When life hands you lemons, coconut vinegar and spirulina, you make Mermaid Lemonade.
As discussed in my Mermaid Smoothie Bowl recipe, we can agree that mermaids must live on spirulina, no?
After seeing this wellness trend all over insta, mostly being served up at juice bars and healthy restaurants, I had to try it (and hello, it just so happens to be St. Patty’s Day – happy birthday dad!). The restaurants call it chlorophyll water, I call it Mermaid Lemonade. I know right? So much better.
Have you seen the new ‘drinking vinegar‘ from Suja Juice? I recently tried their Blueberry Drinking Vinegar and LOVED it. The fact that it was made with coconut vinegar
After our much-needed beauty sleep, our bodies are super dehydrated and NEED water, especially after fasting all night.
My life changed (and my skin improved too) when I started drinking lemon water every single morning, religiously. I aim for 2-3 liters each day which may sound like a lot but its actually pretty easy. Three cups in the morning, afternoon and evening. I fill up this mason jar
When I don’t drink enough water, I notice it the next day, in the texture of my skin. My lips also get super chapped and red! Now, my body craves lemon water like crazy and I look forward to it, before coffee of course.
Tip: rather than sipping water all throughout the day, drink a bunch at once so you aren’t going to the bathroom every 30 minutes but instead once every now and then. is that weird?! i don’t know, but it works for me.
I’m always on the lookout for new ways to add an extra boost here and there, because why not? If you’re into the morning lemon water routine, you will love this superfood green elixir.
Why Spirulina Powder?
Spirulina is a superfood from the sea! Made up of 60-70% pure plant protein and complete with 18 amino acids – including ALL of the essential amino acids, its easy for our bodies to absorb and digest. Containing Vitamin B6, it will give you a dose of energy in the morning and curb unhealthy cravings. I use the spirulina powder from Organic Burst because it’s what I have on hand, but there are plenty of great brands out there! I also love this one
You don’t need to add a ton of spirulina because you still want to enjoy it. I only add about 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon, but feel free to add more!
Aside from supporting immunity, healthy brain function and healthy heart function, spirulina provides:
- bio-available iron
- B vitamins
- essential fatty acids
- chlorophyll
Why Coconut Vinegar?
Coconut Vinegar might just be the new, much milder twin sister to apple cider vinegar.
“Made from the nutrient-rich sap of the coconut tree, Coconut Vinegar tastes better than apple cider vinegar. Natural fermentation creates a mild flavor that’s sweet yet not coconut-y. Plus, there’s a little bit of “mother” in every bottle. Vinegar mother*, that is.” (source: Better Body Foods).
You can cook with it, bake with it, add it to salad dressings, marinades, etc. I love it!
All in all, this Mermaid Lemonade is refreshing, energizing, thirst-quenching and absolutely perfect for the warmer months. especially with a few ice cubes thrown in. Be sure to try out my Turmeric Glow Lemonade and Golden Glow Elixir too and spice up your morning lemon water! YUM!
Mermaid Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon coconut vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1–2 teaspoons maple syrup, optional (or agave nectar)
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon spirulina powder
- handful of ice cubes
Instructions
- TIP: Make sure your water is room-temperature or slightly warm, to avoid the spirulina from clumping up.
- Pour the water into a mason (or shaker cup) and whisk in all ingredients, until well combined. Add in a handful of optional ice cubes. Stir/shake from time to time as the spirulina may settle.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
PIN FOR LATER:
Also, don’t forget to try my Mermaid Smoothie Bowl 🙂
I’m excited to try this as a spooky punch for my Halloween party, and add some fake bugs :). The only powdered spirulina I could find was a ridiculous price, so I am going to try it with liquid chlorophyll.
I can’t help but laugh at the comments of people who can’t get the same color as you. Spirulina is naturally dark green. You would have to dilute It quite a bit to get that pretty color. For me the darker the better because I’m in it for the health benefits. I made this with Apple cider vinegar and stevia. Pretty tasty and great way to drink up powder spirulina. I bet this would be good with matcha as well.
Oh and I mixed mine in my milk frother … worked like a charm
★★★★★
I ordered the Spirulina recommended at the bottom of this article, and my “Mermaid Lemonade” looks like the dirty fishtank from Finding Nemo…Are you tweaking the lighting at all for these pictures?
★★★
Hi Stephanie, I often brighten the pictures or else they would be dark and ugly. I’m sorry you think it looks like a dirty fish tank… maybe add less spirulina next time. If you read the post, it is recommended to use slightly warm or room temperature water to avoid clumps.
I mixed mine with lemonade. It was not bad at all.
Mixed mine warm, still looks like pond scum. lol tastes weird but I can probably get used to it. But the color does not look refreshing at all.
I made a pitcher of this with 9 cups of water (and multiplied everything else by three). I also added some sliced lemons, limes and 1.5 tablespoons of monkfruit powder. It is super refreshing! Love it! I mixed it for a few minutes with a whisk to avoid clumps. Thanks for this! Great recipe. Especially for summer!
Mine turned out dark green and the powder didn’t blend in at all. It’s visibly dispersed all throughout the water, and yes, I warmed the water first and mixed it well. I don’t taste any lemon and do taste the vinegar. I’m disappointed, but it was worth a shot! 😉
I’ve never heard of this but I am intrigued!!
I tried this and it did not turn out the same color as the picture. Mine looks like I have a mason jar full of swamp water.
The water must be room temperature when mixing in the spirulina – then you can add ice after. Hope that helps! If the water is cold it just clumps up.
Ah, this must have been my problem too! That, and I think my brand is way darker green. I didn’t have coconut vinegar so I used the apple cider but that’s all I could taste. 🙁 I think I’ll try it again.
How did you make it that colour?
Spirulina – see the recipe!
Mine did not have that pretty color. Any idea why?
This was really good! I was iffy about adding the vinegar since I’ve never done that before but it turned out really good so I’ll probably drink this in the morning instead of just plain water from now on. Also, the fact that it’s called mermaid lemonade is awesome! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
So I tried the mermaid lemonade and I really like it, but my spirulina won’t dissolve at all. I’ve tried whisking it to break it up a little but it all ends up as a really thick pasty film on the top of my drink. Any tips for making it look pretty like yours and keeping me from having a dark green stache?
Thanks!
Hi Carly! Did you add ice? If so, you’ll want to add ice after you’ve mixed the spirulina in the water. That should help. Otherwise, try whisking it. The spirulina does settle after a while so you’ll need to mix it again every so often!
xo
Shannon
I want to try this just because of how cool the color is! Sounds delicious 🙂
Hey Amanda! Right?! The color is everything 🙂 hope you get to try it!