Looking for a cold treat on a hot day? This frozen lemonade recipe — inspired by a Chick-fil-A frosted lemonade — will quench your thirst and satisfy your sweet tooth.
A copycat version of Chick-Fil-A’s frosted lemonade. This creamy, sweet and tart sippable dessert will quench your thirst and keep you cool.
I always loved when my mom made a lemon meringue pie when I was growing up. But I wasn’t in it only for the dessert. I used to love scraping the leftover sweetened condensed milk out of the can and licking the spoon. Heavenly!
This frozen lemonade recipe is a refreshing spring and summertime treat. Tangy and sweet, the flavor will remind you of lemon meringue pie. If you like Chick-fil-a’s frosted lemonade, you’ll love this make-at-home version.
If you like icy drinks, be sure to try Frosted Strawberry Lemonade, Tropical Frozen Lemonade Cocktail, Snickerdoodle Frappe and my homemade snow cone syrup recipe.
What is frosted lemonade?
This fast food favorite is essentially a lemonade-flavored milkshake. The Chick-Fil-A version is made from a blend of the restaurant’s Icedream vanilla soft serve and lemonade.
Many frosted, Chick-Fil-A frozen lemonade recipes use ice cream as a base, but not this one. The secret here is sweetened condensed milk!
My homemade frosted lemonade tastes like the fast food version. It’s creamy, tart, sweet and so refreshing. It’s a little bit like an Orange Julius, but with a lemony kick.
But my easy homemade version is more of a true creamy lemonade, made from frozen lemonade from concentrate, crushed ice, milk and sweetened condensed milk.
The recipe makes a large batch of frosted lemonade, enough for six to eight servings. Or you can freeze the leftovers to enjoy later.
Jump to RecipeYou can scroll to the end of this post for the full ingredient list and step-by-step recipe. But you may want to keep reading for more tips on to make homemade frosted lemonade.
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Ingredients for DIY Frosted Lemonade
To make frosted lemonade, you will need:
- Blender – For best results, use a heavy duty blender that is designed for making smoothies, such as a Ninja, Blendtec or a KitchenAid K400
- Lemonade – Use frozen concentrate lemonade, which you’ll find in the freezer section of the grocery store, often near the frozen fruit or with the alcoholic drink mixers.
- Sweetened, condensed milk – You can use fat-free or regular sweetened condensed milk.
- Milk – I usually use nonfat milk because that’s what we have in the fridge. But you can use 1 percent, 2 percent or whole milk, as well.
- Crushed ice – You’ll get a creamier frosted lemonade if you start with crushed ice instead of cubes.
- Lemon zest – The lemon zest garnish is optional, but it makes for a pretty drink and adds more lemony flavor. I love using a Microplane grater for zesting.
- Whipped cream – Add a dollop of whipped cream from an aerosol can or make your own by combining heavy cream and powdered sugar in this dispenser.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks sweetened condensed milk is the nectar of the gods! And if I’m being honest with you — and I am, because that’s how I roll — I still like scraping the leftovers from the can when I’m baking. Sometimes I share with my kid! But only sometimes!
While sweetened condensed milk is a staple in baking and desserts, it’s also great in drinks. (Try some swirled in your coffee and let me know what you think!)
How to Make Frosted Lemonade
- Combine the lemonade concentrate, milk and enough ice to reach a creamy, thick frozen consistency.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, to taste, and blend until incorporated. I usually find that half a 7-ounce can works well, but you may prefer a different ratio.
- Use less sweetened condensed milk for a tart drink and add more for a sweeter drink.
- Pour the lemon milkshake into a frosted glass and garnish with whipped cream and grated lemon zest.
Variations
If you want to cut back on calories and fat, you can use sugar-free lemonade and fat-free sweetened condensed milk.
You can also use frozen strawberry lemonade concentrate, frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate or frozen orange juice concentrate to make other frosted beverages.
Making Ahead and Storing
This frosted frozen lemonade recipe will make six to eight frosty drinks.
You can freeze what you don’t use immediately. The lemonade mixture freezes to a creamy, sorbet-like consistency that you can eat with a spoon. I think I may like it even better that way!
If you’re serving leftovers from the freezer, you can also thaw the frosted lemonade thaw for.a bit until it softens slightly. Return it to the blender and give it a couple of pulses until creamy and pourable. You may find it necessary to add more milk and ice.
What kind of blender should I use to make frosted lemonade?
I didn’t realize how important it was to have a good blender for making milkshakes, frothy drinks and frozen cocktails until I got one.
A heavy-duty or professional style blender, such as a Ninja, Blendtec or a KitchenAid K400, will result in a smoother, creamier drink, with fewer icy chunks. But you can make frosted lemonade using a regular household blender. I do recommend crushing the ice first, for best results..
More frozen dessert recipes
If you enjoyed frosted lemonade, try these other frozen dessert recipes, too.
Frosted and Frozen Lemonade
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 can lemonade frozen concentrate
- 1 cup milk
- 3.5 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2-3 cups crushed ice
- grated lemon zest
- whipped cream optional
Instructions
- In a blender, combine lemonade concentrate, milk and enough ice to reach a creamy, thick frozen consistency.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, to taste, and blend until incorporated. I usually find that half a 7-ounce can works well. Use less sweetened condensed milk for a tart drink and add more for a sweeter drink.
- Pour into a frosted glass and garnish with whipped cream and grated lemon zest.
Joyce
I’ll pretend I’m not diabetic for a day and make this!
Diane
What size can of lemonade? 6 oz or 12 oz.
Atta Girl Amy
Sorry I’m just now seeing this, Diane. I used a 12 ounce can.
Jess
This looks soooo yummy and refreshing, pinning! xo
Lauren @ Mom Home Guide
This looks great! I would love it if you could share your recipe at the A Little Bit of Everything Link Up Party at Mom Home Guide!
Diane
Lol. Sweetened condensed milk is good for sure. This looks like a delicious way to use it!
Thanks so much for linking up at #Purebloglove link party! The party begins every Thursday at 8 p.m. and runs through the week end. I’m hosting over at http://www.homemadefoodjunkie.com. We love to see you there!
Atta Girl Amy
I hope whoever invented sweetened condensed milk is a gazillionaire!