Fresh Lime Juice Limeade Concentrate Canning Recipe
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I love a good lemonade or limeade concentrate recipe (in case you haven’t noticed) and today was the day to can more limeade concentrate and finally toss a recipe up for you guys. I’ve always stuck to a 2 parts lime juice to 1-1.5 parts sugar in my concentrate canning recipes. I always err on the side of less sugar as you can add more but not take it away, and over-sweetened limeade defeats the purpose of using fresh limes. You can make this recipe with fresh lemons, fresh limes, or a blend of both; whatever floats your boat! I recently got a citrus HAUL off Flashfood that included some really ugly, but tasty, fresh limes, about 10 pounds in all. They were super small and weren’t crazy juicy, but I did end up getting over 4 cups of fresh squeezed lime juice from a bag of ugly limes mixed with oranges I paid a whole dollar for :D I’m not complaining!
How Do I Use This
The thing to remember is this is a concentrate, meaning you need to dilute it. You could drink it undiluted, but that makes my cheeks hurt just thinking about it. Oof. Start by mixing your concentrate 1:1 with water, tonic water, or even ginger ale or unsweetened cherry juice for a cherry limeade. And then adjust from there. I’ve found for our liking, I mix 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water and we’re pleased.
BUT. That isn’t the only way to use this. It’s also amazing mixed with other fruits to make really delicious popsicles for summer that are poison and dye free! And so delicious. My lemonade concentrates are also great to mix with my fermented soda starter I make (see the linked cranberry soda recipe) to make some fun fermented fizzy drinks and also mixed into homemade jello. Both recipes are linked below for you if you want to check them out!
How Many Limes Do I Need
I honestly only make this if I find discount limes and I just squeeze til they’re all squeezed. I think about 3 pounds of limes will do 1 cup of lime juice, maybe 1 1/2 cup if they’re ripe and juicy. It really just depends on the time of year, variety, and what you get. But fresh lime juice does taste better than bottled, BUT if you’re dying to make it, and have a big ole bottle of lime juice burning a hole in your pocket, bottled will do, pig.
Equipment You Might Want:
- Citrus press
- Small Stock Pot
- Pint canning jars
- Canning Lids & Screw Bands
- Jar Funnel
- Jar Lifter
- Steam Canner
- Water Bath Canning Pot
Ingredients:
- 4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
- up to 2 cups sugar
Step 1: Prep
​Add freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar to a small stainless steel stock pot.
Place over medium low heat and stir frequently until sugar dissolves.
Continue heating lime juice mixture until it is hot, but be sure to not boil it. If you boil it, the pectin from the citrus can be activated and could gel and give you a super weird texture to your lemonade concentrate. It doesn’t normally happen in an all citrus concentrate as opposed to one mixed with strawberry or blueberry or even watermelon, but just err on the side of caution because nobody wants to drink limeade with the texture of a vinegar mother ok?!
Step 2: Canning
Once the limeade is hot, ladle the hot liquid into prepared pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace.
Wipe the rim of the jars and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturers specifications.
Place pint (or smaller) jars into your water bath canner or steam canner and process for 15 minutes, adjusting time for altitude if needed.
Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 3: Storage
Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine but avoid extreme temperatures and know that ideal storage conditions for home canned goods are 55-70 degrees F.
Shelf life is ’til you use it. Aim to rotate your canned goods every 2 years, but they will last longer if need be. As long as the seal is good, they’re good. You may notice some slight discoloration begin around the 18 month to 2 year mark on the pantry shelf. This is normal enzyme activity and does not affect the quality of your drink concentrate.
To use:
Mix with equal parts cold water, sparkling water, or mixer of your choice! Adjust the amount of water to your liking. Enjoy!
I find that limeade is the perfect beverage for summer things as it’s super refreshing on hot summer days and just something a little different than lemonade!
Notes:
If you want to, you can use bottled lime juice, just don’t expect the same results as fresh squeezed, but it’s pretty good still.
You can substitute the lime juice for lemon juice and make a lemonade concentrate instead :)
If you would rather use honey or maple syrup, you can substitute that as well, but err on the side of less because neither are flavor neutral and will take over the limeade.
Check out my other drink concentrate recipes, like my favorite, strawberry lemonade concentrate!
Equipment
- Citrus press
- Small Stock Pot
- pint canning jars
- Canning lids & screw bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh squeezed lime juice
- up to 3 cups raw unrefined sugar
Instructions
- Add freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar to a small stainless steel stock pot.
- Place over medium low heat and stir frequently until sugar dissolves.
- Continue heating lime juice mixture until it is hot, but be sure to not boil it.
- Once the limeade is hot, ladle the hot liquid into prepared pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace.
- Wipe the rim of the jars and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to lid manufacturers specifications.
- Place pint (or smaller) jars into your water bath canner or steam canner and process for 15 minutes, adjusting time for altitude if needed.
- Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner and allow to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine but avoid extreme temperatures and know that ideal storage conditions for home canned goods are 55-70 degrees F.
- Shelf life is 'til you use it. Aim to rotate your canned goods every 2 years, but they will last longer if need be. As long as the seal is good, they're good. You may notice some slight discoloration begin around the 18 month to 2 year mark on the pantry shelf. This is normal enzyme activity and does not affect the quality of your drink concentrate.
To Use
- Mix with equal parts cold water, sparkling water, or mixer of your choice! Adjust the amount of water to your liking.
