Homemade lemon cordial, made from scratch with 3 simple ingredients. Cold and refreshing, a splash of this bright citrus concentrate pairs perfectly with chilled or sparkling water, lemonade or your favourite summer cocktails.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients – store-bought cordials contain artificial preservatives and additives. Homemade cordial is made with 3 familiar and easy ingredients; fresh lemons, sugar and citric acid (plus some boiling water).
- Easy to make – a simple lemon syrup that comes together on the stovetop in minutes.
- Affordable – making your own cordial from scratch is cheaper (and tastes much better!) than the store-bought version.
- Refreshing – the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. This drink is the perfect thirst-quencher on a hot summer day, served over loads of ice.
- Stores well – keep it in the fridge to add to drinks or cocktails when needed.
- A perfect way to use up excess lemons.
- Great for gifting – make them over the holidays and gift them in little bottles to enjoy throughout the year.
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Lemons – you’ll need 1 cup of lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons, total). Both the zest and juice are used to make the cordial, so I recommend using fresh lemons where possible. I use Meyer lemons for their high juice content and sweet flavour, but any type of fresh, ripe lemon will work.
- Sugar – white, granulated sugar. You need to use the full amount of sugar specified, both to balance the tartness from the lemons and to help preserve the cordial.
- Citric acid – is a preservative that is naturally found in lemons and other citrus fruits. It also adds extra tang to the cordial. It helps to preserve the cordial for longer and can be skipped if you plan on serving it right away or consuming it within a couple of weeks. Citric acid can be found in powdered form in supermarkets and health food stores.
Step by step instructions
**Full ingredient list and detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Lemon cordial can be made in 3 easy steps;
- Make the lemon syrup
- Allow it to sit, covered, overnight to develop
- Strain into sterilised bottles and enjoy.
Make the cordial by placing the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and citric acid into a saucepan and top with 3 cups of boiling water. Whisk together over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Then, turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly before covering and sitting on the stovetop overnight to develop.
When ready, strain the cordial through a sieve and add to clean, sterilised bottles to store.
Expert tips
- Make it the day before you need it to allow the lemon flavour to develop.
- Add some fresh herbs like mint or basil to infuse throughout the cordial. Or try some fresh ginger slices, lavender or a vanilla bean. Simmer any additional flavour add-ins in the sugar syrup and strain before storing.
- Add the cordial to some pretty, sterilised bottles and gift them over the holidays.
- You can swap the lemons for your favourite citrus like grapefruit, limes or oranges.
- Make pink lemonade by adding cranberry juice, to taste. For strawberry lemonade, add 250 grams of hulled and blended strawberries. Or make your own variations by adding seasonal fruits of your choice.
- Be sure to strain the cordial before serving, to remove any seeds or pulp.
- Serving suggestions; add to a glass and dilute to your preferred strength with water or sparkling water. Add slices of fresh lemon and loads of ice, plus a few sprigs of mint. The cordial is so refreshing added to chilled water or sparkling water, but you can also add it to your favourite summer cocktails.
- To sterilise bottles or jars for safe storage; wash the bottles and lids with hot, soapy water and rinse. Place the bottles (not the lids) in your oven at 120 C/248 F and dry in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove the hot bottles from the oven and allow to cool before adding the cordial. Alternatively, you can use a sterilising solution or tablet, like Milton’s.
- This recipe yields about 1.5 litres of cordial. You can multiply the recipe for more, if needed.
FAQs
Yes, you can! Lemon cordial can be frozen and is best consumed within 6 months of freezing, although it can be kept slightly longer. Allow it to cool completely before freezing in freezer-safe bags or plastic bottles. Thaw in the fridge overnight before adding to drinks as normal.
This recipe is for concentrated cordial that needs to be diluted with water. To serve, add 1 part cordial to 4 or 5 parts water (or more, or less, to taste).
While any type of fresh lemon can be used, I recommend using Meyer lemons for their sweet flavour, thin skin (perfect for zesting!) and high juice content. Some lemon varieties are more tart than others, so test the amount of sugar and add a little more, if needed.
