Sweet, citrusy, and deeply refreshing, my recipe for Mosambi Juice (also known as Sweet Lime Juice) is a delicious way to beat the summer heat. With a fruity flavor and a sweet taste, this delightful Indian beverage is one you simply must try next time you’re feeling hot and weary.
Table of Contents
About Mosambi Juice
If you have yet to try the divine fruit known as Mosambi (Sweet Lime), you’re in for a real treat. With far less acidity than other varieties of citrus while still maintaining the distinct citrusy flavor of limes, this sweet fruit is a favorite for juicing.
Sometimes the fruits themselves are not excellent for eating – they have a thick rind and a lot of seeds – but their sweet, limeade flavor and abundant juice makes them a perfect candidate for turning into homemade juice.
Similar to nimbu pani, mosambi juice is often flavored with sulfurous black salt, earthy cumin powder, and tangy chaat masala. Both of these common Indian drinks are easily available from street vendors in Bombay and Delhi, and with good reason: they help to cool and refresh the body in severe heat.
Aside from being super refreshing, mosambi juice has many positive health benefits. As with most other types of citrus, it is high in vitamin C and is often used as a holistic treatment for common colds and influenza.
Sweet lime juice is also good for digestion, relieving motion sickness, and has anti-congestive properties that can help keep asthma at bay, among other benefits. This delectable elixir can really do it all!
It should be noted that sweet lime juice is extremely susceptible to oxidation. The longer it is in contact with the air, the more bitter it becomes. It is therefore extremely important to drink the juice soon after making it. In other words, this is not a recipe for your meal prep day.
In this recipe post, I’ll show you two methods of making homemade mosambi juice. The first method requires a fruit juicer or extractor, while the second method makes do with a blender.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mosambi (Sweet Limes) – It should come as no surprise that in order to make mosambi juice, you need to purchase mosambi! The ripest fruits should be heavy for their size, indicating that they are nice and juicy. You can also test for ripeness by lightly scratching the skin of a sweet lime; if it is ripe, the essential oils should be noticeable and easy to smell on your fingertips. Avoid fruits that are discolored, dry, or spongy looking.
- Sweetener – Depending on the sweetness of your mosambi, you may need to add more or less sweetener to taste. I prefer using honey or granulated sugar, but feel free to use any sweetener you have on hand.
- Black Salt – While technically optional, the unique, slightly sulfurous flavor of kala namak (a.k.a. black salt) is a traditional and exceptionally delicious addition to this refresher recipe.
- Roasted Cumin Powder – Also optional, but highly recommended. For best results, use whole cumin seeds that you dry roast in a pan until aromatic, then blend in your spice grinder.
- Chaat Masala – This spice mix is somehow simultaneously sour, tangy, and spiced, making it a wonderful addition to mosambi juice. You can omit it if you like, but I suggest giving it a try!
How to Make Mosambi Juice
When it comes to making juice at home, you can either invest in an electric juicer or opt to use a regular blender. While using the juicer makes the process a little cleaner and easier, it is not necessary.
Method 1: Using a Juicer
Peel and cube the mosambi.
In an electric juicer, add the sweet lime pieces in the juice feeder and extract the juice.
Add sugar or honey to taste and stir to incorporate.
Serve mosambi juice with or without some ice cubes; feel free to serve it plain or with some black salt, chaat masala, and roasted cumin powder. Enjoy immediately.
Method 2: Using a Blender
Peel and remove the seeds from the sweet lime.
In a blender blend the sweet lime pieces.
Now strain the juice in a fine strainer. The pulp will get collected in the strainer.
Squeeze the pulp or press the pulp with a back of a spoon in the strainer to extract additional juice. Discard the pulp.
Add sugar or honey to the extracted juice, to taste.
Add some ice cubes and serve mosambi juice chilled, either plain or with kala namak, roasted cumin, and chaat masala. Enjoy immediately.
Expert Tips
Making mosambi juice is a straightforward process, but there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Add sweetener and seasoning to taste. Depending on the fruit, you may or may not need to add additional sweetener. You can also opt to serve the sweet lime juice plain like a limeade, or opt to season it with black salt, roasted cumin powder, and chaat masala.
- Drink quickly. Mosambi juice is very susceptible to oxidation and will become bitter once it has been exposed to air for a little while. Keep it sweet by drinking it as soon as you have it juiced!
- Choose good fruit. As with most recipes, you want to ensure that your produce is in good shape. This also applies to making juice! Opt for sweet limes that are heavy for their size, are free of blemishes or discoloring, and that give off a citrusy perfume when lightly scratched with your fingernail.
FAQs
Here in India, you can find mosambi in most grocery stores and stalls, especially during the summer. From what I have heard, it is quite difficult to source mosambi in the US and in other places abroad. If you are unable to use sweet limes, swapping in oranges with a bit of lime zest, pomelos, or Meyer lemons are all fine substitutes.
Absolutely! Sweet lime is an excellent juice for Hindu fasting or vrat in the Navratri season. It will give you energy and keep you from becoming dehydrated.
Interestingly enough, oranges are a hybrid citrus fruit made from cross-pollinating pomelos and mandarins, whereas sweet limes are a specific variety of citrus known as citrus limetta. Oranges have a sweeter flavor profile than sweet limes, but they can be used as a substitute in a pinch.
More Refreshing Drink Recipes!
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Mosambi Juice | Sweet Lime Juice
Ingredients
- 6 to 7 sweet limes (mosambi) – peeled and chopped or segments removed
- raw sugar or honey as required – depends on the sweetness of the sweet limes, optional
- 2 to 3 pinches black salt or as required, optional
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder or as required, optional
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala or as required, optional
Instructions
Making mosambi juice in a juicer
- In an electric juicer, add the sweet lime pieces in the juice feeder and extract the juice.
- Add sugar or honey according to taste and stir. If the sweet limes are sweet, there is no need to any sweetener.
- Serve Mosambi Juice in tall glasses straightaway. Optionally you can top the juice with a few pinches of black salt and/or roasted cumin powder
Make sweet lime juice in a blender
- Remove the seeds from the sweet lime segments.
- In a blender add the segments. Blend to a smooth consistency.
- Now strain the sweet lime juice in a fine strainer.
- The pulp will get collected in the strainer.
- Squeeze the pulp or press the pulp with a back of a spoon in the strainer to extract additional juice.
- Discard the pulp.
- Add sugar or honey if needed to the strained sweet lime juice.
- Serve Sweet Lime Juice immediately. You can garnish with a few mint sprigs while serving.
Notes
- If you are making sweet lime juice for religious Hindu fast or vrat, then add edible rock salt (sendha namak).
- Try to juice with the sweet tasting sweet limes. If the sweet limes are not sweet enough, you will need to some sweetener.
- Feel free to add your preferred sweeteners.
- Do not store the juice as it becomes bitter. Drink it as soon as you make it.
This Mosambi Juice recipe from the archives first published in October 2012 has been republished and updated on November 2022.
