If you found yourself in the situation where you had frozen limes and you needed to use them immediately, there are few ways you could go about this.
Can you thaw frozen limes?
The good news is, yes you can thaw frozen limes. Once they are completely thawed they are almost as good as fresh limes. There are few ways how you can thaw frozen limes. All all of these options I mention in this article are the best ways to defrost frozen limes.
So keep on reading to find out how to thaw frozen limes.
How to Thaw Frozen Limes?
There is no one way to thaw frozen limes. It depends on how frozen they are and what you want to use them for. But don’t worry, I will cover all the best ways to defrost frozen limes.
1. Thaw in your refrigerator overnight.
This will be the safest way to ensure that your lime juice doesn’t get too warm while it is thawing.
It’s also the slowest method, but it’s worth the wait!
Just take out any number of limes you need for a recipe and they will be perfectly thawed by the time you are ready to use them.
2. Thaw at room temperature.
This method is safe, but can take up to four hours for one lime.
It’s still much faster than letting your lime juice defrost in the refrigerator!
Just place any number of limes in a sealed plastic bag and let them sit on your counter.
If you need to, occasionally massage the bag to help the juice separate from the rind faster.
3. Thaw in cold water.
This will make thawing limes a much faster process!
Just take out however many limes you plan to use and drop each one in a bowl of cold water for a couple of hours.
If the water gets warm, replace it with cold water from time to time.
4. Use your microwave to thaw limes
This method is great if you need a small amount of lime juice quickly.
Just put one or two limes in a microwave safe bowl and add a tablespoon or two of water.
Microwave on high for 10 seconds. If you need to, rotate the lime and microwave for another 5 seconds.
When the rind is pliable enough to roll easily, use a fork to remove it from the fruit and squeeze out any juice.
How Long Does it Take to Thaw a Lime?
It takes about 4 hours to defrost a lime at room temperature, or you can thaw it in cold water in about 30 minutes. If you use the microwave, it takes about 10-20 seconds.
Can you Refreeze Limes?
Yes, you can refreeze limes that have been thawed.
In fact, if they are still a little icy on the outside, that’s okay – just make sure they are fully thawed before using them in a recipe.
When you’re ready to freeze the limes again, just put them in a sealed plastic bag or container and pop them in the freezer.
They will be good for up to six months to 12 months.
Conclusion
All of these options will work.
Of course if you need a small amount of lime juice really quickly, the microwave is by far the fastest way to go.
But if you need a larger amount of juice and the time is not really important, I would recommend defrosting your limes in the fridge overnight.
It’s definitely my favorite method since it’s super easy!