Best Homemade Limoncello | Authentic Italian Lemon Liqueur (Vegan)

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Try my authentic Italian recipe for homemade Limoncello – an easy to make vegan Italian Lemon Liqueur with only 3 ingredients. Drink it straight, make it as a homemade gift, or use it to create awesome limoncello desserts! 

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I had my first sneaky sip of limoncello when I was sweet 18 and traveling around Naples, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast with my school class. My girls and I managed to get out of the campground and hitched a ride to town, where we had a little pizza feast with some local boys at a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant. We finished our adventure with a round of ice-cold limoncellos as a courtesy of the house. I will never forget the bold flavor and intense color! The first sip was very strong but it got a lot mellower after that and we all took our time to enjoy it until the last drop. Until today, limoncello takes me back to these worry-free days in Italy, which is why I started to make my own limoncello at home!

What is Limoncello and where does it come from?

Limoncello is a sweet, bright yellow lemon liqueur made with lemon zest. Created in Southern Italy as an after-dinner drink, it’s both bold and light with just the right amount of zing! While limoncello is typically served straight, it also makes for a nice addition to summer cocktails and you can use it in many dessert recipes.

 

Which ingredients do I need to make homemade Limoncello?

All you need for making great Italian limoncello at home are three ingredients:

• sugar,
• spirit,
• and lemons.

As you can tell, this is a pretty easy recipe and it also happens to be vegan! Occasionally you might find recipes that use different citrus fruit like grapefruit, orange, pomelo, or limes but then you can’t call it limoncello as it comes from the Italian word for lemon “limone”.  I actually have a big old jar of lime-cello steeping in my basement right now and cannot wait to try that version!

Limoncello is generally clear but you might get a little cloudiness as you mix your lemon infused alcohol with the sugar syrup.

Tipps for the best homemade Limoncello (Italian Lemon Liqueur)

• Pick the right lemon: Meyer lemons will make an especially fragrant, yet slightly darker limoncello. When you pick your lemons, make sure you get ones with smooth, thick skins – these are the best for zesting. I have also read, that underripe lemons deliver best results. Zest them thinly and try to get as little white pith as possible. It can turn your lemon liqueur bitter.
• The recommended steeping time is 2 weeks, but I have also had great results in only one week. Longer steeping times generally lead to a more mellow flavor, and you can let your limoncello steep for months if you are that patient.
• Strain your limoncello before bottling it! I fold a cheesecloth a couple of times and use it to line a sieve through which I strain the liquid. Not only does it make for a nicer appearance – small particles can also change the limoncello’s flavor over time. I like to store my homemade lemon liqueur in these Clear Glass Bottles

How do I remove pesticides from my lemons?

The alcohol will pull everything from those peels, including any pesticides or insecticides used on the lemons so the best case scenario would be using organic lemons for this recipe. However, standard lemons are just fine for making limoncello. Note that non-organic lemons are usually coated with wax which is why you’ll get a better extraction from organic lemons.

This is what I do when I use non-organic lemons for my limoncello: I wash the fruit with a vinegar-water-mix!  Mix water with vinegar, so that the ratio is 3: 1, so for example, put one cup of vinegar in three cups of water. You can leave the fruit to soak in the mixture for 10-20 minutes and then rinse them off with water. This is a great way to remove bacteria, chemicals, and wax from the lemons.

Which alcohol should I use when making my own limoncello at home?

As for the spirit, grain alcohol is generally used, as it gives you the cleanest and most lemony flavor. There are a lot of differing opinions out there about what proof to use. From my experience, I would recommend a high-proof spirit like Everclear. It will extract the flavors of the lemon peel most efficiently in as little as a week of steeping time. That said, in many parts of the world, it may be difficult to find anything over 100 proof, so feel free to use something else, like an 80 proof vodka. It will just take a little more time.

What can I do with my homemade Limoncello other than drinking it straight?

Once made there are so many uses for your homemade limoncello. Use it to spike your lemonade, to flavor cocktails or to splash it onto ice cream ( It goes especially well with my Basil Gelato and my Triple Coconut Ice Cream). Make a beautiful pound cake or marinate some fresh fruit in it. Here’s another link to a collection of dessert recipes using limoncello.

I personally am quite partial to the combination of limoncello, prosecco, ice cubes, fresh basil, and strawberries!

Do you have any other ideas for limoncello recipes? Leave me a comment and feel free to share this recipe on your social channels!

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