I have this weird affinity for remembering recipes bloggers post from a long long time ago. Not all recipes, just random weird ones, not even ones that I necessarily was super into as soon as I saw them, but some just get stuck in my brain and don’t leave for a while. One of these was the blender lemonade from Pinch of Yum (which, btw was posted literally a year ago, so that tells you how long it stuck in my brain!). I was so fascinated by the idea that you could blend the lemons whole to make lemonade instead of squeezing them, the genius! I’m not a lemonade fanatic, I don’t usually order it at restaurants or make it very often at home, often because I know there’s a lot of extra sugar lurking in there that I would rather have in my dessert, but this concept kept nagging at my brain, telling me I needed to make it.
Obviously, a year passed and I was still occasionally thinking about this blender wonder. I needed another way to get more water in while at work, so I thought I would use up a few lemons, strawberries and limes that were hanging around my fridge. Then my brain went ‘BLENDER LEMONADE’ and this was born! In Lindsay’s recipe, she uses sweetened condensed milk and granulated sugar to make the lemonade all silky like, but I wanted to avoid the straight up sugar situation and went straight for the jam. I know jam still has a fair amount of sugar in it, but adding cherry jam seemed like a better way to flavor up the lemonade, while also adding a touch of sweetness. (By the way, my girl Christina over at Dessert For Two got the jam sweetened concept stuck in my brain!) The result after blending and straining everything together was a lovely combination of sweet and tart, without being too over the top. This recipe can be pretty flexible, letting you use up whatever fruit you have on hand and making everything as sweet or as tart as you so desire. I used my trusty nut milk bag to strain the chunks from the lemonade, but a regular mesh strainer should do as well.
What is stuck in my head now? This ice cream, I’m thinking I need to buy a few cans of coconut milk and give it a vegan makeover, thoughts?
Cherry Jam Sweetened Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 lemon (cut into quarters)
- 2 limes (cut into quarters)
- 1 cup strawberries (tops cut off)
- 4 cups water
- 3–5 tablespoons cherry jam (or any variety)
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together in a high powered blender, blending until visible chunks are gone (this may take a minute or so). Strain through a mesh strainer or nut milk bag and serve. If you would like a bit of creaminess, add in a splash of almond milk before blending.
Sophie33 says
Yum Yum yummmmm., A georgous tasty creation!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
That’s so unique and the colors are stunning, yum!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Medha! : )
sweetphi says
Such a great idea, love it, looks super refreshing for the summer 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
You got it girl! : )
Margot says
This looks delicious, and the jam is such an interesting way to add sweetness! Also- YESSS that amazing-looking ice cream must be veganized. All my favorite flavors at once.
The Frosted Vegan says
I know right?! That ice cream is calling to me!
cookienameddesire says
Love this flavor combo so much! I am definitely going to have to try this soon! Pinned! (P.S. The photos are so great, it makes me want to say “fab-u-LOUS!”)
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you dear! I was struggling a bit since they are a bit dark, but I like the photos in the window best : )
cookienameddesire says
I love it. They are moody and not forced…. kind of vintage looking. 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
That’s exactly what I was going for! 🙂
DessertForTwo says
I am just now seeing this! Whoa! Love this virgin jam drink!!
Lumpkins says
That’s a joy to see your post and eventually clarify myself.
★★★★★