This simple recipe for color changing lemonade gives you a burst of galaxy colors in your refreshing summer beverage. It’s both kid and adult friendly as is, but feel free to spike it as well!
Mallet, blender, or food processor (to crush ice if desired)
Clear glasses
Ingredients
4Butterfly pea flower tea bags
3Cupswater
2Cupsprepared lemonade
Ice cubes
Instructions
Boil the water on the stove or in the microwave and add the butterfly pea flower tea bags to it. Steep for about 30 minutes, until the water is deep blue
3 Cups water, 4 Butterfly pea flower tea bags
Discard the tea bags (or strain out the loose tea) and then pour the tea water into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid (6-8 hours). If you don’t have an ice cube tray, transfer the tea to a container and chill in the refrigerator
(Optional) If you’d like the color change to happen faster, crush some of the ice into varying chunk sizes using a mallet or blender. You want it to be somewhat coarse
Fill some glasses or a pitcher half full with regular ice. Top with the pea flower ice
Ice cubes
Pour in the lemonade. If you don’t have ice cubed tea, gently pour the cooled liquid in on top of the lemonade in an ice-filled glass
2 Cups prepared lemonade
Give it a gentle stir with a spoon or straw to accelerate the color changing effect
Top with additional crushed pea flower ice and a slice of lemon as garnish if desired
Notes
I find butterfly pea flower tea bags to be most convenient. However, you can also use loose leaf tea if preferred and strain it. For a no cook option, use butterfly pea tea powder, which dissolves in water
You can make your own homemade lemonade if you prefer, but you’ll need to use real lemons instead of a powdered mix. I just do equal parts sugar, water, and lemon juice for that (but buying pre-made saves time)
While there are many ways to make color changing lemonade, I think using an ice cube tray to make frozen tea cubes is best. You may want a blender or a mallet to break the cubes up, or you can leave them whole if you don’t have one
Serve in clear glasses for the best visual impact! This galaxy lemonade can be served in short or tall glasses, or even presented in a pitcher or carafe depending how many you’re serving
The ice cubes will turn your fingers blue if you hold onto them for too long. They don’t stain as badly as blueberries, but I’d still avoid hanging onto them unless you want to look like a smurf!
You can prepare the ice cubes up to 1 week in advance, and if you’re making homemade lemonade, up to 3 days in advance. Once you combine them, though, the colors will eventually bleed together and you’ll lose the color changing effect. Leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; just don’t expect it to look as exciting
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only