Of all the recipes on my blog, I think I’ve made this one the most. It is my go-to recipe for summer soirees. It’s both refreshing and delicious and it takes a little bit of effort, so I feel like I’m really making something homemade, but it’s not so consuming that I have to be in the kitchen all day.

I usually make this recipe for when we have a family bbq and we’re eating outside during the summer. It’s a refreshing drink during the hot summer months and it’s different than a regular, ol’, boring lemonade.

When I originally made this recipe, I was using an electric top stove, so I’ve changed it a bit because now I’m cooking with gas and everything cooks a bit faster! Also, please note that the amount of juice you can get from a lime varies substantially from lime to lime! The first time I made this recipe, I only used 7 limes and was able to juice them to get a cup of lime juice. This last time? It took 12 limes to get that 1 cup of lime juice! It really just depends on the size. If you buy the limes individually, you usually get more lime juice, but the price per lime is more. If you buy a bag of limes, you get more limes, but they’re smaller. I bought a large bag of limes for this and I’ve been using my leftovers for other recipes. Also, be sure you roll the limes prior to slicing and juicing them in order to release more juice.

Blackberry Limeade Recipe

Name: Blackberry Limeade Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1 pitcher
Ingredients: 4 cups blackberries; 8 cups water, divided; 1 1/4 cup sugar; 1 cup fresh lime juice (8-14 limes depending on lime size); 9-12 blackberries for garnish; 2 limes for garnish; ice

Yield: 1 pitcher

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups blackberries
8 cups water, divided
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lime juice (8-14 limes depending on lime size)
9-12 blackberries for garnish
2 limes for garnish
ice

Instructions

Wash the blackberries, then puree them in a blender with 3 cups of water.
In a saucepan, combine the 1 1/4 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water and heat over medium until full dissolved, about 5 minutes on a gas-top, or 12-15 minutes on an electric-top stove.
While heating, juice your limes and strain your blackberries through a tight strainer to get the juice.
Then combine the sugar syrup, the pureed blackberry juice, and fresh lime juice in a pitcher along with 4 cups of water.
Serve over ice, garnished with a lime wedge and a couple blackberries
Enjoy!

Step #3 is the pain-in-the-ass step. It takes awhile to strain that blackberry puree to remove the seeds. I use my Ninja blender to puree the blackberries with the water, then I use a fine mesh colander to strain the puree over a bowl. I usually do it in “rounds” by pouring a little bit, straining it, using a spoon to move the seeds around the colander, removing the strained seeds into the trash, and then pouring more and repeating.

I’ve been thinking about making this into a cocktail by adding thyme into the simple syrup while it’s cooking on the stove and adding a shot of vodka. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

I’m really a huge fan of homemade limeades (ha, say homemade limeade 5 times fast)! If you’re not a fan of blackberries or don’t want the extra step of straining the blackberry seeds in this recipe, check out my Strawberry Basil Limeade or my Rosemary Limemade.