All the color and splendor of a galaxy in a simple lemonade slushie! Dried butterfly pea/blue pea flowers, lemons, club soda and sugar are all you need to make this magical Color Changing Galaxy Lemonade Slushie! A simple butterfly pea lemonade summer drink with a dash of magic that both kids and adults will love!
Learn how to make this all natural color changing GALAXY LEMONADE SLUSHIE!
About an year ago (almost to the day) I shared this raspberry color changing pink lemonade slushie recipe with a little bit about the science behind that natural, color-changing magic that I loved as a kid, and still do! π If you want to read the science behind the color change, read on, and you will find the explanation after the recipe.
I decided to redo that post this year with pure, unadulterated lemonade flavor and ALL the glory of that magical color changing trick, resulting in this perfect summer drink with gorgeous galaxy-like swirls! If you like galaxy-themed recipes and drinks, then you’re going to LOVE this galaxy lemonade! π
How I make regular lemonade
Summer has always been the lemonade season to me. So, I always have a batch of lemon syrup in my fridge during summer, because the urge to make an icy-cold lemonade or a refreshing lemon cocktail is forever strong during the summer months for me.
So having a concentrated lemon syrup in the fridge means that I only have to pour it over ice or mix it with soda or some booze, any time I want to. The lemon syrup used in this color changing lemonade is my homemade lemon concentrate. It’s miles better than store-bought too!
Another favorite way to enjoy lemonade is as a slushie!
How I make lemonade slushie
A lemonade slushie is all the flavor of lemonade in crushed ice form. You can make this in two different ways,
- Crushing ice with lemon syrup concentrate to form a slushie
- Making lemonade ice cubes and then crushing the ice
For this galaxy lemonade/galaxy lemonade slushie recipe, I use my concentrated lemon syrup to make both the lemonade and lemonade slushie. You can use supermarket lemonade concentrate in a pinch however.
There’s a very simple idea behind this Color Changing Lemonade (Galaxy Lemonade Slushie), but it’s all about the theatrics of the end product. And it all starts and ends with the magic ice cubes! π
These ice cubes help make the magical butterfly pea lemonade drink look and taste spectacular!
What is butterfly pea tea and how does it work?
The magic ingredient here is butterfly pea tea made with butterfly pea flowers (blue pea flowers). This tea is made into ice cubes for this lemonade.
I grew up calling these “katurodu mal” (ΰΆΰΆ§ΰ·ΰΆ»ΰ·ΰΆ©ΰ· ΰΆΈΰΆ½ΰ·) in Sri Lanka, and they were not only a medicinal tea, but also a popular science experiment in school! We’d often make butterfly pea tea concentrate, and use it for acid/base/indicator science experiments.
In this galaxy lemonade, the presence of an acid (or a low pH), changes the color of butterfly pea tea ice from a deep blue to purple, and pink, creating gorgeous, colorful swirls and a galaxy-like effect. The citric acid in lemonade is the obvious and easy choice to trigger this color change (if you prefer limeade instead, may I suggest this ginger limeade recipe?). You can also read about how and why the color change occurs in my previous post here.
How to make the “MAGIC” ice cubes (butterfly pea ice)
The butterfly pea flowers are steeped in water to create deep blue colored tea. I usually use extra butterfly pea flowers (or tea bags), so that I make a concentrated blue tea.
This tea is then frozen into ice cubes. You can use whatever shape of ice trays you have. But since these ice cubes get crushed, it really doesn’t matter. I like to crush the ice as soon as I’m able to, and then store crushed blue ice in the freezer for when needed.
When you crush the magic ice for this color changing lemonade slushie, make sure to maintain little bits of chunky ice in there along with completely crushed ice as well. The reason is that as the crushed ice melts first, the bits of ice chunks remain whole for a bit longer, giving the drink little spots of blue inside the pink and purple – creating a very colorful and striking galaxy-like effect.
The crushed blue magic ice is the main component of this galaxy lemonade (aka Magical Butterfly pea lemonade).
WHERE TO BUY BLUE PEA / BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWERS
- You can find blue pea flowers (butterfly pea flowers) on Amazon, here and here and on EBAY and in specialty stores as well, which may sell the tea as BLUE MATCHA TEA.
