Keto Vodka Lemonade
Published July 11, 2020 • Updated July 20, 2026
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I make this keto vodka lemonade all summer and straight through winter too. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice, a touch of monkfruit, and your favorite vodka blended smooth over ice for just 4.6g net carbs.
I’ve been making this cocktail since I went keto in 2012, and the version here is where I landed after testing it more times than I can count. Different sweetener ratios, lemon-to-water proportions, blended versus on-the-rocks. Each batch got a little closer. This is the one that stuck.
The biggest thing I figured out: use about 1/3 cup of monkfruit instead of the full 1/2 cup. That’s when the lemon really cuts through instead of just making everything sweet. One of my readers, Rosa, landed on the same ratio independently, which told me I was onto something. If you want it sweeter, add more. But start low.
I serve this blended most of the time. My keto mojito is the only other cocktail I blend regularly, so having two options when people come over is nice. If you’re hosting, set out a peach bellini or an appletini alongside this and you’ve got a full sugar-free cocktail bar with almost no prep.
Something I started doing after a reader mentioned it: I toss in 8-10 fresh mint leaves before blending. It turns into a mojito-lemonade hybrid that I almost prefer to the original. Min Johnson in the comments discovered this before I did, and now I make the mint version about half the time.
For pitcher batches, I double or triple everything except the vodka and let people pour their own. The lemonade base keeps in the fridge for about 3 days. The key is dissolving your sweetener in a few tablespoons of warm water before adding it to the pitcher. Otherwise it settles to the bottom and goes grainy (I learned this the hard way, and reader Dana asked about the same problem).
At 4.6g net carbs per serving, this is one of those low carb cocktails that actually tastes like a real drink, not a diet substitute. Reader Tony put it better than I could: he went 8 months on keto avoiding all cocktails, made this with fresh-squeezed lemon, and said it “completely killed that logic.” That’s the kind of feedback that tells me the recipe works.
You can also make this without alcohol. Skip the vodka and add sparkling water or club soda for some fizz. The lemonade base stands on its own as a sugar-free refresher. I keep a batch in my fridge most weeks during summer, and my kids drink it too.
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Ingredients
4 cups of water -
1 cup ice
-
1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice or concentrate
-
1/2 cup monkfruit or use sweetener of choice
-
pinches of salt
-
8 oz vodka
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Add the ingredients
Add all the ingredients to a blender.
Blend it
Blend until smooth.
Pour and serve
Pour vodka lemonade into your cocktail glass.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep monkfruit from settling or going grainy at the bottom of my glass?
I dissolve the monkfruit in 2-3 tablespoons of warm water before adding it to everything else. That fixes the grittiness completely. If you're blending, the blender takes care of it on its own, but for over-the-rocks this warm water step makes a big difference. I figured this out after reader Dana asked about the same problem.
Can I make this as a pitcher for a party?
I do this all the time. I double or triple the lemonade base (water, lemon juice, sweetener) and store it in a pitcher in the fridge. It keeps for about 3 days. I leave the vodka out and let guests pour their own so everyone can control how strong they want it, and nobody's drink gets watered down sitting in a pitcher.
Can I add fresh mint to make it taste like a mojito-lemonade?
Yes, and I actually prefer it this way about half the time now. I toss 8-10 fresh mint leaves into the blender before blending. One of my readers, Min Johnson, tried this before I did, and when I tested it myself I understood why. The mint and lemon together create something that's almost better than the original.
What vodka brand is best for keto cocktails?
I use whatever plain vodka I have on hand. Any unflavored vodka has zero carbs, so the brand doesn't matter for macros. Where I'd be careful is flavored vodkas. Some have added sugars or extracts that can sneak in carbs. I stick with plain and add my own flavor through the lemonade base.
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh-squeezed?
I've made it both ways. Fresh-squeezed tastes noticeably brighter, and it's what I use when I have lemons around. But bottled works in a pinch. I'd avoid the ones with added preservatives or sweeteners and look for 100% lemon juice. The carb count stays about the same either way.
How many calories are in this cocktail?
My version comes out to roughly 150 calories per serving, with most of that coming from the vodka (about 97 calories per 1.5 oz). The lemonade base adds very little since it's just water, lemon juice, and a zero-calorie sweetener. I've found this is one of the lowest-calorie cocktails I can make at home.
How can I make this non-alcoholic?
I skip the vodka and add sparkling water or club soda for some fizz. The lemonade base is the real star, and it stands completely on its own. I keep a batch in my fridge most weeks during summer. You can also muddle in a few berries or cucumber slices if you want more flavor without the alcohol.
Figured monkfruit would leave that cooling aftertaste in something cold, but the lemon drowns it out. Way cleaner than the zero-sugar lemonades I keep grabbing at the store and keep regretting.
