way to get it, but ginger lemonade works just as well in the summer. For four glasses you take 400 ml of water as a base. Heat in a pan over low heat (it does not need to boil), and dissolve about 8 tbsp. honey in op.
Ginger is not only very tasty, it is also very healthy, as we have already explained here! Ginger tea is a great way to get it, but ginger lemonade works just as well in the summer. For four glasses you take 400 ml of water as a base. Heat in a saucepan over low heat (it does not need to boil), and dissolve about 8 tbsp. honey in op.

You can also use agave syrup, maple syrup or even regular sugar. Add 250 ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2-4 cm of grated ginger, according to personal taste. Let cool and serve with lots of ice cubes!

Citrus fruits and mint are a classic combination for good reason. Especially in the summer they are wonderfully fresh together, yet not too sweet - perfect for the hot days. You start with the same amount of water: 400 ml for 4 people. Again add 8 tbsp. to honey or other sweeteners (although a little less here is also very tasty).
Citrus fruits and mint are a classic combination for good reason. Especially in the summer they are wonderfully fresh together, and yet not too sweet - perfect for the hot days. You start with the same amount of water: 400 ml for 4 people. Again add 8 tbsp. to honey or other sweeteners (although a little less here is also very tasty).

Add 250 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice and a good amount of mint. It is best to let the lemonade stand for a while, so that the mint flavor can absorb well. When it has cooled, serve again with some ice and a slice of lime.

The great thing about fruit lemonade is that you can really vary infinitely. Start again with the same base as in the two recipes above: 500 ml water, 8 tbsp. honey. Heat in a pan until the honey has dissolved and let it cool completely. In the meantime, take 200 grams of fresh fruit and puree it in a hand blender. Add 100 ml of fresh lemon juice to the fruit and pour everything into the honey mixture.

If you really want a clear lemonade, you can sift it all before pouring it. However, you retain a little more fiber by just leaving the juice as it is!
If you really want a clear lemonade, you can sift it a little before pouring it. However, you retain a little more fiber by just leaving the juice as it is!

So far we have discussed options that contain a fair amount of honey. However, if you are looking for a fresh summer drink, it is not necessary. You can also simply choose to mix water pure with fresh fruit. We have already written a blog about this type of flavored water!

A big advantage is that you can vary almost infinitely, and that it is ready in no time. How about strawberry with cucumber? Tropical fruit? A mix of different citrus fruits? Mint with raspberry and blueberry? Endless variation is possible, and it looks very nice too.
A big advantage is that you can vary almost infinitely, and that it is ready in no time. How about strawberry with cucumber? Tropical fruit? A mix of different citrus fruits? Mint with raspberry and blueberry? Endless variation is possible, and it looks great too.

Finally, there is the option of homemade ice tea. That is in fact just as good a lemonade without sugar, but with tea as a base instead of water! Make green tea (not too strong) and add some honey if it is still warm. It is not necessarily necessary, but delicious for those who like it sweet. Then let it cool down well.

Then add quite a few slices of lemon and lime. Other fruits can also be tasty, depending on what you feel like. Let it steep for a while so that all flavors are properly absorbed, and you're done!

Just one last remark: don't drink too much of the lemonades sweetened with honey. Because it is relatively healthy, you tend to think that it is harmless at all. Unfortunately it's not that easy.

That honey still provides a reasonable amount of calories. And especially when you drink it, you notice very little of it. So stick to a few glasses a day at most! If you really want to be able to drink unlimited, then rather go for water with a taste of fruit or mint. That actually produces practically no calories.