Cherry blossom lemonade
This easy recipe for sugar-free cherry blossom lemonade captures the essence of the sakura in a refreshing drink: delicate, subtly fragrant and with a lovely pink color. And it’s incredible easy to make!
Inspired by this sakura lemonade from Matcha Oishii’s website, this delicate drink combines the elegance of cherry blossom with a hint of tartness from the lemon.
The result is a light and refreshing, alcohol-free beverage that tastes like springtime in a glass. And with less than 20 calories per serving!
Table of Contents
Reasons to love this recipe
What is cherry blossom lemonade?
Cherry blossom lemonade or sakura lemonade is the combination of cherry blossoms (usually sold in powdered form, dried or salt-pickled) and lemon.
The cherry blossom, or sakura, is a symbol of springtime in Japan and a sort of national symbol of the country.
Sakura blossoms are delicate and have a subtle but sweet fragrance.
While some varieties of sakura flowers are edible, they aren’t the most common ingredient even in Japanese cuisine.
However, in last years sakura is enjoying more and more popularity, so you may find food-grade sakura blossoms or powder online.
To make cherry blossom lemonade, you only have to mix some cherry blossom powder with lemonade.
What does cherry blossom lemonade taste like?
Everybody already knows how lemonade taste, so let’s focus on the sakura flavor.
Cherry blossoms have a very delicate and subtle fragrance, which is not easy to describe.
If you’ve ever smelled cherry blossoms, you may have noticed that they barely smell, but they still have a pleasant aroma.
And drinks with sakura powder honor this characteristic: they are very delicate, with a hint of sweetness.
It doesn’t exactly taste like cherries, but sometimes you may find a slight resemblance in the aftertaste.
When combined with lemon juice, as in this recipe, the drink becomes refreshing while still keeping that light and fine sakura flavor.
How to make sakura lemonade sugar-free
You may use regular sugar for this recipe, but if you have sugar-free sakura powder, you might as well make a sugar-free cherry blossom lemonade.
To do so, I like using xylitol or erythritol, as they taste very neutral so they don’t interfere with the delicate flavor of cherry blossoms.
You can find xylitol and erythritol in most health food stores, but if you can’t find them, you may use any other sugar-free sweetener of your choice.
You could also use stevia, but I find that it has a stronger flavor that may not be to everyone’s taste.
How to make cherry blossom lemonade
This cherry blossom lemonade recipe is very easy and quick to make.
You only need 4 ingredients:
- cherry blossom powder*
- water (or sparkling water)
- lemon juice
- sweetener of choice (I use xylitol or erythritol, but you can use sugar or your sweetener of choice)
*If you don’t have powdered cherry blossom, sakura jam may be a good alternative.
You just have to mix everything together and serve over ice!
How to make cherry blossom lemonade
- Make a cherry blossom simple syrup
Start by warming a little amount of water. Pour it over the cherry blossoms powder and sweetener and stir to dissolve.
- Make it a (concentrated) lemonade
Add a tablespoon lemon juice.
- Fill the glass
Pour water and (optionally) some ice cubes until your glass is full.
Tips
- As with any kind of lemonade, you may substitute fresh squeezed lemon use for frozen lemon juice.
- Adapt the sourness and sweetness to your taste – I personally prefer this recipe subtle, almost as a refreshing flavored water, but you may add more lemon juice or sweetener if you prefer.
- Make cherry blossom syrup before mixing it with the rest of liquids – sakura powder usually dissolves much easier if you site it with a little amount of warm or hot water first. Since sugar or other powdered sweeteners also dissolve much better in warm water, I find it’s best to make a sugar syrup with cherry blossoms first and then add the rest of the liquids.
- If you like sparkling lemonades, you may use sparkling water.
Common questions about cherry blossoms
Cherry blossoms don’t taste exactly like cherries, so while you may make lemonade with cherries and it will taste good, it won’t taste like this recipe.
The short answer is: yes! Cherry blossoms have a beautiful pink color, and that’s exactly the color you can expect your cherry blossom lemonade to be.
Of course, the final color will also depend on the type and concentration of sakura powder you use.
If you want a more intense color, you can add more sakura powder. If you want a lighter color, add less sakura powder or dilute the lemonade with more water.
Cherry blossoms lemonade recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Sugar-free sakura powder
- 1 teaspoon Erythritol (or sugar or sweetener of choice)
- 50 ml. Water 3-4 Tablespoons
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice
- Water (or sparkling water)
- Ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a small amount of water and when it’s warm or hot, dissolve the sakura powder and sweetener in it.
- Add the lemon juice (you may add frozen lemon juice instead)
- Pour the rest of the water to fill the glass
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this sakura lemonade as much as we do!
What a beautiful drink!
Thank you very much for the nice idea to get a pretty colored lemonade.