Homemade Limoncello - Quick & Easy Recipe (2024)

How to make homemade Limoncello that's drinkable instantly! It's bright, refreshing and bursting with fresh lemons, the perfect after-dinner drink on summer nights!

Limoncello is the taste of Italian summers and it's so easy to make at home!

It's sweet, tart and bursting with fresh lemon flavour. Sip on a small glass after dinner, add it to co*cktails on a hot summer's day or use it to make desserts and gelato.

To make it drinkable instantly we've added fresh lemon juice and use vodka instead of 190 proof, pure grain alcohol which can be really hard to find outside of Italy.

It's super fresh, zingy and absolutely delicious, all you need is 3 simple ingredients and a clean bottle for storing it.

Check out the full recipe below including step by step photos, tips and video tutorial, enjoy!

Ingredients - what you need

The photo below shows you everything you need to make homemade Limoncello plus some important notes! Full quantities are in the printable recipe card below.

• Lemons - use the best quality large lemons you can find they should be very firm and bright, with no dark yellow skin.
• Vodka - use a good quality vodka, it makes a huge difference to the overall flavour. We used Absolute vodka to make ours.
• Sugar - white granulated or caster sugar is all you need, don't use brown sugar.

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside (photos 1 & 2).

Peel the lemon skin with a vegetable peeler making sure you don’t remove the white pith which will make the limoncello bitter then juice the 8 lemons through a sieve (photos 3 & 4).

Pour the sugar syrup, lemon juice and vodka into a large 1.5 litre jar. Add the lemon peel and stir to combine (photos 5-7).

Although the limoncello is drinkable immediately it's best to leave it from 1 week to 1 month (it develops more flavour the longer it's left). Leave it in a cool, dark place to develop (no need to refrigerate).

When ready, strain out the peel and transfer the limoncello to a bottle. You can store the limoncello at room temperature, a fridge or freezer.

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Bottling - add the lemon peel and limoncello into a bottle you can get the peel out of again or that you can recycle.
• Serving suggestions - Serve chilled limoncello in small shot glasses to sip on after a meal, it's the perfect summer digestive.
• Other ways to use limoncello - you can add limoncello to desserts such as cake frosting, homemade limoncello gelato or even turn it into an Amalfi style spritz with prosecco - perfect for summer!
• Limoncello co*cktails - check out our delicious summer co*cktails using limoncello; Limoncello Martini (Lemon Drop Martini), Limoncello Mojito co*cktail, Sparkling Limoncello co*cktail.

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