Panera Strawberry Lemonade Recipe – Energize Your Hot Summer Days

If you have ever tried the Panera Strawberry Lemonade at their café, then you would know it’s not just a regular lemonade. 

It’s bold, fruity, tangy, and a little sweet with that refreshing strawberry twist. 

When I first had it, I was hooked. It felt like the perfect summer drink that you can sip any time of the year.

Now I myself tried a homemade Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe.

 

How to Make Panera Strawberry Lemonade

The Panera Strawberry Lemonade is one of the most popular café drinks from Panera Bread. 

It’s a fruity twist on classic lemonade, made with fresh lemon juice, strawberry puree, sugar, and cold water (sometimes even sparkling).

Ingredients:

Here are the Panera Strawberry Lemonade ingredients you’ll need. These are simple pantry and fridge items, but they create that signature taste when combined:

• 1 cup fresh strawberries: You want to use washed, hulled, and sliced. You can also use frozen strawberries if fresh ones aren’t available.
• ½ cup strawberry puree: This will give you that concentrated strawberry flavor Panera is famous for.
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice: You have to take 4 or 5 medium lemons to extract their juice. But you can also use bottled, though I personally don’t like that.
• ½ cup sugar (or honey): You can adjust the sweetness a little, too. Besides this, if you want to keep your drink more natural, you can use stevia.
• 3 cups cold water: It will help you balance flavors and dilute the intensity.
• Ice cubes: For serving, and I like the cold drink, as it’s more refreshing.
• Optional add-ins: You can use fresh basil leaves if you want a Panera Strawberry Lemonade Basil twist. Besides this, mint and sparkling water are also good if you want an extra fizz.

Pro Tip: If you want a stronger strawberry base like the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Costco packs, you can increase the strawberry puree to ¾ cup.

Instructions:

Here’s exactly how you’ll make this refreshing lemonade in your own kitchen.

Step 1: Make the Strawberry Puree

• You want to take a blender. And in that, add 1 cup sliced strawberries with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar (or use any other sweetener you’re using)
• Then blend it and make it smooth.
• Strain the mixture if you want a smoother lemonade without seeds.

Pro tip: If you are in a hurry and want to save time. Then, you can also use store-bought strawberry puree. However, I personally like homemade, because it always gives a fresher flavor.

Step 2: Prepare Fresh Lemon Juice

• You want to squeeze 4 to 5 lemons until you get around 1 cup of lemon juice.
• Also, don’t forget to remove lemon seeds, but you can keep some pulp if you like the texture.

Step 3: Mix Everything Together

• You want to take a large pitcher and combine the strawberry puree, lemon juice, and remaining sugar or honey, whatever you’re using.
• Then add 3 cups of cold water.
• Don’t stir it until the sugar isn’t fully dissolved.
• Meanwhile, you can also taste and adjust the sweetness or tartness, like you can add more sugar or lemon juice if needed.

Step 4: Chill & Serve

• Now, you want to take a serving glass and fill it with ice cubes.
• Pour your homemade Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe mixture over the ice.
• Finally, you can garnish it with lemon slices or fresh strawberries, or even both.

 

Variations of Panera Strawberry Lemonade Recipe You Can Try

The base recipe is good, but you don’t always have to drink the same drink. Here are some ways you can experiment with:

1. Frozen Strawberry Lemonade (Panera or Starbucks Style)

This version is perfect to make on hot summer days. And this is similar to Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Starbucks and Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Minute Maid, but still fresher.

• Instead of mixing with cold water, you have to blend your strawberry puree and lemon juice with ice cubes until slushy.
• Add extra puree on top for swirls.
• This will give you the same icy, refreshing feel as the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Panera sells.

2. Panera Strawberry Lemonade Basil

• Add a handful of fresh basil leaves while mixing the lemonade.
• Let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving.
• It will give you a slightly herbal, refreshing flavor.

3. Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade Fresca

• You will have to use chilled sparkling water instead of still water for a Panera Strawberry Lemonade Fresca version.
• This will make it bubbly and perfect for parties.

4. Panera Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie

• Blend your strawberry lemonade base with yogurt and ice until creamy.
• This will give you a smoothie-style drink. It will be thicker, more filling, and you can drink that for breakfast.

5. Low-Calorie Version

• You would want to use stevia instead of sugar.
• Replace half the strawberries with a low-calorie frozen lemonade recipe base.
• This will cut calories but keep flavor intact.

 

Nutritional Breakdown: Panera Strawberry Lemonade Calories

The store version of Panera Strawberry Lemonade is known to be high in sugar and calories. But when you make it at home, you have control.