- If you like herbal teas, look for herbal tea that has blue pea flowers (Clitoria ternatea) as an ingredient. Yes, that is indeed the scientific name of that flower, and if you look it up on google, you’ll know why. π
- Another option is to use freeze dried, powdered butterfly pea flowers as well. These supposedly dissolve into hot water, so there is no steeping.
How to make Galaxy Lemonade / Butterfly pea lemonade
Once you’ve made the lemon concentrate syrup and the crushed butterfly pea ice, then you’re ready to make some kick-ass galaxy lemonade!
First, add some crushed regular ice to a glass (less than what you see in the photo below!). Top it with a little crushed ice.
Next, it’s time for the magic to happen! Pour the chilled lemon syrup over the ice and watch the blue ice turn to purple and pink! This step is best done before your guests (or anyone else you’d like to impress!) of course.
Next, add some soda, or water to dilute the lemon syrup a little.
Finally, top it with a little extra blue crushed ice, and stir the drink for a gorgeous galaxy effect.
How to make Galaxy Lemonade Slushie
Making the galaxy lemonade slushie is only just a tad different from making the lemonade. You will still need the crushed butterfly pea ice for this version.
First, in a blender, add regular ice and the lemon syrup and crush the ice, to make the lemonade slushie. You can add some vodka or tequila to make it boozy for the adults if you like.
Next, divide the crushed lemonade ice into glasses, and top it with magical blue ice.
Finally, add a splash of soda (or extra lemon syrup if you want) and serve it with a stirrer and straw.
Then watch as the slushie turns purple and pink as you stir it, showing off those glorious galaxy colors! π
OPTIONAL – You can add luster petal dust to create an extra shimmery effect as well if you like. But do note that if you do this, the luster petal dust will settle to the bottom, as the ice melts. So not as effective, but it’s still an option, if you’d like to jazz up your color changing galaxy lemonade slushie even more!
It’s VERY IMPORTANT to have that crushed ice in the drink. This will help create the different layers of this color changing lemonade slushie (white, pink, purple and blue).
Lemonade is for kids. Give me some Galaxy Cocktails!
No worries, I gotchooo! Here are FOUR AMAZING cocktails that use Butterfly Pea / Blue pea flowers, to create amazing color changing galaxy cocktails!
I’ve also shared how to infuse butterfly pea flowers with your alcohol to make COLOR CHANGING GIN, VODKA or TEQUILA for incredible cocktails as well.
Your color changing lemonade slushie can then be topped with soda for a kid-friendly version. But there are plenty of other options for adults too (All of this coming soon!! All of this ON THE BLOG NOW!).
- Vodka and soda for a Color changing Galaxy Lemonade Vodka Spritzer
- Tequila + grapefruit syrup for a gorgeous Galaxy Palermo
- Tonic water for a glow in the dark Galaxy Lemonade Slushie version!
- Ginger beer and vodka for a Magical Mule (aka Galaxy Mule)
- Add some fresh fruits or herbs like raspberries, strawberries and mint
With each drink, don’t forget to top it with a little more magic ice and serve. Wow your guests, kids, friends and family with this beautiful color changing galaxy lemonade slushie. If you use tonic water instead of soda water, this lemonade slushie will glow in the dark too, provided you have a black light. How cool is that? π
This is nothing but a simple lemonade slushie, albeit a little more involved than a regular one, but serve this up at your next BBQ, cookout, party or get together, and your guests are likely to never forget it! π
Plus, for those who are curious – my cookbook is coming along! I’ve enjoyed coming back to the blog and sharing my favorite recipes with you again. But I am really excited to share some of the amazing recipes on the book with you too! Make sure to follow me, so I can keep you guys updated.
RECIPE VIDEO
Have you checked out my new cookbook?
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS!
Color Changing Shimmery Phoenix Cocktail
Color Changing Butterfly Pea Infused Alcohol
How to make Shimmery Liqueur (Viniq)
I’ve now created a NO CHURN GALAXY ICE CREAM too! It’s all natural, with no food coloring and it’s easy and fun to make. It’s complete with a galaxy chocolate magic shell coating (making it perfect for parties!) and you can see how it’s made step-by-step!
