How to Zest a Lemon

Learn How to Zest a Lemon even if you don’t have a zester. Use these methods with kitchen utensils that you already have. Easy steps so you can add zest to your favorite recipes.

Zesting a Lemon for Recipes

We love adding zest to baking recipes, seafood recipes, dressings and marinades. It is the quickest and easiest way to add so much flavor.

If you have a zester, then you are already prepared to add zest to your recipes. But if you don’t have one, then these other methods will help you get that lemon flavor in your recipes.

What is Lemon Zest?

Zest is often called for in adding citrus flavor to desserts, dressings, or marinades. The outer skin of a lemon is grated or cut with a knife for an easy to get citrus zest.

These tiny pieces off of the lemon adds brightness and flavor to many recipes that you definitely do not want to miss out on.

You want to only zest the outer layer of the lemon. Avoid the white pith part of the lemon as it can be bitter. The outer layer produces natural oils.

What to do with Zest?

There are many recipes that call for zest. These are our favorites ways to use lemon zest:

• Baked Goods – Cakes, Cookies and Muffins
• Dressing
• Marinades
• Cocktails – Zest the rim of your glass
• Tea Flavoring
• Frosting for Dessert

Lemon zest can also be substituted with orange zest or lime zest.

How to Zest a Lemon with a Zester

Using a zester is the common tool that is used to zest a lemon. When used on lemons it produces longer strands of zest. A zester will zest any citrus fruit.

Here are the steps to use a Zester:

• With the lemon in your hand, place the zester holes towards the lemon.
• Press the zester against the lemon and in a pulling motion zest the lemon.
• Repeat process until the entire lemon is zest focusing on the yellow part of the lemon.

How to Zest a Lemon without a Zester

If you don’t have a citrus zester than the following methods will help you obtain the zest from the lemon. These kitchen tools can be used with many different recipes.

• Vegetable Peeler
• Cheese Grater
• Sharp knife

Zest with a Vegetable Peeler:

Using a vegetable peeler to get zest from a lemon will work, but it will take some extra steps.

• Take the vegetable peeler and begin peeling large pieces from the lemon peel.
• Then use a paring knife and a cutting board to slice the large pieces into smaller pieces. This comes close to the small piece zest that you are trying to achieve.
• You can use a peeler or a sharp chef’s knife to get the large pieces off the lemon to grate it.

Zest with a Cheese Grater

A cheese box grater is a kitchen tools that most homes have. The cheese grater has multiple size with multiple holes. Make sure when you are zesting a lemon, that you use the smallest holes.

• Hold the lemon on the side of the grater with the smaller holes.
• Begin moving the lemon up and down to produce the grated zest. Rotating lemon to get all sides.
• Focusing on getting just the lemon part and not getting any of the white part.

Using a Knife

If you don’t have a cheese grater or a vegetable peeler, than a knife will do. Here is is how you would get your zest when using a knife.

• Place your lemon on a cutting board and cut off the ends so you lemon is flat on the cutting board.
• Cut at angle to remove strips of the lemon peel from the lemon. Making sure you are not getting any of the white pith.
• If you desire smaller pieces, simply to your knife and chop smaller pieces of lemon to add to your recipes.

Tips & Tricks

• Use or store in the freezer quickly so that it doesn’t harden.
• Make sure to wash lemon before zesting. It has been handled by a lot of different people and it is just a good habit of cleaning your fruit before eating.
• Only zest the top layer so you don’t get the white part.
• Use the zested lemon in many different drinks or food recipes.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipes with Lemon

1. Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi Recipe

2. Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

3. Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

4. Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe

More Kitchen Tips

• Best Substitute for Lemon Juice
• How to Zest a Lime
• How to freeze Lemons, Limes and Oranges
• How to Cut an Onion
• How to Cut Lemon Wedges
• The right way to cut Cilantro