This sweet, bubbly Strawberry Limeade is perfect for sipping on during hot summer afternoons, or enjoying with family and friends and a fun evening barbecue. We start with a simple Strawberry Sauce (make it with vanilla), add juice from fresh limes, lots of ice, and Sprite.
Ingredient Notes
- Strawberry Sauce – This simple fresh strawberry sauce can be used in so many ways! Over pancakes or waffles, on ice cream or cheesecake, over angel food cake with whipped cream, you really can’t go wrong. Here we use it to add that fresh strawberry flavor to our limeade.
- Limes – Look for smaller limes with thinner skin. These will usually have the best tasting juice for beverages, but any limes will do. Fresh lime juice is a must here. Leave the bottled stuff on the shelf!
- Sprite – You can use regular or diet Sprite here.
How To Make Fresh Strawberry Limeade
- Make your strawberry sauce. Wash strawberries and remove stems. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can roughly chop the berries. Combine berries, sugar, and vanilla extract in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring/breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon constantly.
After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (if you have a glass blender jar) and a lot (if you have a plastic blender jar). When cool enough, transfer mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached. You can also use an immersion blender, which makes things super easy! For more details and pictures of this process, see the original Strawberry Sauce post. Allow sauce to cool in the refrigerator.
- When ready to serve, fill a cup with ice. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the ice.
3. This is where it gets hard. Fill the glass halfway full with Sprite.
4. Then add about 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry sauce. This will largely be to taste and also how frothy your strawberry sauce is (the frothier it is, the more you’ll need).
5. Fill the glass to the top with Sprite. Stir it up gently with a straw (or don’t if you like the pretty red swirls). Add another lime slice or two and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time? Can I make it for a crowd? Absolutely! Prepare your strawberry sauce up to a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge. You could juice fresh limes up to a day ahead of time and refrigerate as well. Plan on 2 tablespoons of juice per glass, as well as any slices you may desire for garnish. Make sure your Sprite is chilled. When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice, and follow the instructions as written.
Serving Suggestions
Have leftover strawberry sauce? Here are some other ways to use it up!
Light & Crispy Waffles
100% Whole Wheat Pancakes
Strawberry Cheesecake Squares
Looking for similar beverages?
Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade and Limeade
Brazilian Lemonade
Frozen Blackberry Limeade
Did You Make This?
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Fresh Strawberry Limeade
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
A refreshing, carbonated strawberry limeade, utilizing homemade strawberry sauce, fresh limes, and Sprite.
Ingredients
STRAWBERRY SAUCE
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1 pint strawberries
FOR EACH GLASS OF LIMEADE
1 tall glass
Lots of ice
Sprite (or Diet Sprite…or Ginger Ale if you’re feeling wild)
1 1/2 limes (about 2 tablespoons juice and a slice or two of lime for garnish)
3–4 tablespoons Strawberry Sauce
Instructions
- Make your strawberry sauce:
Wash strawberries and remove stems. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can roughly chop the berries.Combine berries, sugar, and extract in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring/breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon constantly.After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (if you have a glass blender jar) and a lot (if you have a plastic blender jar). When cool enough, transfer mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached. You can also use an immersion blender, which makes things super easy! Cool and refrigerate. - Make your drink:
Fill a glass with ice. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the glass over the ice.Fill the glass about halfway with Sprite. Add 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry sauce. Top the glass off with Sprite and add more strawberry sauce if desired.Garnish with lime wedges (which you can also squeeze into the glass before drinking. Definitely best when served with a straw.
Yummy! We made these this afternoon (you know, because we had all the ingredients leftover from making your yummy strawberry lemonade)! I love being able to customize for each person’s tastes. Thanks for always having such yummy ideas!
Ooooh! This looks so nummy… and I have all the ingredients!! Yeah!
Oh my yumminess!!! My mouth is seriously watering!
That sounds so delicious! I just got a look at your cookbook (got it from the library) and I’m so impressed. I love all the tutorials and that EVERY recipe has a fabulous picture. I made a LONG list of all the ones I want to try and the strawberry sauce is one of them. I’m going to have to put the cookbook on my wish list – the only thing that I think would have made it better is nutrition information, but then again, maybe I don’t want to know for some of the recipes 🙂
oh kate I hope you feel better soon!!! I wish I was going to be able to go to the book signing tomorrow- I go to BYU so you’d think I could manage it, but unfortunately I know how you are feeling and will probbly be stuck in bed. but no with pink eye, I’m so sorry you got EVERYTHING!! Get better soon! and this recipe is amazing!
