Nimbu Pani Kaise Banate Hain: Classic, Masala and 10-Glass Party Recipe

Nimbu pani kaise banate hain? You need just four things: lemon, sugar, salt and cold water. The trick is the order you mix them in.

This page gives the classic glass first. Then come the masala version and a party jug for 10 glasses. We also work out the calories in each glass, using Indian food data.

Nimbu Pani Kaise Banate Hain? (Quick Answer)

Quick answer: Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a glass. Melt 2 teaspoons of sugar and a pinch of kala namak in a little warm water. Add 200 ml of chilled water and the juice, stir, and add ice. It takes about 3 minutes.

नींबू पानी कैसे बनाते हैं: एक गिलास में 2 छोटे चम्मच चीनी और एक चुटकी काला नमक थोड़े गुनगुने पानी में घोलें। फिर 2 बड़े चम्मच नींबू का रस और 200 ml ठंडा पानी मिलाएँ। बर्फ डालें और तुरंत पिएँ।

In English: melt the sugar and salt first, then add the juice and cold water. Sugar melts slowly in ice-cold water, so it tends to sink to the bottom. That is why the warm-water step comes first.

Ingredients for One Glass of Nimbu Pani

Quick answer: One glass needs 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of sugar, a pinch of kala namak and 200 ml of chilled water. Mint and ice are optional.

Measure the juice, not the lemons. Indian lemons vary a lot in size. One big lemon may give 2 tablespoons, while small ones may need two.

Nimbu Pani Banane Ki Vidhi: Step-by-Step Method

Quick answer: Roll room-temperature lemons, squeeze 30 ml of juice, melt the sugar and salt in warm water, then add the juice and cold water. Taste, adjust and serve with ice.

1. Keep the lemons at room temperature and roll each one firmly on the counter.
2. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze out 2 tablespoons of juice. Strain out the seeds.
3. Put the sugar and kala namak in a glass. Add 2 tablespoons of warm water and stir until the sugar melts.
4. Add the lemon juice and the chilled water. Stir well.
5. Taste it. Add a little more lemon, sugar or salt if you like.
6. Add ice and mint leaves and serve straight away.

Good to know: America’s Test Kitchen says room-temperature lemons are much easier to squeeze than cold ones. It also found that rolling a lemon on a hard surface softens it and makes it easier to juice. Take lemons out of the fridge a little early (source).

Masala Nimbu Pani

Quick answer: Make the classic glass, then stir in a quarter teaspoon of roasted cumin powder, a quarter teaspoon of chaat masala and a pinch of black pepper. Let it sit for 2 minutes so the spices mix in.

• 1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (bhuna jeera)
• 1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
• 1 pinch black pepper
• A few torn mint leaves

Chaat masala already has salt in it. So cut the kala namak down, or skip it, when you add chaat masala. Taste before you add more.

Many North Indian homes call this spiced glass shikanji. For the fizzy street-stall style, see our shikanji recipe with a soda version. If you want bubbles with no spice, try our nimbu soda recipe.

Nimbu Pani for a Party: 10 Glasses in One Jug

Quick answer: For 10 glasses, use 300 ml of lemon juice, 80 g of sugar and 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of kala namak. Melt the sugar and salt in 200 ml of warm water, then add the juice and 1.9 litres of chilled water.

1. Make the sugar-salt syrup up to a day ahead and keep it in the fridge.
2. Squeeze the lemons close to party time. Strain the juice into the syrup.
3. Add the chilled water and taste. Adjust with more juice or sugar.
4. Keep ice in a separate bowl. Ice in the jug waters down the drink.

The jug holds about 2.4 litres, which pours 10 glasses of about 240 ml each. For a 5 litre glass dispenser and a spiced batch, use our masala lemonade recipe for a party dispenser.

Calories and Sugar in One Glass of Nimbu Pani

Quick answer: One glass with 2 teaspoons of sugar has about 42 kcal. Without sugar it has about 11 kcal. The lemon juice also gives about 14 mg of vitamin C.

We worked these numbers out from trusted food data. The Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017) list fresh lemon juice at 153 kJ of energy and 48.16 mg of vitamin C per 100 g (IFCT 2017). Health Canada lists white sugar at 387 kcal per 100 g (Canadian Nutrient File). IFCT lists cane jaggery at 1,480 kJ per 100 g.

How does that sugar add up? The WHO advises adults to keep free sugars below 10% of daily energy. It says going below 5%, roughly 25 g or 6 teaspoons a day, gives extra benefits. Sugar you stir into a drink counts as free sugar (WHO).

