One of Sonic’s most popular drinks can now be made at home thanks to this Cherry Limeade Sonic Copycat Recipe! This Cherry Limeade is made with a homemade ingredient that delivers the BEST burst of flavor, making it a complete knock-out drink you’ll want to sip all Summer long!
This Cherry Limeade Is Better Than Sonic’s!
Dive into the refreshing taste of Sonic’s Cherry Limeade – AT HOME! If you’re like me, you don’t even have a Sonic in your state, which is a big problem for Cherry Limeade lovers, am I right?
I finally let my love of Sonic’s Cherry Limeade motivate me to perfect a copycat recipe so that I could enjoy one anytime I wanted, not just when I left my home state! My goal was to achieve the BEST tasting Cherry Limeade without any artificial flavors or dyes.
And thanks to my 4-ingredient homemade dark cherry simple syrup I’ve perfected the ultimate Sonic Copycat Cherry Limeade Recipe! It has a bright, fruity flavor with a refreshing light taste thanks to eliminating store-bought cherry syrup.
One sip of this may even have you skipping the Sonic Drive-Thru if you’re lucky enough to live by one! Serve Cherry Limeades poolside all Summer long while you beat the heat with this crisp, sweet drink!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Bright and fruity!
Texture: Fizzy
Ease: 4/10
Pros: The fresh cherries and freshly squeezed lime juice have an incredible flavor.
Cons: Extra time to make syrup from scratch, but worth it!
Would I Make This Again? YES! It’s the perfect summer limeade recipe!
Ingredients For Homemade Cherry Limeade
The first step to mixing up a pitcher of this Cherry Limeade Recipe is to make the homemade dark cherry simple syrup. This is made by simmering dark pitted cherries in water with granulated sugar and lemon juice.
The cherry simple syrup can be made with fresh or frozen dark cherries, whatever you prefer to work with. This homemade cherry syrup then sweetens the limeade while providing authentic cherry flavor without the use of dyes and artificial flavors.
Finishing up the ingredients for cherry limeade is freshly squeezed lime juice, water, and a lemon-lime soda such as 7UP, Sprite, or Sierra Mist. If you’d like you can use diet lemon-lime soda.
Serve and enjoy the cherry limeade over ice with dark pitted cherries and lime wheels for garnish. For the complete sonic experience use pellet ice, nugget ice, or pebble ice!
How To Make Cherry Limeade
- Prepare homemade dark cherry simple syrup at least an hour in advance.
- Squeeze limes and then add the juice to a large pitcher.
- Pour the cherry simple syrup, water, and lemon-lime soda into the pitcher of freshly squeezed lime juice and stir.
- Serve over ice with fresh cherries and lime wheels.
Dark Cherries – For the best tasting cherry syrup I recommend using dark cherries.
Frozen Cherries – I’ve found that frozen cherries yield more syrup. And as a bonus frozen cherries come already pitted which speeds up the process of making the syrup since you won’t have to pit them!
Lime Juice – To get the most juice out of your limes as easy and as quickly as possible, first microwave each lime for about 20 seconds. Then roll each warm lime on the counter back and forth using the palm of your hand with a little bit of pressure. Afterward, slice the limes and squeeze the juice out!
Enjoy Fresh – This Sonic Copycat Cherry Limeade tastes the best when it’s freshly made so it doesn’t lose its carbonation Therefore, I suggest making the cherry syrup ahead of time and then whipping up a pitcher of limeade shortly before enjoying.
How To Store Cherry Limeade
You can keep any leftover Cherry Limeade in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 3 to 4 days. However, the carbonation of the soda will decrease as it’s stored.
More Refreshing Summer Drinks!
- Peach Lemonade – A sweet, crisp drink made with homemade peach simple syrup, water, and lemon juice!
- Raspberry Iced Tea – This 5-Star recipe is made with only 4 easy ingredients!
- Iced Strawberry Sweet Tea – Strawberry simple syrup sweetens up freshly steeped tea for a great fruity drink!
- Creamy Lemonade – The viral TikTok drink that’s ready in just 15 minutes!
- Homemade Fruit Punch – Packed with fruity flavors and a fizzy finish, serve it up at all of your pool parties!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
Cherry Limeade (Sonic Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup lime juice about 8 to 10 limes, freshly squeezed
- 1½ cup dark cherry simple syrup
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups lemon-lime soda
- ice
Instructions
- Prepare 1½ cup dark cherry simple syrup at least 1 hour in advance.
- Squeeze limes to make 1 cup lime juice and add to a large pitcher.
- Add 1½ cup dark cherry simple syrup, 4 cups water, and 3 cups lemon-lime soda to the pitcher and stir to combine.
- Serve over ice and garnish with lime wheels and cherries.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
SonRay says
This sounds amazing!
Rebecca says
The homemade cherry syrup and fresh lime juice really make this recipe shine! So much better than the ones made with maraschino cherry syrup and bottles lime juice.