When using citric acid and added to clean, sterilised bottles, this cordial will keep in a cool, dry place for 3-4 weeks, or in the fridge for around 6-8 weeks. Make sure it is stored correctly in sterilised jars, or it can start to ferment.
Citric acid acts as a preserving agent and also adds a lot of citrus ‘tang’ to the cordial. It helps to preserve the cordial for longer and can be skipped if you plan on serving it right away or consuming it within a couple of weeks. Citric acid can be found in supermarkets and health food stores.
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Homemade Lemon Cordial Recipe
Ingredients
For the lemon syrup
- 5 cups white sugar 1.1 kg
- zest of 6 lemons
- 1 cup lemon juice 250 mls of freshly squeezed juice (about 6-8 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons citric acid powder
- 3 cups boiling water 750 mls.
To serve
- chilled water or sparkling water chilled
- ice cubes
- 2-3 lemons extra, sliced
- mint sprigs optional
Instructions
For the lemon syrup
- Place the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and citric acid into a large saucepan.
- Add 3 cups of boiling water and whisk over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved (no need to boil).
- Turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly. Then, cover with plastic wrap and leave to sit overnight, to develop.
- Once the flavours have developed overnight, strain the cordial into prepared, sterilised glass jars and keep covered (see storage notes below).
To serve
- Add the cordial (ratio of 1 part cordial to 4 parts water, or to taste) to a pitcher with the chilled water, ice and extra lemon slices- and fresh mint if you prefer. Enjoy!
Notes
- While any type of fresh lemon can be used, I recommend using Meyer lemons for their sweet flavour, thin skin (perfect for zesting!) and high juice content. Some lemon varieties are more tart than others, so test the amount of sugar and add a little more, if needed.
- Make it the day before you need it to allow the lemon flavour to develop.
- Add some fresh herbs like mint or basil to infuse throughout the cordial. Or try some fresh ginger slices, lavender or a vanilla bean. Simmer any additional flavour add-ins in the sugar syrup and strain before storing.
- Add the cordial to some pretty, sterilised bottles and gift them over the holidays.
- You can swap the lemons for your favourite citrus like grapefruit, limes or oranges.
- Make it pink lemonade by adding cranberry juice, to taste. For strawberry lemonade, add 250 grams of hulled and blended strawberries. Or make your own variations by adding seasonal fruits of your choice.
- Be sure to strain the cordial before serving, to remove any seeds or pulp.
- Serving suggestions; add to a glass and dilute to your preferred strength with water or sparkling water. Add slices of fresh lemon and loads of ice, plus a few sprigs of mint. The cordial is so refreshing added to chilled water or sparkling water, but you can also add it to your favourite summer cocktails.
- To sterilise bottles or jars for safe storage; wash the bottles and lids with hot, soapy water and rinse. Place the bottles (not the lids) in your oven at 120 C/248 F and dry in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove the bottles from the oven and allow to cool before adding the cordial. Alternatively, you can use a sterilising solution or tablet, like Milton’s.
- This recipe yields about 1.5 litres of cordial. You can multiply the recipe for more, if needed.
- Freezing; Lemon cordial can be frozen and is best consumed within 6 months of freezing, although it can be kept slightly longer. Allow it to cool completely before freezing in freezer-safe bags or plastic bottles. Thaw in the fridge overnight before adding to drinks as normal.
- Ratio; This recipe is for concentrated cordial that needs to be diluted with water. To serve, dilute 1 part cordial to 4 or 5 parts water (or more, or less, to taste).
- Storage; When using citric acid and added to clean, sterilised bottles, this cordial will keep in a cool, dry place for 3-4 weeks, or in the fridge for around 6-8 weeks. Make sure it is stored correctly in sterilised jars, or it can start to ferment.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the cordial being divided into 24 serves of approximately ¼ cup. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or ingredients served with the cordial.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in December 2018, but was re-published with new information and photos in July 2022.
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