This easy Brazilian limonada is a frothy blend of tart Key limes, sweetened condensed milk and ice.
If you have leftover limes you can make my popular no-bake key lime pie, keto margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and big batch to go margarita.
Why is Brazilian lemonade not called limeade?
In Brazilian Portuguese, "limão" means both lime and lemon. When the drink's name was translated to English, "lemonade" stuck despite being made with limes. This is similar to how some other foods and drinks retain their traditional names in translation even when they might be slightly misleading. The short answer is yes, it's made with limes.
What is Brazilian Lemonade Made Of?
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
Can you use any lime or are the thin-skinned key limes preferable?
While regular limes can still make a tasty limeade, key limes are best to replicate the authentic Brazilian flavor. Their floral, sweet-tart juice with zippy lime zest oils is hard to beat! So if you come across them at the market, key limes are highly recommended for preparing this Brazilian drink.
How to Make Brazilian Lemonade
Prepare the Limes
- Rinse several fresh limes under running water to clean them. Pat them dry.
- Chop the whole limes, skin and all, into smaller pieces so they can be easily blended.
Make the Limeade Base
- In a blender or food processor, blend the limes along with water and sweetened condensed milk.
- Puree on high speed for 2-3 minutes until very smooth.
Strain Out Pulp and Skins
- Pour the lime puree through a fine mesh strainer to separate all the pith and skins, only keeping the flavorful lime juice.
Assemble the Limeade
- Fill tall glasses with ice cubes.
- Gently pour the freshly strained limeade over top the ice. Garnish with lime slices or mint leaves if desired.
Make Ahead Tips
With smart mixing and chilling ahead of time, you can enjoy well-balanced, properly diluted Brazilian limeades without last minute work or watery flavors. Just be sure to tweak the sweetener and add fresh garnishes at the very end!
Option 1: Puree and strain your fresh lime juice up to 2 days in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. This allows you to prepare the time-consuming juice extraction part early.
Option 2: Make the recipe as directed but do not add the ice. Refrigerate it for up to 48 hours before serving. The flavors may improve with this extra time for the sugar and citrus to mingle.
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Serving Suggestions
Recipe FAQs
No, you do not need to peel key limes or regular limes before juicing them to make Brazilian limeade. It is perfectly edible, so you can juice the whole lime directly.
For regular (Persian) limes, you also typically juice them whole when making limeade. The outside contains flavorful oils that will get captured when squeezing the lime.
Standard limes can simply be sliced in half and squeezed as-is with their skin intact right into the juice mixture. This retains all the aromatic oils in the peel for the fullest lime flavor in the simple, refreshing Brazilian limeade. If adding lime zest for extra flavor. The zest is easier to grate off first before juicing.
If you want to remove any pesticide residue or wax on the skin from non-organic limes, giving them a good scrub beforehand helps remove most of it.
Chef Tip
Pour the chilled pre-made limeade over ice to serve. Top individual portions with ice rather than icing down the whole pitcher, so it doesn't get diluted as it sits.
More Drink Recipes
Ingredients
- 6 each Limes Key limes, prefered
- 3 Cups Water
- 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 Cups Ice
Instructions
- Wash the limes and chop them.
- In a blender, add the chopped limes, water, and sweetened condensed milk. Blend for a few minutes, or until as smooth as possible.
- Strain everything.
- Pour over ice.
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