Pool party Saturday and this is THE cocktail. Can I blend the lemon juice, monkfruit, and water the night before and just add vodka and ice when we're ready to pour?
By batch three I stopped premixing. Keep the lemon base separate in the fridge, pour the vodka per glass. Goes flat overnight when stored mixed. Way cleaner, and everyone adjusts their own.
The flatness overnight kills it. I keep the base in the fridge and pour the vodka fresh each glass. Guests adjusting their own is half the fun.
Yeah, once I set it out separately everyone just started mixing their own. That kind of became the whole point.
can I use stevia instead of monkfruit? I can never find it at my store.
Stevia works here, the recipe already says sweetener of choice in the ingredients. Just don't go 1:1, stevia is way more concentrated and gets bitter fast in something this acidic. Start small and taste up.
152 calories WITH the vodka already in it is frankly embarrassing for how well this drinks. I swapped one cup of the water for club soda and stirred it in after blending instead of blending it through, and the carbonation changes everything. Less 'made in a blender at noon,' more something you'd actually pay for at a bar. Running batches of this all summer.
Blending is the whole problem, Rebecca. Stirring the club soda in after fixes it. Doing this next batch.
Making this for our pool party next Saturday and honestly I don't want to deal with hauling the blender outside (our patio is up three steps, which is more annoying than it sounds). Do you think a cocktail shaker would work, or does the blending actually do something to the lemon juice texture? I figure with the monkfruit being fine powder it'd dissolve fine either way.
Cocktail shaker works. Pre-dissolve the monkfruit in a tiny bit of warm water before you shake, otherwise you'll get grit settling at the bottom of the glass.
Good base but I pulled it back to 1/3 cup monkfruit because at the full half cup the lemon completely disappears. At that ratio it finally tastes like lemonade and not just sweet vodka water.
Yeah, lemon disappears fast when you push the sweetener. I taste and adjust every batch anyway since monkfruit varies a lot by brand. 1/3 cup is probably the right call for most people.
My husband poured himself a glass last night, didn't say a word until it was almost gone, then said it could stand to be a little sweeter. From him, that's a rave review.
Ha. 'Could stand to be a little sweeter' from someone who finished the glass is basically a standing ovation.
Blended up a big batch for a spring gathering last weekend and portioned it over ice as people arrived. Two friends who are not keto at all kept refilling their glasses, and one asked specifically if I'd used simple syrup because the sweetness was so clean. The monkfruit really does dissolve without any aftertaste. This is my go-to for warm weather hosting now.
The simple syrup question is the compliment. Dissolved and cold, nobody can tell it's not sugar.
Made a batch for girls' night last weekend and two friends who weren't doing keto switched to it halfway through their regular drinks. The fresh lemon and monkfruit ratio just tastes clean, not diet-y. Making it again for the next one.
The midglass switch says everything. People don't abandon a drink they're enjoying if they think the swap is going to taste worse.
Double-batched this for a backyard thing Saturday and the most keto-skeptical person I know polished off two cups of the fresh-squeezed before anyone thought to mention it was sugar-free.
Two cups before the reveal. Fresh lemon just doesn't read as diet.
Made a batch Friday evening and my husband, who has never once asked for a non-beer drink in 12 years of marriage, wanted to know if there was enough to fill a full glass for him. He came back to the blender to check for more after he finished it, which is the real review right there. One note: I backed off on the monkfruit since I like mine properly tart, not sweet, so adjust to taste before you serve a crowd.
I make mine on the tart side too when it's just for me. Set the monkfruit higher in the recipe because it's easier for people to pull back than to fix something undersweetened mid-party. And yeah, husband going back to check the blender is the real review.
Brought a pitcher to a spring get-together and my friend (who is not keto and weirdly opinionated about fake sweeteners) kept going back for more and asking what the sweetener was because she couldn't place it. The monkfruit just disappears into the lemon. This is going to be my entire summer.
The lemon does something to the monkfruit. People who swear they can always taste sweeteners never catch it. Your summer plans sound right.
Made this last Friday on the first real warm evening we've had all year, and my husband (who treats anything labeled keto like a personal threat) poured himself a second glass before I was halfway through mine. He actually asked if I used real lemonade because the monkfruit blended so smooth there was zero aftertaste. I've been wanting a proper spring drink and this is it.
Second glass from a keto skeptic is a win. Second glass before you were halfway through yours is something else entirely.
Thought I was done with summer drinks when I went keto, but I made this last night. Fresh lemon juice with monkfruit is so close to the real thing I actually teared up (embarrassing). Spring just started and there's already a pitcher in my fridge.
Not embarrassing. Some things you think you're just done with and then you're not. The fresh-squeezed lemon is what makes it, concentrate never quite gets there.