Make this authentic limeade, aka Brazilian lemonade recipe, with fresh limes and condensed milk for your next party! Perfect refreshing drink for summer!
If you love quick lemonade recipes and are looking for something different from our regular lemonade, you have to try this Brazilian lemonade! And I know how to make it not taste bitter.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: Creamy, silky smooth, frothy, and thicker than regular lemonade, Brazilian lemonade has a very satisfying texture that covers the whole mouth with every sip.
Taste: Something new! Sweet and tangy, citrusy and tart, and not overly sweet. You will only taste a subtle bitterness from the fruit skin.
Ease: This drink only takes 10 minutes to make a big batch to enjoy on a hot summer day.
Why I love it: I love balanced drinks, and sweet and citrusy flavor combination, so this is one of my favorite summer drinks. It is a nice change from classic lemonade.
My best tip for you is to use real fresh limes instead of lime juice and stick to the ratios of sweet and sour from the recipe to make sure the taste is balanced.
Experimenting with lemonades? I have more fun recipes for you! This lemonade with peaches and raspberries, blackberry lemonade, and boozy pomegranate lemonade.
What is Brazilian Lemonade?
Brazilian lemonade, or “limonada suíça” as it is called in Brazil, despite its name, is a refreshing drink made primarily from limes, not lemons, but in Portuguese, lime is lima, so the name totally makes sense.
It combines the tartness of fresh limes with the sweetness of sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Limeade is typically served cold, making it perfect for hot summer days.
Brazilian lemonade is believed to come from the southeastern region of Brazil. The name “suíça” (Swiss) doesn’t really refer to Switzerland, but it probably wanted to highlight how luxurious and elegant the drink is.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- An amazing refreshing drink for hot summer days, but also for Labor Day!
- You just need three simple ingredients and some water to make it.
- Customizable. Easy to turn into a boozy cocktail with a liquor of choice.
Ingredients Notes
This is just an overview of the recipe; the quantities and printable steps are available at the recipe card below.
- Limes. Best to pick organic fresh limes, if you have a lime tree – perfect! Do not use key limes, they are too small and often bring more bitterness.
- Granulated sugar – a sweetener to make the simple syrup (water + sugar).
- Sweetened condensed milk – the second star of the show after limes in this drink, and a staple ingredient in Brazilian cooking.
- Optional: ice cubes.
- Optional: lime wedges for garnish
Kitchen Equipment
- 8-cup blender – high-speed blender (or food processor)
- fine mesh strainer
- rubber spatula or large spoon
- large bowl
How To Make Limeade (Also Called Brazilian Lemonade)
1: Prep The Limes
- Cut the limes into quarters.
- Pulse the limes with 4 cups of water for less than one minute. Don’t blend for too long, or you will extract more bitterness from the limes!
- Place the mesh sieve over a large bowl and slowly pour the lime mixture through it.
- Press the leftover lime pulp in the sieve with a rubber spatula to extract the excess juice. Discard what’s left from the pulp.
- Rinse out the blender.
2: Make The Lemonade
- In a clean blender, combine strained lime juice, remaining water, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Blend on low for 1 minute.
- Skim the foam off the top.
- Pour over ice when serving with a lime wedge.
Storage
Brazilian lemonade has a very short shelf life. Store the limeade in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cocktail version. Add alcohol like vodka, tequila, or coconut rum.
- You can use Meyer lemons in a pinch if you’re worried about a bitter taste.
- You can adjust the sugar content, of course, and use either sugar or condensed milk.
- Try replacing sugar with some natural sweeteners like agave nectar.
- Condensed milk. You can replace it with coconut milk for a dairy-free version, but the flavor will be a bit different.
- Garnish the drink with mint leaves. This is not how Brazilians do it, but I love mint in the drinks!
- Change it up and freeze it in popsicle molds – great for a hot day.
Expert Tips To Make The Best Limeade (Brazilian Lemonade)
- Look for limes with thinner skin to reduce the amount of pith – this helps to ensure the drink doesn’t turn out bitter.
- You can serve the drink in individual glasses or in a large pitcher. Don’t add glass directly to the pitcher, though, as it will water down the lemonade.
- If you are worried about the bitterness, you can peel half of the limes, the rest will add just enough of the bitter kick to the drink.
- Technically, you can make Brazilian lemonade in one step: just add ice, condensed milk, lime wedges, and water to the blender and pulse it. Then serve, it will be more like a slushy. However, I decided to go with straining.
Popular Questions
Why Does My Brazilian Lemonade Taste So Bitter?
There are two reasons why limeade tastes bitter, and usually, the pith is the culprit. The pith – the white part under the lime skin, contains compounds that can add bitterness. Make sure to blend the limes for only a short time and strain the juice well to remove most of the pith and pulp.
How to Make Brazilian Lemonade Not Bitter
To make Brazilian lemonade less bitter, you need to carefully pick the limes. Use limes with thin skin, thicker skin means there are a lot of white skin layers (pith) formed that often adds bitterness to citruses. Also, remove any seeds before blendin,g and don’t forget to add a sweetener like regular sugar and condensed milk.
Can You Make Limeade with Lime Juice?
Yes, you can make limeade with lime juice instead of blending whole limes. Just skip the first step, mix lime juice with water and sugar. Add sweetened condensed milk for a creamy touch and stir well. This method is simpler and avoids bitterness from the lime’s skin and pith.
If you love this tasty drink recipe, you’re going to love these other refreshing beverage recipes. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Great Recipes Made With Limes
Key Lime Pie with Whipped Cream
Chili Lime Chicken – Air Fryer
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
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Brazilian Lemonade Recipe (Limeade)
Ingredients
- 5 limes small – washed
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Slice the limes into quarters.
- Blend the limes with 4 cups of water for one minute.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and slowly pour the lime mixture through it.
- Press the leftover pulp in the sieve with a rubber spatula to extract the excess juice.
- Rinse out the blender.
- Add the trained lime juice back to the clean blender with the remaining water, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Blend on low for 1 minute.
- Skim the foam off the top.
- Pour over ice when serving with a lime wedge.
Notes
I don’t recommend freezing.
Look for limes with thinner skin to reduce the amount of pith – this helps to endure the drink doesn’t turn out bitter.
Equipment
- 8-cup blender
- fine mesh sieve
- rubber spatula or large spoon
- Large Bowl
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Created by Gina Kleinworth
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