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Handiہانڈیاردو
Chai, lassi & drinks

Nimbu Pani Recipe

نمبو پانی بنانے کا طریقہ

Proper desi nimbu pani or shikanjabeen: fresh lemon, sugar and a pinch each of salt and black salt in ice-cold water, with crushed mint and roasted cumin.
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Illustration of Nimbu Pani

Prep

10 min

Cook

0 min

Total

10 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Nimbu pani, also called shikanjabeen, is the first thing many Pakistani families drink at iftar on a hot day. It is more than sweet lemonade: a little salt and black salt replace what you lose in the heat and make it far more refreshing. Dissolve the sugar fully before adding ice, and press the lemons just before mixing.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

Method

  1. In a jug, stir the sugar, salt and black salt into 1 cup of the water until fully dissolved.

  2. Crush the mint leaves lightly in your palm and add them with the lemon juice and the rest of the water. Stir well.

  3. Taste and balance: it should be sweet, sour and faintly salty all at once. Add the ice, sprinkle with roasted cumin and serve.

Tips for the best result

  • Roll the lemons firmly on the counter before cutting to get much more juice.
  • For a fizzy version, use chilled soda water in place of half the water and add it at the very end.

Common mistakes

  • Squeezing the lemon hard enough to press the peel. The oils and pith make it bitter.
  • Adding sugar after the ice. It will not dissolve in very cold water and sinks to the bottom.

How to serve

Serve ice-cold at iftar with pakoras and fruit chaat, or on any hot afternoon.

Storing and reheating

Mix the sweetened lemon base without ice and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days; add water and ice to serve.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
85kcal
Protein
0g
Fat
0g
Carbs
22g
Fibre
0.2g
Sodium
290mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 3

Whole dish ≈ Rs 11 · 27% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Nimbu Pani: questions people ask

Why add salt to nimbu pani?

A little salt sharpens the lemon and sugar and replaces salt lost through sweating, which is why it is so refreshing after a fast in summer.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

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Read this recipe in Urdu: نمبو پانی بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/nimbu-pani · Handi, DanixSoft