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Homemade Limeade is refreshing, sweet, and slightly tart. It only takes 3 ingredients to make this refreshingly sweet and tart summer drink.
This limeade recipe couldn’t get any easier to make. No need to make a simple syrup for this recipe – in fact there’s no cooking required at all! Just stir together, pour over ice, and enjoy.
Limeade is a hit with the whole family on hot summer days and it’s great to bring to a summer BBQ. Mixing up a pitcher of a sweet drink from scratch is such a nice treat. We also love making homemade Hawaiian punch, lemonade, or blackberry lemonade.
Limeade Ingredients
You only need 3 simple ingredients to make this homemade limeade recipe. Here’s what you need:
- White granulated sugar – Sugar is essential to sweeten and contrast the tartness from the lime juice.
- Lime juice – Fresh squeezed is best!
- Water – I recommend using cold water if you’re serving right away. If you’re prepping in advance, you can also use room temperature water.
Step by Step Instructions
Juice limes – Although you can buy lime juice in a bottle, fresh squeezed really does taste so much better. Start by rinsing your limes then slice in half. Juice the limes – you can do this by hand, but I prefer to use a juicer.
Dissolve sugar – Add the lime juice and sugar to a large pitcher and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add water – Stir in the water (if you’re serving immediately, it’s best to use chilled water) until combined. Taste the limeade and adjust to your taste. You can add more lime juice if you prefer a more tart flavor or even stir in a little more sugar if you like it extra sweet.
Serve – I like to serve the limeade poured over ice and garnished with a fresh lime slice.
Make Ahead Tips
Limeade can easily be made in advance! Store in a pitcher with a lid (or you can cover the top of a pitcher with plastic wrap) in the fridge. Hold off on adding any ice when storing as the ice will melt and water it down. It will keep fresh for up to one week.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Making limeade from scratch is easy, but I have some tips to really take it over the top!
- Adjust To Taste – This recipe is super forgiving! You can easily add more lime juice or more sugar to suit your tastes. Some people like theirs extra tart while others prefer extra sweet.
- Wait To Add Ice – Be careful about ice melting and watering down your drink. If you’re not pouring immediately, I don’t like to add the ice to the pitcher. Instead you can add ice to the glasses and pour when ready.
- Chill Glass In Advance – For a fun and frosty presentation, you can chill your glasses in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that your glasses of limeade stay super cold even on the hottest days.
- Have Fun With Garnishes – For a super special presentation, try rubbing the rims of your glasses with lime wedges then dip in sugar for sugar-rimmed glasses. You can even add some lime zest to the sugar for the rims. Finish by garnishing with a lime wedge and fun straw!
More Homemade Beverages You’ll Love
- Infused Water (4 Ways!)
- Mango Smoothie
- Peach Sangria (non-alcoholic and adult versions)
- Fresh Strawberry Lemonade
Homemade Limeade
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups lime juice
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, stir together lemon juice and sugar until completely dissolved.
- Stir in water until combined.
- Serve chilled, poured over ice.
- If you want to get fancy, dip the rims of the chilled glasses in lime juice, then in sugar. Pour in chilled limeade. Garnish with a lime slice and add a fancy straw.
Notes
- Add more lime juice or more sugar to suit your tastes.
- Wait to add ice until you’re ready to serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
So Good!