This healthy, refined sugar-free watermelon lemonade is made with only three simple, natural ingredients!

Are you melting? I’m melting. I realize I shouldn’t complain, because July in New York will never be as hot as Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas. But still. It’s hot. Every time I get in my car it feels like sliding into a sauna, and the other day I had to stop in the middle of my run to stand under somebody’s lawn sprinkler.

Oh, and did I mention that our air conditioning broke last week? It was a total nightmare. I had to dedicate and entire day to calling one repairman after another and begging them to come fix it immediately. Finally I got someone, thank goodness. I was so relieved I didn’t even care when he said our condenser needed a new part and the total bill was upwards of $600. I basically threw my checkbook at him and was like, “just do whatever you need to do.”

When it’s hot out, it’s so important to stay hydrated. But, like a lot of people, I have a hard time drinking straight water. So every summer I go a little crazy with the lemonades and agua frescas. (Last year I made cucumber rosemary limeade, green juice lemonade, and hondew agua fresca.)

All of those recipes are delicious, but they are made with white sugar. This year, in an effort to be healthy, I’ve ditched the sugar entirely in favor of agave. Every week, I make a giant pitcher of agave-sweetened lemonade in a different flavor. So far we’ve had strawberry, peach, and lime, but this watermelon version is by far our favorite.

Best of all? It only requires three simple ingredients and is entirely no cook. Owen and Alex like to drink it straight (Owen calls it “watermelon juice”), while I prefer to mix it in about a 1:4 ratio with seltzer to make a lightly sweetened watermelon lemonade soda. Add a few slices of cucumber and a sprig of mint, and I can handle any heat wave…well, almost.

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Refined Sugar-Free Watermelon Lemonade

This refreshing watermelon lemonade is the ultimate summer drink!

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups diced watermelon see note
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 5-6 large lemons
• 2/3 cup agave
• 5 cups cold water

Instructions

1. Put the watermelon in a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher. (You should have about 2 cups of watermelon juice). Discard the solids. Add the lemon juice and agave to the pitcher and stir with a wooden spoon until the agave has dissolved. Stir in the water. Chill until cold.

Recipe Notes

You are aiming for about 2 cups of watermelon juice, but a little more or a little less is totally fine too. I usually just chop up a bunch of watermelon and throw it in the blender without measuring.