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WTF is whipped lemonade? The creamy frozen drink that's better than frosé

It's the weekend treat you didn't know you needed until now. Here's the recipe.

David Watsky Senior Editor / Home and Kitchen
David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.
Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits.
David Watsky
3 min read
whipped-lemonade

Take a look at this sweet, creamy summer sensation.

David Watsky/CNET

Whipped lemonade is a tasty frozen beverage that came on strong this summer via TikTok and other social networks and it appears to have staying power too. If you haven't made the frothy, creamy, sweet and tart drink just yet, there's still plenty of time. We've got a whipped lemonade recipe that's fool-proof and best of all, you can tinker with it to add your favorite summer flavors like mint, berries and vodka. Ya know, all the classics. 

Whipped lemonade may give you flashbacks to the dalgona coffee craze; a caffeinated whipped coffee drink that originated in South Korea and then captured the world's attention during the start of lockdown last year. I'd argue that whipped lemonade is even more refreshing and summer-centric than dalgona and it's kid-friendly to boot.

Whipped lemonade recipes abound and the basic recipe lends itself to all sorts of creative interpretation which is probably why all those creative TikTokers fell in love with the stuff. You can make your whipped lemonade with booze -- tequila and whiskey are my most popular picks -- or serve it up with kid-friendly flavors like fruit or a packet of Kool-Aid.

My 12-year-old niece is a regular on TikTok and she first clued me in on this fun frozen drink trend, as she so often does. Much to my pleasant surprise, Whipped Lemonade was super easy to make -- so let's get into it. I'll walk you through how to make whipped lemonade before summer 2021 melts into the history books.

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Whipped lemonade is even better than it looks. Thank me later. #foodtok #whipplemonade #summer

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What is whipped lemonade?

Whipped lemonade is a creamy, frothy, blended mixture of fresh lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream and ice. I'm a blender-holic and this pucker-inducing beverage seemed like a perfect foil for any sticky summer day, of which we are in no short supply.

When I heard about this viral drink, I scurried over to the bodega to pick up the necessary ingredients, all of which are easily obtained. I'd seen some dumbed-down versions that use powdered lemonade in place of the fresh lemon and condensed milk, but those didn't sound nearly as appealing. I also made my whipped cream from scratch because it's fairly simple and, honestly, there's just no comparin'. 

whipped-lemonade-2

Everything you'll need to make whipped lemonade, minus the blender and ice. 

David Watsky/CNET

What's the recipe?

For the basic whipped lemonade recipe, all you'll need is:

  • 3 cups of ice
  • 2 cups of whipped cream (store-bought or homemade)
  • 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • Vanilla extract (if making whipped cream)
  • Granulated sugar or sugar substitute (if making whipped cream)

1. If you're making your own whipped cream, beat 1 cup of whipping cream (or heavy cream) with a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a cold bowl or cocktail shaker until peaks appear. I used a handheld milk frother for this, but a manual whisk or electric mixer works too. Set aside in the fridge.

2. Combine ice, condensed milk, fresh lemon juice and 1 cup of the whipped cream in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy with no ice chunks left.

3. Pour into a glass and top with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

4. Lower sunglasses and enjoy. 

Is whipped lemonade as good as it sounds?

Honestly, it was fantastic, akin to a lemony creamsicle, and it took just 15 minutes from start to finish (mostly whipping the cream and juicing lemons). I don't love super sweet things but I do love me some sour, so I cut down on the sugar in my whipped cream and used about 25% less sweetened condensed milk than the recipe I found called for. It was still plenty sweet but not overbearing. I could -- and did -- finish the entire thing. 

I also didn't splash any vodka, Bourbon or tequila into this batch of whipped lemonade, but there's no telling what'll happen the next time my blender comes out. Fresh or frozen berries would also make a nice addition to this summer-friendly drink. 

Thanks, TikTok. Don't ever change.

For more TikTok trends, here's how to make your own TikTok Duet and how to make a Picrew avatar. Also, did you know that TikTok now lets you post videos up to 3 minutes long?

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