Homemade Lime Syrup Recipe
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This homemade lime syrup is an easy 3-ingredient sweetener for drinks and cooking, and it takes just 5 minutes to make. Keep it in the fridge, and you’ll always have an easy way to add fresh lime flavor to soda, cocktails, lemonade, iced tea, and more.
What is lime syrup?
Lime syrup is a simple sweetener made with fresh limes, sugar, and water. I use both the lime zest and juice, because they give you two different things: the zest adds that fragrant lime aroma, while the juice brings the fresh, tart flavor.
It’s basically a lime-flavored simple syrup, but much more useful when you want to sweeten a cold drink. Since the sugar is already dissolved, you can just add a splash, stir, and adjust it to your taste.
How to use it
Just like other syrups, you can use this to sweeten drinks or to cook. Here’s how:
Start with a small amount and add more until the drink is as sweet and limey as you like. That’s easier than trying to fix a drink that’s already too sweet.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You only need three ingredients for this recipe. Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Limes: Use fresh limes and use both the zest and the juice. Fresh limes are a must; bottled juice won’t give you the same fresh flavor.
- Sugar: I use regular white sugar because it keeps the syrup light and lets the lime come through. Brown sugar works, but it will give you a darker brown sugar syrup with a more caramel-like flavor.
- Water: Regular drinking water is fine.
How to make lime simple syrup for drinks
1: Zest the limes. Finely zest the limes, taking only the green outer skin and avoiding the white pith underneath.
2: Mix the lime zest and sugar. Add the lime zest and sugar to a small saucepan. Stir them together and let them sit for a few minutes. This gives the sugar time to draw out the fragrant oils from the zest.
3: Add the water. Pour the water into the saucepan and stir to combine.
4: Add lime juice and simmer. Squeeze the fresh lime juice into the saucepan, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it cool before straining.
A quick tip for zesting limes
Don’t press too hard when zesting. You only want the thin green outer layer of the lime. The white pith underneath is bitter and can make the syrup taste bitter too.
I recommend using a lemon zester because it removes the green zest easily without taking off big pieces of pith. Move the lime lightly over the zester rather than pressing down.
How to store
Let the lime syrup cool completely, then pour it into a clean, airtight glass jar or bottle. Keep it refrigerated.
It will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Always use a clean spoon when taking syrup from the jar.
If you notice an off smell, cloudy appearance, mold, or fermentation, discard it.
Homemade Lime Syrup Recipe
Equipment
- Fine grater
- Small saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Heatproof jar or bottle for storage
Ingredients
- 1 lime zest, finely grated; zest 1 lime
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Zest the lime. Finely zest the lime, taking only the green outer skin and avoiding the white pith underneath.
- Mix the zest and sugar. Add the lime zest and sugar to a small saucepan. Stir together and let sit for a few minutes.
- Add the water. Pour the water into the saucepan and stir to combine.
- Add the lime juice and simmer. Add the fresh lime juice and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook until the sugar has completely dissolved, then remove from the heat and let cool before straining.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.