Homemade Limoncello
Homemade Limoncello liqueur is one of the most beautifully perfect drinks. It's tart, it's sweet, and it's incredibly refreshing-think of it as a boozy lemonade for grownups!
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Homemade Limoncello
- 🕰️ Prep Time: 30 minutes
- ⏰ Infusion Time: 4 days
- 💛 Flavor Profile: Tart, citrusy, sweet, refreshing.
- 🍽️ Good For: Serve it ice cold straight-up, stir it with club soda for a fizzy lemon cocktail, or make it into a limoncello martini. Also makes a great homemade food gift!
- 🧡 Difficulty: Classic limoncello is fancy enough to serve to guests (or give as a gift!), but simple enough for even a kitchen novice to make.
"Cassie, this is the 4th year I've made limoncello using this recipe. It IS the best, because it's strong, but just sweet and tart enough to be absolutely DELISH!!!"
- DENISE -
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- 🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Homemade Limoncello
- 🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🍋 The Ingredients You Need
- 🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- 🥣 Homemade Limoncello How-To
- 💛 How Much Alcohol Is There?
- 🙋🏻♀️ Homemade Limoncello FAQs
- 👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- 📥 Download the Free Labels
- 🎁 More Homemade Food Gift Recipes:
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hiya, friend: If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying limoncello, you're in for a real treat! Limoncello is a traditional Italian liqueur made from lemons, and you won't believe how easy it is!
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Limoncello anytime: Limoncello is traditionally drunk as an aperitif, an alcoholic drink that is taken either before or after a meal to stimulate digestion. Some folks also use it as a palate cleanser between courses. And of course, some people (hi, me!) just like to sip it because it tastes so darn delicious!
- Great year-round: Limoncello is a common drink in the summertime because it is so refreshing, but it tastes wonderful all year! At the holidays, you can double up the lemon flavor by sipping it alongside some soft lemon cookies!
- Makes a great gift: I give so many homemade food gifts that I wrote a whole book on gifts in jars, and this limoncello is a long-standing favorite alongside my soup mixes in a jar, edible cookie dough, golden milk mix, and chai tea gift set. All of my friends and family, plus hundreds of readers, love this recipe, and you will too!
🍋 The Ingredients You Need
- Lemons: I prefer regular, organic lemons for limoncello. Yes, organic is important! Conventional lemons tend to be coated in wax or other sealers that make it difficult to infuse the lemon flavor. You'll get much more lemon flavor in your limoncello with organic lemons. You can use the smaller, less tart Meyer lemons, but you will need a lot more lemons and your flavor won't be quite as strong.
- Grain alcohol (189 or 190 proof is best, 151 or 120 proof works): Grain alcohol (known by the brand name Everclear) is the alcohol I recommend making your limoncello (or any liqueur infusion, like my kahlúa recipe) from...if you can get your hands on it. Because Everclear is almost pure alcohol, it has the cleanest flavor and does the best job of extracting the lemon flavor. Everclear is to always be treated as an unfinished ingredient and never ingested undiluted (our recipe calls for diluting the Everclear by more than half). Unfortunately, Everclear isn't legal in all states in the U.S. (and in some states, only the less-potent 151 or 120 proof varieties are).
- Sugar and water: It's important to dilute your lemon infusion with simple syrup after straining to turn it into limoncello. Simple syrup is made by boiling water and sugar together until the sugar is completely dissolved. We use 3 ½ cups water boiled with 3 cups sugar per 750ml bottle of alcohol. This results in a sweet, but still tart and boozy, limoncello.
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Use vodka (highest proof you can find): If you can't get your hands on grain alcohol, the next best option is getting high-quality, high proof (80+ proof) vodka. The infusion will take longer to make and you'll need to add extra lemons (which we noted in the recipe), but it should do the trick.
- Adjust the sweetness: You can adjust the simple syrup ratio (adding more or less sugar) to taste, but I do recommend keeping the water amount-3 ½ cups-the same to get proper and safe dilution of Everclear 190. If you're using Everclear 151 or vodka, you can get by with adding less water.
- Lemon spritzer: Limoncello is typically drunk chilled and straight, but you can also use it as a jumping off point for all kinds of delicious cocktails! I love it mixed with some lemon sparkling water for a Limoncello Spritzer.
