There is a very simple process to dehydrate lemons. It takes minimal work, it lasts for years and makes cooking from scratch so much faster! No need to worry about having to run to the store last minute when someone in the family comes down sick because you don’t have fresh lemons. This will get you prepared for anything sickness that pops up out of nowhere.
Why Make Dehydrated Lemons
by dehydrating lemons and storing them long-term, it has saved my butt more times than I can count! If you don’t know, I live out in the middle of nowhere. Literally! I live about an hour from the nearest grocery store and 2.5 hours from the nearest Walmart. When I say, we live out in the middle of nowhere, I truly mean it!
Having dehydrated lemons on hand saves me an emergency, all day trip to the grocery store when someone ends up getting sick. There is no way I would be able to keep lemons fresh for that long without having to go to the grocery store every month.
So, what if you live 10 minutes from town?
When I visit my parents, it’s so easy to just jump in the car and go to the store because it’s 10 minutes away. However, I know we are all busy! Imagine the amount of time it takes to constantly be going to the store. It’s a 10-minute drive, plus time to go find the item you need, then drive back, before you can even start to make your tea. That’s 30 minutes out of your day and you haven’t even started making the thing that will help your family feel better. If your time matters to you, you should start dehydrating lemons at home.
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The Recipe
For this Recipe, there are a couple things you will need but once you have the equipment, the process is super simple! You can simply just slice your lemons and preserve it, or you can have nothing go to waste by zesting your lemons before you slice them. The choice is totally up to you.
Equipment
Ingredients
- Lemons
Instructions
- If you are wanting to keep the lemon zest for later use, zest your lemons now.
- Then slice your lemons with the peels on. The smaller the slices are, the better.
- Lay them on your dehydrator tray in a single, even layer. No not overlap the lemons.
- Put the dehydrator trays in your dehydrator. If you zested your lemons, you could put them in the dehydrator at the same time if you have room. This allows you to store lemon zest long-term.
- Turn the temp to 95 degrees. To dry them faster, you can dehydrate them at 125 Degrees but the color will be a little bit darker when finished drying but doesn’t change the taste. How long you will leave them in there for depends on what temp you use, where you live, the humidity in air, etc. Typically, they take about 18 – 25 hours.
- Make sure you turn the lemons within the first 2 hours to prevent them from sticking and then every 5 hours after that until they are done.
- You will know they are done when there is no moisture left. You should be able to snap it in half without it bending.
- When it’s done, store it in an airtight container to keep the air out. Air can add moisture back into it and make them go bad or turn them black from the oxygen in the air. If they turn black they are still usable, they just don’t look pretty.
How to use Dehydrated Lemons
You can use dehydrated lemons for many different things.
You can add them to your tea. Just add the whole to your hot water and let it steep or boil it with ginger if you are feeling sick and need an immune boost. Here is a great Ginger Tea Recipe.
They can be added in when you are cooking fish for a nice lemon flavor.
The center of the dehydrated lemon can be blended up into a powder and used in drinks as well. This makes for a super easy and simple lemonade or lemon tea. Make sure you are using hot water to dissolve the powder, but you can always stick it in the fridge to cool it down if you are wanting a cold lemonade. There will be some pulp in there are well so make sure you strain it if you don’t like the pulp.
When you blend it into a powder, you can also make things like lemon pepper seasoning for chicken, fish, and so much more!
How to Store Dehydrated Lemons
Storing it is simple! You want to keep as much air off of it as possible.
To do that, you will need to store it in an airtight container like this container.
If you will be storing them for long-term, you will want to store them in a vacuum sealed container (I like to use mason Jars with this vacuum sealer) with an oxygen absorber. You will also want to store it in a cool dark place, away from direct light. This keeps it fresh for as long as possible.
I have had dehydrated lemons for 6 months now and still tastes fresh when I use them.
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Commonly Asked Questions
Why did the lemons turn black? If your lemons are turning black while you are dehydrating them it’s because the dehydrator temperature is too high or it’s been exposed to air for too long.
