This homemade cherry limeade is a sweet-tart refresher that was shared with us by Whole Foods in honor of a prior nationwide cherry sale.
With just one pound of those fresh cherries, you can whip up 8 cool glasses of this homemade cherry limeade! Thanks to the fresh fruit ingredients, each sweet sip contains vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, and more wonderful antioxidants to replenish and recharge on active summer days.
Special Diet Notes & Options: Homemade Cherry Limeade
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan (just be sure to use a vegan sugar), vegetarian, and generally food allergy-friendly.
For refined sugar-free homemade cherry limeade, agave nectar makes a good sweetener swap, but honey (non-vegan, but paleo) would also do since you are creating a syrup.
- 1½ pounds cherries (about 6 cups), pitted, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
- 6 cups still or sparkling water, divided
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Put 1 pound of the cherries, sugar and 1½ cups water into a medium pot; cover and simmer over medium heat (reducing heat, as needed, to maintain a simmer) until the cherries are very tender and have made a fragrant syrup, about 20 minutes. Set aside to let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Purée the cherry mixture in a blender with the lime juice and zest.
- To make each glass of limeade, pour about ½ cup of the cherry-lime syrup and ¾ cup still or sparkling water over ice in a tall glass. Stir well and then top with a small handful of the remaining cherries, garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
1 Comment
So refreshing! I need cherries and limes (the limes available around here are pretty sad these days) and sparkling water. Thanks for sharing, Alisa!
Shirley