Canning Lemonade Concentrate to Enjoy All Year!

Fresh squeezed lemonade all year long? When I started canning lemonade concentrate, my family was so excited!

I mean who wouldn’t be excited about a glass of sweet fresh lemonade on all those hot summer days.

One of the best things about the summer months is all the time we spend outside However there is just nothing better after a hard day working on the farm, than to come in and relax with a fresh glass of lemonade. It is a family favorite!

But lemons start ripening in the winter??! How does that work…

The solution… water bath can fresh squeezed lemonade concentrate to enjoy all year long!

Where to get lemons?

Whether you have your own lemon tree or not, this is a perfect project to can. Even if you don’t have a tree, when lemons are in season it is so easy to get your hands on good quality fresh lemons for a good price! You may even have some sweet neighbors that are itching to give lemons away because they have so many.

Here is Missouri I can’t grow a lemon tree. We just get too cold in the winter months. But every month or 2 I buy pounds of lemons off of Azure Standard. They are a good price and they work perfectly for canning lemonade concentrate. If you are unsure of what Azure Standard is, make sure to read my post on how I grocery shop monthly. 

​There are also other places online where you can buy lemons for cheap in bulk when they are in season. 

What equipment do you need for canning lemonade concentrate?

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Since you are water bath canning this fresh homemade lemonade concentrate, the equipment required is fairly inexpensive. I use a water bath canner that I got on Amazon that I have been using for years. In fact this set comes with all the supplies you need to do a water bath canning project, including a jar lifter. 

For years I hand squeezed all my lemons. And when I say years, I mean years. It was probably at least 3 years of canning lemonade concentrate before I realized, why and I making this harder. About 6 months ago I bought an electric citrus squeezer and I am so glad I did!

​I can squeeze 20lbs of lemons that I get on Azure Standard in no time! it was definitely worth it and they are incredibly inexpensive. I wish I would have done it sooner. 

If you do not want to spend any extra money on equipment, you do not need to buy one of these. 

The last thing you will need is jars and lids. My favorite lids and rings come from Denali Canning. Their lids are top notch and create a wonderful seal, using a preserve lock method. The quality of their lids are great, so I never worry about my seals coming undone. Use code STEPHANIEHAGLUND for 10% off your order!

Make sure you are using new lids with every canning project. Lids can not be re-used but the rings and jars can.

Once you have your canner, canning jars, lids and lemons you are ready to go! 

​Ingredients: 

• 24 whole lemon (This is about 10lbs of lemons give or take)
• 1 Cup Water per quart jar of lemon juice
• 3.5 Cups Sugar, I reduce the amount of sugar sometimes. It will give you a less sweet lemonade.

​Directions for canning lemonade concentrate:

1. Start with clean jars and lids by washing them in warm soapy water. Fill Canner with about 5″-7″ of water. You will want your jars completely submerged in water, so you may need to add more water once your filled jars are in the canner.  Keep your washed jars in the canner to stay warm while you prep the concentrate.
2. Squeeze all your lemons and add the fresh lemon juice to a quart jars to measure how much you have. This helps you to know how much water to add. Once I have that, I dump through a fine mesh strainer right into a large stock pot. We don’t like pulp so the strainer helps with that!
3. Stir in 3-3.5 cups of sugar and your water according to how much lemon juice you are using. Turn stove on medium-high heat and heat concentrate to just about a boil. Hold at that temp for 5 minutes or so. You want to make sure your sugar is completely dissolved and that your concentrate is hot all the way through. Skim foam, if any, before filling jars.
4. Remove hot jars from your canner and ladle hot concentrate into each jar leaving a 1/4 inch head space. I like to use a wide mouth funnel for this so I don’t make a mess. 
5. Wipe rim of each jar with a clean dishtowel. Make sure there is nothing on the rims before adding the canning lid and ring. Screw bands down fingertip tight. 
6. Place jars in canner and make sure the water is covering each jar completely. There should be about 2″ of water over the jars. Place the canner lid on.
7. Bring canner to a full rolling boil and process jars for 10 min (adjust for elevation).
8. Once your timer has gone off and the jars have been processed, turn stove off, remove lid and wait 1-2 minutes. Take jars out of the canner slowly and place on a clean towel.
9. Do not disturb the jars until they have completely cooled down, about 12 hours.
10. Once jars are completely cooled, remove the rings and wipe down all the jars.
11. Don’t forget to label the tops of jars with contents and year! The safest way to store your jars, is without the rings in place and in a dark place out of direct sunlight. 
12. To make lemonade, add one pint of concentrate to a half gallon jar. Fill the rest of the way with cold water. Shake and enjoy!
13. This makes around 5-6 pints of lemonade concentrate.

* For different varieties like, Strawberry lemonade concentrate, you can add different fruit puree to your lemonade once it is made up for drinking!

​I love finding easy canning recipes and this recipe fits right into that category. If you are new to canning, this is a perfect project to start with since the processing time is short and the food prep is minimal. 

Your family will be thrilled when they can grab a jar of canned lemonade concentrate off your shelf and have an ice cold glass of lemonade in seconds. I hope this sweet treat leaves you feeling happy all year long!