This is one of our favorite treats that seems to go perfectly with everything. Of course it’s a fantastic drink to enjoy during the summer when the days are long and hot, but it’s also great in the winter when limes are in season and at their juicy best! I first tried this Brazilian lemonade recipe after seeing it on Our Best Bites, who posted about it way back in 2010, and we’ve been making it ever since. It’s sweet-tart, tangy, and ever so slightly creamy thanks to the addition of some sweetened condensed milk. If you have ever eaten at one of many popular Brazilian steakhouses like Tucanos or Fogo de chao, you may have had a chance to try this wonderfully sweet-tart Brazilian Lemonade. Serve it with almost anything, but if you are doing a Brazilian-themed meal, it’s especially delicious with Brazilian black beans and Brazilian white rice. We love having something fun to drink when we have friends over! Some of our other favorites are Homemade Hawaiian Punch, Virgin Piña Coladas, Strawberry Lemonade, or Horchata!
Why is it called Brazilian Lemonade and not Brazilian Limeade?
It seems like a strange misnomer to call this beverage “lemonade” when there are no actual lemons in it. But the reason is actually because the word for both lemons and limes in Portuguese is limão. I’ve also read that this is sometimes actually called Swiss Lemonade in Brazil, although I don’t know why or whether that’s actually true. It may also just be a regional name from Brazilian limeade or lemonade, given that Brazil is such a large country!
How to Make Brazilian Lemonade
You are going to want a good blender to make Brazilian lemonade. A Vitamix or a Blendtec are probably the two best known brands, and I love my Vitamix and use it on an almost daily basis. But if you don’t have one, I’m including a couple of work arounds in the recipe notes. But it really is so much easier to just use a blender for this recipe. First you want to make sure you have nice, juicy limes. Ones with thin, smooth skins are the best since they have less white pith between the outer skin and the flesh of the lime and that’s where any bitterness comes from. Give the limes a good scrub with a little bit of hand or dish soap to get rid of wax and any pesticides, then slice of the ends of each lime and cut them into 1/8ths. Drop half of the limes into your blender, along with half of the water and sugar called for in the recipe and pulse it about 5 to 7 times. You don’t actually want to pulverize the limes or your Brazilian lemonade might turn out bitter. Pour everything through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher, using the back of a spoon to press the limes to release any extra juice, then toss the pulp and skins away and repeat the process with the remaining half of the limes, water and sugar. After that, you just stir in some sweetened condensed milk (it makes a huge difference so I definitely wouldn’t skip this!) and a bunch of ice and serve! It doesn’t keep very well, which is the one downside to this drink, but it seriously takes 5 minutes or less to make and we never have leftovers, so that’s not usually an issue. I have actually even frozen this in popsicle molds and we’ve enjoyed it that way too, which is a yummy summer treat!
More Refreshing Summer Drink Recipes You’ll Love
Fresh Squeezed Homemade Lemonade Orange Julius Recipe Raspberry Peach Italian Cream Sodas Horchata Pumpkin Juice Recipe (Harry Potter Inspired)
More Favorites from House of Nash Eats
Homemade Hawaiian Punch Recipe
Virgin Piña Coladas (Non-Alcoholic)
Homemade Blackberry Lemonade
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