Versatile Lemon Syrup (Korean Lemon Chung)
This recipe for lemon syrup (Korean lemon chung) is simple to prepare—all you need is a few ingredients to get started! A versatile recipe, lemon syrup can be used it in hot lemon tea, cold lemonade, or to create savory dishes.
If you love adding a bright, citrusy kick to your drinks or cooking, keeping a jar of Korean lemon syrup (레몬청, lemon cheong) in your kitchen is a game changer. Unlike typical lemon syrup, which you boil down with sugar, you make Korean lemon syrup by layering fresh lemon slices with sugar and letting time create the syrup—no cooking required.
I grew up in Korea where jars of cheong (fruit preserved in sugar) were a common sight on the counter. Lemon cheong, along with plum syrup (maesil-cheong) and yuja (yuzu) syrup, became a household staple for tea, simple home remedies, and quick flavoring in everyday cooking. Even now, I make it the same way—slice, sugar, wait—and end up with a naturally sweet, refreshing lemon syrup that’s vegan, gluten-free, and versatile.
Is lemon syrup traditional in Korean cuisine?
Lemons didn’t grow in Korea, but Koreans rooted the method of making cheong (fruit preserves with sugar) deeply into their food culture. Lemon cheong reflects this tradition, adapting the same preservation technique used for plums, as you see in my green plum syrup (maesil-cheong), or yuja to a fruit that adds a bright, citrusy flavor.
Today, many Korean kitchens make lemon cheong as one of their go-to modern cheong recipes. Home cooks keep it in glass jars and stir it into hot tea in winter, splash it into sparkling water in summer, or whisk it into sauces and marinades year-round.
How to Use Korean Lemon Syrup
This simple syrup isn’t just for drinks—it’s one of the most flexible condiments in Korean home cooking. A few favorite ways to enjoy it:
- Lemonade: Stir into cold still or sparkling water for instant homemade lemonade.
- Lemon tea: Add slices with syrup to hot water for a soothing drink.
- Cold remedy: Steep with ginger (and dried jujube, if you like) in boiling water.
- Simple syrup substitute: Use in cocktails or baking wherever simple syrup is called for.
- Pancake drizzle: Warm and pour over pancakes or waffles in place of maple syrup.
- Salad dressing: Whisk with oil and vinegar for a tangy vinaigrette.
- Savory dishes: Try in crispy lemon chicken or as a marinade for meats that need sweet-tangy flavor.
Notes on Making Homemade Lemon Syrup
- Use the right lemon. When you see the lemons in the market, gently squeeze them to see if they are soft and pliable. If the lemon feels very tight and hard, chances are the white rind part inside the lemon would be thick. You DO NOT want that. Too much rind will make your syrup to be on the bitter side. You want a thin layer of white rind part around the lemon flesh.
- Rub the lemon with baking soda and salt to remove the waxy coating outside.
- Wipe dry the lemon with a clean towel after rinsing.
- Pick out seeds. It is easy to pick out the seeds with your finger after you slice them. Use an equal amount of sugar as to the weight of whole lemon.
- Sterilize your glass canning jars or bottles so that it can prevent any spoilage. After you add the lemon sugar mixture into the jar, turn the jar upside occasionally to evenly distribute the sugar until it dissolves completely.
How to Make Lemon Syrup
Step 1. Sterilize canning jars in hot water and let them cool and dry.
Step 2. Most lemons sold in the markets have waxy coating on the surface. They might have been exposed to the pesticide as well. You will need to remove that. Wash the lemons and scrub them with baking soda. That will remove any chemical residues on the skin.
Step 3. scrub them with coarse salt to remove the waxy coating outside. Then rinse and wipe dry with a clean towel.
Step 4. You MUST remove the seeds. Lemon seeds cause the syrup with the bitter aftertaste no matter how much sugar you add.
Step 5. Use an equal amount of sugar to the lemon. If you use 2 pounds of lemon, you will need 2 pounds of sugar. 1 : 1 ratio!
Step 6. Mix lemon slices with sugar, and pack them in glass jars. Pour all the remaining sugar syrup, too.
How to Store Lemon Syrup Properly
- Let the lemon syrup sit in a cool room temperature for 3 full days. You will see sugar sitting on the bottom of the jars.
- Turn the jars upside down everyday to evenly distribute the sugar.
- Store them in a cool and dark place for up to one year.
