Healthier Homemade Limoncello
Limoncello (pronounced like lee-moan-cheh-low) is an Italian sweet lemon liqueur that is often served chilled as a palate cleanser or after-dinner drink. Sadly, most varieties that you’d find at the store aren’t natural in the slightest. Do you get sad when you’re tryin’ to get your drank on and see “FD&C Yellow No.5” or “Color Added” written on the label? I know I do. Well, suffer no more as I have made this Healthier Homemade Limoncello!
Unlike storebought varieties, this Healthier Homemade Limoncello is made without the artificial food coloring, corn syrup, and preservatives.
Yup, Limoncello JUST. GOT. BETTER.
This homemade Limoncello is all natural, low calorie, refined sugar free, fat free, gluten free, dairy free, and vegan too.
It sounds like I’m describing broccoli, but no, I’m talking about this DAMN GOOD lemon liqueur.
The only downside to this recipe is that it takes 20 days to make. The lemons need to completely infuse the vodka with sweet, refreshing lemon flavor. It’s kind of like the lemons are “steeping.” But don’t worry, those 20 days will be over soon enough. Pour the finished Limoncello (aka liquid gold) into jars and refrigerate to store.
Buuuut you can totally drink some now because you waited 480 long hours for this moment! Once you have a sip, you’ll know that the wait is SO so worth it. Trust me.
Healthier Homemade Limoncello
Ingredients
- 12 Organic Lemons
- 4½ cups Vodka
- 3¼ cups Water
- ¼ cup Agave Nectar (or to taste)
- 2½ tsp Liquid Stevia Extract
- ½ tsp Lemon Flavor **
Instructions
- Peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler (just enough to get the yellow skin off). Place the peels in a very large jar (or a big old vodka bottle).
- Pour in the vodka and water. Seal tightly and store in the fridge for 20 days (no need to mix, shake, or stir).
- Strain the mixture through a coffee filter, into a very large bowl. Discard the lemon peels and the filter.
- Whisk in the agave nectar, stevia extract, and lemon flavor. Give it a taste and add more agave if you think it needs it. Pour the Limoncello into jars and refrigerate to store.
Recipe Notes
If you were to compare 1oz of storebought Limoncello with 1oz of my Healthier Homemade Limoncello, you’d find that my homemade version has:
- 60 less calories
- 13g less carbs
- 12.5g less sugar
And it tastes just as amazing. HAAAALLELUJAH! Why yes, I will take another shot, please and thank you.
But really now, you should start a batch of this ASAP. You never know when you may need it.
You will be sipping on this amazingness soon enough. Bottoms up!
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
Yuck, the nutrition facts for the original are scary. I really want to try your version!!
When do you add the water?
Jess-
Oops! Sorry, just added it to the directions. Thanks for bringing that to my attention 🙂
-Jess
Should the water be warmed to dissolve the sugar and let cool before adding to lemons?
I’ve made Limoncello too. I use 4 cups of sugar to 4 cups of water per bottle of everclear. After the end. I freeze it. It is so good. Refreshing. Freezing is probably better than just refrigeration.
The water doesn’t need to be warm to dissolve Stevia In The Raw. I recently remade the recipe and will post the revamped version soon 🙂
Hi! Can I use asti martini instead of vodka?
I’m not familiar with asti martini. I’d recommend following the recipe.
I am going to try this this year. I had some last year at holiday party and I know being a diabetic i could buy this but now I just have to have it. Thanks and Happy and Holy days this year.
How did you find out that this was gluten free?
Lisa-
Smirnoff states that their sorbet line is certified gluten free (but NOT their Ice collection, which is malt-based!). Smirnoff distills their vodka from corn, not wheat 🙂
Ciao, I am from Italy and I love the idea of making limoncello substituting the huge amount of sugar with Stevia, to make it much lower in calories.
However, the original recipe for limoncello calls for rectified spirit, which is a highly concentrated ethanol (190 proof), instead of vodka.
In addition, if you want to have good results, the infusing time is much longer than 12 days.
Specifically, the lemon zest should be soaked in 3 cups of alcohol (the rectified spirit) in a airtight glass container, in a dark cool place for 30 days.
Then, you can make the sweet syrup by bringing water to boil and dissolving the sugar (in this case Stevia) in it.
