Lemon Squash Lemon Syrup Without Preservatives

What is a Squash

Any non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that is used to make beverages is called a ‘squash.’ A squash is primarily fruity in flavor and made with water, sugar or any other sugar substitute. Many traditional squashes also have herbal extracts in them.  Lemon Squash is one of the most popular ones in the world.   When summers in India creep in, the best way to cool our body is with chilled glasses of homemade beverages that really satisfy the thirst as well. Here, squashes take the award for the ‘best performance’ as they are easy to make and can be prepared in large quantities and stored for later use.

More on this Lemon Squash

Summers for me definitely mean preparing batches of this non-alcoholic Lemon Squash and using it to make cooling drinks whenever I wish to. Apart from this, I also have recipes for Orange Squash, Sandalwood Syrup and Khus Syrup. This Lemon Squash recipe is very close to my heart as it is from my cooking school. I have made a few changes in the proportions and skipped the citric acid and sodium benzoate from the recipe to keep it healthier. This homemade syrup does not have any additives or preservatives added to it.   This recipe has a subtle flavor of spices too from the cardamom powder and saffron added to it. To sweeten this Lemon Squash, I have used raw sugar. Regular white sugar can be used too. The simplest and easiest way to serve this Lemon Squash is to dilute a portion in some chilled water and finish it with ice cubes. To make it into a fancy drink, you can add soaked Sabja Seeds (sweet basil seeds), fresh mint or basil too and flavor it with lemongrass or ginger too.

How to make Lemon Squash

Make Sugar Syrup

1. First, in a pan or saucepan, take 1 cup of water and 500 grams sugar (about 2 cups heaped sugar).
2. Keep this sugar-water solution on a low heat. Stir so that the sugar dissolves.
3. When all the sugar has dissolved, continue to simmer on a low heat until you get a half string consistency in the syrup. Then switch off the heat. The syrup will be sticky when you touch it. You can also heat the sugar syrup till one string consistency. I cooked it till half string consistency.

Strain Sugar Syrup

4. Let the sugar syrup cool a bit. Next step is to filter the sugar syrup of its impurities. Line a bowl with a strainer that has been lined with a muslin cloth or a thin cotton kitchen towel.
5. Now pour the sugar syrup carefully through the muslin lined strainer into the bowl.
6. Here’s the collected sugar syrup in the bowl. Let this filtered sugar syrup become lukewarm or come at room temperature.

Prep lemons and extract lemon juice

7. Then rinse 500 grams (roughly 10 to 12 medium size) lemons well in water. Halve all of them.
8. With a lemon squeezer or press, extract juice from each lemon half in a bowl or mug.
9. From 500 grams lemons, I got 1 cup of lemon juice.
10. If there are small seeds in the lemon juice, then filter it through a tea strainer.
11. Powder the seeds of 8 to 9 green cardamoms along with ½ teaspoon saffron in a mortar-pestle. Keep aside. This is optional.

Make Lemon Squash

12. Now add the lemon juice to the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be lukewarm or at room temperature when you add the lemon juice.
13. Add powdered cardamom and saffron.
14. Mix very well.
15. Now pour the Lemon Squash in a sterilized glass bottle or jar. Close the lid tightly and refrigerate. The yield is about 750 ml of lemon squash and stays good for a month in the refrigerator. Use a good quality glass bottle or jar so that it does not crack while sterilizing.
16. When preparing the Lemon Squash Drink, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the squash in a glass and add chilled water. Stir and serve. You can also add ice cubes in the drink.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Chaas Recipe (Mattha Recipe) Nimbu Pani Recipe | Shikanji Aam Panna Recipe – With Boiled and Roasted Mangoes Barley Water Recipe (Stovetop & Instant Pot) This Lemon Squash recipe post from the archives first published in March 2015 has been republished and updated on 2 May 2022.

title: “Lemon Squash Lemon Syrup Without Preservatives " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-12” author: “Walter Tobias”

What is a Squash

Any non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that is used to make beverages is called a ‘squash.’ A squash is primarily fruity in flavor and made with water, sugar or any other sugar substitute. Many traditional squashes also have herbal extracts in them.  Lemon Squash is one of the most popular ones in the world.   When summers in India creep in, the best way to cool our body is with chilled glasses of homemade beverages that really satisfy the thirst as well. Here, squashes take the award for the ‘best performance’ as they are easy to make and can be prepared in large quantities and stored for later use.

More on this Lemon Squash

Summers for me definitely mean preparing batches of this non-alcoholic Lemon Squash and using it to make cooling drinks whenever I wish to. Apart from this, I also have recipes for Orange Squash, Sandalwood Syrup and Khus Syrup. This Lemon Squash recipe is very close to my heart as it is from my cooking school. I have made a few changes in the proportions and skipped the citric acid and sodium benzoate from the recipe to keep it healthier. This homemade syrup does not have any additives or preservatives added to it.   This recipe has a subtle flavor of spices too from the cardamom powder and saffron added to it. To sweeten this Lemon Squash, I have used raw sugar. Regular white sugar can be used too. The simplest and easiest way to serve this Lemon Squash is to dilute a portion in some chilled water and finish it with ice cubes. To make it into a fancy drink, you can add soaked Sabja Seeds (sweet basil seeds), fresh mint or basil too and flavor it with lemongrass or ginger too.

How to make Lemon Squash

Make Sugar Syrup

1. First, in a pan or saucepan, take 1 cup of water and 500 grams sugar (about 2 cups heaped sugar).
2. Keep this sugar-water solution on a low heat. Stir so that the sugar dissolves.
3. When all the sugar has dissolved, continue to simmer on a low heat until you get a half string consistency in the syrup. Then switch off the heat. The syrup will be sticky when you touch it. You can also heat the sugar syrup till one string consistency. I cooked it till half string consistency.

Strain Sugar Syrup

4. Let the sugar syrup cool a bit. Next step is to filter the sugar syrup of its impurities. Line a bowl with a strainer that has been lined with a muslin cloth or a thin cotton kitchen towel.
5. Now pour the sugar syrup carefully through the muslin lined strainer into the bowl.
6. Here’s the collected sugar syrup in the bowl. Let this filtered sugar syrup become lukewarm or come at room temperature.

Prep lemons and extract lemon juice

7. Then rinse 500 grams (roughly 10 to 12 medium size) lemons well in water. Halve all of them.
8. With a lemon squeezer or press, extract juice from each lemon half in a bowl or mug.
9. From 500 grams lemons, I got 1 cup of lemon juice.
10. If there are small seeds in the lemon juice, then filter it through a tea strainer.
11. Powder the seeds of 8 to 9 green cardamoms along with ½ teaspoon saffron in a mortar-pestle. Keep aside. This is optional.

Make Lemon Squash

12. Now add the lemon juice to the sugar syrup. The sugar syrup should be lukewarm or at room temperature when you add the lemon juice.
13. Add powdered cardamom and saffron.
14. Mix very well.
15. Now pour the Lemon Squash in a sterilized glass bottle or jar. Close the lid tightly and refrigerate. The yield is about 750 ml of lemon squash and stays good for a month in the refrigerator. Use a good quality glass bottle or jar so that it does not crack while sterilizing.
16. When preparing the Lemon Squash Drink, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the squash in a glass and add chilled water. Stir and serve. You can also add ice cubes in the drink.

Expert Tips

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Chaas Recipe (Mattha Recipe) Nimbu Pani Recipe | Shikanji Aam Panna Recipe – With Boiled and Roasted Mangoes Barley Water Recipe (Stovetop & Instant Pot) This Lemon Squash recipe post from the archives first published in March 2015 has been republished and updated on 2 May 2022.