It's summertime, and what better way to celebrate then to have a special treat? Chick-fil-A's frosted lemonade will hit the spot and it's so easy to whip up. It's creamy, sweet and tangy--an absolute delight!
Love Chick-fil-A milkshakes? You'll also want to check out our copycat recipes for their famous peach milkshake and their frosted sunrise.
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Ingredients
The three ingredients needed to make this cool summertime treat are easy to find at any grocery store.
- Lemons: When you're shopping, choose lemons that have a slight give to them when squeezed and have a rounder shape, as these will yield more juice. Store them at room temperature and roll them on the counter with the palm of your hand before juicing with a citrus press or reamer. CFA uses Sunkist lemons.
- Sweetener: For a regular frosted lemonade, use white cane sugar, and for a diet version, use Splenda (CFA's choice) or another sweetener that you prefer.
- Water: Use filtered water that's at room temperature or that is cold from the fridge.
- Ice Cream: Choose a good-quality vanilla bean ice cream. To keep costs down, we like to use Blue Bunny or Breyers, but if cost isn't a concern use Jeni's honey vanilla bean.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients. You'll need 12 medium to large lemons, granulated white sugar, filtered water, and a good quality vanilla bean ice cream.
- The first step is to make the homemade lemonade. Rinse the lemons and cut them half, then use a citrus press or reamer to squeeze out the juice. Stir in the sugar.
- Add the water to dilute it.
3. Stir the lemonade until it's well combined. Taste it: it should be tart. Resist the urge to add more sugar!
4. Next, add the vanilla bean ice cream and the lemonade to the blender.
5. Blend for a few seconds, then stop to check. Does your drink pass the straw test? If the straw can't stand up on its own, add more ice cream.
Can you taste the tart lemonade? If it tastes more like ice cream, add a bit more lemonade. If done correctly, your frozen drink should look a pale yellow.
6. Don't worry about a garnish, it's not necessary. Enjoy this refreshing beverage by yourself, or better yet, make enough to share with the some other special people in your life. They will love you for it.
Recipe FAQs
It's super simple, so you don't need any special kitchen skills. Plus, this recipe tastes better than the original one at Chick-fil-A because the homemade lemonade makes this drink sweet, tart, and creamy. If you are a fan of lemons, you'll love this frozen summer beverage!
It's a refreshing drink that combines their hand-spun lemonade and their famous soft serve vanilla Icedream. u0022Frostedu0022 is the term CFA likes to use when their signature vanilla Icedream is mixed with another beverage.
According to the Chick-fil-A website, the ingredients are simply vanilla Icedream, water, lemon juice, and pure cane sugar.
Since it's a blend of their popular lemonade and vanilla Icedream, it is surprisingly very good. It has a nice lemon flavor and is a pretty pale yellow.
Chick-fil-A has 330 calories for a regular, and 240 calories for one made with diet lemonade. For the same serving size, our recipe has 516 calories and 65g carbs. Our recipe has 4 scoops of premium ice cream in each drink. For more nutritional information, scroll to the end of the recipe card.
Yes and no, if you need to make this ahead, do so within an hour of serving it and place it in the freezer. If you make it too far in advance, it will be more like ice cream then a milkshake.
If it does end up totally freezing, allow it to thaw slightly on the counter for 20 minutes, and then break it up a bit with a fork to get the texture to be more drinkable.
Variations
- Need this diet? Use Splenda or your sweetener of choice instead of pure cane sugar.
- Need this vegan? Use vegan vanilla ice cream, or make your own with coconut cream, sugar, sea salt, vanilla bean pod, and vanilla extract.
- Want a twist? Add some strawberry puree to have a frosted strawberry lemonade.
Expert Tips
- Don't cut corners on the freshly squeezed lemonade. Substitutions will compromise the taste.
- Room-temperature lemons will yield more juice because they're easier to squeeze.
- Resist the urge to add too much sugar to the lemonade; tart is the best for this recipe.
Other Chick-fil-A Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, roughly 9-12 lemons
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1.5 quarts good-quality vanilla bean ice cream, such as Jeni's or Blue Bunny
Instructions
- Rinse and half 9 to 12 room-temperature lemons. Squeeze the juice with a hand juicer, wooden citrus reamer or a citrus press. Strain out the seeds, but keep the pulp.
- Stir together the freshly squeezed lemon juice and the sugar in a 4 cup measuring cup with a wooden spoon. Stir in the water, then taste. The lemonade should be tart, since the ice cream will sweeten it. Use it right away, or refrigerate until ready to use.
- Place 9 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and 1 ½ cups of the lemonade in a blender. (Note: You'll have 2 ¼ cups of lemonade left to drink, or to make into more frosted lemonade.) Put the lid on the blender and blend for a few seconds. The drink should be a pale yellow, thick enough to hold up a straw, and taste more like lemonade then ice cream. If necessary, add 2 tablespoons more of the lemonade for tartness.
- Pour into four glasses and enjoy right away with a paper straw. This drink can be placed in the freezer for up to one hour before it starts to turn into lemon ice cream.
Notes
- Use room-temperature lemons, as they will yield more juice and be easier to squeeze.
- Substitutions for the freshly squeezed lemonade will compromise the taste.
- Resist the urge to add too much sugar when making the lemonade; tart is the best for this recipe.
- To get the thickness right, check to see if a straw can stand up in the frosted lemonade.
- If necessary, you can freeze any leftovers. Just let it thaw for 20 minutes at room temperature, then stir until smooth.
Nutrition
This post was originally published May 24, 2018 and was republished on June 25, 2021 with updated photos and content.
Alex
The citrus adds a lemon zing. The cool, creamy ice cream makes it thick. It's definitely got some tang from the lemonade. Very good!
Emma
Thank you, Alex!
Beth
I love going to Chick-fil-a. The frosted lemonade is a really good idea, and this copycat recipe tastes even better. This is a thick, cold drink with a zesty lemon taste. the Vanilla ice cream is superb with the lemonade. Very creamy!
Emma
Thank you, Beth! I'm glad that you like this copycat frozen lemonade!