Turkish Lemonade or Limonata Recipe

By
Elizabeth Taviloglu
Elizabeth Wilson Taviloğlu
Elizabeth Taviloglu
Food writer Elizabeth Taviloğlu learned Turkish cooking hands-on in Turkey where she has lived and traveled for more than 24 years.
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Updated on 07/19/21
Glasses of lemonade with mint sprigs
Hayley Harrison / Getty Images
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Refrigerate: 4 mins
Total: 34 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
327 Calories
0g Fat
87g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 327
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 87g 32%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 78g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 67mg 334%
Calcium 41mg 3%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 175mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Did you ever hear of lemonade that wasn't sour? Take a sip of Turkish lemonade and you'll be surprised at its refreshing lemon taste without the sourness. The lemon rinds and sugar are either rubbed together or cooked before they are mixed with the lemon juice. This leaves you with a smooth, sweet lemonade minus the bite.

Ingredients

  • 6 medium lemons

  • 4 1/4 cups water

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, more or less to taste

  • Mint leaves, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Peel the lemons and grate the rinds. Put the grated rinds in a saucepan with the water and sugar.

  2. Squeeze the peeled lemons and put the juice together with the leftover pieces in a glass bowl and set aside.

  3. Bring the mixture in the saucepan to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

  4. Reduce the heat and continue to boil gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

  5. While the mixture is still warm, add it to the ingredients in the glass bowl. Add your optional mint leaves.

  6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

  7. Remove the bowl from the fridge and strain the mixture using a fine mesh wire strainer.

  8. Press down the ingredients to get out as much liquid as possible, then discard them.

  9. Secure a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of a bowl or the pitcher you plan to use with a rubber band.

  10. Perform a second, fine straining by pouring the liquid slowly over the cheesecloth and letting it drip down.

  11. Adjust the amounts of sugar and water to your taste, if needed.

  12. Serve your lemonade over ice and garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs.