Can You Freeze Limes?
Yes, you can freeze it.
3-4 months (juice or zest, not whole)
Limes follow lemons' lead almost exactly here — juice and zest freeze well (3-4 months) and are genuinely useful to have on hand, while a whole frozen lime disappoints on thawing the same way a whole lemon does. Limes tend to dry out a bit faster than lemons at room temperature, which is part of why refrigeration, not freezing, is the more relevant storage decision for a whole lime that won't be used within a few days.
Like lemon zest, lime zest is worth freezing separately from the juice before juicing a lime headed for the freezer, since it carries a distinct aromatic punch bottled or frozen juice alone doesn't have, useful for anything from a baked good to a cocktail garnish months later.
A key lime, smaller and more acidic than the common Persian lime found in most grocery stores, yields less juice per fruit but follows the same freezing guidance — juicing a larger quantity of key limes to reach a usable volume before freezing is more practical than trying to freeze them individually given how small each one is.
A lime rolled firmly on the counter under your palm before juicing, whether the lime is headed to the freezer or used immediately, breaks down some of the internal membranes and yields noticeably more juice than an unrolled lime of the same size.
A lime kept away from direct contact with other citrus in a shared bowl dries out a touch slower than one pressed tightly against its neighbors.
Storage times and safe temperatures are general guidance from USDA FoodKeeper, USDA FSIS, and FDA sources — they are not a guarantee of safety. When in doubt, throw it out. This is not a substitute for professional food-safety advice.
Source: USDA FoodKeeper data, checked 2026-07-12.