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Easy Limoncello Recipe – Best Homemade Crema di Limoncello (Creamy or Plain)

This easy limoncello recipe, or crema di limoncello recipe is ready in 24 hours, meaning that you could have your own homemade creamy limoncello ready to drink tomorrow! So what are you waiting for?

 crema di limoncello in a bottle with two filled liqueur glasses

Remember my Zia Francesca? I shared her penne alla vodka recipe a few years ago.

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Well, when I was visiting her once, she pulled a bottle of pale yellow colored liqueur from her freezer for us to taste. What can I say? It was simply phenomenal. It was my first time tasting crema di limoncello.

glass of crema di limoncello

What is Limoncello? What is Crema di Limoncello?

Limoncello is a southern Italian lemon liqueur. This makes sense, given all the wonderful lemons that are grown in and around the Amalfi Coast and Positano area. It’s made with just the lemon peel (no pulp), sugar, water and alcohol. Crema di limoncello, as you can probably guess, is a creamy version, using either milk and/or cream, in place of the water. The latter is by far my favorite of the two.

– If you want to make regular limoncello, simply follow this recipe and substitute water for the milk,
easy peasy! –

It’s Limoncello, NOT Lemoncello.

Tasting my aunt’s creamy limoncello was years before Danny De Vito made limoncello a worldwide trendy drink. It was all due to his not-so-sober interview on The View about being out with George Clooney the night before drinking limoncello. He spoke of limoncello, yes, LIMONCELLO, with an “I” and pronounced “ee”, not LEMONCELLO with an English sounding “e”.

Lemoncello doesn’t exist in Italy. It’s obvious that English speakers have anglicized the name of this citrus liqueur, so remember that LEMON is English.

Once you make the limoncello, you’ll have to make limoncello tiramisù!

limoncello tiramisu

Even Danny De Vito mispronounces it as “lemoncello” and he should know better as he now has his own brand. I saw a video on how to make “authentic Sicilian lemoncello” online. That tells me all I need to know–I highly doubt it’s authentic if they don’t even know how to spell the name of what they’re making.

Warning: I’ve tried making limoncello with vodka and Everclear: it’s not worth it, trust me. 😒

Got kumquats? Try this kumquat liqueur!

Kumquat liqueur

How is Limoncello pronounced?

It’s easy: the letter “i” in Italian is pronounced “ee”, and “ce” is pronounced “cheh” so it’s

“lee-mohn-chell-aw”.

Meyer lemons in a basket for limoncello
Meyer lemons from my tree.

Tips to Make Quick and Easy Limoncello Recipe (Creamy or Clear)

I just happen to have my Zia Francesca’s easy limoncello recipe for you. She makes it using whole milk, and it’s ready in just one day! You won’t sacrifice flavor, either. You’ll see that when you pull the peel out after 24 hours, the alcohol has already done its magic.

Tips:

  • Don’t use any milk while has fish oil added to it as it will ruin your limoncello (learn from my mistake as I did this when I tried to make cheese once, #fail).
  • I use Meyer lemons from my own trees (I don’t use any pesticides or chemicals on them or the soil); this type of lemon is far superior to a regular Eureka lemon you buy from the store (the rock hard ones). If you’re going to make this, try to find organic Meyer lemons, it will be worth the trouble, trust me. Meyer lemons are a cross between Eureka lemons and mandarin oranges; lemons chosen by chefs. They are much sweeter and much more juicy. 

Meyer lemons in a basket for limoncello

  • Want to use vodka? My advice: don’t. I’ve made it with vodka and Everclear and it’s not even close. It’s not “bad”, but I’d rate the vodka version a 3 compared to a 10 when using the right alcohol.
  • Don’t fret about having the perfect number of lemons as it’s not critical to the recipe. You’re just infusing the alcohol with the peel, so more lemons will give a much stronger lemon flavor, less will be a lighter lemon taste. You could also have tiny lemons or large lemons, so just use your best approximation.
  • After your limoncello is ready, you can always add more milk to your glass if you find it’s too strong.

24 Hour Easy Limoncello Recipe
(Crema di Limoncello Recipe)

recipe slightly adapted from my Zia Francesca’s version

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

NOTE: FOR CLEAR LIMONCELLO, JUST SUBSTITUTE WATER FOR THE MILK.

