Lemonade is one of those things that just seems to scream for sugar. Most “diet” lemonades I’ve tried just aren’t very good. I think I’ve finally hit on a low-calorie version of lemonade that I’d actually drink on a regular basis.
I’ve tried stevia in the past and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it comes from a plant and is, in a sense, a “natural” sweetener. On the other hand, you can’t really extract its sweetness without processing it, so is it truly natural?
Stevia can have a somewhat bitter taste too. I learned recently that brands of stevia vary wildly and, if you can find a brand high in steviosides (the sweetness component), you will greatly reduce the bitterness. How you figure this out isn’t quite clear. I guess the brand I tried this time had more steviosides than ones I’ve tried in the past because I liked it this time.
I found that a little more than 1/3 cup powdered stevia was the right amount for me in this particular recipe. Your stevia may be more or less sweet than mine, so you may need to make adjustments. If you use liquid stevia extract, start with 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon and tailor it from there.
I used lemon thyme because that’s what is currently growing in my herb garden. I’m sure other varieties of thyme (or rosemary) would work equally well. If I can ever find myself a stevia plant, I’m going to try steeping the stevia leaves along with the thyme and see how that works.
This would be a refreshing drink to serve at a July 4th picnic. If you don’t have diabetes yourself, some of your guests may appreciate it! Have you tried stevia? What did you think?
Ingredients
- 4 cups water divided
- 6 tablespoons stevia powdered
- 10 sprigs of fresh thyme or lemon thyme plus additional for garnish
- 2 cups fresh lemon juice from about 10 large lemons
- lemon slices for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of water and stevia in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the stevia dissolves. Add thyme sprigs, cover and turn off heat.
- When thyme mixture has cooled to room temperature, strain into a pitcher filled with ice cubes. Stir in remaining 2 cups of water and lemon juice.
- Serve in ice-filled glasses and garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon slices, if desired.
Notes
Great blog you people have maintained there, I totally appreciate the work.
ree recipes
This look so refreshing! I use stevia (Nu Naturals which tastes pretty good) from time to time, so this is a nice alternative to traditional sugar sweetened lemonade. Love the addition of the lemon thyme too!
Love it! This looks wonderful.
I’ve grown stevia and chewed the leaves while standing in the garden but I’ve never used stevia. I will buy some and try this lemonade!
Looks so refreshing Miss Nelly. Great guest post!
This looks perfectly refreshing. I’ve been wanting to try some herbs in my lemonade.
This sounds so good! I need to try making this!