Lemon zest is a great way to add quick flavor to a recipe, but fresh lemon zest goes bad so quickly. Luckily, dried lemon zest is super easy to make and learning how to dehydrate lemon zest is a skill you’ll use over and over again!
Not too long ago I found myself with some lemons I had purchased on clearance. One of my local stores does bags of produce for $2.00 and normally they’re still really decent quality. This means I often end up with produce that I need to find a way to preserve before it goes badly.
Such was the case with a bag of lemons recently.
How to Make Dried Lemon Zest and Peel
Even though I’m only paying $2.00 per bag, I want to use the produce I buy as much as possible. Believe it or not, I was able to use those lemons three times for three different homemade items.
The very first one was dried lemon zest.
Since I only had a few lemons, I really wanted to save the lemon zest I was making. It’s a fresh product though so my only option was to make dried lemon zest. Now I’m all set for any lemon recipes I want to make.
I love lemon ya’ll. It’s one of my favorite flavors to cook and bake with. It’s even great in some DIY beauty recipes. I love to make THIS DIY Orange Sugar Scrub (Six Dollar Family) with lemon instead. It gives a nice change up for a great beauty product!
If you have never dehydrated lemon zest, I promise it’s so easy you’ll wonder why! In fact, most dehydrator recipes like THESE (Six Dollar Family) are super simple. I actually don’t know which was easier though; dehydrating lemon zest or learning how to dehydrate mushrooms like THIS (Six Dollar Family).
How to Dehydrate Lemon Zest
Obviously when you are learning how to make dried lemon zest, you’ll need lemons. How many?
About as many as in the photo above at least. Truth be told, I didn’t count. It was somewhere between 10 and 15 though.
Obviously, you can zest any amount of lemons, but if you’re going to dry the lemon zest, you want it to be worth the effort at least.
How Do I Dry Lemon Zest?
Both of the dehydrating methods for making dried lemon zest are super simple. You can either use a food dehydrator such as THIS one (Walmart) or you can use the oven you have in your very own kitchen.
I personally used my oven to do my own dried lemon zest.
My dehydrator bit the bullet, ya’ll. I was sad, had a burial at the trash bin and moved on with my food preservation.
Have you ever wondered what lemons look like after being fully zested? Now you know. 😉
What Do I Need to Make Dried Lemon Zest?
Both of the two ways to make dehydrated lemon zest and each one will require a mix of the same tools and different tools. These kitchen tools are imperative to not only zesting your lemons but also to preserving the dried lemon zest so it stays usable for longer
If you plan on drying lemon zest with a dehydrator, you will need:
- a food dehydrator like THIS one (Walmart)
- a box grater like THIS one (Walmart) or lemon zester like THIS (Walmart)
- a jar or other food storage container to store your dried lemon zest
If you plan on using your oven to dehydrate lemon zest, you will need:
- a box grater like THIS one (Walmart) or lemon zester like THIS (Walmart)
- a non-stick cookie sheet like THIS one (Amazon)
- a jar or other food storage container to store your dried lemon zest
I personally use a half pint jar like THESE (Amazon) to store my own dried lemon zest in. I have a farmhouse kitchen style (Six Dollar Family) and the jar its in perfectly with that decor.
The Process
The process for dehydrating lemon zest is super simple so if you’re a bit concerned. Don’t be.
It’s as simple as this:
- Wash and dry Lemons
- Grate Lemon Zest using the small holes grating side of a box grater or your zester.
- Dry in 150°F oven in 5 minute increments. After each time, shake or stir the lemon zest to keep it from burning. For a food dehydrator, dry on lowest setting until dry while keeping a watchful eye. Dried lemon zest will burn quite easily. Store in an airtight jar or container when fully dry.
- Store in a closed container in a cool, dry place.
That’s it! It really is a foolproof way to preserve food (Six Dollar Family)!
How to Make Dried Lemon Zest
Equipment
- Food Dehydrator or Large Cookie Sheet
- Box Grater or Zester
- Storage Jar
Ingredients
- Lemons
Instructions
- Wash and Dry Lemons Well.
- Grate Lemon Peel to Zest. If using a box grater, use the small holed side.
- Spread zest on dehydrator sheets with fruit leather insert or in a thin layer on a cookie sheet.
- Dry in 150°F oven in 5 minute increments. After each time, shake or stir the lemon zest to keep it from burning. For a food dehydrator, dry on lowest setting until dry while keeping a watchful eye. Dried lemon zest will burn quite easily. Store in an airtight jar or container when fully dry.
Notes
- The amount of lemon zest you end with will depend on the amount of lemons you zested. 14 lemons gave me (1) 8 oz jar of dried lemon zest.
- Wash lemons very well and allow them to fully dry.
- Make certain your dried lemon zest is fully dehydrated. Moisture left in the zest will create a situation where mold and other contaminants can grow.
