McDonald’s Launches New Premium Lemonade, Replacing Fan-Favorite Minute Maid Offering

McDonald’s customers were sorely disappointed when Minute Maid lemonade was removed from the menu nationwide. Now, however, these fans will be able to get a whole new premium lemonade courtesy of the fast-food giant.

Allrecipes reports that on April 8, the chain stated that Minute Maid Lemonade, its prior product, would be replaced by a permanent alternative. The new five-ingredient lemonade, Premium Lemonade, was launched to test markets in 2023, and people immediately fell in love. Lemonade, as it’s now known, is now available nationally.

McDonald’s new version contains lemon juice concentrate, lemon pulp, cane sugar, water, and natural flavors. In comparison, Minute Maid lemonade contains high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, and Yellow 5, to mention a few chemicals.

Fans who have tried the new product are giving it rave reviews. “Wendy’s wants to be the lemonade destination, but they taste like pop machine syrup. McDonald’s new lemonade tastes fresh-squeezed and REAL. It even has lemon bits! The only thing that could make it better is if they offered strawberry/blueberry pomegranate/flavored lemonades,” said one fan on Reddit.

“Every McDonald’s I’ve been to has already changed over to the new lemonade, it’s way better than Minute Maid. I’m obsessed. Best drive-through lemonade, hands down,” added another. 

McDonald’s Menu Items Bring in Loyal Customers

Despite the changes made to its menu, a recent report revealed that classic McDonald’s menu items (such as the McValue Meal) attract existing customers more than new ones.

A new Numerator survey found mixed results regarding the McValue menu’s overall effectiveness. While 90% of those polled said they would return to McDonald’s to take advantage of the chain’s famously low-cost value offerings, total household penetration for the burger joint’s value offers has steadily declined since September 2024 — and the McValue menu has yet to reverse that trend.

One remarkable finding from the study results: The vast majority of those asked (400 confirmed McValue menu patrons nationally) stated that they had visited McDonald’s in 2024, often multiple times.

Approximately 94% of respondents claimed that they had visited McDonald’s at least once between January 2024 and June 2024, with nearly the same proportion (90%) saying they had been three or more times during that time period. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters (70%) reported visiting the chain more than six times during the first half of 2024.