How the lemonade calculator works
This planner has four modes. Recipe mode scales a classic lemon to sugar to water ratio to the servings you want. Party serving mode turns a guest count into total lemonade, lemons, ice, and a container suggestion. Concentrate mode tells you how much water to add to a concentrate. Commercial batch mode sizes a large batch and estimates its cost. Pick a sweetness, choose your lemon source, and it lays out exactly what to buy.
Lemonade ratio chart
Lemonade is built on a lemon to sugar to water ratio by volume. These are the common ratios behind the sweetness presets.
| Style | Lemon | Sugar | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light sweet (tart) | 1 | 0.75 | 4 |
| Classic | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Sweet | 1 | 1.25 | 4 |
| Extra sweet | 1 | 1.5 | 4 |
Crowd planning guide
A rough rule is a little over a gallon of lemonade per ten guests for a couple of drinks each. Scale to your event.
| Guests | Lemonade |
|---|---|
| 10 | about 1 gallon |
| 25 | about 3 gallons |
| 50 | about 6 gallons |
| 100 | about 12 gallons |
Fresh lemon conversion and sugar tips
One medium lemon yields roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons, about 45 ml, of juice, so a cup of juice takes around five to six lemons. Roll them firmly and bring them to room temperature for the most juice. To cut sugar, drop to the light sweet ratio, replace part of the sugar with a touch of honey or a sugar substitute, or add more water and a little extra lemon for brightness. Dissolving sugar in warm water as a simple syrup first avoids grit.
Frequently asked questions
How much lemonade for 50 people? About 6 gallons for a couple of servings each, more in hot weather or for a long event.
How many lemons do I need? Roughly five to six lemons per cup of juice; a gallon of classic lemonade uses about 3 cups of juice, so 15 to 18 lemons.
What is the lemonade ratio? A classic ratio is 1 part lemon juice to 1 part sugar to 4 parts water, adjusted to taste.
Related calculators: Drink Batch, Party Beverage, Coffee Batch, Punch.