Air Fry Your Lemons For Deliciously Complex Lemonade

Another day, another unexpected way to use your beloved air fryer. You probably use your air fryer for a variety of savory dishes, but the versatile appliance can also upgrade your beverage game. When it comes to whipping up the ultimate lemonade recipe, the secret to the best-tasting beverage actually involves blending entire lemons into the drink, which helps to impart a note of bitterness and extracts all of the citrus goodness hidden in the peel. Of course, not just any lemons will do. To take the flavor profile up a notch, you'll want to roast the lemons in an air fryer first for a richer and mildly nutty, tantalizing taste.

That's right; when life gives you lemons, throw them in the air fryer, because roasted lemons make the best lemonade, period. You can go ahead and throw away the powdered mix because air-fried lemonade is about to knock your socks off.

We get it; the idea that you could make flavorful lemons taste even more potent seems pretty impossible. However, caramelizing these citrusy fruits in an air fryer works by browning their natural sugars. The resulting deliciously sweet and toasty flavor will undoubtedly make your lemony drink even more enjoyable, especially if you use the entire fruit. And the best part is that air fryers can roast your lemons in a fraction of the time it takes a conventional oven.

When the lemons are roasted, you're going to use the "blender lemonade" method, which involves tossing a few lemons — peel and all — into a blender along with water and sugar to produce a tall glass of lemonade made in minutes — no juicing necessary. Just be sure to cut them into smaller slices and remove the pith and seeds for easier blending.

For this style of lemonade, it's important to pick the right ones at the grocery store. Opt for lemons with thinner skins; thicker peels won't give as easily, which you can test by giving them a gentle squeeze. Since you'll be using the entire lemon, organic options are preferable, as they're usually grown with natural fertilizers and contain fewer toxic pesticides, according to HelpGuide.org. However, if you can't find organic lemons, don't fret. Conventional lemons will suffice as long as you give them a thorough scrub before adding them to the blender for easier lemonade preparation.

Want to make your air-fried lemons really go the distance? You can squeeze even more goodness out of the roasted fruit by incorporating them into a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Garnish cocktails with air-fried lemon wedges, or blend them into a caramelized lemon vinaigrette for salads. You can even slice them to top baked treats of your choice, from cheesecakes to sweet breads and everything in between.