If you're looking for an easy, delicious and quick homemade lemon cordial recipe then you can stop looking because this is all you need to know if you're looking for how to make lemon cordial.
Sitting in my little office in our old house I used to get glimpses of our lemon tree.
Fresh lemons right at our door!
It was one of the first things I saw when we inspected the house and I fell in love.
I probably had visions of all the delicious lemon recipes I was going to make from that very first meeting.
Lemon curd, lemon cupcakes and of course homemade lemon cordial.
Our tree had the juiciest lemons I've ever seen. Seriously, so much juice came out of just one lemon! What to do when you have an abundance of fresh lemons?Well summer drinks are the first thing that come to mind for me.Is there much better than sipping a sweet, ice cold drink on a hot summer's day?
I love a good lime and soda but my favourite lime cordial can only be purchased from the Noosa Farmers Markets (now my local).
You might also like ginger lime fiz with homemade ginger syrup.
As I was down to dregs of cordial I thought I'd try my hand at making my own homemade lemon cordial.
It seemed pretty simple just lime juice, sugar and water but after a bit of searching I saw a lot of lemon cordial recipes added citric acid (or tartaric acid).
I wasn't too sure what it was for but I added it anyway and later discovered it's a natural preservative that is really commonly used.
Why make your own?
My number one reason for making things from scratch is always that you can ensure there are no added nasties like preservatives or artificial flavours.
A quick little assessment for me - was it made in a factory and were A LOT of them made at once?
Then it probably has some things added to it that aren't so good for us.
It also, most of the time saves money and saves on waste because you're not constantly buying and then throwing out bottles.
Homemade lemon cordial makes a great gift too.
Ingredients
To make lemon cordial you will need:
- Sugar - for a sweeter cordial, use white sugar, if you like a richer sort of taste then go for a less-refined sugar like rapadura (this is my preference for the health benefits too). You can even skip the sugar and use honey. If you don't want it quite as sweet you can alter the amount of sugar - just a little less sugar can make a big difference.
- Water - filtered water is always my choice
- Lemon juice - juice from fresh lemons is preferable but you could use bottled lemon juice
- Grated lemon zest (or lemon peels) (make sure you zest the lemon before you juice them)
- Citric acid - this helps it last longer
- Soda water - to serve (also called carbonated water)
The result reminds me a lot of the fresh homemade lemonade I enjoyed all over New York (some were better than others).
Variations
Can you use other citrus fruits to make cordial?
Absolutely! This recipe would work well for any sort of citrus you might just need to adjust the sugar.
If you're using a sweeter citrus like orange juice then you won't need as much.
For something like grapefruit though, you might require a little extra.
I think next time I'll do a combo of lemon and lime but for now I'm pretty happy with this homemade refreshing lemon cordial recipe.
Serving
The ratio of cordial to water or mineral water really depends on how strong you like it.
I like to use about two tablespoons of cordial concentrate to one cup of water.
If you're using ice cubes, a little tip - put them in the bottom of the glass first then cordial, then cold water (or soda).
Storage
Can you store the cordial in the pantry?
Unopened, as long as you put it in a properly sterilised bottle, the cordial will keep, unopened for a few months.
Once it is opened, keep it in the fridge.
What do you store homemade lemon cordial in?
You will need to make sure you have a sterilised bottle or jar. You can re-use old jars or bottle as long as they're nice and clean.
I have a quick and easy tip for removing the labels so you can reuse your old jars.
FAQs
Absolutely. Fresh ginger is really delicious and I've also had people add fresh mint leaves or even chili.
Yep it might seem like a lot of sugar but you only need a lit bit of the cordial to make up a drink so it's not a lot per serve.
You sure can. Just pop them, whole, into a ziplock bag or container.
When you're ready to use them, defrost them on the bench (or in the microwave if you're short on time) and you'll get even more juice than usual.
Ok so you probably already know this but it's a concentrated form of drink that you can add to soda or mineral water to add flavour.
It's not something you drink straight.
That would induce quite the sugar high and I'm going to say not taste too good.
Tip
Before you juice your lemons, use a peeler to remove the zest and pop it in a jar or ziplock bag in the freezer so you've always got fresh zest on hand.
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If you like this lemon cordial recipe then you'll love my mock mojito recipe.
Recipe
Recipe
Lemon cordial
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups filtered water
- 2 cups fresh lemon juice strained
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3 teaspoon citric acid
- Soda water to serve
Instructions
- Place the sugar, water, lemon juice and zest in a medium saucepan and heat, stirring, over high heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Bring it to the boil then reduce to a simmer and leave it to bubble away for 20 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
- Stir through the citric acid.
- Strain the cordial then pour it into a sterilised bottle.
- Serve with soda water (about 1 part cordial to 4 parts water).
