Strawberry Cucumber Limeade – A refreshing homemade limeade with fresh strawberry juice and a homemade cucumber simple syrup that is just what you need for summer
Summer heat brings the need for yummy, fruity drinks. But seeing that I am pregnant, I’m back to thinking up nonalcoholic cocktails. So far, I’ve made this grapefruit soda that I created a couple years ago. But I’ve been craving something new.
I wanted to make a drink with strawberries in it but a strawberry lemonade seemed too obvious. How about a strawberry limeade, though?? And to make it extra refreshing, let’s add in some cucumber simple syrup.
The resulting drink is this incredible Strawberry Cucumber Limeade!
How is this limeade made
The best part about making drinks is that they take basically no time at all. Once you have all your ingredients prepared, you just throw them together in a pitcher and boom! The drink is ready to go!
There are basically three main steps to this limeade:
- Make cucumber syrup
- Juice limes
- Puree and strain strawberries
Once all of these steps are complete, the ingredients are combined and drinks are served!
The biggest step in the drink is making the cucumber syrup so let’s spend some time talking about it.
Cucumber Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is equal parts water and syrup. It’s usually made for drink recipes so you don’t get the grit from the sugar mixed into the drink. I especially like it for nonalcoholic drinks because there is no alcohol in the drink to help the sugar dissolve into the drink. The simple sugar eliminates the need for the sugar to dissolve since it’s already dissolved.
For a cucumber simple syrup, I add a little less water because we’re going to blend the cucumber into the syrup and cucumber has lots of water in it. Removing some of the excess water will ensure the cucumber flavor stands out.
The water, sugar, and cucumber are added to a pot and heated until the sugar dissolves. We then blend the syrup until smooth and let it steep for 1 hour. This ensures the syrup takes in all the cucumber flavor before we strain out the pulp of the cucumber.
Tips & Tricks
- Fresh ingredients are always important, but especially in drink recipes. Because you’re not cooking the ingredients, you can really taste the difference in fresh vs not fresh ingredients. So make sure you get real limes, not lime juice concentrate and fresh strawberries, not strawberry juice from concentrate!
- English cucumber is different than traditional cucumber. The flesh is less watery, the seeds are teeny, and the skin is less waxy. It’s much better to use in drink recipes because you don’t have to worry about removing the seeds or skin when making the cucumber syrup.
Strawberry Cucumber Limeade
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 cups strawberry halves
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 cups water (sparkling or still)
- strawberry halves and cucumber slices for garnish
Instructions
- Cut cucumber into chunks. Add chunks to a medium sauce pan and add sugar and water. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Add cucumber to blender and blend until pureed. Place in fridge to steep for 1 hour. When syrup is steeped, strain out cucumber pulp so that all that remains is the cucumber syrup. Add syrup to a medium pitcher.
- Place strawberries in a blender, cover, and blend until smooth. Strain strawberries through mesh strainer to remove excess pulp and seeds. Add to the pitcher with the cucumber syrup. Add lime juice and water. Stir to combine. Add cucumber slices and strawberry halves for garnish.
- Fill serving cups halfway with ice. Pour limeade into glasses with a few pieces of strawberry and cucumber slices. Serve with a straw and enjoy!
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A drink so easy to make and tastes amazing! Great for those hot summer days.
Looks like such a refreshing summer recipe! The cucumber is a great touch!
I love limeade probably more than lemonade. And adding strawberries and cucumber is simply perfect! Super refreshing! Thanks for sharing.
This is so refreshing and perfect for sipping while sitting on our back porch! I think we might add a bit of gin to it and turn it into a cocktail!
Your strawberry cucumber limeade is amazing. Perfect for summer afternoons, so fresh and delicious, we are big fans!
This looks so refreshing! It’s a great drink for summer with no doubt! On my to-try list!
That looks so incredibly refreshing. I would add a bit of vodka to it for a happy hour cocktail!
Yum this sounds so refreshing for summer days ahead!
That looks so refreshing and perfect for summer. I love cucumber and strawberry combo. Sounds really interesting. Will give this a try!
What a perfect summer drink!
Mmm, mmm! What a great flavor combo, and what could be more refreshing than cucumber!!
Wow, I love all these amazing flavors that you put together. I am looking forward to trying it.
This is the most refreshing and delicious combination of fruit flavors. I just love the coolness of the cucumber. I could drink this all summer long!
I love how refreshing this limeade is! It’s perfect for summer and I’m planning on making it for a summer BBQ!
What a fun and refreshing summer drink! I can’t wait to try this!
I’m so ready to brew this limeade up and sit with it on the porch! Summer will be more bearable with it.