Blood Orange Lemonade

How to make naturally sweetened healthy blood orange lemonade. Blood orange juice makes the best winter pink lemonade. 

When we first looked at our new home, one of the things I loved most was the little orchard of citrus trees in the backyard. I’ve already shared Kumquat Marmalade made with our backyard kumquats. I couldn’t wait until our first blood orange season. Now that it’s arrived I’m trying to use as many of them as I can before the season is over.

I’ve been adding slices wherever I can (like on top of these Strawberry Banana Smoothies). One of my family’s favorite ways to use blood oranges is to simply make blood orange juice and blood orange lemonade. I’ve shared how I make healthy no-sugar added lemonade before, and I make this blood orange lemonade a similar way. I love adding lemon juice to hot drinks (like tea) and cold detox drinks like this Apple Cider Vinegar Drink. 

Blood orange lemonade is tangy, refreshing, vibrant, packed with Vitamin-C, and so delicious. I like to think of it as the pink lemonade of winter and spring. For a grown-up blood orange cocktail, try this Blood Orange Margarita! 

Blood Orange Season  

While blood orange season varies depending on location, here in California they begin to ripen in late December. You should be able to find them in grocery stores through about May. Our two blood orange trees are at their peak right now, in mid January. 

Our lemon trees are not quite as full with ripe lemons, but they are getting there! 

How to Juice Citrus Fruits 

There are several great tools that make juicing citrus like lemons and oranges quick and easy. I’ve tried and like all listed below, but recently upgraded to the press shown above and it’s by far the best! Please know these are Amazon Affiliate links, which means I make a small commission when you order through them. 

• Wooden Citrus Reamer (inexpensive, but slow) 
• Manual Citrus Squeezer (affordable with sizes for lemons and limes) 
• Electric Citrus Juicer (affordable and an easy way to make a lot of juice) 
• Large Citrus Press (shown above – this lives on my counter and gets a lot of juice out) 

How to Make Blood Orange Lemonade

Making blood orange lemonade is so easy. Squeeze your lemons and make some blood orange juice using whichever juicing method you prefer. I use about a 1:1 ratio of blood orange to lemon juice. You can of course use mostly blood orange juice and less lemon if you like. Just like any other lemonade recipe, we add water to the juices. 

How to Sweeten Blood Orange Lemonade

Sugar: Most lemonade recipes have a lot of sugar. Usually about a cup of sugar is dissolved into a little hot water before adding the lemon juice and cold water. 

Honey: A more natural way to sweeten lemonade is with honey, agave, or coconut nectar. Monkfruit would be another good option. To sweeten lemonade with honey, whisk 1/3 cup honey (there’s also bee-free honey available) into 1 cup of hot water to dissolve before adding the other ingredients. 

Stevia: Liquid organic stevia is my personal favorite way to sweeten lemonade because it has zero sugar. Stevia is a natural plant that has been used for hundreds of years, but not all stevia in the grocery store is the same. There are some very processed powders out there, so it’s a good idea to check the ingredient list for any chemicals.