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If you want to enjoy fresh strawberry lemonade year-round, this strawberry lemonade concentrate is the perfect recipe to make during strawberry season.
By canning this concentrate, you can easily mix up a refreshing drink anytime—just add water, sparkling water, or even ginger ale. It’s one of the best ways to preserve strawberries for later use.
If you’re new to canning, start with my water bath canning for beginners guide before you begin.
Tap to jump right to recipe.Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy way to preserve strawberries
- Makes quick homemade lemonade anytime
- Perfect for summer and winter use
- Great for gifting
Ingredients
- 7 cups fresh sliced strawberries
- 5 cups lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
- 7 cups granulated sugar
Need help measuring berries? See my strawberry equivalents chart.
Choosing Ingredients
Use ripe, fresh strawberries for the best flavor.
Bottled lemon juice is recommended for canning because it provides consistent acidity, but fresh lemon juice can also be used.
Equipment Needed
- Blender
- Large saucepan
- Canning jars, lids, and bands
- Canning funnel
- Water bath canner
- Candy thermometer
If you’re new to canning, start with my water bath canning guide for beginners and see the canning supplies you need here before getting started.
How to Make Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Step 1: Prepare the Strawberries
Wash and slice strawberries. Puree in a blender in batches if needed.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients
Pour strawberry puree into a large saucepan.
Add lemon juice and sugar, stirring well.
Step 3: Heat the Mixture
Heat until the mixture reaches 190°F on a candy thermometer.
Do not boil. Remove from heat once temperature is reached.
Water Bath Canning Instructions
Ladle hot mixture into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Not sure about headspace? See my guide on how much headspace to leave when canning.
Wipe jar rims clean and apply lids and bands.
Place jars in a boiling water canner, ensuring they are covered by 1–2 inches of water.
Process for 15 minutes.
Remove jars and let cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours.
After cooling, follow my how to test jar seals after canning guide.
Storage
- Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for 1 year or longer
- Refrigerate after opening
How to Use Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
To reconstitute:
- Mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part liquid
Examples:
- 1 pint concentrate + 2 cups water
- 1 quart concentrate + 4 cups water
You can use:
- Water
- Sparkling water
- Club soda
- Ginger ale
Tips for Best Results
- Use fully ripe strawberries for best flavor
- Stir well to fully dissolve sugar
- Do not boil—heat only to 190°F
- Use bottled lemon juice for consistent acidity
More Strawberry Recipes
If you’re preserving strawberries, try:
See more here: how to preserve strawberries (canning, freezing & more)
- 7 cups sliced strawberries
- 5 cups lemon juice
- 7 cups sugar
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Puree strawberries in a blender.
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Pour puree into a large saucepan.
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Add lemon juice and sugar; stir well.
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Heat to 190°F, stirring occasionally.
-
Remove from heat.
-
Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
-
Wipe rims, apply lids, and process in water bath for 15 minutes.
-
Cool completely and check seals.
Do not boil—heat only to 190°F
Use bottled lemon juice for safe acidity
Always follow safe canning practices
If you enjoy preserving seasonal flavors, be sure to browse all of my canning recipes here and my full collection of jam and jelly recipes for more ideas.
Follow my canning and preserving board on Pinterest.
Could you make this with sweetener rather than sugar?
I made this today, it has a tomato juice like smell when you open the jar , is this normal? We did like it with water and with gingerale
Could you use frozen strawberries?
Would it work to use raspberries instead of strawberries?
So glad it turned out!! 🙂
Just thought I would let you know I made this the other day and used bottled lemon juice and I love it. I got 6 pints + 1 that was 3/4 full so I didn’t process that one and when it cooled off I added about 2 1/2 pints of water and WOW it is YUMMY 🙂 Will make again thanks
Hi Melody, yes I think it would be fine to use bottled lemon juice for this recipe 🙂
Do you use bottled lemon juice or fresh ? I seen a lot of recipes for this and wanted to try it but all of them called for fresh lemon juice and it would cost a lot for fresh lemons.
Hi! From what I’ve read you would cut the measurement in half, so 7 cups of sliced strawberries would equal approximately 3 1/2 cups of strawberry puree 🙂
Any idea how much purée 7 cups of slices strawberries produce? I have a bunch of purée leftover from jam and since I don’t need anymore jam I wanted to make this instead. Thanks for any help!!
No, I didn’t notice any seeds. They should settle to the bottom. I probably should go back and edit the recipe to add that if you pour the strawberry lemonade through a fine mesh sieve before canning, any seeds will be removed. 🙂
are the strawberry seeds noticeable when drinking this???
Yes, I think it this lemonade concentrate would be great to freeze. I would definitely give it a try!
I wonder, could you freeze this concentrate instead of canning it?