Name: Honey and Lemon Juice
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice; 4 tbsp honey; 1 1/2 cups water; 3 lemon leaves ((garnish)); 1 tbsp thyme (4-5 fresh sprigs)

When life gives you lemons, have a look at this honey and lemon juice recipe before making lemonade. It is a better alternative.

Is Our Recipe Healthy?

Lemonade has been known to be a refreshing beverage and a good source of vitamin C. Although its vitamin C content is far less than orange juice, the drink still has an irresistible and irreplaceable charisma.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant possessing many beneficial properties.

For starters, vitamin C boosts your immune system by reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a common factor in causing severe diseases like cancer, diabetes, metabolic disorders, and more.

A glass of lemonade topped with thyme, lemon wheels, put in front of a honey jar

This immune-boosting nutrient also promotes heart health by lowering cholesterol levels and easing oxidative damage on the blood vessels.

Last, but not least, vitamin C may also prevent anemia by aiding iron absorption. It is a condition derived from lack of blood cells, and iron deficiency is a common cause, according to Healthline.

Lemons are also famous for citric acid, which gives lemons their zingy tanginess, and can prevent kidney stones. One study pointed out that citric acid creates a less favorable environment for the disease’s development.

Does This Juice Promote Weight Loss?

There is a myth about whether or not drinking lots of lemon juice promotes weight loss. The soluble fiber in lemons— pectin— is thought to expand in our digestive system, preventing us from overeating.

Pectin indeed behaves like so in our guts. However, to have pectin in our system, we need to digest whole lemons, not just the juice.

Another study suggests that polyphenols extracted from the peel of lemons can potentially promote weight loss. However, the study’s subjects were mice, and there is yet to be a related study on humans with similar results.

So far, what we can be sure about concerning weight loss is this: intake calorie < burned calorie. Exercise regularly, regulate your food intake, and no myth can shake your belief.

Two lemonade glasses with thyme sprigs put next to a honey jar and two lemon wheels

Calories

Each serving of this honey and lemon juice recipe provides around 67 calories. Most of the calories come from honey, as lemon juice contains almost zero carbohydrates.

This is to say the 67 calories come from honey. It is seemingly a lot, but in fact, it is within our calculation.

Each serving only has 17.5 grams of added sugar (from honey), entirely within allowance:

Daily Calories	Calories from Added Sugar (10%)	Daily Recommended Added Sugar
2000	200	51 grams
2100	210	54 grams
2700	270	70 grams

How to Pick Juicy Lemons

When it comes to selecting the best fruits, people can come up with really clever tricks. Here are a few tips we found helpful:

Choose heavy fruits: The one to yield more juice is heavier. Pick up a bunch of the same size, then select the heaviest one.
Big fruits aren’t the juiciest: Big fruits can also have thick pits rather than juicy pulp. This is where the next trick comes in.
Press to tell thick pith: Gently apply pressure to the fruit with your thumb and middle finger/index finger. Feel the resistance, and you can tell whether the rind is thick or not.
Bright lemons mean ripe lemons: Riper citruses tend to appear brighter in color. Avoid those with green or darkened spots, and select the brightest of them all.

Here’s a bonus tip to get the most juice out of lemons: Roll them on the cutting board. The pressure helps to squeeze out juices from hard-to-reach spots, resulting in more juice for you.

Make The Taste Better

Have a look at our perfect drink for hot summer days and you can tell how creative one can get with lemons. It’s even added to milk to create a rich, tangy, sweet beverage— buttermilk with lemon.

Ingredients: water, lemon leaves, lemon juice, honey, and chopped thyme in separate bowls

If you’d like to try more delicious drinks, we suggest this refreshing lemon cucumber juice, our classic sweet lemonade, or this list of perfect lemonade recipes to choose from.

Let’s see other stuff you can add to honey lemon juice:

1. Mint Leaves

Lemon juice and mint leaves are almost an inseparable combo. Mint adds a cooling sensation to any drinks, making this honey lemon juice recipe even more refreshing.

2. Lemongrass

Not only sharing similar names, lemons and lemongrass also complement each other in a drink. You can even turn the stalk of lemongrass into environmental-friendly straws!

3. Thyme

Thyme often appears in recipes for savory dishes, but did you know it adds a fantastic twist to beverages? Just add one sprig or two to the drink, and people will be stunned by how clever it is.

How Long Can You Keep It?

In our experience, lemonade stays edible within 24 hours or longer. Even better, it rarely turns dark when left for too long.

A shot taken from the top of two lemonade glasses garnished with lemon peels, thyme, and lemon leaves

Make sure to do the following to store your drink properly:

Wash your hands thoroughly before juicing to eliminate any present bacteria, which might spoil your drink. Make sure to clean the glass/cup/container to hold the drink, too.
Using an airtight container can reduce exposure of the juice to air. This reduces the chance of airborne bacteria getting to your juice.
If you use a glass or cup, cover it with cling wrap and allow the wrap to touch the juice. This removes the air in the glass/cup and hence, reduces the chance of bacterial contamination.

Check out our: best delicious juice recipes for more delicious drinks.