Color Changing Lemonade Slushie (Galaxy Lemonade Slushie)
Learn how to make this all natural color changing GALAXY LEMONADE with butterfly pea tea.Β
EASY - Involves prep work, but it is an easy recipe with spectacular results. Easier options given in the notes section of the recipe.
Ingredients
Magic Ice Cubes
- 25-30 dried blue pea flowers (or about 4 - 5 tea bags)
- 2 Β½ cups of boiling water
Lemon Syrup (this will yield about 2 1/2 - 3 cups of syrup)
- 2 cups of lemon juice about 10 - 12 lemons
- 1 Β½ cups of sugar either white or brown sugar will work
- grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
Color Changing Lemonade Slushie (Galaxy Lemonade Slushie) 4 servings
- 4 cups regular ice or more as needed
- Crushed butterfly pea magic ice as needed
- 1 Β½ cups lemon syrup about 1/4 - 1/3 cup per drink
- Club soda to top
- 4 jiggers vodka tequila or gin (for the adults, of course)
- Purple luster dust optional
Color Changing Lemonade (Galaxy Lemonade) 4 servings
- 1 Β½ cups lemon syrup
- Crushed regular ice to fill 1/2 of each glass
- 24 fl oz club soda more as needed (to top)
- Crushed butterfly pea magic ice as needed
- 4 jiggers vodka tequila or gin (for the adults)
- Purple luster dust optional
Instructions
Magic Ice Cubes
Steep the dried blue pea flowers in boiling water for about 20 - 30 minutes, until the water turns very deep blue in color (the darker the color, the better).
- Strain the tea, and pour it into ice cube trays. Freeze until completely frozen (overnight).
When needed, crush the ice in an ice crushing blender. (You can use some extra water to help with blending the ice, but remember not to crush all of the ice completely, and have some small chunks intact).
- Keep in the freezer until needed.
Lemon Syrup
Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir to dissolve. Bring the syrup to a simmer, and simmer for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Strain the syrup and let it cool down and store in a bottle in the fridge. This lemon syrup can be diluted at a 1:3 ratio to make regular lemonade.
Color Changing Lemonade Slushie (Galaxy Lemonade Slushie)
In a blender (that's capable of crushing ice), add the regular ice, lemon syrup and alcohol (if using). Blend until you have an icy mix. Add more ice if needed to keep the icy consistency.
Keep this lemon slushie mix in the freezer until needed, but remember to stir it every few hours to keep it from re-freezing.
Divide the lemon slushie between 4 glasses. Top with some magic ice. Add a splash of club soda or vodka.
Add some extra crushed magic ice on top and serve with stirring sticks and straws.
Color Changing Lemonade (Galaxy Lemonade)
Fill β of a tall glass (about 11 oz) with regular crushed ice. Fill another β with the crushed magic ice. (Optional - add a dash of shimmery luster petal dust).
Pour about ΒΌ - β cup of the lemon syrup into the glass and top it with club soda (or lemon lime soda).
Add some extra crushed magic ice on top, and serve with stirring sticks and straws.
Recipe Notes
NOTE 1 : Blue pea tea/butterfly pea tea stains just like any other tea or coffee, so be careful not to get it on your clothes.
NOTE 2 : EASIEST OPTION FOR COLOR CHANGING LEMONADE. You can skip the magic ice, and simply pour the cooled down butterfly pea/blue pea tea into regular ice with the lemon syrup to create the color change too. The will give you the color-changing effect, but not the galaxy effect.Β
NOTE 3 : Add luster petal dust at any point to create a shimmery effect. This will only be noticeable when being stirred. Also do not add more than 1/8th of a tsp of luster petal dust per drink. A little of it goes a long way.Β Β
Hereβs the science behind this fun reaction
All the βblue fruitsβ and βblue vegetablesβ like blueberry, blackberry, black raspberry, eggplant, purple cauliflower, red cabbage, and blue pea flowers (butterfly pea/blue pea flower) etc. contain a water-soluble pigment called Anthocyanin β which is responsible for the purple – blue hues in these fruits and vegetables. Blue pea flowers are the only flowers that can be used to extract a natural blue color thatβs soluble in water (the flower itself is dark purple/blue).
