Brazilian Lemonade Recipe – Brazilian Limeade

Sweet, creamy, and smoothie-like, this Brazilian lemonade will be your next favorite summer drink!

Brazilian lemonade recipe (or is it Brazilian limeade?)

By now, you’re probably thinking I wrote the name of this recipe wrong. It isn’t a Brazilian lemonade, but a Brazilian limeade! Well, in fact, it is not.

Well, if you want, you can call it a limeade. Potato, potahto. Honestly, who cares?

You just want a refreshing, summer drink, and that’s exactly what you’re getting here.

But the reason why we Brazilians call it a lemonade is that the word for lemon in Portuguese is limão siciliano. Still, this type is far less common than its green cousin, lime.

The word for lime in Portuguese is, wait for it, limão taiti. Or simply called limão, that’s more common.

As for its juice, we call it a limonada, which translates to lemonade. So there you have it.

Crazy Brazilians, right?! Yep, I know.

What is the Brazilian lemonade?

While there are a few versions of Brazilian lemonade, the one I like the most is made of lime with the peel, sweetened condensed milk, and water.

Wait, what?! Can you drink condensed milk?

Yes, you can. In fact, we have many cocktails made with this ingredient. And honestly, they are all delicious!

Anyway, this version of the drink is called limonada suíça in Portuguese, which translates to Swiss Lemonade.

No one knows the reason for this name, but rest assured, there is nothing Swiss in this recipe. On the contrary, it’s a Brazilian lemonade recipe.

Or for some, a Brazilian limeade recipe. Again, potato, potahto.

Important things to know for this Brazilian lemonade recipe

It’s imperative you only blend the lemon with peel for no more than 10 seconds in the blender, otherwise, it will become bitter.

Also, you will want to use fresh and juicy limes.

Limes with smooth, thin skin are the juiciest and have less chance of making your Brazilian lemonade bitter.

For the same reason, you must drink it on the same day. Leaving it to the next day in the fridge might be a bit risky. The juice might become bitter.

Tips for making a delicious Brazilian lemonade

• If you’re not into a slight bitterness, peel all the limes.
• Is it too sweet for you? Add less sweetened condensed milk.
• What about a Brazilian lemonade without condensed milk? Well, you could add sugar, but then it isn’t the traditional limonada suíça recipe anymore.
• Wanna make a cocktail instead? You could. We call that drink batida in Portuguese. Here’s a similar cocktail for you, but made with coconut instead. Alternatively, you could try our traditional caipirinha cocktail.

Ingredients

• 4 juicy limes
• 5 cups cold water
• 1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
• Ice cubes

How to make a Brazilian lemonade

Wash all limes thoroughly by scrubbing the peel wish a dish soap to remove any wax or pesticides.

Remove the peel of two of them and slice off the ends of each lime with a peel.

Now, cut them, lengthwise, into 1/8ths, and remove the pith to avoid making it more bitter.

In a blender, combine all lime wedges with half the water and blend for 10 seconds. No more!

Ten seconds is just enough to remove the juice from the limes and avoid too much bitterness. The longer you blend, the more bitter it becomes.

Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing on the pulp to remove all the lime juice. Discard the remaining peels and pulp.

Return the liquid to the blender and blend it with the remaining water and condensed milk until creamy and frothy.

Pour into a pitcher filled with ice and serve immediately. It tastes especially delicious on a hot day!

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