When the syrup has cooled off, it should be added, together with another cup of rectified spirit, to the alcohol + lemon mixture in the airtight container, again in a dark cool place.
After 40 days, you can filer the content put it in the freezer and enjoy.
Simone-
I used a lemon-flavored vodka in this recipe to cut down on the lemon-steeping time, and also because I could not find Everclear (190 proof) in my area. I also like the taste of the Smirnoff vodka and find that the lemon flavor comes through just fine after 12 days. You can definitely infuse it for longer if you wish. I put the steeping mixture in the fridge because I live in Arizona and it’s still quite warm here, other wise you can leave it in the pantry or somewhere dark/cool.
Stevia in the Raw dissolves readily into water unlike sugar, which will crystallize and taste pretty bad!
The 40 days you note; does it mean the whole process of the initial 30 days—then an additional 40 days after the second step of adding the syrup and cup of rectified spirit equaling 70 days total. Or does it mean after the 30 days, add the cooled syrup + cup of spirit; and let it sit for another 10 days which would equal 40 days total for both steps? 70 days total or 40 days total for both steps of limoncello making?
The 40 days you note; does it mean the whole process of the initial 30 days—then an additional 40 days after the second step of adding the syrup and cup of rectified spirit equaling 70 days total. Or does it mean after the 30 days, add the cooled syrup + cup of spirit; and let it sit for another 10 days which would equal 40 days total for both steps? 70 days total or 40 days total for both steps of limoncello making?
This looks beautiful!! I bet this would be amazing in so many recipes too! Also, my sisters and I nominated you for a blog award on our site today. Hope you check it out. Thanks for the great recipes. Our mom has even tried some of your recipes and loved them. 🙂 Keep up the great work!!
Thanks Annie! I want to try this in my healthy Lemon Fro Yo recipe, because when I made it I used a storebought Limoncello which sadly had artificial food coloring in it :/
I’m so glad your mom liked my recipes! I always get anxious and wonder if people don’t like them… everybody has completely different tastes so I get totally paranoid lol.
And thank you so much for thinking of DWB! That makes me so happy 😀 Natural Sweet Recipes is definitely one of my favorite blogs to visit when I receive your emails 🙂
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Yeah! I wanted a natural recipe for lemoncello! So so glad you are here♡ I’ll be starting it in the morning. I frequently use liquor for extracts in cooking, baking etc. I am allergic to artificial dye, so yes I learned the hard way after a reaction to store bought 🙁 so gave it away, new natural hunt came up with your wonderful site, THANK YOU. I’ll be trying many other recipes in the near future from your collection. 🙂 glad I found you.
Lori-
YAY I’m so happy you found my blog! I’m sorry you had an allergic reaction to artificial food dye, that’s so scary 🙁
I really hope you like the recipe 🙂
Enjoy!
-Jess
Well Jess, I finally got to taste my home made lemoncello! I left it quite a bit longer to age…..ok…. it’s so much better than any I’ve ever tasted. Yummmmy. So you did it again. =)
Yay I’m so glad you made this! Great idea to age it longer, I just didn’t have the patience 😉
I’m so happy you like it!! It’s totally addicting isn’t it?! 🙂
-Jess
Hey Jess,
i’m so glad someone has already made limoncello with stevia! I have my lemon peels steeping and will give it a try!
Although, limoncello as a digestif is quite a strong alcoholic drink and when substituting 40% vodka for 80% spirit i would recommend using a lot less water (or not at all).
Limoncello is traditionally served straight out of the freezer- light alcohol would just freeze and would not be sticky like liqueur 🙂
Lin-
I hope you get a chance to try the recipe! I guess I’m just a wimp but I thought this DIY Limoncello was pretty strong. I’m sure you can use whatever liqueur you want 🙂
-Jess
How long can it be stored?
Since it’s basically pure alcohol, it can store for a while in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. I’m not sure about the exact length of time, but I’d assume around a few months?
-Jess
Limoncello will be at peak flavor for about two years, at room temp even in Arizona. After that the quality starts to degrade.
Any idea how you can make a creamy version of this?
I love Cremonello, but the calories/sugar/carbs must be very high,
Let me know if you come up with someway to make it creamy.
