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Brazilian lemonade is a 4-ingredient drink that is tangy, creamy, and refreshing! It’s the perfect mix of tart and sweet and will have your family hooked after first sip.
When life gives you lemons… you try out some of my other tasty lemonade recipes! For some classic lemonade, try this Chick-fil-A copycat lemonade! And if you’re wanting something fruity, these watermelon and pineapple lemonade recipes are great choices too!
Homemade Brazilian Lemonade Recipe
Here is something that I don’t understand about this recipe. Although it’s called Brazilian lemonade, it’s made with limes. That makes no sense to me! What I do know is – this drink is one of the most refreshing, delicious things I have ever tried. When I first found this recipe, I loved how it had such simple ingredients. But my favorite ingredient by far is the sweetened condensed milk. It adds the best creaminess to the drink! Remember how I said I could totally drink that stuff? Well I was partially joking, partially not. It is just so good!
Not only are the ingredients simple, but Brazilian lemonade is super easy to make as well! It’s also great for making big batches of. It’s a potluck favorite! Just a few minutes is all it takes to blend the ingredients together and you have a perfect, refreshing, summer lemonade…. or limeade. I hope someday I will find the answer to this!
Ingredients for Brazilian Lemonade
It really doesn’t get any easier than this. These 4 ingredients combine for the most incredible tropical flavor! You’ll love it! Exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Fresh Limes: Despite the name, Brazilian lemonade is made with limes instead of lemons. Unlike traditional limeade recipes, however, the whole lime gets blended instead of juiced! Since this is the main flavor of the drink, you’ll want your limes to be as fresh as possible.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is what makes Brazilian lemonade stand out from the crowd! It adds the most amazing creaminess to the drink.
- Sugar: Sweetens the drink.
- Cold Water and Ice: Helps adjust the consistency of the drink and keep it cool!
How to Make Brazilian Lemonade at Home
This recipe is so simple because you use a blender to do all of the mixing! From there, just strain and serve!
- Add Ingredients to Blender: In a blender add the whole limes, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and water.
- Blend: Blend until smooth.
- Strain: Pour it into a vase using a strainer to remove the chunks of lime.
- Add Ice: Add in ice, and serve immediately.
Substitutes and Variations
The best part about making homemade drinks is you can customize them to your liking! Here are a few easy ways to switch yours up!
- Other Sweeteners: If you’re wanting to avoid refined sugars, try sweetening your Brazilian lemonade with honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar!
- Add Herbs: Adding fresh herbs not only makes your drink look picture-perfect, but it infuses extra flavor! Basil and mint are some of my favorites to add in!
- Make it Dairy-Free: Full-fat coconut milk is a great alternative to condensed milk! It has great flavor, too!
- Make it Boozy: For an adults-only version of this drink, try adding a splash of vodka or coconut rum.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers of your Brazilian lemonade, transfer it to an airtight pitcher and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. The ingredients may separate as your drink sits, so give it a quick stir before you serve it.
More Refreshing Homemade Beverages
A delicious way to keep yourself cool this summer is to make yourself a homemade drink! These are a few more of my favorite recipes. They’re super delicious and easy to make!
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Brazilian Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3 fresh limes, quartered
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 cups cold water
- Ice
Instructions
- In a blender add the whole limes, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and water.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour it into a vase using a strainer to remove the chunks of lime.
- Add in ice, and serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I really don’t understand this lemonade. It’s not something we drink here in Brazil! I don’t know how the brazilian name is in that.
Even though, I must say that here, your lime is called limão, and limonada is lemonade. Maybe that’s why it’s made with limes but it’s called lemonade.
Your lemon is our limão siciliano.
Dani
I am a Brazilian and lime are the only thing
We use there! It’s called limão in Portuguese
It’s refreshing and most of us just get froma tree in our backyards!
We don’t have easy access to yellow lemons ! Lol
Brazilian here… in Brazil, both types are called “LEMONS” one we call a green lemon, the other a yellow lemon… so hence “Brazilian Lemonade” Delish, isn’t it? (it’s like a key lime pie in a CUP!)