So one glass with 2 teaspoons uses about a third of that 25 g. Two glasses a day use most of it. If you drink nimbu pani often, try 1 teaspoon of sugar, or none.

Want the full calorie breakdown, with weight-loss questions and shikanji calories? Read our nimbu pani calories guide.

Is Nimbu Pani Good in Summer?

Quick answer: Yes, as a thirst-quencher. India's national dietary guidelines say lemon water helps relieve thirst and meet the body's fluid needs. They also name it as a good swap for synthetic soft drinks.

The ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians (2024) cover this in Guideline 14, on drinking enough water. They say water and drinks such as tender coconut water or lemon water are useful to relieve thirst. They also say buttermilk, lemon water and coconut water are excellent alternatives to synthetic soft drinks (ICMR-NIN, 2024).

Two limits from the same guidelines are worth knowing:

• Salt: adults should keep salt to about 5 g a day from all food. A pinch of kala namak per glass is plenty.
• Sugar: added sugar should stay below 5% of daily energy. That is one more reason to go easy on sugar.

Nimbu pani is a refreshing drink, not a medicine. It does not replace ORS. If someone has heavy sweating with dizziness, vomiting or diarrhoea, give ORS and see a doctor.

How to Squeeze Lots of Lemons Quickly

Quick answer: For one glass, a hand squeezer is fine. For a party jug of 300 ml, an electric citrus juicer saves your wrists. Use the small cone for lemons.

Our InstaCuppa Electric Citrus Juicer comes with 3 cone sizes. The product page says to use the small cone for lemons and small limes. Press a lemon half onto the cone and the motor starts. Lift the fruit and it stops.

Use gentle, steady pressure. The product page warns that pushing too hard can strain the motor. Our guide to using an electric citrus juicer covers setup and cleaning.

InstaCuppa Electric Citrus Juicer

3 cone sizes, with a small cone for lemons. Quiet copper DC motor, lever handle, 1-year warranty.

See the Citrus Juicer

On a smaller budget? The InstaCuppa 40W Electric Citrus Juicer has two cones, for small and large fruit.

Common Nimbu Pani Mistakes

Quick answer: The most common mistakes are adding sugar to ice-cold water, using too much salt, and squeezing so hard that the bitter peel oil gets in.

• Sugar sinks to the bottom: melt it in warm water first.
• Too salty: start with a pinch. Chaat masala adds salt too.
• Bitter taste: stop squeezing before you press the white pith and peel.
• Seeds in the glass: pour the juice through a small strainer.
• Watery jug: serve ice on the side for big batches.

Have extra lemons? See our lemon juice recipes beyond nimbu pani.

Frequently Asked Questions

🔥 InstaCuppa Best Sellers

InstaCuppa Portable Blender for Smoothie and Juices, Milk ShShop NowInstaCuppa Premium Electric Chopper with 3 Unique AttachmentShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Blender with 4000 mAh Rechargeable BatteShop NowInstaCuppa Multipurpose Electric Kettle Cum Cooker with FreeShop NowInstaCuppa Insulated Water Bottle 1L — Stainless Steel ThermShop NowInstaCuppa Milk Frother for Coffee - Handheld Battery-OperatShop NowInstaCuppa Rechargeable Mini Electric Chopper, Chops In LessShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Electric Kettle With Temperature ControlShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Multi Cook Electric Kettle with Non-SticShop NowInstaCuppa Automatic Curd Maker Machine | Probiotic-Rich YogShop NowInstaCuppa Automatic Water Dispenser for 20 Liter Cans with Shop NowInstaCuppa Portable Blender for Smoothie and Juices, Milk ShShop NowInstaCuppa Premium Electric Chopper with 3 Unique AttachmentShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Blender with 4000 mAh Rechargeable BatteShop NowInstaCuppa Multipurpose Electric Kettle Cum Cooker with FreeShop NowInstaCuppa Insulated Water Bottle 1L — Stainless Steel ThermShop NowInstaCuppa Milk Frother for Coffee - Handheld Battery-OperatShop NowInstaCuppa Rechargeable Mini Electric Chopper, Chops In LessShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Electric Kettle With Temperature ControlShop NowInstaCuppa Portable Multi Cook Electric Kettle with Non-SticShop NowInstaCuppa Automatic Curd Maker Machine | Probiotic-Rich YogShop NowInstaCuppa Automatic Water Dispenser for 20 Liter Cans with Shop Now