Dried Orange or Lemon Peel
Submitted by skot
Homemade dried orange or lemon peel air-dried at room temperature and ground into powder. A single-ingredient pantry staple that replaces citrus extract in baking, flavors teas, and punches up sauces.
YIELD
14 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
0 minREADY
4 daysOne ingredient, zero cooking, and you end up with a pantry staple that lasts for months. Homemade dried citrus peel concentrates all those bright oils from orange or lemon skin into a powder that’s far more fragrant than anything you’ll find in a store-bought spice jar.
The key is grating only the colored outer layer and leaving the white pith behind. Pith turns bitter when dried and will ruin the clean citrus flavor you’re after. Use the coarse side of a box grater for strips that dry evenly over three to four days at room temperature.
Once the strips are brittle and shriveled, store them whole in a glass jar. The essential oils stay locked inside until you grind them into powder, which means the flavor stays potent much longer than pre-ground peel.
Chef Tips
- Spread the strips in a single layer on ceramic plates. Overlapping slows drying and can lead to mold.
- Don’t rush the drying with an oven. Low, slow air-drying preserves the volatile citrus oils that heat would destroy.
- Grind only what you need. Whole dried peels keep their intensity for months. Powder fades within weeks.
- Use organic citrus when possible since the peel is the part most exposed to pesticides.
Variations
- Add whole dried orange peel strips directly to loose-leaf tea blends or hot chocolate.
- Stir powdered peel into sugar and keep it in your sugar bowl for citrus-scented sweetener.
- Mix into barbecue sauce, duck glaze, or honey for a bright citrus undertone.
Ingredients
Directions
Makes ¼ cup powdered orange peel or ⅛ cup powdered lemon peel.
Use the coarse side of a cheese grater to grate off the citrus skin in strips; use only the orange (or yellow) part of the skin avoiding the bitter white part.
Spread the peel strips on two ceramic plates and let dry, uncovered, at room temperature, for 3 to 4 days.
When the peels become brittle and shriveled, store them in a small glass jar.
To use: Whirl the whole dried peels in a blender or food processor until powdered, or use a mortar or pestle.
The strong citrus oil will stay within the dry peels and will be released fully upon powdering.
Use whole dried orange peel in tea blends and to perk up hot chocolate.
Use powdered orange or lemon peel in place of extract in baking; also in toppings, to flavor sugar-bowl sugar and to flavor honey, duck, and barbecue sauces.
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