Dragon fruit lemonade is a lemonade recipe made with simple ingredients. Made with an easy-to-make simple syrup, fresh lemons, and fresh dragon fruit, this homemade lemonade recipe is refreshing and perfect for summer.

Two tall glasses of pink dragon fruit lemonade with ice, garnished with lemon slices and dragon fruit cubes. A pitcher of the drink and sliced fruit are in the background on a marble surface.

Dragon Fruit Lemonade Recipe

If you are looking for a refreshing summer drink then you are going to love this homemade dragon fruit lemonade recipe. Made with fresh dragon fruit, fresh lemons and homemade simple syrup this lemonade recipe is so easy to make.

During the summer months, I feel like we always want something sweet to drink, and since we don’t drink soda, lemonade is our go-to. There is always a pitcher of lemonade on the counter or in the fridge. Sometimes, the kids drink it so fast that it never even makes it to the fridge.

I love that homemade lemonade is so easy to make. The hardest part is juicing the lemons, but once you do that a few times it gets pretty easy.

Lemonade Recipes

Four glasses of pink dragon fruit lemonade with ice and lemon slices on a wooden tray, surrounded by dragon fruit halves.

What is Dragon Fruit?

A dragon fruit (also called pitaya or pitahaya) is a fruit found on several cactus plants. Depending on the type of dragon fruit the skin and the fruit flesh inside can be different colors. Most common in my local grocery store are the vibrant pink dragon fruit. Sometimes I will find the yellow skin, green spiky scales ones. All of them have a white or magenta speckled interior, which is the part of the fruit that you eat.

What does dragon fruit taste like?

Dragon fruit has a mildly sweet flavor and would be a mix of a pear and a kiwi. They are Soft, juicy, and studded with tiny edible black seeds (like kiwi seeds).

Glass of pink dragon fruit lemonade with ice, a lemon slice on the rim, and a straw. Additional lemon and dragon fruit slices nearby on a marble surface.

How To Peel and Dice a Dragon Fruit

It is easy to peel and dice a dragon fruit. A fresh dragon fruit is delicate, don’t press too hard or it might mash when you are cutting it. If it’s super ripe, the skin almost falls off on its own.

Cut off both ends. Just slice off the top and bottom tips to give yourself a flat surface.
Slice it in half lengthwise. You’ll see that bright white (or sometimes red) flesh with little black seeds inside.
Peel the skin. Use your fingers — just grab a corner of the peel and pull it away from the flesh. It should come off easily. Or use a spoon to separate the white flesh from the skin by scooping it out gently.
Dice it up. Place the peeled half on the cutting board and slice it into strips, then turn and slice crosswise to create cubes.

A glass of pink dragon fruit lemonade with ice, topped with dragon fruit pieces and a lemon slice. Two similar glasses and fruit halves are in the background.

How can I store leftovers?

Fresh lemonade lasts about 5 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container without ice. Only add ice when serving to prevent the beverage from getting watered down. Because this recipe contains fresh fruit, I recommend enjoying it within 5 days of making it.

Can I use frozen dragon fruit?

Yes, you can use frozen dragon fruit in the same quantity as directed for this recipe.

Variations of this recipe

Make it Sparkling Dragon Fruit Lemonade. Replace 2 cups of water with 2 cups of sparkling water when adding the water to the pitcher.

Make lemonade Ice pops. You can pour the lemonade into ice pop makers and put them in the freezer to make homemade dragon fruit lemonade ice pops.

Lemonade Ice Cubes. Pour the lemonade into ice cube trays and have lemonade ice cubes, I personally prefer to add lemonade ice cubes to lemonade instead of water ones.

Make it fancy. Add freeze-dried dragon fruit pieces or fresh dragon fruit chunks in to the glass when you are pouring the lemonade into it.

Wooden board with bowls of dragon fruit pieces, sugar, and water. There's also a glass of lemon juice and a half lemon on a marble surface.

Dragon Fruit Lemonade Ingredients

6 cups water, divided
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
2 cup fresh dragonfruit diced and divided (2 fresh dragonfruits)

How to Make Dragon Fruit Lemonade

Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a small saucepan or pot on the stove over medium heat.

Stir the water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved into the water. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, turn the stove off, remove the pot from the heat, and allow to cool.

While the simple sugar is cooling, juice the lemons into a bowl.

A pot with a black handle containing a clear liquid, possibly water, is placed on a marble surface next to a yellow and white striped cloth.

Peel and dice the dragon fruit. Then, place the chunks with 1 cup of water in a blender. Blend until your desired consistency is reached. You can leave bits and pieces of dragon fruit chunks in the mixture, or you can blend it all until it is fully mixed and smooth.

Once you have your desired consistency, add the remaining 4 cups of cold water, simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice to a blender and briefly blend until combined.

Top view of a food processor containing chopped red and white dragon fruit cubes on a marbled surface. A striped cloth is partially visible in the corner.

If you have a smaller blender, you can mix the fruit and simple syrup in the blender and then pour the mixed fruit and the water into a pitcher and mix well to combine with a wooden spoon.

Top view of a blender cup with pink smoothie and a blueberry on top, on a marble surface next to a yellow striped cloth.

Once fully blended, pour the dragon fruit lemonade into a large pitcher. You can store it in the fridge or serve it right away.

To serve, add ice cubes into a glass and then pour the homemade dragon fruit lemonade into the glass and enjoy. Garnish with any remaining diced dragonfruit and lemon slices if you wish.

Drink Recipes