Dehydrating Lemons: Easy Dried Lemons in the Oven or Dehydrator

Using a dehydrator or oven is a quick way to make homemade 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 citrus is 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. All citrus can be preserved the same way. So if you want to make dried orange slices or dehydrate lime zest, you can use these same instructions I’m giving for dehydrating lemons.

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.

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 16-18 hours.
• Check the lemons every once in a while and rotate the racks if needed so that they dry evenly.
• 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. The hotter the temperature you use for drying, the darker the dried lemons will get.

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.

Just know that they’ll take a longer to dehydrate, about 18-24 hours.

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.
• Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper or with a fruit leather liner.
• Dehydrate at 95°F for about 4-6 hours. It should be crumbly when it’s fully dry. 

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 or until the mixture feels dry and crumbly.
• Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place.

Another option is to spread the lemon salt or lemon sugar on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Put the baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven off. Let it sit in the warm oven overnight.

Lastly, lemon salt and lemons sugar can be air dried for 12-24 hours depending on how humid your home is.

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 170°F 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.
• Put the lemon slices on a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath it. This will help the lemons get airflow all around them.
• Let dry for 6-8 hours or until the lemons are fully dry, checking often and rotating them so that they dry evenly.
• Remove from oven and let cool.
• Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place.

How to store dried lemons

As long as the lemon slices and lemon zest are fully dry they’re shelf stable. 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.

Lemon powder can be used for flavoring tea, water, baked goods, and even give a nice pop of flavor to savory dishes such as baked fish and green beans.

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.

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.

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So, what would you do with dehydrated lemons?

Thanks for sharing with your friends!