Hello, my beautiful people! ☀️🍋 Recently, I’ve seen that cheong, a Korean raw syrup, is getting popular around the world, and I am so happy about it. As a Korean, I grew up eating and drinking lots of cheong. To see that people around the world are getting curious about this Korean raw syrup, or “fruit extract,” as we call it in Korea, makes me happy. I am so grateful to be able to share this recipe with you all. This dish is so close to my heart. After sharing my strawberry cheong recipe, I contemplated which cheong recipe I should write about. Then, I got an idea: the lemon cheong recipe!
Lemon cheong is a versatile, popular, and loved cheong in Korea. Let me tell you a little about the lemon cheong.
Introduction to Lemon Cheong Recipe
Lemon cheong is a gorgeous Korean citrus syrup that preserves the vibrant lemon scent, flavor, and nutrition! This lemon cheong recipe captures the essence of the lemon fruit, thus also being called “lemon extract” in Korea.
You can use this zesty, fresh, sweet lemon cheong in so many ways, such as drinks, desserts, and as a sweetener in your food. I explained in more detail below.
Then let’s talk a little bit about cheong.
Introduction to Cheong
Cheong is a Korean preservation method that mixes sugar with fresh fruits, often mashed.
Unlike jam, where you need to cook the fruits, you use fresh fruits to preserve with cheong. That makes the fruit cheong taste fresher but lasts shorter than a jam. It’s also different from syrup, as you would let the sugar and fruit mix ferment when making a cheong.
We call cheong a “fruit extract” in Korea, as it preserves the flavor and nutrition of the fruits.
Basics of Cheong Syrup | Any Fruits and Vegetables
Learn how to make cheong syrup, a delicious, healthy, and raw Korean syrup. You can make it with any fruit or vegetable with expert tips! Learn the basics.
Varieties of Cheong
Here are some of my cheong recipes for specific fruits. Click on them to learn more!
[ Berry Cheong ] – Antioxidant-rich, healthy raw syrup
[ Citrus Cheong ] – Fragrant, packed with vitamin-C
[ Other Cheong ] – Explore the world of cheong
- Maesil Cheong (Korean green plum cheong)
- Cherry Cheong
- Apple Cheong
Usage of Cheong
You can make any cheong with any fruit. And once you have the kind of cheong you like, you can use it in many recipes. Here are the top four ways to use cheong.
1. Homemade Drinks
First and foremost, the most common way to use cheong is to make homemade soft drinks with it.
It’s so simple. Take a few spoons of liquid from the cheong and mix it with either cold or hot water to your liking. It’s nice to make cold homemade drinks in the summer and hot homemade drinks in the winter. With lemon cheong, you can easily make the most wonderful homemade lemonade.
2. Homemade Alcohol
As cheong is a natural way to preserve fruits, sometimes it can turn into alcohol or vinegar if the fermenting process gets longer. However, you can decide to make homemade alcohol just as you make cheong!
While making a cheong, you can pour some alcohol, like Korean soju. Then you leave it for several months, and there you have it! You have your own homemade alcohol. This is how you make Korean plum wine. You can also check out my blueberry soju recipe you can make with blueberry cheong.
3. For Mocktails or Cocktails
Lemon soju is not traditionally made in Korea, nor is it a very popular recipe to make at home. But you can certainly make some mocktails or cocktails with the lemon cheong. Instead of using lemon syrup, use lemon cheong instead, such as Lemon Drop Martini, Lemon Basil Smash, and Lemon Syrup Whiskey Sour.
4. Homemade Latte
There are many lattes in Korea. And one of the most popular lattes is a strawberry latte, which has strawberry cheong as the ingredient. Strawberry cheong is the star ingredient of the strawberry latte. You mix cheong with some plant milk. Pour it into a cup filled with ice, and there is your luxurious homemade Korean latte! Would you like to try making a lemon latte?
5. A Topping for Yogurt and Ice Cream
Last but not least, you can use some cheongs as a topping for yogurt or ice cream. Both the fruit pulp and the syrup can be used.
For instance, you can top your vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet with lemon cheong. Pour syrup, and you can also chop up some lemon slices from the cheong. You have yourself a fresh, tangy lemon ice cream!
