Lemon Pickle | No Oil Lime Pickle (4 Ingredients)

This incredibly easy and oil-free lemon pickle recipe makes the most bright and tangy condiment for enjoying with your favorite Indian dishes. Homemade spiced lemon pickle only includes 4 simple ingredients, and is naturally low-fat, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly. Follow our step-by-step instructions with photos to quickly make a batch now that’s ready to enjoy in just a few days!

About This Lemon Pickle

This family lemon pickle recipe is tried and true for making a spiced and wonderfully sour condiment to perfectly compliment nearly any Indian meal.

It adds a terrific punch of flavor to the table, and although it is effortless to prepare it is a welcomed side that seems really impressive to guests.

My homemade lemon pickle recipe does require a 4 to 5 day pickling process in some sunlight, but I promise it is very easy to prepare and well worth every minute.

Lemon or Lime

Usually, in many Indian pickle recipes, lemons and lime can be swapped for each other. So it is with this pickle.

1. Lemon: Fresh, ripe and thin-skinned lemons are the best here. Lemons having thick skin can make the pickle bitter and will take more time to soften. You can have any size of lemons. But they should be juicy and not dried or wilted. So use fresh lemons. Do not use lemons that have become browned or discolored from outside.
2. Lime: We always make this pickle with lemons. You can even make it with limes. If the limes do not soften, let the pickle mature in the sunlight for a couple of days more. If using limes, then go by the weight measurement of 250 grams.

Spices in the pickle

The spices are minimal in this lemon pickle recipe, just about two – carom seeds and red chilli powder with a seasoning of some salt.

• Carom seeds: The major spice ingredient in this recipe is carom seeds (ajwain in Hindi). These small seeds are light brown in color and have thyme like aroma with a pungent and sharp taste. Carom seeds are excellent for digestion. This spice is not replaceable with any other spice. You can easily buy carom seeds online in an Indian grocery store if you live outside India.
• Red chili powder: To add a bit of heat red chili powder is used. The red chili powder, that we use in Indian cuisine, is simply ground dried red chilies. It is not the Mexican chili powder having oregano or cumin. Cayenne pepper or paprika is a good substitute. Smoked paprika would also taste great.
• Salt: Any kind of edible salt works fine. Sea salt, kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, food-grade, and edible rock salt all can be used. If you want to use black salt, then use it in combination with some other salt. Remember to add some salt on top of the pickle in the jar when you keep it for sun-drying. The addition of salt prevents the pickle from getting spoiled on the top.

Continue reading to learn how to make your own lemon pickle from scratch with no oil or cooking needed.

How to make Lemon Pickle

Prepare the lemons

1. Firstly, rinse 6 or 7 medium-sized lemons or 7 or 8 limes (250 grams or about half a pound) with water and either air dry or towel dry.

Note: Take extra care to make sure that your cutting board, workspace, and hands are very clean and well dried before proceeding. This will ensure that you do not contaminate the jar of lemon pickle during the pickling process.

2. Once the lemons are dry, one at a time take each lemon and cut four slices while being careful to keep the fruit whole (like in the picture below). Do not cut through completely!

3. Squeeze a bit of juice – about ¼ to ½ teaspoons from each lemon piece into a bowl. But do not squeeze the lemons too much – you want them to keep their shape and fullness.

Set the bowl of lemon juice aside to use later. Adding some lemon juice helps to preserve the pickle.

If the seeds drop when you squeeze the juice, then remove them with a small spoon and discard. If the seeds remain in the lemon, then simply let them be. No need to remove them.

4. In another plate or bowl, add 1 tablespoon of carom seeds (ajwain), ½ tablespoon of red chili powder or cayenne pepper, and 1 one tablespoon of salt.

5. Mix very well.

6. Use your fingers or a small spoon to stuff and coat the inside of each lemon with the spice mixture.

There will be some spice mix left after you have completed stuffing the lemons. Reserve this spice mix as we will be using them later.

Place the lemons in a glass jar

7. Carefully stuff the spiced lemons into a clean jar that has a lid. At this point, you can let the empty jar soak in the sun for 1 to 2 hours before you move on to this 7ᵗʰ step if you like.

8. Next, remove the seeds and pour in the lemon juice you previously squeezed and set aside.

9. Now add the extra spice mixture that was set aside by sprinkling it over the lemons in the jar.

10. Then sprinkle some salt (about ½ to 1 teaspoon) all over the lemons. This is essential so that the lemons don’t spoil during the pickling process.

Cover the lemon pickle and wait

11. Cover the jar securely with a lid and keep in sunlight for 4 days. Every day give the jar a good shake. I keep mine on the kitchen window sill so it gets good light and I remember to shake it daily.

12. The lemon pickle will be ready to enjoy after 4 to 5 days. Then it’s ready to serve with your meals, no cooking or additional steps required.

Storage

Store the lemon pickle in an air-tight jar in your refrigerator. Do not keep it at room temperature. When you want to serve, remove the pickle with a clean dry spoon.

Close the lid of the jar and keep it back in the refrigerator. This lemon pickle keeps well for a month when refrigerated.

When removing the pickle always use a clean dry spoon. Using any spoon with water or moisture on it will lead to the pickle getting moldy.

Expert Tips

• Clean and dry utensils: When making the pickle, ensure there is no moisture on the knife, chopping board, bowl, spoons, and jar. They should be completely dry.
  
  Even your lemons should be dry and without any moisture. If you have removed them from the fridge, then let them come to room temperature and gently wipe away any fine moisture droplets from them. You can even sun dry the jar before you place the lemon pickle in it.
• Sun-drying: Keep the lemon pickle jar in sunlight for 4 to 5 days or until the lemon pieces have softened and the pickle has matured. Everyday, gently shake the jar.
• Lemon or Lime: This pickle recipe is easily adaptable to be made with lemons or limes. Only ensure that they are fresh, juicy and with thin skins.
• Storage jars: Store the pickle in a glass or ceramic jar. Do not store in metal jars like aluminum as the acidic ingredients in the pickle will react with the metal. If you prefer sterilize the glass jar before storing the pickle.
• Scaling: You can make a big batch of this lemon pickle recipe and refrigerate it.

FAQs

This Lemon Pickle recipe from the archives first published in Jun 2017 has been republished and updated on 1 July 2022.