Lemons aren’t something I have on hand at all times, which is why dehydrated lemon zest is a staple in my kitchen! Lemon peels dehydrate beautifully, and I love using the zest to add a hint of lemon to my favorite glaze recipe, cakes, and even homemade vinaigrettes!
If you have plenty of lemons, check out my lemonade concentrate canning recipe!
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What Equipment Do I Need?
To dehydrate lemon zest, it’s helpful if you have a zester, a dehydrator, and silicone dehydrator sheets that fit in your dehydrator or parchment paper cut to size. If you don’t have a zester, you can use a food processor after dehydrating to break up the peels and turn them into zest!
Recipe Video
Instructions
Ingredients
Instructions
- Using your zester, zest lemons.
- If you don’t have a zester, the peels off of lemons and cut into small strips.
- Using a silicone dehydrator sheet or a piece of parchment paper cut to size, cover a dehydrator tray.
- Add the lemon zest to the covered dehydrator tray and spread the zest evenly.
- Ensure no clumps of zest are sticking together.
- Dehydrate at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours.
- Remove the tray from the dehydrator and check to see if the zest has dehydrated and ensure there are no clumps.
- If the zest isn’t fully dehydrated, dehydrate at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 more hours.
- If the lemon zest is thoroughly dehydrated, store the zest in a covered, glass container in a cool, dark location for up to a year.