Where I live in Brazil this is called Swiss lemonade!
to answer your question..
the reason this recipe calls for limes instead of lemons and is still considerd lemonade..
i am married to a brazilian and lived in brazil for awhile. they actually do not have the same lemons that we have here in the states in most regions of brazil, and they are extremely hard to find in the regions that do have them. so they make lemon recipes most of the time with limes because in portuguese the word for lime is limao which means lemon in their language. so to them limes are lemons; they know no difference. and actually, if you want to make TRUE brazilian lemonade, omit the sweetened condensed milk – even though brazilians LOVE it and use it on many desserts and things, they actually do not use it in true homemade lemonade. they squeeze the juice of many fresh limaos and add about 1/2 cup acucar (sugar) for each squeezed lime. mix with water and chill in the fridge. it is that simple! and it is SO delicious! it is even better the next day! 🙂 i hope this eliminated your confusion on the lemon versus lime!
In fact, this lemonade photo is lemonade Switzerland, lemon is beaten in a blender with bark, sugar and ice,
Brazilian traditional lemonade is squeezed lemon juice and add water, sugar and and ice.
Greeting from Brazil !!!
Andrea
Looks amazing. I have some condensed milk and key limes leftover from making a key lime pie. Do you think key limes would work?
Yes I am sure they would work great! 🙂
In brasil, we consider lemons and limes to be the same thing. There is no difference to us hence a lemonade made using limes. 🙂
Sorry!! I posted the previous comment by mistake, and cut it short. Lol. Hello!! I am from the Dominican Republic, and we also use the term “lemon” (in Spanish, “limón”) for either one. Basically, in most Latin American countries, lemon is the green fruit, and lime the yellow one. There many varieties of lemons, and they are told apart by texture, flavor or color, but the are lemons. According to an article I once read (and that I cannot find), lemon was the word used for the green fruit, since the origin of the Spanish language. Which makes me think it would be the case for Portuguese, since they are both of Latin origin.
In the Dominican Republic we prepare a similar drink, as it is common in Latin American countries to make milk based juices. We make one called “Morir Soñando”, which would literally translate to “To Die Dreaming” and it consists of: previously sweetened all natural orange/lime/lemon juice, evaporated milk, and loys of ice. Some people incorporate oatmeal to make it thicker and richer. It is delicious!!! Hope you try it and enjoy it!!! 🙂
Hello!! I am from the Dominican Republic, and we also use the term “lemon” (in Spanish, “limón”) for either one. Basically, in most Latin American countries, lemon is the green fruit, and lime the yellow one. There many varieties of lemons, and they are told apart by texture, flavor or color. According to an article I once read (and
If you want the real swiss brazilian lemonade, don’t add sugar. The condensed milk is the ingredient to get the sweetness.
We also make this as a cocktail by adding vodka.
Hey:)
I just saw this recipe on pinterest and it stuck out to me because I happen to live in Brazil!
I can imagine the reason that it’s called brazilian and it uses limes because limes are common here and it’s very difficult to find lemons.
Hope that helps!!
great recipe and I have had this lemonade in a few different restaurants here in Brazil 🙂
Stephanie, lemons (lima, pronounced leemah in Brazil) are readily available in any market, from North to South. (I sometimes read the most incredible, far-fetched things about Brazil, ha, ha, ha!)
Brazilian lemonade with sweetened condensed milk AND sugar? As a Brazilian, I have NEVER heard of that. From my personal experience, when you put sweetened condensed milk and lemon/lime juice in the blender, you’ll get a thickened cream. So I wonder if you really did try this concoction…
In the instructions you also add water so that it doesn’t taste thick and creamy. It is the perfect blend and our family loved it!
Living and learning, Alyssa! But sugar added to sweetened condensed milk… I’m surprised it was not horribly sweet!
In addition to the name confusion between lemons and limes, I’ve also heard that yellow lemons aren’t as commonly available in Brazil as they are, say, in the US (most are imported and more expensive in Brazil). The reason for this is that the lemons that do grow in the equatorial climate there tend to have sort of a dry pulp. Limes are way more ubiquitous (and they are juicier!), so they are best for refreshing summer beverages such as this.
soo… can I get the recipe adapted to serve 150? 😀 por favor?