Ingredients

  • fresh, organic lemons (preferably Meyer)
  • alcohol
  • milk (or water)
  • sugar

Special equipment: cheesecloth, strainer and bottles

Directions to Make Limoncello

First, peel the lemons very carefully, trying not to get any of the white pith. You just want the yellow part.

peeling Meyer lemon for crema di limoncello

The peel should look like this.

peeling Meyer lemon

Place all the peel in a bowl and pour the alcohol over them to soak for 24 hours. This really is an easy limoncello recipe, don’t you agree?

making easy limoncello recipe

Make sure they are mostly all covered.

soaking peel in alcohol

The next day, boil the milk and sugar for 20 minutes, remove from heat. Cool and then chill.

adding sugar to milk

Remove the lemon peel from the alcohol.

discarded lemon peel

Next, pour the alcohol into the chilled, sweetened milk.

adding liquor to milk and sugar

Finally, pour the limoncello through a cheesecloth in a strainer and bottle. Place in the freezer and keep frozen. It is now ready to drink, can you believe it’s that easy and quick? I told you this was an easy limoncello recipe!

Enjoy your Homemade Limoncello!

easy limoncello recipe crema di limoncello in bottle

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Here’s a top recipe for blackberry vodka from my friend Suzanne, at The Travel Bunny.
blackberry vodka by The Travelbunny
Image courtesy of The Travelbunny

 

crema di limoncello in bottle

24 Hour Creamy Limoncello Recipe (Crema di Limoncello) - Best Homemade Limoncello

Yield: 3 bottles
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rest Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 35 minutes

A super easy to make limoncello (creamy or plain) which is ready in 24 hours! It's an authentic Italian recipe from my Zia Francesca.

Ingredients

  • 6 or 7 Meyer organic lemons (you can use other lemons, but the limoncello won't be nearly as good)
  • 1 liter of distilled potable alcohol (49.5% 99 proof) (this may be difficult to find depending on where you live due to state laws)
  • 1.3 kg (3 lbs) sugar
  • 2 liters (68 oz) of whole, organic milk

Instructions

  1. Peel the lemons very carefully, trying not to get any of the white pith. You just want the yellow part.
  2. Place all the peel in a bowl and pour the alcohol over them to soak for 24 hours. Make sure they are mostly all covered.
  3. The next day, boil the milk and sugar for 20 minutes, remove from heat. Cool and then chill.
  4. Remove the lemon peel from the alcohol.
  5. Next, pour the alcohol into the chilled, sweetened milk.
  6. Pour through a cheesecloth in a strainer and bottle. Place in the freezer and keep frozen.

Notes

  • Use milk and/or cream for crema di limoncello, and water for a plain version.
  • One bottle contains 17 shots, and this recipe makes 3 bottles.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 50 Serving Size: 1 shot
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 40Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

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49 Comments

  1. Hi. I made your crema di limoncello for the first time, and it is delicious. I did use the Meyers Lemons but could not find the type of alcohol you advised. I was forced to substitute a lower proof, decent quality vodka. My family really loved it. We have family in Salerno and think perhaps this limoncello matches and even exceeds anything we have had on our many visits to Italy. The recipe made 4 liter bottles. I froze them per your instructions, but they have frozen basically solid (they don’t pour). We let one sit out on the counter until it could be poured. I wonder if this is typical and if there is a problem with thawing and then refreezing again. Thank you for any advice you can give me.

    1. Hi Peggy, glad you liked the recipe so much! Unfortunately, I think the freezing is due to the alcohol content. The stronger alcohol doesn’t freeze. I had this happen too when I used vodka and I just stuck the bottle back in the freezer each time. I don’t think it’s like freezing, defrosting and re-freezing something like meat. We didn’t have any issues. I know it’s hard to find the proper alcohol though. Next time you’re in Italy, bring back a bottle of ALCOOL! It’s available over there (the pure stuff)! Hope this helps! CC

  2. Ooh, this sounds delightful. I’m crazy about lemon anything…and so jealous of you California lot!! Christina, you are a girl after my own heart! I can’t stand it when people mispronounce a name to “anglicize” it. My pet peeve is chaise longue (long chair) somehow becoming chase lounge! Not a good culinary example! However, you are doing a fine job educating folks, for example bruschetta. Thank you for all you do. I love your posts!

    1. Thank you, Margaret! I suppose we’re all guilty in one way or another, but some things really are like nails on a chalkboard, aren’t they? ;)