- Shaken, not stirred: This homemade limoncello makes a great base for a limoncello martini!
🥣 Homemade Limoncello How-To
Step 1: Use your vegetable peeler to remove the rind of the lemons, and then use a sharp paring knife to scrape out the pith-the white part inside of the peel of citrus fruit. Too much pith will make your limoncello bitter-you just want the zest!
Step 2: Infuse the lemon peels in alcohol. Fill a jar with your lemon peels, and then cover with the alcohol. Close the jar and give it a good shake.
Step 3: Let the lemon peels infuse until the alcohol is bright yellow and the peels are leached of most of their color. This could be as little as four days if you are using full-strength Everclear, or up to six weeks for the lower proof alcohols. Shake the jar daily to help the infusion along.
Step 4: Once the mixture is infused properly, sweeten the limoncello to taste with simple syrup, strain, and then bottle. Chill and enjoy!
💛 How Much Alcohol Is There?
How much alcohol is in each serving of your limoncello depends on two factors-what proof alcohol you use to extract the lemon and how much simple syrup you add in the end. While we can't give you the exact percentage of alcohol of your limoncello (you'll need a hydrometer for that), we can give you some ballpark estimates:
| Starting Alcohol | Added Simple Syrup | Estimated ABV | Estimated Proof |
| 750ml Everclear 190 proof | 5 ½ cups | 35% ** | 70 |
| 750ml Everclear 151 proof | 5 ½ cups* | 28% | 56 |
| 750ml Everclear 120 proof | 5 ½ cups* | 22% | 44 |
| 750ml Vodka 80 proof | 5 ½ cups* | 15% | 30 |
* Feel free to use less simple syrup in these infusions to reduce sweetness and increase the alcohol content.
** This ABV is high enough to not freeze if stored in the freezer (which we recommend for a truly refreshing glass of limoncello). The other three should be stored in the fridge, unless the simple syrup addition is adjusted so the ABV is higher than 30%, which is about the point where liquor no longer freezes in standard home freezers.
🙋🏻♀️ Homemade Limoncello FAQs
This depends on what alcohol you got your hands on. When infusing in 190 proof Everclear, you can get by with infusing for as little as four or five days-although I would recommend closer to two weeks for the most lemony flavor. Lower proof alcohols will take longer (4-6 weeks wouldn't be out of the question). The best way to tell if your infusion is ready is to take a peek. Have the lemon peels lost most of their color? Is the alcohol a bright, saturated yellow? If so, then you're ready!
You have this beautiful, bright yellow, crystal clear infused alcohol and then you go add the simple syrup and BAM, suddenly the mixture is cloudy. What did you do wrong? Absolutely nothing, friend! Limoncello is almost always cloudy.
You've experienced the Ouzo Effect-or spontaneous emulsification. This tends to happen with high-proof Everclear, but can sometimes be hit-or-miss when it comes to using vodka or lower proof grain alcohol. Either way, it's fine to drink!
Limoncello is so good that it'll be long gone before it goes bad! Because alcohol and sugar are such good preservatives, you can easily get a year or even more out of stashing your limoncello in the freezer (for limoncello made with Everclear 190) or fridge (for limoncello made with other alcohols).
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Just the zest: Take the time to make sure you remove all the pith from the lemon peels (that's the white part on the inside of the peel). Pith = bitterness in your limoncello!
- Stay safe: Always treat Everclear as an unfinished ingredient-never drink it undiluted. If you are using fully-leaded Everclear 190, make sure to use at least 3 ½ cups of water in your simple syrup and you'll be good to go!
- Time it right: A higher proof alcohol like Everclear 190 will infuse faster, but lower proof alcohol will do the trick as well. You'll know your limoncello is done infusing when the alcohol is lemon-yellow!
- Bottle it up: You can honestly use whatever recycled glass bottle or jar you have kicking around. Just as long as it's water-tight, it'll do the trick! In these pictures, we used two different sizes of swing-top bottles (you'll probably want a funnel to fill these!): these 16 ounce swing-tops make great gifts, and these 8 ounce swing tops are perfect for stocking stuffers! Mason jars also do the trick.
- Chill it: We recommend storing your limoncello in the freezer or the fridge both for better drinking and to extend the shelf life. If you are gifting the limoncello, it'll be fine at room temperature for a few weeks. Just let your recipient know to stash their limoncello in the fridge or freezer instead of in their liquor cabinet.
