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Indian

Salt-cured lime pickle (nimbu ka achaar)

Vegetarian

नींबू का अचार · nīmbū kā acār

Limes cut into wedges and cured with salt, turmeric, chilli and ajwain for three to four weeks until the peel turns soft, brown and jammy. An oil-free North Indian pickle that only gets better with age.

Salt-cured lime pickle (nimbu ka achaar) is an Indian pickle, ready in about 20 minutes and made with lime and salt. It serves 50 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Total
20 min
Serves
50
Level
Easy
Calories
4

Plus 3–4 weeks curing in a warm, sunny spot before it is ready to eat.

Ingredients

50 servings (about 10 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Wash the limes (opens in a new tab), then dry them thoroughly and leave them on a cloth for an hour so no trace of water remains.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Use a completely dry board, knife, bowl and jar.

  2. Step 2

    Cut each lime (opens in a new tab) into 8 wedges, flicking out the seeds, over a dry bowl to catch the juice.

  3. Step 3

    Mix the wedges and juice with the salt, turmeric (opens in a new tab), chilli powders and ajwain (opens in a new tab) and pack tightly into a sterilised, dry glass jar. Cover the mouth with a clean muslin cloth tied on for the first week, then close with a non-metal lid.

  4. Step 4

    Set the jar in a sunny window or warm spot and shake it every day. The salt draws out juice that forms a brine; after 3–4 weeks the peel turns soft and brown and the pickle is ready. Stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) after the first week if making the sweet-sour version.

    • 1 min

    Food safety: Discard if fuzzy mould appears or it smells rotten. A white film is not normal for this pickle — throw it out.

About this dish

Origin
North and West India, India · Commonly attributedSalt-cured citrus pickles are made all over India in many regional styles.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pickles & ferments · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Fermented, Raw
Taste
sour, salty, citrusy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · 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-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Lime · Turmeric · Kashmiri chilli powder
Techniques
Fermentation · Pickling

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

4 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 11 g · recipe makes 50

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 93%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy4 kcal36 kcal
Protein0.1 g1 g
Carbohydrate1.3 g11.7 g
Net carbohydrate0.9 g8.2 g
Sugars0.2 g1.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.4 g3.5 g
Fat0 g0.5 g
Saturated fat0 g0.1 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium465 mg4232 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g10.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
17 mg
Calcium
4 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Magnesium
1 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
5 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
1 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cayenne / chilli powder, ajwain, sugar.
  • Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
  • “—” 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

  • Thin-skinned limes (kagzi nimbu) soften fastest; thick-skinned ones may need 5–6 weeks.
  • It keeps improving for months; many households keep a jar for a year or more.

Common mistakes

  • Eating it before the peel has softened — it will be bitter and hard.
  • Using a metal lid, which corrodes in the acidic brine.

Serve with

  • Serve a wedge with dal-rice, khichdi, curd rice or parathas; finely chopped, it livens up a raita or a plain potato sabzi.

Food safety

  • Store in a scrupulously clean, completely dry jar (sterilise it in boiling water or a low oven and let it dry fully), and always use a dry spoon; moisture is what spoils chutneys and pickles.
  • Very high in salt — a few grams per meal is plenty.

Storage

  • Once cured, keeps for many months at room temperature in a sealed glass jar; use a dry spoon every time.

Variations

  • Quick lime pickle: Blanch the wedges for 3 minutes, dry and salt them; ready in about 5 days but keeps less well — refrigerate.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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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, thin-skinned, washed and dried completely (about 530 g)8 piece · 536 g
Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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