Benefits of Basil
Why add basil to your lemonade? Mostly, because it tastes ridiculously good. But, basil also has some potential health benefits. Here’s what you’ll love about basil:
It may help with memory loss associated with stress. Basil might have an antidepressant-effect, suggested by animal studies. According to one study, basil extract may help balance blood sugar. Sweet basil may aslo help lower blood pressure. Basil may even have some antifungal properties!
If you have a lot of basil on hand, be sure to try my other basil recipes, including the Summer Salad with Orange Basil Vinaigrette, Avocado Pesto, and Arugula Pesto.
Benefits of Lemon
When you pair fresh basil with lemon, it’s a match made in flavor-heaven. But lemon also has some other potential benefits! Here’s what you’ll love about lemon:
Lemons are high in vitamin C, which may help lower the risk of stroke and heart disease. The flavonoids found in lemons may also have a positive impact on several other issues in the human body, including insulin resistance and obesity. Plant compounds found in lemons may help to lower cholesterol. A study in mice suggests that lemon might help prevent weight gain. (There are no human studies to confirm this, though.) Drinking lemon juice may help to improve your iron absorption, preventing anemia. In one study, citrus-based juice helped reduce wrinkles in hairless rats.
Keep in mind that drinking this homemade lemonade will also help keep you hydrated, so I hope you’ll enjoy this Basil Lemonade soon.
How to Make It
This recipe makes 2 glasses of lemonade, but feel free to double or triple it if you need to serve more people. To prepare the lemonade, be sure to start with fresh lemon juice. (Not the bottled stuff from the store– it won’t taste the same!) Once you’ve juiced the lemons, measure the juice and add it to a blender, along with the maple syrup, fresh basil leaves, and water.
You can use as many basil leaves as you want to in this recipe, but I like to start off with about 2 basil leaves per serving. You can always add more, to taste, later! Blend until the basil leaves are totally broken down. If you don’t have a powerful blender, you can pour the lemonade through a fine mesh strainer to catch any pieces before serving. My Vitamix totally pulverizes the leaves, so there’s nothing to strain.
How to Adjust the Flavor
Before serving, be sure to taste the lemonade and make any adjustments, as needed.
Need a more tart flavor? Add more lemon juice. Want it sweeter? Add more maple syrup. Need a stronger basil flavor? Add more basil. Is the flavor too strong? Add more water to dilute it.
Really, you can’t go wrong with homemade lemonade, because you can taste as you go!
How Long Does it Last?
You can make Basil Lemonade up to 3 days in advance, as long as you store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then serve it over ice! If you try this Basil Lemonade recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience! — Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite summer drink? My other favorites are Watermelon Juice and this perfect Watermelon Smoothie.
