Using a dehydrator or oven is a quick way to make dried lemons to use for food, seasonings, beverages, and crafts. While dehydrating lemons is not hard, there are a few tips you’ll want to be aware of before starting.
During the winter, when lemons are in season, spend a little time making dried lemon slices, zest, and powder to use throughout the year.

I love preserving food in a variety of ways and citrus is no exception. We have a wonderful Meyer lemon tree that gives us hundreds of pounds of lemons most years. Once you’ve had a Meyer lemon, regular lemons just won’t do. So, every year I spend time freezing, fermenting, and dehydrating lemons.
One of the great things about dehydrating lemons is that they retain pretty much all their vitamins and minerals and are just as good for you as fresh lemons.
I make several kinds of dried lemons because dehydrated lemon slices isn’t always what I need. Sometimes I just need the zest, or lemon salt, or lemon sugar. Yep, you can use sugar and salt to preserve lemons.
While I pretty much just dehydrate lemons you can use these same methods to make any dried citrus.
To make dried lemons you can use a dehydrator, an oven, or even just the sun if your climate is hot and dry. This is the dehydrator I use most often; it’s reasonably priced, has a temperature knob, and doesn’t take up a lot of storage space. If I have quite a bit of lemons to dehydrate I’ll also use my larger dehydrator.
If you are using the dried lemon peel for food, I’d suggest buying organic. If you’re just using them for crafts organic isn’t’ as important.
I like to keep a list of all the food I preserve using these worksheets. You can get a copy emailed to you by filling out the form below.
How to make dried lemon slices
Depending on where you get your lemons they may have already been washed or they may have dirt and bird droppings on them. So be sure to check them and wash the lemons if necessary.
You want fairly thin, fairly uniform slices. I’d say mine are about 1/4″ thick. I used a deli knife with a guard on it, you could use a mandolin if you have one or just your regular knife, it doesn’t have to be super exact.
Lay the lemon slices on the dehydrator rack. It’s okay if they touch, so put them close together.
Dehydrate the slices on low or at 125°F degrees for about 10 hours. The slices should easily snap in half when they’re fully dry.
One thing you need to know about dried lemons is that they turn dark; they aren’t the beautiful bright yellow of fresh lemons. So don’t be surprised when you open the dehydrator.
Once the lemon slices are fully dry, store them in an air tight container. I store mine in large mason jars and use a food saver to seal the jar.
You can also peel the lemon before slicing it or peel some of the lemon slices before dehydrating. This will give you some lemon slices without the peel and pith which will be useful if you want to make lemon powder.
Can you dehydrate a whole lemon?
Yes…but, you’ll need to cut wedges out of the sides. You can use a knife to cut small wedges out of the sides, leaving the stem and flower ends intact. It will look kind of like an Chinese lantern.
These look nice on a dried citrus garland or as decoration for fall and winter.

How to make dried lemon zest
More than dried lemon slices I like to make dried lemon zest because I think there are more uses for it. Before we juice any lemons we zest them. It really doesn’t take much time and ensures that we’ll have plenty of dried lemon peels to use.
To zest citrus you’ll want a zesting tool which is a little different than a grater. You can use a grater but a grater cuts deep into the peel and you’ll get the white pith in your zest…and the pith is bitter. If you’re going to use a grater, use the smallest holes and very little pressure.
Most dehydrators come with a fruit leather tray liner and a mesh tray liner, I like to use the fruit leather liner to dehydrate lemon zest. If you don’t have one, you can line the tray with parchment paper with a few small slits in it for air flow.
Dehydrate at 95°F for about 4-6 hours. It should be crumbly when it’s fully dry.
I probably use most of our lemon zest in herbal tea blends but I also use it to bake with when I make cranberry lemon biscuits and lemon loaf cake. It makes a great addition to herbal bath teas, too.
I like to use dried zest to make lemon powder because it doesn’t have the pith and it’s not bitter.