📥 Download the Free Labels
I've made you some free labels for your limoncello bottles that you can print off at home. Just fill out the form below to get them delivered right to your inbox.
🎁 More Homemade Food Gift Recipes:
If you tried this homemade limoncello or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Limoncello
Ingredients
- 10-14 organic lemons
- 750 ml Everclear 190/189 Proof preferable or Everclear 151, Everclear 120 or 80+ Proof Vodka, see post for more information
- 3 ½ cups filtered water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the lemons well, then peel into long strips-use a light touch, you want to leave as much of the pith behind as possible. If using Everclear 190/189, 10 lemons will be enough; for the other alcohols, you'll need to peel more lemons as the proof level decreases.
- Using a sharp knife, scrape away the remaining white pith on the inside of the peels. Too much pith makes for a bitter end result.
- Place the lemon peels in a half-gallon canning jar. Cover with the Everclear or vodka. Close lid and place in a spot out of direct sunlight. Shake daily. Infuse for at least four days (in the case of Everclear 190/189) and up to six weeks (for the lower proof alcohols). The infusion is ready when the alcohol is bright yellow and the lemon peels have lost most of their color.
- When the infusion is ready, heat the water in a large saucepan over high heat. Add in the sugar, whisk, and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved, about two minutes. Let simple syrup cool to room temperature.
- Pour the simple syrup into the lemon infusion. Close the lid on the jar again, and shake well to combine.
- Strain the lemon peels out of the limoncello through a fine mesh sieve. Pour into bottles, label, chill, and serve!
Video
Notes
- We have free printable limoncello labels available for download. We printed ours onto Avery 2 ½" round water-resistant labels.
- We used both 16 ounce swing-top bottles and 8 ounce swing top bottles to bottle our limoncello for these photos.
- Never drink Everclear undiluted-wait until you've added the simple syrup to taste test!
- Higher proof alcohols will infuse faster. You'll know the infusion is ready when the alcohol has taken all the color from the peels.
- Store in the fridge or freezer for the best drink and longest shelf life. But if it needs to be unrefrigerated for awhile for gifting, it will be fine-just let your gift recipient know to chill it when they get home!
Nutrition
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How many 16 oz bottles does this make?
Hi Lindsey! The recipe makes approximately 8 cups, which will fill about 4 16-ounce bottles.
Hi there. If I am using 190 proof Everclear should I increase the amount of water in the simple syrup?
Hi Coleen! No need—the amount of water listed in the recipe is the proper dilution for Everclear 190! You can adjust the simple syrup ratio (adding more or less sugar) to taste, as long as you keep the water amount (3 1/2 cups) the same to get proper and safe dilution of a 750ml bottle of Everclear 190.
This is my second year of making your recipe. I have a very prolific lemon tree and this Limoncello is perfect!! The ratio of the simple syrup and Everclear is spot on!! Such a perfectly delicious, ice cold summer drink!!!! I'm so glad I came across this last year. Thank you for suggesting these bottles, as well. The Container Store is great for these!!
Thanks so much, Denise! We're go glad you love the recipe, and we really appreciate you coming back to tell us about it!
Hi! I'm sorry I didn't ask you before. Almost all recipies indicate that you have to boil the water with the sugar to disolve it, then let the liquid cool to room temperature. Why is it necessary to go through the heating step? Is it just to get the sugar disolved more quickly? I always disolve the sugar in water at room temperature. It takes a little more time, but nothing else. Am I doing wrong? Best regards!
Hi Bernardo! Boiling the water not only allows the sugar to dissolve faster, it also thickens the final simple syrup slightly. If that slightly thickened texture isn't important to you, then you can definitely make simple syrup without heating the water!
Danielle, thank you for answering! The "thickening" you mention is a rise in the viscosity of the syrup? If so, it should be due an evaporation of part of the water being heated, isn't it? But if it vaporizes in some extent, then the ratios of water/ alcohol/ sugar in the recipe get changed. Am I thinking right?
Hello to everyone. I make limoncello since 2017, but in the two lasts years I'm having trouble with the caps I use to bottle the production. Some of them get broken. Are there any chemical incompatibility between limoncello and some plastics, or is it just that the quality of the caps is bad? For example, I know that limoncello is incompatible with polystyrene because of the organic acids in the peel.
