My zobo hibiscus lemonade recipe combines the tropical flavor of Nigerian zobo drink with good ol' fashioned lemonade for a uniquely refreshing treat on even the hottest of days! Learn how to make it in just a few easy steps using flavorful ingredients with benefits.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love my frozen watermelon lemonade or fizzy ginger beer lemonade, too!
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What is zobo?
Zobo, which translates to hibiscus flower from the Hausa language in my father's homeland of Nigeria, is indigenous to West Africa and enjoyed throughout the African diaspora in many ways and under names including sorrel, roselle, and jamaíca. And zobo drink is an ice-cold hibiscus tea made with superfood roots, spices, and juices resulting in a refreshing drink packed with antioxidants.
Check out my homemade zobo drink recipe to get the full experience!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick & Easy - You don't need any special tools or techniques to make this recipe for hibiscus flower lemonade at home so it's absolutely beginner friendly.
Simple Ingredients - Nothing fancy here, just whole food ingredients--most of which you probably have in your kitchen already! And the results are much better than what you'll get at Starbucks or Chipotle.
Hibiscus Flavor - This iced hibiscus infusion lemonade is part homemade hibiscus refresher and part superfood lemonade. You'll taste earthy and tart notes from the hibiscus flowers plus warming spices and the perfect balance of sweet and sour lemonade.
In case you're new here, me and hibiscus go together real bad, so I have tons of fun hibiscus recipes like my hibiscus ice cream, sweet tea with hibiscus, hibiscus ginger martini, and even homemade hibiscus ginger beer. And don't forget the hibiscus barbecue sauce for grilling season!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Dried Hibiscus Petals (Zobo) create the signature deep purply red color and flavor backbone of this floral lemonade drink. Use food grade organic hibiscus flowers, which I typically find at African or Mexican markets or in the global section of many American grocery stores.
Turmeric and Ginger add warming flavor and an antioxidant boost that turn this drink into a superfood lemonade. I recommend using fresh ginger and turmeric roots but you can also use powdered versions, if needed.
Lemon Juice from fresh lemons is best for the most vibrant zesty flavor though concentrated lemon juice provides similar taste.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Still or Sparkling - As with any good lemonade recipe, we'll add plenty of water. If you want to make your hibiscus ginger lemonade more fun, you can do half still water and half sparkling water or club soda.
Sweetener - I use honey in this recipe because I like the subtle floral and herbal flavor notes that it adds, though you can use maple syrup, cane sugar or whatever kind of sweetener you like to make it vegan or simply suit your preference.
My ginger honey syrup and turmeric honey syrup also complement the flavors in this drink perfectly. Or if you want to be a bit extra, sorrel simple syrup! They're all easy to make and keep on deck for making drinks just like this.
How to Make Homemade Hibiscus Lemonade
Step One: Steep the hibiscus, turmeric, ginger, and clove in freshly boiled water until cooled. (Photo One)
Pro Tip #1: You can steep the zobo tea overnight. If you're familiar with hibiscus drinks like sorrel, you know the longer you let the ingredients steep, the stronger the flavor and color and the same applies here! You'll have great taste as soon as the water has cooled but can certainly steep for longer.
Step Two: Strain out the solid ingredients using a slotted spoon or a mesh strainer. (Photo Two)
Step Three: Mix up the lemon juice and honey until uniform. (Photo Three)
Step Four: Mix the lemon juice and honey mixture into the hibiscus tea. (Photos Four and Five)
Step Five: Chill then serve cold over plenty of ice. (Photo Six)
Pro Tip #2: I recommend fully chilling the lemonade before serving to give the flavors time to fully marinate and prevent the taste from being watered down by too much melted ice.
Easy Youtube Video
Frequently Asked Questions
This hibiscus flavored lemonade gets better with time and you can make it up three days in advance if stored in the fridge.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to one week.
Place the lemonade in an airtight freezer-safe container to freeze. Frozen hibiscus lemonade lasts for up to three months in the freezer.
There's no caffeine in this hibiscus tea and lemonade drink.
More Favorite Hibiscus Drink Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy and ice cold glass of hibiscus infused lemonade soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Zobo Hibiscus Lemonade
Equipment
- 1 slotted spoon or mesh strainer
- 1 pitcher or beverage container
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup dried hibiscus
- 1 2-inch knob fresh turmeric
- 1 2-inch knob fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup honey
- ice
Instructions
- Add water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil then turn off heat. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the hibiscus flowers. Peel and slice the ginger and turmeric.
- Add rinsed hibiscus, turmeric, ginger, and cloves to boiled water and steep until the water cools to room temperature (about 40 minutes).
- While the hibiscus tea cools, juice the lemons and combine resulting lemon juice with honey until uniform.
- Strain out the solids from the tea discard. Mix the tea with lemon juice and honey then transfer to fridge to chill. Serve lemonade over ice.
Jamie V says
Hi Jasmine! Thank you for sharing this delicious beverage recipe. It is a such a unique way of using hibiscus. I took your recommendation and made the zoba juice first then adding the lemon later. For anyone who has not yet tried this recipe, you will be amazed by the flavor profile if you do.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Jamie! I'm so glad this drink worked out well for you.
Britney Brown says
I bought some hibiscus leaves over the weekend and made this recipe! It did not disappoint - so refreshing in this summer heat! We loved it!
Shanna Jones says
You had me at hibiscus! I love a "good for you" drink, and this recipe hit the spot. It was so refreshing! I'll be making this again.
Jen says
My Auntie is always mentioning how good zobo is I hadn’t tried it until now. It tasted delicious and the tips were also really helpful.
Tamara says
This lemonade was absolutely refreshing! It’s been so hot down here, along with all of the other allergy symptoms- this hit the spot! I instantly started feeling better from the healing properties in the drink!
Kaluhi says
A hit across the board!!! This was not only refreshing but super delicious as well! The color was also so gorgeous! Thanks for this recipe!
Chenée says
This is just what I needed on a hot day like today! And I love the ginger and turmeric to make it even more nourishing!
Jessica says
I always have hibiscus in the pantry for tea but haven't ventured out into making other drinks so I tried this lemonade. This was SO GOOD. Love the addition of cloves and using honey instead of sugar was perfect. Will be on repeat all summer long.
Taneisha says
I was looking for a good summer drink recipe that was full of antioxidants and I am so glad I cam across your recipe - it was delicious and everything I needed!! Thanks so much!!!
Chef Mireille says
I grew up drinking hibiscus tea as it is very common in the Caribbean also where we call it sorrel. However, we spice it up a bit different. Now that hibiscus has become so popular and there are so many different versions around, I wanted to switch it up a bit. I really liked this version with the lemon. Now it's hard for me to decide which version I like best!
Lilly says
This drink is so delicious and refreshing! The instructions are super easy to follow and my Zobo Lemonade turned out perfect!
Marta says
I love hibiscus drinks and yours being healthy was a great find. The roots and cloves gave it an awesome, deep flavor. So refreshing!
Mila says
5 stars! This is so close to my family's Sorrel recipe - even better I'd say! I love the spices, and the tang of the hibiscus tea! It's so refreshing, ESPECIALLY with a likkle splash of rum :).