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?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture on tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
Fresh Strawberry Limeade
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.
Questions & Reviews
Just so you know, I can HIGHLY recommend freezing this stuff in ice lolly moulds. Amazing.
Love this! Very, very tasty!
What a delicious recipe! I made this for a gathering with friends, and everyone couldn’t stop raving about them. For something so easy, they sure were a big hit! One guest even exclaimed, “This is the perfect summer drink.”
Yep, just multiply it 🙂
Just whipped one of these up and it’s FABULOUS! (I have lots of limes to use up). And I used Diet Ginger Ale since that’s what’s in my fridge. :o) And just made/had the strawberry sauce for the first time yesterday atop pancakes. And think I will use more of it up on some vanilla ice cream…..And now I’m going to use up more limes to make your CREAMY LIME BARS. Thank you for everything!!
This drink is soooo delicious. My teenage daughter took a sip and said, “There is an explosion of flavor in my mouth!” and my husband wants me to make them again really soon. I already have more lime. Thanks.
Do ya think there is anyway to make a big batch of this deliciously yummy drink? I think this drink would satisfy a very pregnant mommy-to-be at a baby shower. Suggestions?? Thanks!
I have been craving these since I read this post so my 3 year old and I just made them! He had a genius idea to add whip cream! It made it taste just like the creamy strawberry limeades at Sonic! It was amazing! Next time (maybe tonight:)) we are gonna take it a step further and add a scoop of icecream! Can’t wait! Thanks for the recipe!
Lovely! My husband called it the best mixed drink he’d ever had. And it was the first time I’d made the strawberry sauce, too. Now that’s a treat! I can’t wait to use the leftovers on waffle morning.
Okay, I made these and lemm’e just say that I drank them ALL week long!! ;)) They are absolutely A-mazing!!!! :)) Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe! 😉
sounds yummy!
I made strawberry syrup tonight with this in mind. can’t wait!
This was a wonderful, easy drink to put together quick right before dinner. My husband and I absolutely loved it, and I had to make us each another! Good thing I had a bag of limes from Sam’s. The strawberry sauce (your recipe, of course!) was a mixture of strawberry and blackberry, which was really yummy with this drink. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Just made this. The perfect afternoon ‘treat’ on a warm afternoon. Thanks!
My husband tells me to tell you THANK YOU! Yesterday I made a complete 3 course meal entirely off your recipes. Started with Sweet and spicy cucumbers as the app, Strawberry Limeades, Garlic and Rosemary roasted pork with the garlic and rosemary roasted baby potatoes and finished it off with the Strawberry Cream pie. It was delicious and was probably my favorite meal ive ever cooked. Thank you so much!
Just made these yesterday and then again today, so so good!! The strawberry sauce is amazing, I was tempted to just drink that by itself 🙂
This looks wonderful and I’d love to make it for Mother’s day. I hate to make them all individually. Is there any reason you couldn’t mix the lime juice and strawberry sauce ahead of time and add the Sprite later to save time? This is probably a stupid question, so please excuse if it is! 😉 Love ourbestbites!
I’m so sorry that you’re sick! It’s hard to be the mom when you feel so miserable. Thanks for the tasty recipe!!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was Delicious! Usually with limeade’s it tastes too much like soda but not this. It was the perfect mix. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Oh my gosh, that looks so good!
Do you think it will be the same with frozen strawberries? I don’t have any fresh strawberries at home…only a HUGE bag of frozen strawberries.
Sounds delicious…and YES it is a recipe!
Sorry you were so sick! That’s the worst! 🙁 This drink sounds amazing!! I have a whole bag of limes in our fridge that I was wondering what to do with. Viola! Problem solved!! ;))
Thank you for the great recipe! I have an unrelated problem though…..why do you not have a carrot cake recipe on here? I was really hoping you would have one. All of your other recipe’s that I have tried turn out fantastic! Oh well I suppose I will have to continue my search….LOL…..Keep up the great work!
Go searching for our book and you’ll find it there! 😉
However…this is my friend’s recipe and I do have to say that it is AMAZING. 🙂
http://jeni-mycookbook.blogspot.com/2008/09/carrot-cake-supreme.html
Yum! Can’t wait to try it. Get well soon.
Okay, yum! This may be a really stupid question, but why do you use vanilla in the strawberry sauce instead of almond extract? Is it to make it sweeter? I may be really uneducated, but I’m just wondering. Thanks!
Brooke–It’s just that almond has such a distinct flavor and vanilla’s a little more neutral. 🙂
I.LOVE.THIS.BLOG.LOVE.LOVE.LOVE.
and this is why. and i hope you feel better. 🙂
I hope you get feeling better soon. How awful to be so sick. I think a fairy godmother is just what you needed! I just happen to have your strawberry sauce in my fridge and my husband is bringing home Sprite and limes as I type. Since we always drink milk or water at our house, my kids will think I’m amazing – thanks to you!
I’m so bummed that I’m leaving Provo tomorrow morning! The one time I’m not on campus. Bummer! This looks delicious though!
oh, this sounds so yummy!!! Can’t wait to try it!
What am I supposed to do with these great recipes you all post… AFTER you published the BEST cookbook! My beautiful cookbook is gonna be full of paper printed recipes, b/c I LOVE everything you guys cook up!!! LOL!!
Summer is on its way… at least in a glass!
It sounds delicious!
Sounds delicious!!!