How long does lemon syrup keep for? Unopened jar of lemon syrup will keep fresh up to one year. Once opened, store it in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3 months.
Versatile Lemon Syrup (Korean Lemon Chung)
Ingredients
- 500 g lemon
- 500 g granulated sugar
- baking soda, to clean
- salt, to clean
Equipment
Instructions
- Put the glass jars or bottles in boiling water to sterilize and let them dry completely.
- Wash lemons in cold water. Scrub with baking soda and rinse, then scrub with salt to remove the waxy coating. Rinse well and towel dry completely. Slice the lemons thinly, pick out all the seeds.
- Mix lemon slices with sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour the lemon and the sugary syrup in the prepared glass jars.
- Store the syrup in a room temperature for 3 days, turning the jars upside down everyday to evenly distribute the sugar. Store them in a dark and cool place. Refrigerate the syrup once the jar is opened.
My wife found some at a local farmers market and enjoyed it so I looked it up and found your recipe. This is perfect and costs so much less. Thanks!
I’m so glad you found it and tried making it yourself! Homemade is definitely more affordable, and I bet your wife loved that fresh flavor even more! Thank you!
Heya! I bought some of this at a farmer’s market this year but the one 16 oz jar cost me $40 CDN. Yikes! I would love to make my own and this recipe will help me do that – question though, how many 16 oz Jars does this recipe make? TIA!
This recipe makes 48 oz (about 6 cups), so 16 oz would be one-third of the total. Thanks!
This recipe is 35oz (1,000g). It will fit in 1qt jar. I personally split it equally between 2 pint jars, but it didn’t fill them.
Hello Holly as I live in Italy I am always on the lookout for something to do with all my fresh lemons. I made this recipe and put into jars but had quite a lot of sugary syrup left in the bowl. My jars are the usual preserve jars and I wondered if this would be a problem . Thanks
You’re supposed to pour all the remaining sugar syrup from the bowl into the jar with the lemon slices. If you’ve already sealed the jar, don’t worry—it should still be fine. Hope you enjoy the lemon syrup!
Hello, I was just wondering if you think this would work the same with a low calorie sugar alternative like stevia, thanks so much!
You can make Korean lemon syrup with Stevia, but it doesn’t have the preserving properties that sugar has. I recommend leaving the jar at room temperature for a few hours and then storing it in the fridge. Also, you will need a smaller amount since Stevia is sweeter than sugar.
Hello,
If I am making a large batch, I want to place them in smaller bottles. Is it okay to open the large batch jar in a month or 3 without messing up the storage process? I would like to keep the small batches in dry storage for a long periods of time.
Sure, you can open the jar after a month. Make sure to store them in the fridge once opened though.
Thanks for the recipe, I’ve made the syrup and it is delicious.
Although after 2 weeks after being made started to ferment and I had to open the jar because all the syrup would just keep spilling out.
The syrup is still nice but is a bit bubbling. Any idea of what could have happened? Can I still use it if I keep it in the fridge?
It is natural to have some bubbles after two weeks due to fermentation, which is an ideal process. Always store the syrup in the fridge, and it will remain safe to eat for an extended period.
Hello! Love the recipe! Is there any way to tell if the cheong is bad? In the jar? How do I know if my cheong has mold or something? I want to make sure it is okay when I am eating it.
Thank you very much for the recipe.
As long as you add the recommended amount of sugar, it won’t become moldy. The only thing you need to be cautious of is that it might ferment and take on an alcoholic odor if left for an extended period (such as over a year).
can i add more honey and new lemon into my old batch?
as the old batch is just so flavourful that it seems a pity to throw it out.
HI i used honey to make mine.
i was wondering if i can just add more honey and lemon slices to the old batch as the old one has kinda aged really well and taste better than the fresh ones.
You can but don’t store it too long with additional honey or sugar. If you keep it too long, the old batch of lemon might get disintegrated and become a little alcoholic.
I am student and living in hostel I want to make lemon syrup .. And I’m concerned about after making does it stay for atleast 1-2 days!! Without being in refrigerator?? as we don’t have refrigerator..
Hi Anjana
You don’t need to refrigerate while it is sealed and dissolving the sugar to turn into syrup. But once opened, you will need to store in the fridge, just like any jam or sweet syrup.
Hope this helps. Thank you.
Can we use honey instead of sugar?
Hi Hovy
Yes, you can use honey instead.