Old-Fashioned Homemade Orangeade Recipe with Fresh Oranges!

By Rebecca St.Clair

This homemade orangeade is an old-fashioned simple pleasure you can make at home! If you love lemonade, you have to try this sweeter and sunnier classic summer drink! Made from real oranges, no artificial flavours, no concentrate, just pure, sweet sunny goodness.

Serve it over ice for the ultimate warm-weather thirst quencher. It’s crisp, slightly tangy, and naturally a sweeter citrus choice. Perfect for serving at backyard barbecues or picnics at the beach.

Fresh, fragrant, and so easy to make. Enjoy this drink just as it is or add in some sparkling water, for a refreshing alternative to store bought sodas.

How to store Homemade Orangeade

Make a big batch of this tropical treat and enjoy it over a few days!

Fridge

Store the orangeade in a covered pitcher, in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

Freezer

For longer storage keep it sealed in an airtight container, in the freezer, for up to 3 months.

What are the best oranges to use for orangeade?

Valencia –  Packed with a ton of juice. Has a lovely sweet taste and low acidity. One of the post popular choices for juicing.

Blood Oranges – Sweet, tart taste, with tones of berry. These deep red crimson oranges make a more complex tasting juice.

Cara Cara – These naturally sweet oranges have a low acidity and good amount of juice.

Clementine –  These smaller but sweet flavour citrus have a high juice content, thin skin, and are often seedless.

Mandarin – A sweeter and milder taste than most orange varieties. This citrus contains a good amount of juice. The thin peel makes them easy to juice.

Navel – A classic orange with a sweet, bright, and citrusy flavour. These are often seedless and lack the intensely sweet orange flavour.

Substitutions for Homemade Orangeade

Tea bags can be added to the oranges and water as they are steeping in the pot. This will make a delicious and refreshing orange iced tea.

The oranges in this recipe can be replaced by the same amount of alternative citrus like grapefruit.

The sugar in this recipe can be replaced by a natural sweetener like honey or another sugar alternative. Since sweeteners require different amounts to achieve the same level of sweetness, use this chart to swap out for your favourite sweetener.

How to make Homemade Orangeade

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add 8 cups of water.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the thin, colourful outer most layer of 2 lemons and 4 oranges. Add this to the water.
3. Cut in half and juice the lemons and oranges into the water, discard the scraps and pith.

4. Bring this to a boil and then simmer 10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in 1 ½ cups sugar. The amount needed will depend on how sweet your oranges are.

6. Cover and allow the citrus to infuse and the sugar to dissolve in the water. About 30 minutes.

7. Once cool, Strain the liquid into 1 or 2 large pitchers. Discard the citrus scraps.

8. Fill the pitchers with ice and then cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

Hungry for some more sunny summer recipes? Hop over here!