Chia Limeade from Lula Cocina in Santa Monica

by Dorothy Reinhold on January 31, 2024


Print This Post Print This Post Zingy, sweet-tart Chia Limeade is a citrusy drink for the whole family. It's a simple, fresh thirst-quencher, and a step up from lemonade. 

Zingy, sweet-tart Chia Limeade is a citrusy drink for the whole family. It’s a simple, fresh thirst-quencher, and a step up from lemonade.  

When Chef Geraldine Gilliland put this Chia Limeade on the menu decades ago at her restaurant Lula Cocina Mexicana in Santa Monica, Calif., she had a funny reaction from customers. They ordered the drink, and then when it arrived, they sent it back because they thought it had bugs in it!

Those little chia seeds, so unfamiliar to people back in the day, looked suspiciously like bugs taking a lazy swim! Good thing she persevered, because this is a refreshing, simple drink that you’ll reach for all year long. It adds a burst of citrus freshness, a welcome, non-alcoholic quaff anytime. (Of course, if you’re over 21, and you want to splash in some tequila or vodka, I won’t tell.)

How to make Chia Limeade

Ingredients for Chia Limeade on ShockinglyDelicious.com1. First, gather your ingredients, as always. You’ll only need a couple of things:

  • limes
  • chia seeds. I used white chia seeds from Melissa’s Produce, but you can use darker chia if you’d like; it doesn’t matter.
  • sugar
  • water

2. Make simple syrup, which is a 1:1 ratio of granulated sugar and water.

Measuring cup of fresh lime juice on ShockinglyDelicious.com3. Squeeze a bunch of limes to get 1 cup of juice. Limes vary greatly in juiciness, and the last time I did this, it took me 1 pound of limes to get 1 cup juice. Your mileage may vary, depending on how juicy your limes are. 

Chia Limeade drink on ShockinglyDelicious.com4. To a large pitcher, add simple syrup, lime juice, water and chia seeds and stir. The chia seeds are just for fun — some will sink, some will float, it’s all good. Chia seeds swell up and absorb 12 times their weight in liquid, so they are often used to gel something to a semi-solid state. In this case, we’re not adding anywhere near enough chia to gel the limeade, just for them to float around a bit and be intriguing. It takes at least half an hour for them to absorb some limeade and swell just a bit. Stash the pitcher of limeade in the refrigerator after you make it, and let those chia swell before you serve it.

Yellow and green limes on ShockinglyDelicious.com5. A word about the color of limes: Most limes from the supermarket are green and immature. Limes become pale yellow when they are fully ripe and develop sugars that make them sweeter than underripe green limes. They’re usually picked green because it is easier to ship unripe fruit since it is harder and stores longer than squishy ripe fruit. My limes in the photo above came from a backyard Santa Monica, Calif. tree, so were allowed to ripen on the tree.

6. Can you leave the chia seeds out? Sure. It’s still going to be excellent limeade. The chia just add interest and intrigue.

Chia Limeade

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Serves 4.

Chia Limeade

Zingy, sweet-tart Chia Limeade is a citrusy drink for the whole family. It's a simple, fresh thirst-quencher, and a step up from lemonade.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh lime juice
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon chia seeds

Directions

  1. Make simple syrup: Place sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan and heat, stirring once in awhile, until sugar dissolves. It will likely dissolve before it comes a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Squeeze limes until you have 1 cup of lime juice. Limes vary greatly in juiciness, and the last time I did this, it took me 1 pound of limes to get 1 cup juice. Your mileage may vary, depending on how juicy your limes are.
  3. Add simple syrup, lime juice, 3 cups of water and chia seeds to a large pitcher and stir. Some chia seeds will float, and some will sink. This is fine. It will take at least half an hour for them to hydrate. Refrigerate limeade until serving time.
  4. Serves 4.