Anthocyanin actually changes its color depending on the pH level of the solvent itβs in, and therefore is a natural pH indicator. So it can change from orange to pink to purple to yellow depending on whether itβs in an acidic or basic solution.
I used these blue pea flowers/butterfly pea tea as a pH/color indicator to test common solutions in science class and this was how I was introduced to this magical ingredient! 🙂 It turns yellow(ish) when baking soda (basic β high pH) is added, and a beautiful purple/pink when lemon or vinegar (acidic β low pH) is added.
It’s due to the acidity in lemon that the blue crushed ice turns beautiful shades of pink/purple!
Hello!! This recipe sounds greatβ€οΈThank u! I was wondering if I can make like a large gallon decorative container so my guests can serve themselves? I will be too pregnant to be running back and forth making drinks. Will the color retain over a few hours? Thnx so much!
Hi Bibi!
CONGRATULATIONS π That’s so exciting!
The color change will happen as soon as the ice and lemon make contact, and the color change will be complete once the ice is all melted. Once the color change has occurred, it shouldn’t change back.
You can make the lemonade separately and just serve the lemonade with the blue ice cubes. It won’t look like a galaxy but your guests will still see the lemonade color change π
I hope that helps!
Iβm throwing a galaxy themed baby shower for my best friend, but itβs outdoors, and a definite hike from home-base. Think thereβs any way to still pull this off?
Hi Rachel!
It might be hard to make this exact same version. You can still make the lemon syrup and pour it into iced butterfly pea tea with regular ice. It won’t look the same, but you would still have the color change. π
We have princess parties every summer with the grandchildren. Super excited to serve this this summer. My question is how long with the lemonsyrup keep refrigerated?
Thanks
luvgrands
Hi Pat!
Princess parties sound amazing, and these lemonades would be perfect too π
The lemon syrup should easily last a week in the fridge. It might even last longer if it’s refrigerated because of the sugar content. We just finish ours within a week.
Good luck and let me know how they turn out!
Cheers, Dini
These are fantastic! I never eat food additives or dyes, and I had little hope when I found the picture on Pinterest that I’d be able to make this. Boy oh boy, what a wonderful surprise to find out this is all natural!! I’ll be making this very soon!!
Thank you. It’s beautiful and amazing.
Very Interesting.
Hi. I was wondering if you could just use lemonade concentrate ?
Hi Tara!
You should be able to. However, if the lemon concentrate has artificial coloring, this may have an effect on the color change.
Can you just use regular lemonade rather than making lemon syrup?
Hi Linda!
Yes you can use regular lemonade. I make my own because I like a stronger lemonade than the bottled lemonade. π
Thanks for such an informative, beautiful and thorough post on this! I stumbled upon Galaxy Drinks via Pinterest, and came here. It’s been a while, and I have enjoyed making them, sharing them with friends, (as well as your post, which I’m about to add in an email, so here I am rambling!), and trying various versions…a gf of mine brought over some Coconut Rum, which I normally would have sneered at, but it is a FINE addition to the concoction!
Also, I don’t have time right now to read all of your posts, but wanted to add that I made mine, by making Whole Lemon Lemonade. It was a bit of a mess, as the recipe I first followed had one using some water, which, either I had too small of a blender, or the lid was not on tight enough….BEFORE the aforementioned rum!
Not sure if you allow links, so feel free to remove (duh, me!), but here’s one that gives you the Whole Lemon Lemonade: [link removed] . I saw one that included sweetened condensed milk, which seems interesting, and might throw me into a pre-Diabetic sugar shock! Anyway, I make it that way, minus the water, maybe with an extra ice cube, or two. Water, booze, fizzy stuff can be added later, of course!
Some people worry about the pips/seeds, so you could always squeeze them out, with a strainer, before blending. And I leave the rough stuff/pulp in, because I’m like that, even though it does say to strain!
I am almost out of the Thai tea flowers, but that may be because my first batch was almost midnight blue! And we didn’t do the ice cube thing, because I was so excited to try it, the first time. We just added it on top, like a Pousse Cafe.
Thanks again, and cheers!
Thank you Malicity!
