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    Home » Drinks

    Published Jul 29, 2020 (Updated Feb 26, 2025) by Heather Bilyeu

    Invigorating Jalapeno Lemonade with Fresh Lemons

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    Nothing beats an ice-cold glass of Southern lemonade—unless you give it a bold and sassy kick! Invigorating Jalapeño Lemonade is the perfect mix of sweet, tangy, and just the right amount of heat, made with fresh-squeezed lemons, a homemade lemon simple syrup, and spicy jalapeño slices. It’s bright, refreshing, and guaranteed to wake up your taste buds this summer in the best way! Pitcher serves 6-8.

    picther of jalapeno lemonade on a blue background with 2 glasses full in the background

    Honestly, is there anything better than a refreshingly cold drink on these hot and humid summer days? Southern sweet tea or an Oaks Lily cocktail or a Mexican mule - give me all of the ice cold drinks during the hot summer days.

    Today we are taking a summer southern drink classic and giving it a kick with some fresh jalapenos. It is sweet and tart with this little bit of heat that I am obsessed with! And after making this many times, I believe it has the perfect flavor balance!

    Let me show you how I like to make it in my own home!

    me holding a glass of jalapeno lemonade with a pitcher next to me, leaning over my kitchen counter

    First thing we need to do

    We need to make the homemade lemon simple syrup - this is the key ingredient for that extra bit of well-rounded lemon flavor!

    Since this is a cold drink that doesn't need to be hot and brewed like tea, using a liquid sweetener is best. Have you ever tried to dissolve sugar in ice water? It doesn't work.

    By boiling together equal parts of water and sugar (ie: 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar), this will give you a sticky sweet liquid sweetener that mixes and blends perfectly into lemonade. Leaving 0 sugar granules at the bottom of your pitcher.

    1. With a vegetable peeler, peel the yellow rind off 1 lemon. Be careful not to get the white rind, just the yellow.
    2. To a large saucepan add in the sugar, water, and juice of 1 lemon and lemon peel. Turn to medium-high heat and bring to a low boil.
    3. Once at a low boil, turn to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes until the syrup has reduced and the sugar is dissolved.
    4. Pour into a mason jar and let come to room temp before using it in this recipe.

    ⭐️ To store simple syrup, keep it in a sealed mason jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks. This lemon simple syrup would be delicious in other summer cocktails like a vodka soda with a splash of this and a lemon wedge or in 3 ingredient peach frozen rose!

    black pot on the stove boiling sugar and water together
    mason jar of simple syrup

    Let's make lemonade

    1. Freshly squeeze the juice of 8 lemons (about 2 cups) into a pitcher.
    2. Thinly slice a jalapeno and add to the pitcher.
    3. Add 1 cup of the freshly made lemon simple syrup (that is at room temp or cold) to a large pitcher. Stir very well.
    4. Add in a couple of handfuls of ice. Stir very well.
    5. Add in cold water to fill up the rest of the pitcher and stir with a wooden spoon very well.
    6. Garnish with lemon wedges and sliced jalapeno for an extra kick!
    2 glasses of jalapeno lemonade with blue and white stripped straws and the picther in the background

    Just for fun - Make it A Cocktail! 😉

    1. Add ice to a large tall glass. 
    2. Add in 1 shot of Vodka (we are Tito's fans).
    3. Fill the glass ¾ full with Jalapeno Lemonade and top the rest off with sparkling water for some bubbly!
    4. Garnish with lemon wedges and extra jalapeno slices for an extra kick. Enjoy!
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    2 glasses of jalapeno lemonade with blue and white stripped straws and the picther in the background

    Invigorating Jalapeno Lemonade with Fresh Lemons


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    • Author: Heather Bilyeu
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 6-8 1x
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    Description

    Nothing beats an ice-cold glass of Southern lemonade—unless you give it a bold and sassy kick! Invigorating Jalapeño Lemonade is the perfect mix of sweet, tangy, and just the right amount of heat, made with fresh-squeezed lemons, a homemade lemon simple syrup, and spicy jalapeño slices. It’s bright, refreshing, and guaranteed to wake up your taste buds this summer in the best way! 


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Lemon Simple Syrup

    • 2 Cups Sugar
    • 1 Cup Water
    • Juice of 1 Lemon
    • Peel of 1 Lemon

    Jalapeno Lemonade

    • 3 Cups Water
    • 1 Cup Lemon Simple Syrup
    • 2 Cups Lemon Juice (roughly 8 large lemons)
    • 1 Large Jalapeno, thinly sliced
    • Lemon Slices, Jalapeno Slices, and mint to garnish

    Instructions

    Lemon Simple Syrup

    1. With a vegetable peeler, peel the yellow rind off 1 lemon. Be careful not to get the white rind, just the yellow.
    2. To a large saucepan add in the sugar, water, and juice of 1 lemon and lemon peel. Turn to medium-high heat and bring to a low boil.
    3. Once at a low boil, turn to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes until the syrup has reduced and the sugar is dissolved.
    4. Pour into a mason jar and let come to room temp before using it in this recipe.

    Jalapeno Lemonade

    1. Freshly squeeze the juice of 8 lemons (about 2 cups) into a pitcher.
    2. Thinly slice a jalapeno and add to the pitcher.
    3. Add 1 cup of the freshly made lemon simple syrup. Add in a couple of handfuls of ice. Stir very well.
    4. Add in cold water to fill up the rest of the pitcher and stir with a wooden spoon very well. 
    5. Garnish with lemon wedges and sliced jalapeno for an extra kick!

    Make it A Cocktail!

    1. Add ice to a large tall glass. 
    2. Add in 1 shot of Vodka (we are Tito's fans).
    3. Fill the glass ¾ full with Jalapeno Lemonade and top the rest off with sparkling water.
    4. Garnish with lemon wedges and extra jalapeno slices for an extra kick. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • To store the lemon simple syrup, keep it in a sealed mason jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks. 
    • If you like a sweeter lemonade you can more simple syrup.
    • If you want more kick, add more jalapeno slices.
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Category: Drinks
    • Method: Cooking
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 glass
    • Calories: 129
    • Sugar: 28.7 g
    • Sodium: 6.7 mg
    • Fat: 0.4 g
    • Carbohydrates: 34.7 g
    • Fiber: 0.7 g
    • Protein: 0.6 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @fuelingasouthernsoul on Instagram and hashtag it #fuelingasouthernsoul

    Please rate and review below!

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    Disclosure. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust!  Heather Bilyeu is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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    Filed Under: Drinks, Mexican, Recipe Video, Summer Tagged With: Lemon

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    Hi, I'm Heather! Grab a glass of wine, a blanket, and a cozy seat on your back porch. I am so glad you are here! Born and raised in Kentucky and with proper southern roots, my love for entertaining and hospitality runs deep within my soul. There is nothing that I love more than having people around my table and loving them through food and drink!

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