Notes

Recipe source: "The Lula Cocina Cookbook: My Favorite Recipes, from Mexico to Malibu," by Chef Geraldine Gilliland.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/chia-limeade/

pin this please!Pin the image below for Chia Limeade to your Pinterest board to save this recipe

Easy Chia Limeade in a glass on a marble counter
lula-cocina-cookbook cover

About the cookbook:

The recipe comes from Chef Gilliland’s wonderful cookbook, “The Lula Cocina Cookbook: My Favorite Recipes form Mexico to Malibu,” and it’s one of many treasures in the book. It might seem odd for a woman originally from Ireland to end up as chef-owner of a now 30-year-old Mexican restaurant in Southern California, but Geraldine Gilliland is not your average person. She took it upon herself to train with one of the best female chefs in Mexico (Lula Bertran), and then ended up naming her new restaurant in Santa Monica after her. She is equally passionate about the protection and rehab of abused and abandoned animals, and launched Chiquita’s Friends, a non-profit charity/sanctuary in Malibu, Calif. dedicated to the cause. Her cookbook is available for sale on Chiquita’s Friends. All proceeds from book sales go to Chiquita’s Friends.

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Kitchen gadget helpful for this recipe

White citrus juicer with a red strainer insert

Citrus Juicer (manual, no motor to break or cord to store) {affiliate link}

This post was first published Feb. 2, 2019, then July 29, 2020, and has been refreshed and republished today.

{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

Coleen @ The Redhead Baker August 8, 2020 at 5:39 pm

This sounds like something my son would love — he loves tart, tangy flavors!

Reply

Barbara Kiebel August 8, 2020 at 9:56 am

It’s my favorite, limeade, with a twist! Now I have that song in my head….chi chi chi chi chia!

Truth? I’ve never used chia seeds for anything; guess it’s high time I changed that isn’t it?

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 10, 2020 at 12:42 am

Barb,
Never, ever? They’re fun!

Reply

Beth July 31, 2020 at 7:35 am

This is so delicious and so refreshing! Perfect for hot summer days! My kids love this drink! I will be making this for the rest of summer!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold July 31, 2020 at 10:13 am

Beth,
I am so glad your family loves it! Limeade cheers all around!

Reply

Cathy July 31, 2020 at 7:21 am

I was just reading about all the health benefits of chia seeds. I definitely will give this a try!

Reply

Toni Dash July 31, 2020 at 6:11 am

Love how refreshing this drink is!! So good! Thanks for the recipe!

Reply

Catalina July 31, 2020 at 5:54 am

Oh my goodness! This is exactly what I need right now!

Reply

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert July 30, 2020 at 10:28 pm

This Chia Limeade looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!

Reply

susan | the wimpy vegetarian July 30, 2020 at 7:38 pm

I’ve been experimenting with different refreshing drinks at night – some of them have been variations on lemonade and limeade. And this is PERFECT for my next one. I have all the ingredients.

Reply

Karen July 30, 2020 at 6:16 pm

Very cute story about the chia seeds! This drink looks so refreshing too!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold July 31, 2020 at 10:14 am

Karen,
Have you met Chef Geraldine? She IS cute!

Reply

Amanda July 30, 2020 at 3:24 pm

This looks so refreshing, perfect for those hot days!

Reply

Sara Welch July 30, 2020 at 12:46 pm

This was such a refreshing and tasty way to stay cool on yet another hot day! Going to be enjoying this for the rest of the summer!

Reply

Liz July 30, 2020 at 4:27 am

I like limeade even better than lemonade, so this refreshing summer drink is right up my alley. And now I have something new to do with my stash of chia!!!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold July 30, 2020 at 5:33 pm

Liz,
Agreed on both counts. I am always looking for something new to do with chia, too!

Reply

Jane July 30, 2020 at 4:18 am

An absolutely perfect refreshing drink to cool us off on these really hot days! I could drink a whole pitcher and not share, LOL!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold July 30, 2020 at 5:34 pm

Jane,
I *might* have hidden this at the back of the fridge and not told anyone.

Reply

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