Bring some Floridian flair into your kitchen this afternoon with this Key West inspired Key Limeade recipe. It’s so refreshing even Hemingway and all of his cats would enjoy it!
Key limes are my favorite. Not only because they produce my favorite kind of pie (be still my heart) but because they’re sweeter than normal limes. That totally makes for a sweet and sour concoction to sip up with this amazing key limeade recipe.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What’s The Difference Between Lime And Key Lime?
The limes you find in most grocery stores are Persian limes. They are more acidic than key limes, and so they have that really tart lime taste.
The smaller key limes, on the other hand, are more aromatic and typically have a sweeter flavor, which is why they’re popular in desserts like key lime pie.
How To Make Key Limeade
Finding key limes is easy in Florida, however it might be a bit more difficult to find fresh key limes in other places. For this we suggest buying bottled key lime juice. You can find it either in your grocery store or buy it online. If you want to use regular lime juice, that’s fine. You just might need to add extra sweetening to make up for the more acidic flavor of the limes.
Once you have all your ingredients, the fun can begin. We used fresh key limes and used a standard citrus juicer to extract the juice. You can also do this by hand, squeezing the juice from the limes and then collecting the seeds in a sieve.
Then add in the simple syrup. What’s that, you ask? It’s the simplest of syrups, made from just water and sugar. You can make your own simple syrup like this, or buy it. It is often sold where liquor is sold, near the mixers.
Next up is the water and ice, and we like a bit of fresh mint. Want more mint flavor to pop in your drinks? Smack it! That’s right, grab a few mint leaves in the palm of your hand and smack your hands together. The essential oils will release giving off a fragrant aroma. Place in your limeade and inhale. Mmmmm.
More Refreshing Drinks
You can browse our full collection of drink recipes or try one of these other refreshing recipes.
Podcast Episode: Making Key Limeade
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Key Limeade Recipe
Bring some Floridian flair into your kitchen this afternoon with this Key West inspired Key Limeade. It’s so refreshing even Hemingway and all of his cats would enjoy it!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8–10 key limes or 1/2 cup bottled key lime juice*
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 5 cups water
- 2 cups ice
- Mint leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Roll the limes back and forth on the counter to break the membranes inside the lime and make them easier to squeeze. Cut each in half and juice with a juicer or by hand. You should have about ½ cup of key lime juice.
- Add key lime juice, simple syrup, water and ice to a pitcher. Taste for sweetness and adjust accordingly.
- Serve cold with mint leaves in the pitcher or in glasses for garnish and a little extra flavor.
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Notes
*If you have standard Persian limes instead of key limes, use 1/2 cup of juice from those limes, but you might have to use extra simple syrup to taste after mixing everything up. If you only have 1 cup of simple syrup, consider halving the recipe (1/4 cup lime juice, 1/2 cup simple syrup, 2 and 1/2 cups water), and then you’ll have enough syrup for sure.
This post originally appeared in September 2016 and was revised and republished in May 2024.
Made this last week and it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, except I used came sugar instead of white sugar for the simple syrup. Was amazing, and will be making it again today! Thank you!
Fantastic, Steve! So refreshing, right?