Sounds GREAT! I’m sick too, with strep throat and all the other symptoms you described. And I AM going to blame it on getting a puppy, which we did.
No judgement here, we know what its like to be sick and this drink looks amazing so why would you not want to drink it all of the time! I can’t wait to try this.
Ok, the ONLY problem I have with the strawberry recipes is that they don’t come on here until June! The grocery store imports are getting cheaper, but the quality still isn’t there. 🙁 Just another month, tho, and I will be all over this…
Yum! Can’t wait to try this!
And I can’t stop laughing about “her breath smells like she just ate her own poo”. Haha! I need to point that out to my boys and husband who have all started begging for a dog.
You know you people that say yum and yummy really need to be banned from all sites, those two words are the most sickening words in English language today. Grow up your pathetic…
I made this for easter!!!! I love the sonic ones. Me and my sister are addicted to them we get thin every time we are out. AMAZING!!!!
Seriously Gorgeous for easter:)
Hey Kate,
I’m so sorry that you’re family is sick. That is the hardest when you’re mom. I know! Honestly, before I read about that, my mouth was watering over your pictures. One of my favorite flavors is lime, and I have stawberries I need to use too! Thanks for this easy recipe. I love new drink ideas!!! Get well soon! (hugs)!
Love a new way to use limes! ANd … LoVE that little square plate you have everything displayed on, it screams out spring! If you remember where it came from, can you share, please … because I’m sure my girls would eat anything on those plates! Hope you are feeling better soon, it’s the worst to be the sick Mom!
Meredith–Thanks, girl! I’m feeling so much better today–I’m seriously so thankful for antibiotics. I got that plate at Target a few years ago, so I don’t think they carry it anymore, but I ALWAYS find cute, cheap stuff there! 🙂
That looks awesome! Now let’s see a picture of your puppy!
So did you already know of my addiction to all varieties of lemonade and limeade before you wrote this?! Seriously, I buy the Minute Maid cherry limeade every time we go to Walmart {because that’s the only place that seems to sell it and it’s cheap – I splurge when I buy the Simply brand of raspberry lemonade ;)} and it’s always gone within 2, maybe 3, days of opening it! And this is just 10x better because it is made with Sprite and will have some fizz to it. 🙂 Unfortunately I have no strawberry sauce on hand, i.e. strawberries are going on my grocery list RIGHT now!
This looks like it could be better than the strawberry limeades from Sonic. Seriously, I would know. I worked at one for 4 years.
Yeah!! Thanks to a $1 per pound sale this week I have a boatload of strawberries!! And thanks to your cookbook I now keep limes in my refrigerator at all times! The sprite I’m going to have to work on, but I may just have to swing by happy hour at Sonic today then just add this stuff to it. Thanks for the recipe and I hope you get feeling better!! The Momma should never be sick! If I lived on your street I’d totally make you some chicken soup! Excuse my unhealthy obsession with exclamation points 🙂
Oh that looks so yummy! If I had strawberries, and Ice… and limes I would make it right now. 🙂
I just wanted you to know that I posted about your cookbook today on my blog. I absolutely love it!
Thanks for posting this limes are on sale this week and I will be drinking this recipe up.
This is PERFECT for the hot days that are approaching!
This sounds like a perfect drink for the summer. I will definitely be making it!
my daughter raved so much about this website that I had just had to check it out. She was right. I will be using it also. She is just to smart for me.
Looks so refreshing! I tried your sopapilla recipe last night, it was a huge hit in our house! So simple and quick when you want dessert, and we had the leftovers reheated for breakfast, YUM!!! I am so loving your cookbook!!
Hee, must be fate…I JUST made the strawberry sauce! 🙂
I hope you feel better SOON! Take care of yourself and those kiddos.
I just made this strawberry sauce a few days ago and I’ve got limes! Great way to make it through Wednesday!
This looks so refreshing! Just in time for the warmer days that are *just about here* in Boston. Thanks for the great and delicious idea. 🙂 Feel better soon!
Your pocketless pants comment made me chuckle 🙂 but in all seriousness, I hope you and the kids get better soon! That limeade does look tasty and, yes, I’d say you can call this a recipe. ((hug))
This is when I think a nanny would come in handy. I hope you feel better soon Kate. Love the idea for this drink. A bonus for me is living in Queensland, I get fresh juicy strawberries in winter with season starting soon.
OH MY GOSH!!! That sounds so extraordinarily delicious!! I’d love for you to come link it up tomorrow to Wow Me Wednesday!!
I LOVE strawberry and lime together. I can’t wait for summer so I can try this!