Brazilian Lemonade

There’s no better way to beat the summertime heat than with a tall glass of Brazilian lemonade. This refreshing treat blends up whole limes with ice, sugar and sweetened condensed milk for a vibrant flavor and creamy texture made in mere minutes. You can also easily customize this sipper and incorporate fresh herbs or even your favorite tipple to make it into an adult treat.

What is Brazilian lemonade?

Despite its name, this lemonade is actually made with limes. In Portuguese, the word limão is used for both limes and lemons. In Brazil, this drink is called limonada, hence it’s translation to “lemonade” in English. The refreshing drink is traditionally made by blending together whole limes, sugar, water and ice. In this recipe, sweetened condensed milk is also blended in to add a creamy flavor and frothy texture. When sweetened condensed milk is incorporated into the recipe, it is also known as lemonade Suíça or Swiss lemonade because shelf-stable condensed milk was introduced to Brazil in the 1920s by Nestle, a Swiss company.

Brazilian Lemonade Ingredients

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

• Limes: In this lemonade recipe, you use whole limes rather than just the juice. For the best flavor, use small to medium-sized thin-skinned limes. (Avoid using the larger bumpy ones.)
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the Brazilian lemonade.
• Cold water and ice: Use cold water to keep the drink nice and cool, and ice will give the drink a thicker texture. If you prefer your lemonade with a thinner consistency, you can skip adding ice to the blender. The lemonade is also served over ice.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Sweetened condensed milk adds—you guessed it—sweetness, and it gives the drink its creamy flavor and texture. Since this Brazilian lemonade recipe uses only half a can, save the rest to use in another sweetened condensed milk recipe.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the limes

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

Scrub the limes. Slice off the ends of the limes, then cut them into quarters.

Step 2: Blend the ingredients

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

Add the quartered limes, water, condensed milk, sugar and ice to a blender.

Editor’s Tip: If you have a smaller or lower-power blender, make the lemonade in two to three small batches. Then combine together in a serving pitcher.

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

Pulse five to eight times or until just blended together.

Step 3: Strain the mixture

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

Carefully strain the lemonade into a serving pitcher through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Press with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.

Step 4: Serve the lemonade

Pour the lemonade into glasses filled with ice, garnish each with a lime wedge and serve immediately.

Editor’s Tip: If it’s particularly warm out, chill the glasses in the freezer for a few minutes before pouring in the lemonade.

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

Brazilian Lemonade Variations

• Skip the condensed milk: For a less creamy version of Brazilian lemonade, you can skip the sweetened condensed milk and just blend together the water, ice, sugar and limes.
• Add fresh herbs: Add a few fresh mint or basil leaves with the condensed milk to add an herbal flavor to the lemonade.
• Spike it: For an adult treat, learn how to make a Brazilian lemonade inspired by a caipirinha. Just add 2 to 4 ounces of cachaça (Brazil’s national spirit) to the recipe. If you don’t have cachaça on hand, you could use 2 to 4 ounces of vodka, white rum or spiced rum instead.
• Use lemons: This drink is just as tasty when you swap in lemons. Be sure to taste and adjust the amount of sweetener as needed.
• Make it dairy-free: For a dairy-free Brazilian lemonade recipe, use full-fat coconut milk in place of the condensed milk.

How to Store Brazilian Lemonade

Because the lime pith can make the drink bitter over time, it’s best to serve Brazilian lemonade immediately after making it.

How long does Brazilian lemonade last?

Brazilian lemonade should be made only a few minutes ahead of serving.

Can you make Brazilian lemonade ahead of time?

Because of the bitterness factor, Brazilian lemonade should not be made ahead of time. Though, to save a minute or two, you could prep and chop the limes ahead of time. Store the prepped limes in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Brazilian Lemonade Tips

Susan Bronson for Taste of Home

What should I do if my Brazilian lemonade is bitter?

Bitterness typically results when the limes have been overblended. You can try to rescue the lemonade by adding more sweetener, but you may need to start over. If you want to learn how to make Brazilian lemonade and completely avoid bitterness, instead of blending whole limes, you can zest the limes and carefully remove the white pith from the whole fruit. Follow the recipe as written, but use the lime zest and de-pithed limes instead of the whole limes.

What can you serve with Brazilian lemonade?

Brazilian lemonade is a delicious refresher on its own, but it would also make a tasty drink to serve at a summer barbecue with hamburgers or grilled chicken. This sweet and tart treat would also pair well with salty snacks like air-fryer potato chips, popcorn or spicy peanuts.