How to Tell If a Lime Is Ripe

The importance of picking a ripe lime can’t be understated. If you have something like Key lime pie, mojitos or vodka gimlets on the menu, a good lime is essential.  Thankfully, it’s absurdly easy to identify ripe limes when perusing the produce aisle—once you know what to look for.

This method works whether you’re looking for regular limes or other types, like Key limes or makrut lime (an ingredient in Thai recipes like tom yum soup and panang curry).

How to Pick a Good Lime

COURTESY @GIIIISELLE__/TIK TOK

Look for smooth, glossy skin

The skin of the lime should be smooth and shiny and a vibrant shade of green to yellowish. Limes with yellow skin simply spent more time being kissed by the sun than their green siblings. These guys are riper, and the juice can be slightly sweeter. In her viral video on TikTok, @giiiiselle__ points out that rough, bumpy limes should be skipped.

Feel for plump, juicy fruit

If you gently squeeze the lime, it should feel plump and juicy—not hard. Hard equals dry. You won’t make many margaritas with hard, dried-out limes, but they’re fine for zesting as they’re easier to hold. Pop the lime into the palm of your hand. Does it seem heavy? Excellent. This indicates the lime is full of juice and ready for squeezing.

Sniff for a fresh aroma

Lift the fruit to your nose and inhale. A ripe lime has a fragrant, zesty aroma that should make you salivate.

A note on Key limes

Key limes are smaller than the standard Persian (aka Tahitian) lime. If you plan to make Key lime blondie bars, look for fruits with a slight yellowish hue. As with limes of all sorts, the skin should have that bit of give, and again, avoid any fruit that looks dry.

Before you cut any the limes, roll them on a hard surface. This helps release the juices and makes squeezing easier, giving you the most bang for your buck.