Easy Brazilian Lemonade

Easy Brazilian lemonade – a refreshingly creamy drink that’s bursting tropical goodness. Have you ever had Brazilian lemonade?? It is a unique fusion of zesty limes, creamy sweetened condensed milk, and just a dash of sugar. Creating a tantalising and enticing drink perfect for those hot summer days. It’s like sunshine in a glass!

This lemonade is quickly growing in popularity all over the world! Unlike traditional lemonade made with lime or lemon juice. Brazilian Lemonade uses whole fresh limes. It has a unique and refreshing taste from combining tangy limes with sweetened condensed milk, giving it a velvety smooth, creamy texture and rich luscious flavour.

The first time I tried this, I knew I had to make it for my boys. Traditional Brazilian Lemonade is made by blending the entire lime, skin and all, then strained through a sieve. Because of the pith I always found the lemonade to be a bit bitter. So I made a change – I just use the zest of limes and remove the white pith. The end result was still perfectly sweet-tart and tangy, just without the bitter undertones.

What is Brazilian lemonade?

Brazilian lemonade – Traditional to Brazil, Swiss lemonade (or limonada suíça) is a citrusy-sweet beverage and a beloved fixture savoured on hot summer days. This delightful drink truly represents the spirit of Brazilian culture. Lively, refreshing and inviting. It’s made from blended whole limes, condensed milk, sugar, ice, and water. It has a rich, luscious flavour and creamy consistency, making it the ultimate cooling drink for the hot Brazilian weather.

One thing to note about Brazilian lemonade is that even though it’s called lemonade, you use limes not lemons. In Portuguese “limão” is the same word for lemon and lime, so it’s just translated to lemonade. The traditional method is to blend the whole citrus with cold water and sweetened condensed milk and then strain it. The final drink is thick, frothy, creamy, tart and refreshing all at the same time. The key method to avoid the drink getter bitter is all in how long you blend it. Keep it quick! Spike it with vodka for the perfect summer cocktail or top it simply with sparkling water for a beautiful mocktail.

Ingredients needed to make Easy Brazilian Lemonade

This is an easy 4-ingredient lemonade recipe :

• Limes and Lime Zest – No juicing just zesting required! Choose limes which are firm,bright green, with smooth skin and heavy for its size.
• Water– this will help keep the ice from melting too quickly in the drink so you are able to serve it right away while it’s still fresh.
• Condensed milk – This thick and almost syrup-like dairy product adds the creamy quality that sets this Brazilian lemonade apart from regular homemade lemonade. This is an essential part of this recipe to give it that authentic creaminess and it also adds sweetness. Do not get this confused with evaporated milk.
• Ice – To give the lemonade a slushy consistency that’s perfect for summers.
• Sugar – For sweetness
• Mint leaves – This is a not authentic addition but the mint leaves add life and extra refreshment to the drink.

How to make Brazilian lemonade

The only tools you need are a blender and a fine-mesh strainer to make this drink at home.

Step 1 – Wash and wipe the limes. Using a microplane grate the skin of the lime (coloured part). Next , using a sharp knife remove the white pith of the limes. Cut the into wedges. Pulse the lime wedges, lime zest, mint, and water in a pulse a few times or blend for only 20-30 seconds.

Step 2 – Strain the lemonade through a fine mesh strainer, pressing the pulp to extract all the juice. Pour the liquid back into the blender.

Step 3 – Add the condensed milk, sugar, and ice to the blender. Blend until creamy and frothy. Pour into glasses and garnish with mime wedge and mint. ENJOY!!

Frequently Asked Questions

1] Can you make this without condensed milk ?

You can make Brazilian lemonade without condensed milk, but I recommend replacing it with a can of full-fat coconut milk to replicate the same luscious and creamy consistency. Replacing it with any other plant based milk will got fine the same creamy consistency. Remember you will need to add extra sugar for the sweetness.

2] Can we use lemons instead of limes??

Authentic Brazilian lemonade is made using lime. You can replace it will lemons. Just juice 3-4 lemons and add to the blender. Add zest of only 1 lemon.

3] Why is my lemonade bitter?

If your lemonade is bitter, you likely got some of the pith (the white part of the peel) in with the lime zest. When you’re zesting the lime, be sure to only zest the outer green peel as the pith can be quite bitter. (This is why I don’t make mine the traditional way, which does include blending in the pith.)Also, be sure to choose limes that have a smooth skin, as those tend to be less bitter.

Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make Easy Brazilian Lemonade

• Make it a cocktail – Make this drink with of white rum, vodka, or Brazil’s spirit, cachaça!
• You can make this lemonade in advance but only if you juice the limes. Whole limes won’t taste good the next day. It will be very bitter. 

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Easy Brazilian Lemonade

Serves: 3 Prep Time: 7 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 8 voted )

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Ingredients

• 4 limes
• 700ml cold water
• ⅔ cup condense milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• handful of mint leaves
• Ice 

method

1. Wash your limes and using a microplane grater, grate the coloured part of the lime (skin only, not the white pith)
2. Using a sharp knife remove the white pith of the limes. Cut the limes into wedges. 
3. Put the lime wedges, mint, lime zest, and water in in your blender and pulse for a few seconds. (10 seconds)
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the pulp to extract all the juice.
5. Return the liquid to the blender and add the condense milk, sugar and ice. Blend until creamy and frothy. Serve immediately.

(If the lemonade is too intense for you, add more ice and blend some more. ) 

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!