Page Contents
Can I Use Lemon Peel Instead Of Lemon Zest
Lemon peel can be used instead of lemon zest but its taste is intense. If you have dried lemon peel at home then use them in place of fresh lemon zest. Use two-thirds of lemon peel less than lemon zest for a recipe as it will give a good flavor.
If you can find dried lemon peel, it has a lot of uses, so you can use it in any recipe calling for lemon peel. To put this another way, if 1 tablespoon lemon zest is needed, use 1/3 tablespoon dried lemon peel.
Dried lemon peel can also work as a lemon zest substitute, but it has much stronger flavors, so use two-thirds less dried lemon peel than required by your recipe. In general, Candied Lemon Peel would work well as a lemon zest substitute if you are looking to avoid tangy flavors. Lemon peel can be used in applications where the peel will mainly be used as a flavoring.
| Kind | Amount |
| Lemon Zest | 1 tb |
| Dried Lemon Peel | 1/3 tb |
In some types of recipes, fresh lemon juice may substitute for lemon zest, though of course, if you have the raw materials for one, you will likely have the materials for the other. Obviously, fresh lemon juice is the best kind to use in place of Z, but it requires fresh lemons. If you do not have lemons to use for squeezing, or dried rinds, then you can use any of the substitutes here to achieve the same effect as the lemon rind.
You can use lime or orange zest instead of lemon in baking, and you probably will not notice the difference. Lemon juice may be an easier choice if you are mainly looking to use lemon zest for the stronger citrus flavors. Use the zest on dishes where you want lemon flavor, but want lemons themselves not to be overpowering. You can use zest in recipes when you want the flavor of lemon just to be subtle, but not so much that the lemon takes over the dish.
If you’re interested in Can You Eat Gophers, take a look at my other article.
The more lemon juice or extract you use in place of Z, the more liquid is added to the recipe, potentially changing the consistency of the end result. Use one-half the amount of lemon extract, with the rest of your liquid as water, as lemon extract has a much stronger flavor than lemon juice. If the recipe calls for Z from a medium lemon, then look to substitute 1.5 teaspoons of the zest. Using lemon juice as the lemon zest substitute might work, but that would provide more of a tart, acidic lemon flavor, while z would provide you with this mellow lemon taste.
If your recipe calls for A LOT of lemon zest, these substitutes may not work so well as they will change the flavor too much, or add a bunch of unnecessary liquid into the dish and completely change the texture. Something like a lemon chiffon cake filling, or even a salad, is a good application of Z instead of the peel. Flavor-wise, the best substitutes will be orange or lime zest, but you could also opt for mandarins or clementines.
While lime zest and orange peel would offer the closest tasting substitute for lemon peel, you can also use other citrus fruits such as Pomelo, Tangelos, Grapefruit, and Mandarins. Many recipes use the words zest and peel interchangeably, however, the term peel refers to the colorful outside layers of citrus fruits. Zest, often called lemon peel, are small pieces from the brightly colored, strongly-flavored outer skins of citrus fruits. Zest is a component of cuisine made from the scraping or cutting off of the colorful outer skin from waxless citrus fruits, including lemons, oranges, citrons, and limes.
Adding zest from lemon, lime, or orange into baked goods is one of the easiest ways to add citrus flavor. When you are squeezing lemon, lime, or orange, you want to be sure and remove only the brightly colored peel flesh. Carefully slice a lemon in an angle and remove the yellow skin, avoiding just the pith. Leave a bit of the yellow peel on the lemon, instead of slicing through it too deep and losing yellow flesh.
You can gently scrape off your lemon using a vegetable peeler, and then slice as thinly as you can. A peeler for vegetables, or potatoes, is another quick way to zest your lemon, if you do not have a zester or a microplane on hand. The best way to peel lemons is with either a peeler or microplane peeler, to scrape up the small bits of peel.
If you do not have a citrus peeler, you can use a cheese grater to make tiny slices from lemon peel. Using a citrus peeler will produce longer peel strings, as opposed to the smaller pieces produced with the microplane. Lemon zest does not ruin your recipes without it (unless, of course, you are making Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes).
Lemongrass is also a popular ingredient in Thai and Chinese cooking, and you may find swapping out the lemon peel for lemongrass adds an interesting, Asian-inspired spin to your dishes. Lemongrass is a common ingredient to spice up seafood, but it is also a versatile ingredient you will find in meat rub recipes and other dishes. Lemon extract is great in Lemon Crunch Muffins or Pound Cake, but lemon extract is also great in zesty marinades like Grilled Lemon Chicken. Lemon oil, made with nothing more than cold-pressed lemon peel, is likely the most flavor-accurate substitute; but, if you cannot get your hands on a lemon, you are probably not going to have a supply of lemon oil, either.
It is important to ensure you buy a food-grade version of lemon oil, since some essential oils are meant only for external uses, and are not intended for ingestion. Lemon essential oils may be on the pricey side, although will last for long periods and has several uses, including as a cleaning agent.
If you’re interested in Can You Eat Cooked Bay Leaves, take a look at my other article.
Because dried peels can have a slightly bitter flavor than fresh lemon peel, consider adding sugar or honey to the recipe. Spice House Lemon Peel Zest The spice house peel is three times stronger than fresh lemon peel, and is guaranteed not to contain any of the bitter pith you can sometimes accidentally add to dishes when you zest your lemons yourself. Orange peel works great for sweet dessert recipes, such as strawberry lemon shortcakes, and lime peel is ideal for savory recipes, such as creamy lemon rice.
Are lemon peel and lemon zest the same?
Any citrus fruit’s thin, colorful outer covering is known as the zest. The rind is the zest and a modest portion of the bitter white underlayer, whereas the peel is the complete jacket, everything but the meat. Of the three, zest is the most adaptable and includes flavorful citrus oils.
Is Zesting the same as peeling?
The vibrant part of the peel is called the zest. The complete skin, including the brightly colored outer layer and the bitter, white pith that is immediately beneath it, is referred to as the peel or rind. The zest has the vibrant flavor of the fruit, whereas the white pith is harsh and disagreeable.