With its gorgeous green color, honey-like sweetness, and citrusy acidity, this herbal limeade is a favorite in summer. Better yet? It takes less than 10 minutes to make.
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I save this recipe for the hottest summer days—when the heat is unbearable and you want to spend the entire day by the lake. We're always looking for refreshing, botanically infused drinks to help beat the heat.
Fermented lemonade, blackberry switchel, and haymaker's punch are our favorites. This herbal limeade is another recipe we like to keep on hand for summer.
You can use just about any herb you like, but cilantro and mint partner particularly well with fresh lime. Together, they produce an intense, vibrant flavor touched by the delicate sweetness of honey. It's delicious served over ice, or mixed with sparkling mineral water.
Recipe at a Glance
Cilantro and mint lend a fresh, vibrant note to this herbal limeade recipe.
It's super refreshing and takes less than ten minutes to make.
It's loaded with antioxidants that support healthy skin and gut health.
Ingredients + Substitutions
Fresh limes give the limeade its acidity and flavor. You can use standard limes, key limes, or even lemons. While fresh juice tastes best, you can easily swap in bottled lime juice.
Honey tempers the acidity of the limes and lends sweetness and delicate floral notes. If you're not a fan of honey, you can use any sweetener you like. Liquid sweeteners and syrups work best.
Fresh herbs add a clean, green note. You can use any leafy green herb. Cilantro, mint, and parsley are some of my favorites.
Recipe Tips
For the best flavor, use the freshest herbs you can find. Avoid any that are limp, brown, or dried out.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking. This limeade is lightly sweet, but you can easily add more honey (or less) depending on your preferences.
Instead of blending the ingredients in a blender, you can juice the herbs in a slow juicer and then mix in the herb juice (also known as succus) with lime juice, water, and honey.
The limeade's color is a beautiful, vivid green. But its beautiful color will fade and turn a muddy olive green within about a day, so use it quickly.
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the lemonade. Otherwise, bits of herb will float around, which can be unpleasant to drink.
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Recipe Questions
It'll keep for about 1 day in the fridge before its color and flavor fades.
You can use any sweetener you like (or no sweetener at all). The honey in this recipe simply adds sweetness and doesn't impact any other aspect of the drink.
The best substitutes are liquid sweeteners, such as simple syrup, because they dissolve easily. You can also use sugar, coconut sugar, palm sugar, monk fruit, or any other sweetener of your choice.
Tender, leafy greens work best. These include mint, parsley, tarragon, basil, and delicate, leafy herbs.
You can also add matcha or turmeric powder.
Kyla says
Super delicious. Very herby. My kids loved the color.