Pricing guide · Café drinks
How to price lemonade: cost per cup and what to charge
Fresh lemonade is a classic market and event drink. Lemons are the main cost; cups are next.
Example batch cost
$8.04
Cost per cup
$0.80
Price at 20% food cost
$4.02
Lemonade cost calculator
Fresh lemonade (12 oz cups)
Enter your price to see food cost % and profit.
The app keeps your ingredient prices. When butter goes up, every dish that uses it updates — no re-typing.
Worked example: Fresh lemonade (12 oz cups)
This batch makes 10 cups. Here is where the money goes, most expensive first:
| Ingredient | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lemons | 10 each | $5.00 |
| Ice | 5 lb | $1.50 |
| Cups | 10 piece | $1.00 |
| Sugar | 300 g | $0.54 |
| Total for 10 cups | $8.04 | |
That is $0.80 per cup. At a 20% food cost the price should be at least $4.02. Across the usual 15–25% range for café drinks, that is $3.22 (at 25%) to $5.36 (at 15%) per cup — before your time and overheads.
What drives the cost of lemonade
- •Lemon prices (they swing seasonally)
- •Cups and ice
- •Flavour add-ins like berries or mint
Tips for pricing lemonade
- ✓Buy lemons by the case when prices are low
- ✓Offer a larger size — it costs little more and sells at a higher price
- ✓Flavoured versions (strawberry, mint) justify a premium
Sell by the cup in two sizes, plus jugs for events.
Don’t forget your time and overheads
Drinks carry a low food cost % because the price also pays for the barista’s time, the machine, rent and waste. Count cups, lids and sleeves as ingredients — on a cheap drink they can cost more than the coffee.
Keep your lemonade prices up to date
Save this recipe in the free CostMyDish app. Your ingredient prices live in one Library — when lemons goes up, every recipe that uses it recalculates, and you see which items need a new price.
Get the free appCommon questions about pricing lemonade
How much does it cost to make one cup?+
In our example (Fresh lemonade (12 oz cups), makes 10 cups), the ingredients cost $8.04 in total, or $0.80 per cup. Enter your own prices in the calculator for your exact cost.
What food cost % should I use for lemonade?+
For café drinks most businesses aim for 15–25%. At 20%, the example works out to at least $4.02 per cup before labour and overheads.
How much does lemonade cost to make per cup?+
Divide the batch cost (lemons, sugar, ice, cups) by the number of cups. With the example prices it is about 80 cents per cup.
How much should I charge for lemonade at a market?+
Start from cost per cup ÷ your target (20% for drinks) and round up to an easy cash price.
More café drinks pricing guides
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