Health Benefits of Lemons
1. Vitamin C Content
Lemon is a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants.
Just one lemon has about 31 mg of vitamin C, which is about half the amount of daily recommended value.
Vitamin C maintains skin elasticity and reduces skin damage caused by ultraviolet rays. It is also effective in reducing freckles and blemishes. It has excellent antioxidant properties and helps prevent cell aging.
2. Other Potential Benefits
- Prevent kidney stones by providing enough citric acid
- Improve the digestive system with soluble fiber
- May help control weight
A Key Ingredient for Lemon Cheong
Fresh fruits and good-quality sugar are all you need!
1. Organic White Sugar
Using high-quality organic sugar like this will determine the final result of the cheong. Great sugar can not only preserve and ferment better, but also taste better! Not only that, but using organic sugar is a great way to save our planet. There are a lot of pesticides used in growing regular sugar crops.
Usually, I recommend brown sugar like Anthony’s organic cane sugar for its deeper flavor and the color enhancement, but that is not the case for the lemon cheong. Please use white sugar to have a clearer, light yellow color of the lemon in your lemon cheong.
2. Fresh Organic Lemons
It is not always easy to find or buy organic produce, although we try to. However, for a great lemon cheong, I highly recommend using fresh organic lemons because we are going to slice the whole lemon with the peel on. (We are going to remove the seeds, though!) For most fruits and vegetables that we peel, we lower the risk of taking pesticide residue. But when we are using fruits and vegetable peels or skin, let’s be a little more careful and use fresh organic products.
Expert Tips on Making Lemon Cheong
Here are some of the tips on making great lemon cheong!
1. Clean the skin thoroughly.
We want to use the whole lemons with the skin on, as the lemon skin has a wonderful citrusy fragrance from the oil. So I recommend using organic lemons. If not, lightly dunk whole lemons briefly into hot water to kill the bacteria and remove the wax.
Add cold water with some baking soda and place the lemons for 30 minutes. Using a brush, clean the lemon skin and the pores thoroughly.
2. Slice the lemon thinly.
I recommend slicing the lemons thinly. You can also chop the lemons to make the fermentation process faster.
3. Mix sugar and lemon.
Mix sugar and lemon.
4. Add Sugar on Top
This is also a very important step! Cover the top with sugar so there is no oxygen in contact with the lemon slices. Otherwise, it can go bad.
5. Press down the ingredients.
After a few hours of mixing sugar and lemon, check the jar. Sugar should have dissolved quite a bit already. Press down the lemon slices with a wooden ladle so all the ingredients are submerged in the liquid. The syrup is in the process of being made!
Lemon Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Raw Lemon Syrup
Korean Lemon Cheong Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a washing bowl, put the lemons. Sprinkle the baking soda and rub it on the lemon skin.
- Add warm water to the bowl until the lemons submerge. Then add vinegar to the water. Mix.
- Wash the lemons thoroughly in the water with a brush.
- Then, in a pot, add water. Bring it to a boil. Add the lemons individually to the water very quickly. Ensure every side of the lemon peel has been in the water. This is to get rid of the wax on the lemons.
- Take out the lemons and wash them in the cold water again.
- In a pot, add water again. Take the glass jar you want to put your lemon cheong and put it upside down. Bring it to a boil.
- Slowly bring the water to a boil. Let the glass jar be disinfected with boiling water. Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium-high. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
- Take out the glass jar and let it completely dry.
- Dab the water out of the lemons.
- Slice the lemons with about 0.2 inch or 5mm. Take out the top part of the lemon and the seeds. The tops and the seeds can make the cheong bitter.
- Add the lemon slices to the disinfected glass jar. Add the sugar in between the lemon slices.
- Smash the lemon slices with a dry wooden spatula so the lemon juices ooze out and the sugar is well mixed.
- Add the salt now, and mix everything again.
- Sprinkle the sugar on top again, and close the jar. Your lemon cheong is ready to ferment!
How to Store Lemon Cheong
1. Store In the Fridge
I recommend storing this lemon cheong in the fridge.