What to Do If the Dehydrator Temp was too High? The first batch of lemons I dehydrated at 135 Degrees. Yes, they were totally black when they were done. If this happens to you, you do not have to throw them away. They just look funky, but they still taste like lemon. Give it a try before you throw them out and call it a loss.
How do you prevent too much air getting to the lemons? To prevent this from happening, make sure you transfer them to an airtight container as soon as they are done dehydrating.
What to do if your dehydrated lemons have been exposed to too much air? If you forget they are sitting on the counter and they have turned black, they are still usable if they have not collected moisture while sitting on the counter.
What to do if they are collected moisture? If they have collected moisture, put them in the fridge and use as soon as possible before they spoil.
Pin for Later!
Dehydrate Lemons
There is a very simple process to dehydrate lemons. It takes minimal work, it lasts for years and makes cooking from scratch so much faster!
Ingredients
- Lemons
Equipment
- Small Dehydrator
- Large Dehydrator
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Lemon Zester , if using.
Instructions
- If you are wanting to save the lemon zest for later, zest the lemons first and set the zest aside.
- Then slice your lemons with the peels on. The smaller the slices are, the better and faster they dry.
- Lay them on your dehydrator tray in a single, even layer. No not overlap the lemons.
- Put the dehydrator trays in your dehydrator. If you zested your lemons, you could put them in the dehydrator at the same time if you have room. This allows you to store lemon zest long-term.
- Turn the temp to 95 degrees. To dry them faster, See Notes.
- How long you will leave them in there for depends on what temp you use, where you live, the humidity in air, etc. Typically, they take about 18 - 25 hours.
- Make sure you turn the lemons within the first 2 hours to prevent them from sticking and then every 5 hours after that until they are done.
- You will know they are done when there is no moisture left. You should be able to snap it in half without it bending.
- When it's done, store it in an airtight container to keep the air out.
Notes
- To dry them faster, you can dehydrate them at 125 Degrees, but the color will be a little bit darker when finished drying but doesn't change the taste.
- You can add them to your tea. Just add the whole to your hot water and let it steep or boil it with ginger if you are feeling sick and need an immune boost. Here is a great Ginger Tea Recipe.
- They can be added in when you are cooking fish for a nice lemon flavor.
- The center of the dehydrated lemon can be blended up into a powder and used in drinks as well. This makes for a super easy and simple lemonade or lemon tea. Make sure you are using hot water to dissolve the powder, but you can always stick it in the fridge to cool it down if you are wanting a cold lemonade. There will be some pulp in there as well so make sure you strain it if you don't like the pulp.
- When you blend it into a powder, you can also make things like lemon pepper seasoning for chicken, fish, and so much more!
- You will need to store it in an airtight container like this container If you will be using frequently.
- If you will be storing them for long-term, you will want to store them in a vacuum sealed container (I like to use mason Jars with this vacuum sealer) with an oxygen absorber. You will also want to store it in a cool dark place, away from direct light. This keeps it fresh for as long as possible.
- Why did the lemons turn black? If your lemons are turning black while you are dehydrating them it's because the dehydrator temperature is too high or it's been exposed to air for too long.
- What to Do If the Dehydrator Temp was too High? The first batch of lemons I dehydrated at 135 Degrees. Yes, they were totally black when they were done. If this happens to you, you do not have to throw them away. They just look funky, but they still taste like lemon. Give it a try before you throw them out and call it a loss.
- How do you prevent too much air getting to the lemons? To prevent this from happening, make sure you transfer them to an airtight container as soon as they are done dehydrating.
- What to do if your dehydrated lemons have been exposed to too much air? If you forget they are sitting on the counter and they have turned black, they are still usable if they have not collected moisture while sitting on the counter.
- What to do if they have collected moisture? If they have collected moisture, put them in the fridge and use as soon as possible before they spoil or throw them back into the dehydrator to get the moisture out.
Dry Them Faster
How to Use Them
Storing Tips
Commonly Asked Questions
Want Help Building Your Pantry?
I have created a FREE Guide to help you build your pantry, so you know exactly where to start without getting overwhelmed. Grab that FREE 'From Scratch' Pantry Guide Here.