Notes
Nutrition
Imogene says
I absolutely love this recipe. My neighbour gave me an amazing amount of lemons and thought.id try cordial. Yours was the first hit and i followed to the letter. Amazing!!! Gave my neighbour half and now i need to make more. I used raw sugar, not caster sugar and was lovely! Thank
Annieke says
Love this recipe! Straight forward and easy. I like anding a table spoon of ground ginger to my mixture :) or a bumch of mint leaves. Really makes the flavour more interesting. Gin of course apso makes it better
Sandra Jones says
Hi Claire just want to say wow this was lovely and I've read above about the amount of sugar but to be fair you don't need a lot of cordial as it goes a long way full of zest and flavour delicious I've just picks mere lemons and making another batch as hubby made the other batch disappear lol
Claire says
Yes that's right Sandra! A little goes a long way. Plus it depends on your lemons. If they're not too sour you can definitely cut it back a little.
Richard says
Thanks heaps for the formula.A hint to those who would wish to so use. ~~Bag & freeze your lemons. When needed to be used,just mickywave ,5 at a time for a minute.This doubles your juice content.
Claire says
Great tip Richard!
Doreen says
Hi Claire,
I have a young lemon tree that has produced about thirty lemons. I was would like to ask if I can make the cordial and store it in the pantry for 12 months. Thank you
Claire says
Hi Doreen. As long as the bottles are sterilised then sealed properly I can't see why not.
jenn says
My kids are currently making this cordial but they added the citric acid to the sugar at the start. Can anyone let me know if this is ok or do we need to start from scratch?
Claire says
I'm sure that would be find Jenn. I hope they liked it!
Sheila says
I would just like to point out that palm sugar is frowned upon by environmentalists as native forests are being destroyed in order to grow palms being grown for it's sugar.
Annieke Koegelenberg says
Do you really think this comment will make a positive difference? One consumer using two cups of sugar is not going to make the be all and endall of sugr plantations. However you should be attaking big soda companies, sweets like cadbury, maltons ect. They are the biggest cause of concern. Stop trolling people’s pages and go and be a tree hugger where it matters.
Kind regards,
- a slightly irked fellow tree hugger
Kim says
Hi Claire how long will the cordial keep for in sealed sterilized bottles?
Claire says
Hi Kim. I would say it will keep a couple of months as long as the bottles are sterilized well and very well sealed.
Lisa the Gourmet Wog says
This looks so lovely and refreshing Claire! Hope those bees do their work and you get another bumper crop of lemons soon
Claire says
Me too Lisa!
The Life of Clare says
I have a soda stream and I absolutely love it! I'm constantly drinking soda water these days, and those flavours that you can get are pretty good too. But I love the idea of making lemon/lime concerntrate. I am very excited about this recipe but I'm going to make it with limes! Thanks so much for sharing.
Claire says
I really think I'm going to have to ask Santa for one.
The Café Sucre Farine says
I would love to sit and sip this cordial with you Claire, such a fun name for a delightful looking drink!
Claire says
When are you coming to visit?
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
How lucky are you to have trees filled with lemons and lemon blossoms!! I love the idea of this cordial, the Christmas presents and a few posts filled with lemon treats for us to enjoy!! And.. yes.. to the soda stream! I don't have one but would love to see what you do with yours:) xx
Claire says
I'm almost convinced to get one Barbara!
Danielle says
Fabulous lemon recipe post, I look forward to the next installment. Love the shots of the cordial in your crystal glasses, so pretty!
Claire says
Thanks Danielle!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
Hehe I've already started thinking about edible Christmas gifts too! :P This looks really good-I'm a huge lemon fan :)
Claire says
Got to start early!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
We just got a sodastream and I'm looking for recipes. I don't want so much sugar so I'm looking around for ideas. I've done the lemon cordial and one batch was successful but batch two without real sugar went down the sink.
I love these photos!
Claire says
Yes I was hesitant about using so much sugar. Next batch I'll use a little less and see how it tastes.
Amy says
As somewhat of a sparkling water addict, my soda stream is getting a workout! I just love it! Could not recommend highly enough. I enjoy my bubbles with just a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime...so refreshing!!
Claire says
I really think I need to get one!
Woja says
Spot on Amy Soda stream will be the best $70 you can spend. You can make the cordial straight in the bottles & refrigerate. Have even turned economy white wine into beautiful bubbly with this.
Works out a little dearer than buying aerated mineral water from Aldi.
Claire says
Wow what a great idea with the wine! Must give that a go!
Hotly Spiced says
I was wondering if you would make lemon cordial with your lemon harvest. This does look like a very refreshing drink and I'm sure you'd be enjoying it in this wonderful weather xx
Claire says
The answer to that would have been... when I'm not too lazy to juice a whole lot of lemons at once!
Sarah says
YUM, I love lemon cordial, and using your own fruit must be awesome! I've just bought a lemon, blood orange, and a mulberry tree, and a passionfruit vine. Watch this space.
Claire says
Oh wow I'm a little bit jealous!