Cheong doesn’t boil to have less water that can spill the food, as you would with making jam. Also, this lemon cheong recipe doesn’t have lots of sugar or salt, so it might not last as long.
If you want to preserve your lemons for longer, add more sugar to the recipe.
2. Store Somewhere Dark and Chill
If you don’t have space in your fridge to store your lemon cheong, you can also store it somewhere dark and chill. Exposing lemon cheongs to light and heat will not only make the cheongs go bad or ferment too soon, but also destroy the vitamin C in the cheongs.
Lemons Season for Lemon Cheong Recipe
You can find lemons year-round at a store, but they are even better in season!
Depending on where you are in the world, the lemon season can vary. They are usually in season from July to October in South Korea. If you can find seasonal lemons where you live, get them, make some, and try this lemon cheong recipe.
Do you love citrus fruits?
Best Lemon Sorbet Recipe | Healthy Ninja Creami Recipe
Learn how to make a classic lemon sorbet! This lemon sorbet recipe has zesty, refreshing, and lemony flavors. Learn the healthy Ninja Creami lemon sorbet recipe.
Best Yuzu Sorbet | Refreshing Ninja Creami Sorbet Recipes
If you love citrus sorbet, you might love this yuzu sorbet recipe too! Make this best yuzu sorbet recipe with a few ingredients. It’s a wonderfully refreshing Japanese citrus sorbet. Learn more.
Lemon Lime Sorbet Recipe | Homemade Citrus Sorbet
Lemon lime sorbet is a fun and refreshing citrus sorbet! Try this homemade sorbet by following this lemon lime sorbet recipe with real lemons and limes.
Lemon Sherbet Recipe | Refreshing Citrus Ice Cream
This lemon sherbet recipe will make some light, refreshing, yet milky and creamy citrus sherbet for the summer! Try this homemade lemon sherbet. Learn more.
Summary of Lemon Cheong Recipe
I hope you found this lemon cheong recipe interesting and helpful!
I love my lemon cheong in my tea, lemonade, and when I’m cooking. It requires a few steps to follow this lemon cheong recipe, but it makes such a flavorful raw lemon syrup. I also find this to be a great gift for my friends and family. So if you make it and like it, how about making this lemon cheong for your friends and family next time?
I will come back soon with another cheong recipe! Until then, I wish you all a flavorful day like a lemon cheong. ☀️🍋
Cheong Varieties & Recipes
Now that you have learned the basics and techniques, here are some of my cheong recipes. You can also learn the cheong varieties from this post. I continue to make more cheongs, so this list will get longer and longer!
Blueberry Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Blueberry Syrup
Make raw Korean syrup with the superfood blueberries! Here is the blueberry cheong recipe you’ve been waiting for.
Strawberry Cheong Recipe | For Korean Desserts and Drinks
Strawberry cheong is a great way to preserve fresh strawberries. It’s a versatile dish that can be used to make lots of desserts and drinks! Read more here.
Maesil Cheong | Raw Korean Plum Extract | Syrup Recipe & Uses
Maesil cheong is a delicious, fragrant, tart, fresh, and sweet raw Korean syrup made with a Korean plum called maesil. Learn the recipe and what to use it for.
Tangerine Cheong Recipe | How to Make Korean Tangerine Syrup
Try this Korean tangerine cheong recipe. You can get both the zesty, sweet tangerine syrup and the marmalade in one recipe! Learn more.
Raw Black Cherry Syrup Recipe | All About Cherry Cheong
Learn how to make an easy, raw, homemade cherry syrup that is packed with flavors and nutrients! Using the Korean Cheong method, this is a healthy syrup.
Apple Cheong Recipe | How to Make Apple Syrup
Apple cheong is a Korean raw apple syrup that is packed with sweet and tart flavors. Make apple cheong with any kind of apple with this recipe. Learn more.
Raspberry Cheong | How to Make Korean Raw Raspberry Syrup
Raspberry cheong is a raw Korean syrup. It is packed with fresh raspberry flavors, scents, colors, and nutrients! Learn this versatile raspberry cheong recipe.
Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase the recommended product. The support allows me to research and continue working to provide the best information for you. Please rest assured that I only give my honest opinions and recommendations.
Leave a Reply