Blue Raspberry Lemonade
This vibrant Blue Raspberry Lemonade combines fresh-squeezed lemon juice, natural blue coloring from butterfly pea tea, and real raspberry puree for a refreshing, eye-catching summer drink that’s naturally flavored and utterly refreshing.
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice approximately 6-8 lemons
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 cups cold water divided
- 2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flowers for natural blue color or 1 tablespoon blue spirulina powder
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- Ice cubes for serving
- Fresh lemon slices and whole raspberries for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the blue tea base by steeping the butterfly pea flowers in 2 cups of hot (not boiling) water for about 5-7 minutes until you achieve a deep blue color. Strain and set aside to cool completely.
- Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Create the raspberry puree by blending the raspberries with honey until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds, pressing with a spoon to extract all the juice.
- Combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice with the cooled simple syrup in a large pitcher and stir well.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of cold water to the lemon mixture and stir to combine.
- Gently pour in the blue tea and watch the magic happen as the acidic lemon juice transforms the color into a beautiful blue-purple hue.
- Fold in the strained raspberry puree using a wooden spoon, creating beautiful swirls of color throughout the lemonade.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve over ice with fresh lemon slices and whole raspberries as garnish for a picture-perfect presentation.
Notes
- For a fizzy version, substitute half the water with chilled sparkling water or club soda just before serving.
- The natural blue color comes from the butterfly pea flower’s reaction with acid—the more lemon juice, the more purple it becomes!
- Freeze leftover lemonade in ice cube trays to add to water or iced tea later.
- For a stronger raspberry flavor, double the raspberry puree amount.
- This lemonade can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.