Here’s the approximate nutrition for one 12-oz glass (without whipped cream or extras):

• Calories: 140–160
• Sugar: 30–34g
• Vitamin C: Very high (from lemon and strawberries)
• Caffeine: None (the classic lemonade has no caffeine, unlike some Panera charged lemonades).

Note: You shouldn’t confuse this with Panera Strawberry Lemonade Caffeine drinks, like their Charged Lemonades. 

Those contain added caffeine from guarana and green coffee extract. This recipe is purely caffeine-free.

 

What to Serve with Panera Strawberry Lemonade

You can pair this refreshing drink with too many things, including sweet and savory dishes. Here are some of my pairing suggestions:

Sweet Pairings

• Chocolate Desserts: You can try my Chocolate Fudge Recipe with Marshmallow Fluff. It will give rich chocolate and balance the tangy lemonade.
• Cookies & Muffins: You can serve these Bakery Style Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins, especially when you want a café-inspired combo.
• Fruit Platters: Fresh mango, kiwi, and banana will also taste good.

Savory Pairings

• Grilled Chicken or Fish: If you serve with chicken, the lemonade acidity will cut through rich proteins.
• Cheese Boards: You can pair your lemonade with mild cheeses and crackers, especially if you want a refreshing contrast.
• Sandwiches: Lemonade will taste very good with Panera-style turkey or veggie sandwiches.

Summer Treats

• Ice Cream & Sorbet: You can have a scoop of vanilla or mango sorbet alongside a glass of lemonade. You will get vacation-like vibes.
• Chocolate Snacks: You can serve with any chocolate snack, but I recommend you try these Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods. You will get a sweet-salty taste in every bite.

 

Storage Instructions

One of the best things about this Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe is that you can store it and drink it later, but keep these things in mind.

• Fridge: You can store it in an airtight pitcher or jar. Your drink will remain okay for up to 3 days. However, you wanna stir it before serving, as the strawberry puree will settle.
• Freezer: You can freeze the base (without water) as ice cubes. Later, when you want to drink, just blend it with water or soda for an instant Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.
• Avoid Long Storage: Since you have to use fresh fruit, it’s always best to drink it within 48 hours.

Tip: For maximum freshness, I recommend you always make and drink fresh.

 

Pro Tips to Make the Best Strawberry Lemonade

Here are a few tricks that will make your Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe frozen or chilled even better:

1. Always taste before serving: You can adjust sugar and lemon juice depending on your strawberries’ natural sweetness.
2. Chill your glasses: If you want a café-style experience, you should keep your serving glasses in the fridge before pouring. By doing so, your drink will remain chilled for a longer time.
3. You should use crushed ice for frozen versions: It will easily blend faster as compared to cubes and give you a smoother texture.
4. Mix puree & lemonade separately: If you want a layered effect, you can pour the strawberry puree first, then lemonade on top. After this, stir it slightly for swirls — it will look just like Panera’s!
5. Make a party pitcher: You can double or triple the ingredients and make a big batch, and keep it in a dispenser. Then serve it for BBQs or family gatherings.

 

Conclusion

This was my easy and refreshing Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe that you can make at home without spending money at the café every time. 

It’s tangy, fruity, slightly sweet, and honestly one of the most satisfying summer drinks you’ll ever try.

You can make it classic, frozen, sparkling, or even turn it into a smoothie — all with the same base recipe. 

So now, just grab your lemons, strawberries, and a blender, and make this Panera Strawberry Lemonade.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are a few important questions and their answers about this Panera Strawberry Lemonade Recipe:

What are the ingredients in Panera lemonade?

In the original Panera Strawberry Lemonade ingredients are simple. You will get lemon juice, strawberry puree, sugar, and water. 

However, in some versions at Panera, you might also get sparkling water (for Panera Strawberry Lemonade Fresca) or fresh basil leaves (for the basil version).

How to make Panera Frozen Strawberry Lemonade?

To make a Panera Strawberry Lemonade recipe frozen, you will need to blend fresh strawberry puree, lemon juice, sugar, and ice cubes together until slushy. 

Besides this, you can freeze the base in ice cube trays and blend later for a quicker frozen strawberry lemonade Panera style drink.

What does strawberry lemonade have in it?

Strawberry lemonade mainly has three things: lemon juice, strawberry puree, and sugar. 

When making it at home, you have to dilute it with cold water or sparkling water. 

And besides this, you can also add extra flavors like mint, basil, or even ginger, depending on what variation you’re trying.

And it also applies when you’re buying from the store.

How much caffeine is in Panera strawberry lemonade?

In Panera Strawberry Lemonade, there is no caffeine at all. It’s made with fruits. 

But Panera also sells Charged Lemonades, and these versions have caffeine, which they get from guarana and green coffee extract. 

If you’re making this recipe at home, it will be naturally caffeine-free.