I am so glad you gave this a go! It’s definitely so much fun π
We too LOVE whole lemon lemonade at home, especially when it’s made with Meyer lemons! Thank you so much for the fantastic adaptations you made too… I am definitely adding some Rum next time! π
I’m just wondering,
if you were to get butterfly pea powder, mix it with water and freeze it, would it have the same effect?
Hi Abigail!
Butterfly pea powder should definitely work just as well as butterfly pea flower tea π
thanks!
If you read the article youβll see it references several nightclubs that have been doing the butterfly pea ice long before The NY Times wrote the article. And in Asia this has been made for years. Itβs not new to us Asians.
I agree, as an Asian myself, I’ve been using butterfly pea flowers since I was a little kid, as I’ve mentioned in several other places on this blog. I’ve shared a number of recipes using these flowers on the blog. It’s certainly nothing new to me, and my aim was to introduce it to my readers who may not be familiar with it. I hope that helps.
Cheers,
Dini.
Not original New York Times published an article on butterfly pea flower ice color changing cocktails in July 2016.
Hi, I actually wrote an article in June 2016 before this. So, I definitely know the NYT article isn’t original.
Thanks! π
https://www.theflavorbender.com/color-changing-purple-pink-lemonade-slushies-popsicles/
This is so amazing!!!!!! I am having a space themed birthday party, do you think this could be converted into a large batch recipe to put in a big drink dispenser? Also, at the risk of sounding like an overly nervous first time mom, is butterfly pea flowers safe for a breastfeeding mother to consume?
Thank you so much Jossie! π
To make a bitch batch, I would recommend making lemonade in a big dispenser (extra lemony lemonade!), and have the crushed (or small) butterfly pea ice in glasses. So that when they pour the lemonade into the glasses, they’ll see the color change! π
This is because, if you make the drink in a large dispenser (with the ice as well), the lemonade that will be dispensed will be a flat purple, so you won’t get to see that color change.
I hope that helps!
Regarding whether it’s safe for breastfeeding moms (you can never be overly cautious! π ) – I do buy the organic butterfly pea flowers to make the tea and ice, and they are known to be caffeine free. But, there is conflicting advice online about butterfly pea. Some articles say it should be avoided like other herbal teas for pregnant and breastfeeding moms, whereas other articles say herbal tea is OK, as long as it’s not consumed in large quantities. Unfortunately, I can’t be sure about how safe it is for breastfeeding moms π
Such a BEAUTIFUL cocktail! I think my kids would love this–without the vodka of course!
What an incredible recipe! This is so enchanting and a wonder for kids and adults! I hadn’t heard of blue pea flowers so I’m off to get my hands on some and wow my kiddies.
Hi, I was just wondering if you knew of any other things that could change the ph instead of lemon? My sister just recently found out she has a lemon allergy (the citric acid in it I believe) and I would love to make something for her with the flowers, that she would be able to drink other then plain tea. Thanks!
Hi Katie!
I would love to find out if there is something else that can cause the ph change too! A mild acid is DEFINITELY required for the color change, and as far as I know fruits usually contain citric acid. However, some vinegar contains acetic acid, but it probably doesn’t taste as good as fruit based acids. If it’s only citrus she is allergic to, other fruits like pineapple can work. I’m sorry I can’t help you more! If I find out more, I will let you know! π
Thanks Dini!
I just ordered the flowers last night and they will take a few weeks to ship, so I will definitely try using pineapple when they come in! If you happen to find out anything more, I am super interested!
If it’s a citrus allergy she would not be able to have pineapple. Citric acid is the main acid in pineapple. Many fruits have an acid but I’ve never experimented with acids outside the citrus family to tell if they will produce results. Theoretically as long as there is enough of the acid present to produce the necessary chemical change it should work. How much of the juice from other items to reach that pH level though may not produce nice results. You may be able to use for example juice from a tart apple (green apples maybe) or a few drops of apple cider vinegar (not as tasty as lemon juice juice for sure but not as harsh a taste as white vinegar). You might also be able to trigger it with some tart grape juice.
https://www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Guide-to-Fruit-Acids.png this image might be helpful for understanding areas you could experiement.
This drink looks really magical, beautiful! The kids will sure be super excited to drink it. Thanks for sharing!
My kids are so excited to try and make this! So clever!