Perhaps the bottled limoncello releases some type of gas that rises the internal pressure of the bottle? Or may be I'm imparting too much force to the tight and the material fails? Any comment will be very appreciated. Thank you very much in advance, and forgive my bad English!
Hello Bernardo! We're not sure what might be causing the issue with your caps. There isn't anything in the limoncello that should be causing a buildup of pressure. And as long as the caps are capable of handling exposure to alcohol, there shouldn't be anything that would cause them to break down or fail. You might consider a different kind of cap if the ones you have keep breaking. We like using swing-top bottles, but any kind of glass bottle or jar should do the trick. We hope you find ones that will work for you!
Hi, I only used 12 lemons on a batch of 120 proof everclear bottle of 1.75l. I misread the ratio and thought I was using 750ml. I started infusing on 12/6/23. Can I add more lemon zest now or is it too late?
Hi Melissa! You can definitely add more lemon peels to strengthen the infusion if you want. You'll know it's ready when the alcohol is a bright, saturated yellow color and the peels have lost most of their color!
What can I do with all the lemons after peeling them?
Hi Eli! If you don't have a use for them immediately, you could either freeze them whole or juice them all and freeze the juice. Whenever you have a recipe that calls for lemon juice, you'll be ready! Here are some of our favorite recipes that use lemon juice: this blueberry banana bread with a lemon glaze, this citrus rosemary chicken, some honey ginger lemonade, blueberry overnight oats for an easy breakfast, and this sheet pan lemon chicken with potatoes and broccoli. All of these recipes call for lemon juice without the zest, so they're great for using up your zestless lemons!
I've made this using Everclear. However, it's a bit strong. Can I just add more water without making a simple syrup as I don't want to make it any sweeter?
Appreciate how easy this was to make! Thank you.
Hi Maureen! You can mix each serving with still or sparkling water to dilute it if it's too strong. We don't recommend adding more water to the entire batch, but drink by drink should be fine! If you found it was too strong with the Everclear this time, you could always try making it with high proof vodka next time. Glad you found the recipe easy-peasy! Thanks for letting us know =)
I plan on making this for a bridal shower favor. Do the bottles have to be glass? Finding small glass bottles with a truly airtight lid isn't easy. I found plastic bottles with a screw lid can I use those instead?
Thanks
Hi Cristin! Plastic bottles for gifting will work fine! The only thing to consider is whether or not your bottles are freezer safe, in case your guests stash them in the freezer. Otherwise, you could instruct them to store it in the fridge instead. Then any bottle with an water-tight lid will work.
I made a large batch of limoncello, it is infusing in 3 different containers. In 2 of the containers, after a month ( I used vodka) the color is deep yellow almost orange. The other (original vodka bottle) is pale yellow. Have not added the simple syrup yet. Do you think something is off with the containers?
Hi Veronica! It doesn't sound like anything is off. It's possible that two of the containers infused faster for some reason, and the other one just needs more time or maybe more peels. Let us know how it turns out for you!
I made the limocello exactly as specified on the recipe and it was delicious !! However, I would like to make a batch that is a little less boozy and closer to the store-bought brand that have ABV more like 30%. If I still want to use the Everclear 190, how would you recommend modifying the recipe to make it sweeter, but still be able to freeze it?
Hi Nick! Without a hydrometer, we really can't give you an exact amount of simple syrup to add to bring down the ABV. That's why we only have ballpark estimates in the post. For something that specific and exact, you can get a hydrometer, experiment with some trial and error using our best practices from the post to guide you, or figure out the formulas and calculations needed to make the math work out! If you give it a go and land on something that works for you, let us know!
I read on your homemade applesauce recipe that you can use the apple peels for this recipe instead of lemon peels- do you need to remove the bits of apple from the peels as diligently as you do for the lemons?
Hi Angie! No need to remove any apple bits—you can even use whole apple slices if you wanted! We scrape the lemon peels to remove the pith and keep the final mixture from becoming bitter. No need to worry about that with the apple peels! The apple version will need to sit a lot longer than the limoncello, though—closer to 6 to 8 weeks. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out for you!
This recipe looks amazing, I cannot wait to try it. How long is it good for after pouring in bottles?
