Meet your new summer obsession. Frozen watermelon mint lemonade is refreshing, simple, and made in a blender with just five, all-natural ingredients. Originally published July 2017. Last updated June 2023.
If you were ever wondering how to make lemonade even more refreshing for the summer, you're in the right spot. I'm giving you my favorite frozen fruit lemonade recipe plus expert tips. By the way, this is not a copycat Chick-fil-A watermelon mint lemonade. It's much better! Let's get into it.
And if you enjoy this refreshing frozen treat, you'll also love my watermelon rosé granita or margarita infused watermelon.
What does it taste like?
The best way to describe this easy summer drink is as a refreshing watermelon lemonade slush. You'll taste sweet juicy melon, cooling fresh mint, and tart lemon. It has a frosty texture and is ice cold without ice!
More Favorite Summer Lemonade Recipes
What You'll Need for this Recipe
The ingredient list for this seasonal summer lemonade recipe is short and sweet. Here's what to grab from your kitchen or on the next grocery run:
Watermelon is, of course, the star of this refreshing watermelon drink for summertime. Start with fresh, ripe, juicy watermelon for the best flavor. Here's how to pick a good watermelon.
Lemon Juice is key for the classic tart lemonade taste. Use whatever kind of lemons are accessible to you. Fresh squeezed lemon juice is best but concentrated lemon juice can also work in a pinch.
Mint is the extra touch that takes this recipe over the top with cool, refreshing flavor notes. Use your favorite kind of fresh mint from the grocery store, farmer's market, or your garden!
Water is needed to liquefy this frosty drink and allow you to sip it through a straw. Make sure to use ice cold still water.
Sugar helps bring out the watermelon's natural sweetness and you might not need it depending on how ripe your fruit is. Feel free to start with a little bit and adjust to taste, as needed. You can also use your sweetener of choice, instead.
Recipe Tips & Tools
Grab a sharp knife and cutting board to process the watermelon. You'll also need a full sheet pan (or two smaller sheet pans) for flash freezing. Lastly, you'll need a blender to bring everything together.
Do I have to use seedless watermelon? No, you can use either seeded or seedless watermelon in this recipe.
Can I make this watermelon slushie ahead of time? Unfortunately, no. This drink needs to stay chilly but should not be frozen. Serve it immediately.
How can watermelon be frozen for drinks?
To freeze fresh watermelon for this lemon slush with frozen watermelon and mint, you'll need to remove the rind, cut the melon into two-inch chunks, and spread it onto a sheet pan, leaving space between each watermelon chunk. Pro tip: Line the sheet pan with wax paper or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Then pop the pan into the freezer for at least 30-45 minutes. This is the same method I use to make fruity frosé slushies and no-churn strawberry ice cream!
What happens to watermelon when you freeze it? Frozen watermelon tends to be less sweet and the texture is softer than usual once it thaws but that's not an issue since we're blending it up for this drink. And this is a quick freeze so the watermelon won't lose sweetness!
How to Serve Frozen Fruit Lemonade
I recommend serving your minty melon lemonade in a highball glass and sipping through a sustainable straw. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint if you're feeling fancy.
Serve this drink immediately since the frozen watermelon chunks provide not only flavor but also a slushy-like consistency. And instead of melting like ice, it separates from the liquid if left out too long.
So you'll want to gulp your watermelon lemonade freeze down quickly--but not too quickly to avoid brain freeze!
Can I add alcohol to this drink?
Absolutely. If you follow the recipe as written, you'll have a kid-friendly frozen drink the whole family can enjoy. And if you want to add spirits for the adults of legal drinking age, I recommend blending up the whole batch non-alcoholic first.
Next, pour the non-alcoholic serving(s) into cups. Then add your desired amount of liquor (one shot per person) to the remaining mixture in the blender. Pulse for about 10 seconds then serve the adults.
What kind of alcohol goes well with watermelon? Although I typically lean towards whiskey, I also love white liquor in this drink. Rum, tequila, and vodka are all great options for a boozy watermelon lemonade!
I hope you enjoy an ice cold watermelon mint lemonade soon and for the rest of the summer season. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Mint & Melon Lemonade Freeze Recipe
📖 Recipe
Frozen Watermelon Mint Lemonade
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds watermelon or half of a personal watermelon
- 5 lemons
- 6 sprigs fresh mint
- 24 ounces water ice cold
- ¼ cup sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or wax paper and set aside.
- Remove rind from watermelon discard. Cut watermelon fruit into one or two-inch chunks and place onto prepared sheet pan in a single layer, leaving space between each piece of fruit.
- Transfer sheet pan to freezer and allow watermelon to freeze for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, juice the lemons and remove mint leaves from the stems.
- Add frozen watermelon chunks, lemon juice, fresh mint leaves, ice cold water, and sugar to blender. Pulse until ingredients are uniform and smooth. The mixture will be thick and frosty and resemble a slushy.
- Divide frozen watermelon mint lemonade between four highball glasses and serve immediately with straws and more fresh mint, if desired.
Judith Tra Herne Gilbert says
This is an awesome combination of flavors, I can't wait to make it this summer!!! Thank you Jazzmine for always sharing your delicious creations with us.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Judith! I hope you enjoy this one--it's so refreshing.