I can’t wait to make this! I was wondering about the lemonade base. In the slushie recipe you make a simple syrup and add the lemon juice, and in this one you just add the lemon juice to the sugar. Does it matter with this one which version you use? Thanks!
You have a good eye Tovah! π Yes they are two different ways, and you can use either one. I prefer adding the lemon juice and sugar together and cooking it because I feel that it produces a more concentrated lemon syrup. That being said, you can’t go wrong with either method! π I hope that helps! Cheers, Dini
So fun and gorgeous! Being a science nerd too I love hearing about the chemical reactions that make it so pretty! Absolutely stunning!
This is CRAZY COOL! OMG!
I love using luster/pearl dust in cocktails/ recipes for an effect (They also have edible star glitter too That love using) This Is soo cool!!!
Thank you Deanna! π This drink doesn’t use shimmery dust, but it’s an option. But I actually made shimmery liqueurs a couple years ago and the flavored shimmery liqueurs last year for the blog! They are so much fun!
These are SO COOL!! I can’t wait to try these this summer!! AWESOME!
Thank you Michaela!
This is so so so so so cool. I am mega impressed that you’ve come up with this. It is genius!
Thank you Emma! I was surprised it wasn’t more of a thing! It’s a great ingredient!
This is so cool! I am in awe of your scientist skills!
Thank you Michelle!
How fun!! I’ve watched your video a couple of times and think this is so fun! What a great summer sip!! I like your spiked versions too!!!
Thank you Debra! The spiked versions will be on the blog soon too!
This is super cool, but the health food stores in my area don’t seem to have these flowers, and I just saw this and thought it’d be cool for a party tomorrow… since it’s the same chemical as causes the color in blueberries, etc., do you think it would work if I made a syrup from blueberries and then diluted it and made ice cubes, or is it not strong enough? (Sorry, not that science-y over here.) I think I’ll order some leaves for the future though as it’s super cool. π
Hi Nzie! You could use blueberries, but when blueberries are crushed, the juice is already purple (eventhough blueberries have the same compound, blueberry juice is purple, because it’s already acidic). So when you add the lemon syrup it may change to a purple pink color as it’s diluted, but you won’t see that striking blue to purple and pink color change π
I do have to find the flowers online too unfortunately! But the plant grows in tropical countries well! π
I hope this information helped! π
Thanks very much. Hmmmmmmm I’ll have to think…. and probably order some. π
I really can’t say enough how much I love this! You’ve totally inspired me to try the butterfly pea tea – this takes galaxy treats to a whole new level!
I’ll be making some cocktails too! It’s an incredible ingredient!
This is by far the coolest drink I have ever seen! I love that all of those beautiful colors come from an all natural source, too!
Thank you Ashlyn! I love this tea solely for the color change!
Such beautiful photos!!! And what a creative recipe!
Thank you Kit π
This is the coolest slushie recipe ever! Live the colors and shimmer. Fun to make for kids and love the adult option too!
Thank you Sandra! I didn’t add the luster dust for this (the ice makes it shimmer), but it’s an option for extra shimmer!
I cannot get over how cool this is! I so need to try this! I love how the crushed ice makes it sparkle too, really gives it that galaxy look!
Science question though – if the water you’re using to steep the flowers is a little acidic will it go yellow?! Just wondering if you could have colour changing lemonade from yellow to blue/purple?
Thank you Michelle!! π The more acidic the solution, the tea turns a brighter shade of pink (a hot pink, bright red for very acidic solutions) π But alkaline solutions turn the blue tea to green and yellow, but that would take very strong alkaline solutions (like bleach), which makes it not edible… π I’ve been trying to find other edible indicator solutions that show a color change, but apart from this and red cabbage, I haven’t been able to find anything π
This is just the coolest thing ever. I wish I had a tenth of your creativity!
Thank you Julie! and of course you are insanely creative!
Ok, this is seriously mesmerizing to watch!! So so cool! Sounds delicious as well!
Thank you Angela!
OMG! These are amazing, and irresistibly Instagrammable. My girl and I are all over these!
YAY! I couldn’t wait to take the photos for this π
These are so, so fun! My kids would love them!
Thank you!! π This is definitely heaps of fun for kids!
This is awesome!
Thank you Wendy!