Thank you.
I’ve never had Cremoncello so I’m not sure how it tastes. From what I read online, it looks like it’s just Limoncello + heavy cream? If that’s all it is, I guess you can try mixing some of this Limoncello with organic heavy cream. The calories will go up a bit from the cream, but it will still be sugar-free and low-carb!
PS: I’m coming out with a Boozy Limoncello Ice Cream recipe soon, so maybe that’ll be a good substitute for the Cremoncello 😉
Oh the ice cream sounds great! Can’t wait. Thank you!
Cremoncello is just a creamy version of Limoncello. I will try the organic cream.
I was also thinking maybe using some unsweetened coconut milk…might make an interesting taste.
Just got the recipe for the ice cream! YUMMY! Can’t wait to make it.
Thank you.
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Agave nectar is 66% sugar. I suggest you check your claims aboyt both calories and sugar.
You are correct that agave nectar is a sweetener, however the recipe only calls for 1/4 cup which is spread throughout the entire batch (makes 7+2/3 cups TOTAL). Also never claimed that this recipe is calorie free… I said it’s lower calorie than storebought Limoncello, which IS basically pure sugar.
I feel silly asking but is there a substitute for the alcohol? I’m pregnant. Any ideas would be appreciated.
I’m afraid not… it’s extracts the lemon flavor and also keeps it preserved. I’d just wait until you’re not pregnant anymore to try this 😉
Wishing you and your baby the best! <3
Hi what about using honey VS agave/stevia?
I’ve used organic raw honey & was perfect
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Lemon flavor? Extract? Lemon juice?
Nice recipe except for the agarve nector. The internet has plenty of info about it. It is even worse than table sugar. I suggest xylitol or erythritol instead.
I don’t agree that agave is worse than table sugar, but each to their own. I didn’t use xylitol and erythritol here because they won’t dissolve in the mixture… they’ll most likely stay in granulated form and sink to the bottom of the bottle. If you don’t mind that though, feel free to use those sweeteners instead 🙂
This looks interesting but IDK how anyone can like stevia. I’d rather use 1. Monk Fruit or 2. Powdered Xylitol. I wonder how it’d with 150 proof rum or grappa
Everyone has a different taste. You might not like stevia, but I don’t like xylitol. Everyone is different! I’m sure this would work just the same with those substitutes though!
And as long as it’s a strong alcohol, I think it would work just fine. Definitely give rum or grappa a try! 🙂
Monkfruit, at least in crystal sugar-like form, does not work. It re-crystalized when I put it in the refrigerator or freezer. The taste was good, but it did not work. Not sure how it would work if you tried a liquid version of it…..
I’m curious how it turned out with the coconut milk! I was thinking about doing that myself, but with coconut cream. I was also thinking about just adding the cream before serving each time, but afraid this might over dilute it for some. Store bought limoncello is pretty strong to me and I would prefer to be able to drink a little more, since it’s so yummy! I am using vodka though. Thanks for this great limoncello recipe! I have a bottle of in the closet infusing now!
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I recently made the recipe as written and it is really delicious. However, after I mixed it up I put most of it back in the vodka bottle and left it on the counter for a few hours instead of getting it into the fridge right away. The bottle suddenly shattered. Any idea about that? I was glad I still had a couple of smaller bottles too.
I soaked my sliced lemon in a mason jar and poured vodka over it. It’s been a week and already tastes awesome. I added Stevia to the drink not the jar that way I can control the sweetness. I was wondering, why use water at all? Why refrigerate? Would the stevia ferment like regular surgar does considering it is a derivative of surgar? Or would it crystallize without breaking it down with boiled water first. Chem questions, sorry. 😁
Just an FYI, I tried making a healthier version (before I saw your recipe) with Monfruit Sweetener (in sugar-like crystals), and while it tasted good, the sweetener crystalized when I refrigerated or froze the Limoncello, so it was a big fail in that sense. DO NOT USE MONKFRUIT SWEETENER at least in crystal form. I will try it with stevia and agave next time. Thx
Is there a way to use granulated Truvia? If so how?
What about using splenda as the sugar substitute?
Hello. With Tito’s vodka and adding the water. Any idea what the alcohol content is?
Could you make this with monk fruit?