How to make lemon salt and lemon sugar
In addition to making plain dried lemon zest you can also make lemon salt and lemon sugar. After you’ve zested the lemons but before you dehydrate the zest, mix the zest with either sugar or salt.
For lemon salt, use the zest of 2 lemons to 1/2 cup of salt.
For lemon sugar, use the zest of 1 lemon to about 1-1.5 cups of sugar.
Spread the lemon salt or lemon sugar out on parchment paper and put in dehydrator on a low temp (125°F degrees) for about 10 minutes.
Make dried lemons in an oven
While using a dehydrator is certainly the easiest way to dehydrate lemons, it’s not the only way. You can also use an oven to make dried lemons. Use the lowest bake setting on your oven, most will be about 170F and leave the door ajar. You may need to prop the door open with a wooden spoon, that’s what I have to do to keep mine ajar.
How to store dried lemons
As long as the lemon slices and lemon zest are fully dry they’re shelf stable. As I mentioned earlier, I like to store them in mason jars that have been sealed with a food saver in the pantry. As long as they are in an airtight container, dehydrated lemons will last for about 12 months. After that, the quality will start to deteriorate.
I once stored the dried zest in a jar in the freezer and we had a power outage. When I pulled out the jar of zest all the lemon oil had leached out of the zest and it was as soggy mess. So, I don’t store dried citrus in the freezer any more.
If you are making dried lemon powder, keep the majority of the lemon slices whole and only grind them as you need them. Once ground the lemon powder tends to stick together when exposed to air and humidity.
How to use dried lemons
There are many, many uses for dried lemons. Before preserving any food, I like to figure out how I’m going to use it. That way, I can preserve it in a way that’s most useful.
Some people like to grind the lemon slices into lemon powder which is a good idea (you can use a coffee grinder for this). However, the pith (the white part of the peel) is bitter. If lemon powder is your plan for the dried lemon slices, peel the lemon before slicing and remove all the pith.
Dried lemons can also be used to infuse water or tea, just remember that dried lemons are darker than fresh lemons.
You can use dried lemon slices for crafts such as potpourri with cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves or use for a citrus garland.
Dried lemon powder can be used in teas or to flavor water.
Dried lemon zest can also be used in teas or baked goods (see above).
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Homemade Dried Lemons

Using a dehydrator or oven is a quick way to make dried lemons to use for food, seasonings, beverages, and crafts. During the winter, when lemons are in season, spend a little time dehydrating lemon slices, zest, and powder to use throughout the year.
Ingredients
- Sugar (optional)
- Salt (optional)
- Lemons
- Other citrus (optional)
Instructions
Dried Lemon Slices
- Wash the lemons - if needed
- Cut the lemon in thin slices crosswise (no bigger than 1/4" thick)
- Lay the lemon slices on the dehydrator rack. It’s okay if they touch, so put them close together.
- Dehydrate the slices on low or at 125°F degrees for about 10 hours. The slices should easily snap in half when they’re fully dry.
Dried Lemon Zest
- Wash the lemons - if needed
- Zest the lemon being careful not to cut into the white pith
- Lay the zest out on the fruit leather tray in the dehydrator
- Dehydrate on low or 95°F for 4-6 hours. The zest should be crumbly when fully dry.
Lemon Salt
- Use the zest of 2 lemons to 1/2 cup of salt.
- Spread the lemon salt or lemon sugar out on parchment paper and put in oven on a very low temp (135°F degrees) for about 10 minutes.
Lemon Sugar
- Use the zest of 1 lemon to about 1-1.5 cups of sugar.
- Spread the lemon salt or lemon sugar out on parchment paper and put in oven on a very low temp (135°F degrees) for about 10 minutes.
Recommended Products
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Excalibur 9-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator with Adjustable Thermostat For Temperature Control Patented Technology For faster & Efficient 15 Square Feet Drying Space, Black
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Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator, White - MADE IN USA
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FoodSaver FM2100-000 Vacuum Sealer Machine System with Starter Bags & Rolls | Safety Certified, Black & Regular Sealer and Accessory Hose Wide-Mouth Jar Kit, 9.00 x 6.00 x 4.90 Inches, White
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Ball Regular Mouth Quart 12 Pieces Jars (32oz) Made in USA
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Hamilton Beach 80335R Fresh-Grind Coffee Grinder (80335)

