Aguapanela con limón

Name: Aguapanela con limón
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 150 g brown sugar; 1500 ml water; 90 ml lime juice; 200 g ice (optional)

Vegetarian

Colombia's everyday drink: unrefined cane sugar (panela) dissolved in water and brightened with lime, served ice-cold — or hot without the lime, sometimes with a piece of cheese dunked in.

Aguapanela con limón is a Colombian cold drink, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with brown sugar and lime juice. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 10 min
Rest: 1 h
Total: 1 h 15 min
Serves: 6
Level: Beginner
Calories: 99

Ingredients

6 glasses

150 g Brown sugar (opens in a new tab)A block of panela, grated or broken up.
1500 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
90 ml Lime juice (opens in a new tab)Juice of about 3 limes.
200 g Ice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Simmer the panela (opens in a new tab) in 500 ml of the water until completely dissolved, about 10 minutes.
- 10 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Add the rest of the water and chill thoroughly.
- 1 min
3
Step 3
Stir in the lime juice (opens in a new tab) just before serving and pour over ice.
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Colombia · Well documentedPanela drinks are common across Latin America; aguapanela is a Colombian staple.Also popular in Ecuador, VenezuelaMore food from Colombia
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method: Boiled, No-cook
Taste: sweet, citrusy, refreshing
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Make-ahead · Everyday
Cook more with: Brown sugar · Lime juice
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

99 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 290 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 0%
Carbohydrate 100%
Fat 0%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	99 kcal	34 kcal
Protein	0.1 g	0 g
Carbohydrate	25.8 g	8.9 g
Net carbohydrate	25.8 g	8.9 g
Sugars	24.5 g	8.4 g
Added sugars	24.3 g	8.3 g
Fibre	0.1 g	0 g
Fat	0 g	0 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	12 mg	4 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 51 mg
Calcium: 48 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 8 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 5 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 2 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: ice.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Add lime only at the end — it turns bitter if it stands for hours.

Storage

The panela water keeps 4 days in the fridge (without lime).

Variations

Aguapanela caliente con queso: Served hot, without lime, with a piece of fresh cheese melting in the cup.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Lime juice90 ml · 93 g

Used in step 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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