Homemade orangeade is traditional Appalachian recipe with origins in North Carolina. Fresh squeezed orange juice gets mixed with simple syrup, lemon juice, and club soda for a refreshing citrusy drink.

Everyone thinks of the South and sipping sweet tea on the porch.

Well, we don’t only drink sweet tea down here.

We also love other refreshing drinks like lemonade or this homemade orangeade.

What is orangeade?

Orangeade is a mix of freshly squeezed orange juice, simple syrup, and lemon juice.

Some recipes, like this one, use club soda instead of water as a base for the recipe.

What is the difference between orangeade and orange juice?

Orange juice is made only from oranges.

Orangeade has freshly squeezed orange juice along with other ingredients that give it a different flavor and texture than orange juice.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

Orange juice– Freshly squeezed and not store bought orange juice
Simple syrup ingredients– Equal parts granulated sugar and water
Lemon juice– Again freshly squeezed
Vanilla extract– Real vanilla
Pinch of salt
Club soda– In place of club soda, you can also use Sprite or 7 up or in a pinch plain water.

How to Make

To make homemade orangeade, start by stirring together the sugar and plain water in a medium sized sauce pan set over high heat until the sugar’s completely dissolved.

Once the sugar dissolves, stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Remove the pan from heat and set aside.

Then, add both the orange and lemon juices to a large pitcher.

Pour the syrup from the pan into the pitcher.

Lastly, add the club soda, and give everything a good stir to combine.

Serve over ice in glasses.

Enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

If you are using club soda or another soda, I don’t recommend storing leftovers for too long as the soda will go flat.

Otherwise refrigerate the pitcher for up to 3 days.

Tips and Tricks

Use a sweet variety of orange for the juice. Ripe navel oranges work really well.
If you don’t like pulp in your orange juice, then set a small mesh strainer over your pitcher and pour the freshly squeeze orange juice through that into the pitcher.
DO NOT use prepared or store bought orange juice. These have already been sweetened and have other flavors added.

Other Southern Drinks

Homemade orangeade is a refreshing taste of the South, perfect for hot summer days.

Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other Southern drinks?

Try these:

If you’ve tried this HOMEMADE ORANGEADE or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

two glasses of homemade orangeade on a wooden table

Homemade Orangeade Recipe

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Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Drinks

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 122kcal

Author: Meaghan - The Quicker Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
5 cups club soda

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add both the sugar and plain water to a medium sized sauce pan set over high heat, stirring until the sugar's completely dissolved.
Add the extract and a pinch of salt, stirring to combine, then remove the skillet from heat and set aside.
To a large pitcher, add both the orange and lemon juices- then pour in the syrup from the skillet.
Add the club soda, and give everything a good stir to combine.
Serve over ice in glasses.

Notes

Use a sweet variety of orange for the juice. Ripe navel oranges work really well.
If you don't like pulp in your orange juice, then set a small mesh strainer over your pitcher and pour the freshly squeeze orange juice through that into the pitcher.
DO NOT use prepared or store bought orange juice. These have already been sweetened and have other flavors added.