August 24, 2021

Watermelon Limeade

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Last Updated on August 24, 2021 by Annie

Sweet meets tart in this delightful homemade watermelon limeade. Perfect for a warm summer day, this watermelon limeade goes great on its own, chilled with sparkling water, or spiked with vodka.

A cup of watermelon limeade with a slice of lime on the side with a pitcher of limeade in the back.

While the temperatures are still well into the 90s here, I’m going to be sipping on this refreshing watermelon limeade. Made with 4 ingredients, this easy and refreshing summer drink has the sweet flavor of fresh watermelon mixed with the tart flavor of lime juice.

Why We LOVE this Watermelon Limeade

  • Sweet yet tart. Made with fresh watermelon, tart limes, and a homemade simple syrup this limemade is the perfect balance of sweet meets tart and refreshing.
  • Easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have this easy watermelon limemade chilling in the refrigerator in less than 10 minutes.
  • Adaptable. Turn this into a sparkling limeade by adding Topo Chico or a boozy cocktail by adding some vodka!

How to Make Watermelon Limeade

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Lime Juice- Made with fresh squeezed limes for maximum freshness.
  • Watermelon Juice– Fresh chunks of seeded watermelon blended and strained make up the watermelon juice portion of this recipe.
  • Simple Syrup– Made from a mixture of water and sugar.
  • Water– Divided in the simple syrup and added to the final limemade mixture.
Ingredients for watermelon limeade on a white counter.

Directions for Watermelon Limeade

  • Make simple syrup: In a small saucepan heat 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water.
  • Dissolve the sugar: Stir and cook until the sugar dissolves completely into the water, about 5-10 minutes. You do not need to bring it to a boil simply heat until the sugar throughly dissolves.
  • Cool simple syrup: Remove the simple syrup from the heat and allow to cool while you prepare the juices.
  • Squeeze limes: Juice about 8 limes to get 1 cup of fresh lime juice and set aside.
  • Blend watermelon: Take about 2-3 cups of fresh watermelon, deseeded, and blend until smooth.
  • Strain watermelon: Run the watermelon juice through a fine mesh strainer and reserve 2 cups of watermelon juice from the blended mixture.
  • A glass bowl with a strainer, straining the watermelon juice.
  • From the side picture of the watermelon juice being strained.
  • Stir all ingredients together: In a large pitcher stir together the simple syrup, lime juice, watermelon juice, and remaining 4 cups of water.
  • Chill the watermelon limeade for about 1 hour before serving.
A glass pitcher of fresh squeezed watermelon limeade on a white counter.

How to get the most juice out of your limes?

No two limes are created equal and the ability to get the most juice out of each lime is truly a skill. Here are a few tips for making juicing your limes just a little easier.

  • Roll the lime– Before slicing and squeezing your limes give them a quick roll on the counter by pressing and rolling the lime along the counter. This helps get the juices flowing and makes juicing them just a little easier.
  • Warm the lime– Pop the lime into the microwave (be sure all stickers have been removed before heating) and heat for about 20 seconds. Then slice and squeeeze.
  • Scoop the lime– Afteer squeezing out as much juice as possible from the lime, hold the lime in one hand and use a spoon to press into the lime half and scoop out additional lime juice. Press as you rotate the lime in your hand to get every last drop of the lime juice out.

How to Serve Watermelon Limeade

  • Chilled– Pour the watermelon limeade over ice and enjoy.
  • Frozen– Using an ice cube maker pour the watermelon limeade into the ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Blend and pour into a glass and enjoy!
  • Sparkling– Pour 4 ounces of watermelon limeade and mix with 4 ounces of Topo Chico add ice and enjoy!
  • Spiked– Add a shot of vodka to an 8 ounce glass of watermelon limemade top with ice and enjoy!
A top down photo of watermelon limeade in a pitcher with two glasses of limeade in the front.

HOMEMADE LIMEADE FACTS:

HOW DO YOU MAKE LIMEADE FROM SCRATCH?

The easiest way to make limeade from scratch is using a simple syrup base, adding in fresh lime juice, and then topping the mixture off with additional water to dilute both the sugar and lime to make a more balanced blend.

HOW LONG DOES WATERMELON LIMEADE LAST?

This refreshing watermelon limeade will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

IS IT CHEAPER TO MAKE YOUR OWN LIMEADE?

This depends. For this particular limeade, the watermelon adds an additional cost making it a little less cost-effective to make it yourself. That said, the quality of homemade limeade truly can’t be beaten and in my opinion, I would much rather spend a little more to make a quality glass of limeade.

IS HOMEMADE LIMEADE GOOD FOR YOU?

This also depends. I would say it is definitely better for you than a store-bought mix because of the questionable ingredients listed in the powdery mix. But like all good things, limeade should be consumed in moderation as some homemade limeades go overboard with the sugar.

Since I added fresh watermelon juice to the limeade I used half the amount of sugar most homemade limeades call for making this sweet watermelon limeade just a little better for you than most.

More Refreshing Summer Recipes

If you tried this delicious Watermelon Limeade and enjoyed it feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!

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A hand holding a glass of watermelon limeade with a slice of lime on the glass.
A square picture of a pitcher of watermelon limeade with a glass of limeade to the left and the right.
Print

Watermelon Limemade

Sweet yet tart, this homemade watermelon limeade makes the perfect summer refreshment! Serve chilled, with sparkling water, or spiked for the ultimate pool-side drink!

Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword Limeade, Watermelon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 cups

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Sugar
  • 5 cups Water didvided into 1 cup and 4 cups
  • 8 Limes juiced
  • 2-3 cups Watermelon deseeded and cubed

Instructions

  1. In a small sauce pan heat 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water.

  2. Stir and cook until the sugar dissolves completely into the water, about 5-10 minutes. You do not need to bring it to a boil simply heat until the sugar throughly dissolves.

  3. Remove the simple syrup from the heat and allow to cool while you prepare the juices.

  4. Juice about 8 limes to get 1 cup of fresh lime juice and set aside.

  5. Take about 2-3 cups of fresh watermelon, deseeded, and blend until smooth.

  6. Run the watermelon juice through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve 2 cups of watermelon juice from the blended mixture.

  7. In a large pitcher stir together the simple syrup, lime juice, watermelon juice, and remaining 4 cups of water.

  8. Chill the watermelon limeade for about 1 hour before serving.

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Filed Under: Drinks
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