Hi Rebecca! You can find this info in the post under the section titled, "How long does homemade limoncello last?" But I've copied it here to make it easier to find!
"Limoncello is so good that it’ll be long gone before it goes bad! Because alcohol and sugar are such good preservatives, you can easily get a year or even more out of stashing your limoncello in the freezer or fridge."
I followed this recipe exactly and it turned out great. Had to pick up Everclear 190 on our beach trip to Ocean City, New Jersey as it is not sold in Pennsylvania. We doubled the recipe for 2 - 750 ml bottles. Used 20 organic lemons and doubled the sugar simple syrup. Looking forward to sharing at our 4th of July party. Thanks for the great recipe! Great as is!
Thanks, Kelly! We're so glad you like it! =)
Hello! 120 Proof Everclear is the highest we can purchase in California. My peel/alcohol infusion is ready for the simple syrup addition, so my question is thus: If I would like to store my limoncello in the freezer without worrying about it freezing, how much water do you suggest I add to the 3 cups of sugar (for each 750 mL) to achieve the minimum 30% ABV? Thank you!!!
Hi Thuy! We recommend using this dilution calculator to help figure that out: https://www.distilling-spirits.com/tools/calculations/diluting-alcohol/
Have you tried substituting the lemon juice of the lemons you peeled for some of the water?
Hi Tom! We haven't tried that, and we're not sure how effective it would be. The water is boiled with sugar to create a simple syrup that will sweeten the limoncello. Using lemon juice instead of water, even just a portion of it would change the finished product's sweetness and flavor. Also, due to the time it takes to infuse the liquor, we've usually found other uses for the lemon juice by then!
I have a mason jar of simple syrup and another mason jar of lemon peels infused in 190 proof ever clear. What is the ratio of simple syrup to the infused everclear? Thank you
Hi Pamela! If you check out the chart we have in the post itself in the "How much alcohol is in this limoncello recipe" section, you'll see that we recommend 5 1/2 cups of simple syrup for every 750ml of Everclear 190 proof. You can always add more or less simple syrup to taste—we talk about this in the section, "How much sugar do you add to limoncello?"—but do note that we recommend keeping the water amount (3 1/2 cups) the same with 190 proof so that you reach the proper and safe dilution. Since you're using premade simple syrup and I'm not sure of the water to sugar ratio in yours, be sure to add at least 5 1/2 cups or more to ensure your finished product is safely diluted!
you dont say how many lemons to use!
Hi Phil! If you head down to the recipe card (either scroll down or use the Jump to Recipe link at the top of the post), you'll see the exact amount of lemons we recommend—it's the first ingredient in the list! We recommend 10-14 organic lemons, depending on which alcohol you're infusing. =)
Can this be made with rum instead of vodka or ever clear, I am not a fan of either but love lemon?
Hi Suzanne! Vodka and Everclear are the liquors of choice for making limoncello because of their neutral flavor profiles. When the infusion is complete, the only thing you'll taste is a tart, citrusy, and sweet lemon flavor! That said, you can infuse lemons into whatever alcohol you prefer—it just won't technically be limoncello anymore. You'll still want to use the highest proof you can find—likely 151 proof in the case of rum. So if you think you'd like lemon rum, go for it! Let us know how it turns out if you try it. But we highly encourage you to give this limoncello a go—we think you'll love it!
If wanting to double this recipe what would you recommend for amount of time to let the lemon peels sit in the vodka? Same time? Thank you!
Hi Vicki! The guidelines in the post should be roughly the same for a double batch, and they depend on the type of alcohol you're using. Use those guidelines as a starting point and then follow these visual cues to know if the infusion is ready: "Have the lemon peels lost most of their color? Is the alcohol a bright, saturated yellow? If so, then you’re ready!" I hope this helps!
using 750ml 120 proof everclear, and want to store it in the freezer.
What dilution of sugar water should I use so I can do this
Hi Lauren! We recommend using a dilution calculator like this one to figure out how much sugar solution to add. You'll want a 30% or higher alcohol level.
Hi friend! I tried this recipe, and had a great time doing it with great outcome. If you want to read my adventure, I made a post on my blog about it: https://www.extraordinaryadulting.com/adventures-in-blogging-making-homemade-limoncello/