So, what would you do with dehydrated lemons?
seriously…lemon sugar? totally awesome!!! I’m gonna share this with my father who has several lemon trees in his backyard…
oh,yeah. It’s super yummy.
Great post. Since I am getting some organic lemons soon I will be doing this. :))
Thanks, Jennifer. I try to use the entire lemon. I zest the peel, then juice them, then put the leftover pith into a bucket with vinegar to use for cleaning. Let me know how it works out for you.
What a great idea! I never really thought about dehydrating lemons before, but I like to have a glass of water with a lemon slice in it first thing in the morning. I am going to have to try this!
You can use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off, too. Just make sure it peels thin enough. I have two peelers and one peels very thin (great for fruit and cucumbers) one peels thicker (better for potatoes and other “bumpy” things. I use it to get long thin strips of zucchini, cucumber or carrots to use in soup, lasagna or as decoration) 🙂
I have a lemon and a lime (and other fruits and veggies) drying right now, I cut thin slices as far as I could then turned the fruit on its cut side and cut the “butt” into slices so they’re crescent shaped. Can’t wait to try them in water along with dried cucumber. I’m hoping for more flavour than I get from u-dried fruit.
Thanks for the tips, Nicole. I never would have thought to use a vegetable peeler!
No matter how hard I try, just can’t stop grating my knuckles so I’ve got 2 separate peelers myself, and it works great!
@Nicole, first timer here, went through 4 peelers to find the one that gave me the right size strip
I’d love a copy of your list for ways & recipes to preserving lemons!
My list for preserving lemons is just handwritten notes in my preserving notebook. I have an article on how I preserve the whole lemon in various ways, https://creativesimpleliving.com/preserving-meyer-lemons-zero-waste-kitchen/. I also have an article with a list of Meyer lemon recipes, https://creativesimpleliving.com/meyer-lemon-recipes/. You also might like this list from Rootsy, https://rootsy.org/ways-to-use-lemons-for-food-and-healing/.
If you don’t already keep a preservation notebook, these worksheets can help you keep track of what and how much you preserved, https://creativesimpleliving.com/home-preserved-pantry-worksheets/
I noticed that you left the seeds in your slices. Is that because you aren’t turning your slices into powder? I have 6 racks of lemon slices in the dehydrator now that I am drying for powder with Meyer lemons and I took all the seeds out first. And there were lots of seeds! Wondering if I can leave them in next time. Hopefully the powder won’t be too bitter with the pith this time.
I would certainly remove the seeds if there are a lot and I’m turning it into powder. Sometimes, I’ll zest the lemons, then peel the pith off, and then slice them, remove seeds, and dehydrate them. This would make the least bitter powder.
Hi, Is there an easy trick for removing the pith after removing the zest?
I just peel it like an orange.
@Naomi,
Using a serrated knife works well, but you will lose some lemon. This is how I get segments from grapefruit or oranges for fruit salads.
hi there – do the times/temps listed work for regular ovens as well? I don’t have a dehydrator, but am willing to babysit an over especially on a cold day! Thank you!
Yes, they should. If your oven doesn’t go that low, leave the doo open just a bit.
This is a wonderful idea! Homemade lemon zest from them would be so potent!
This article is great! I always have an abundance of lemons that end up going bad. Now I know what to do with them.
If I soak the sliced lemons in a bit of fruit fresh, will that help them maintain their color? I know lemon juice is an alternative to ascorbic acid.
It’s worth a try!
Great information on Meyer Lemons 🍋! They are my absolute favorite. Can you provide any tips on using them once dehydrated please? Thanks!
You can grind them and use them mixed with salt for lemon salt and sugar for a lemon sugar. They can also be used in water or teas.
@Laura, whenever you want a hint of lemon in anything.
Compound butter for fish dishes
In baked goods
Lemon pepper spice mix
Sprinkle on chicken then bake