How to Zest a Lemon

Lemon zest brings a touch of sunshine to your spring and summer soups, salads, and desserts. You don’t need a special tool—here’s a simple way to zest a lemon using just what’s in your kitchen. Plus, a neat trick to add a perfect twist to any cocktail.

A little lemon zest, or any citrus zest, really, can do amazing things to food. If you’re making something that needs a little oomph, but you don’t quite know what—chances are a little fragrant lemon zest can rescue it from being stashed away in the fridge, never to be eaten again.

And good news! You don’t have to have the most well-stocked kitchen in the world to make lemon zest, either. There’s lots of ways to zest a lemon without a zester. Here’s how to do it, so there’s simply no excuse…unless, that is, you’re out of lemons.

What is the meaning of lemon zest?

So, what’s the difference between lemon zest and lemon peel? The peel of a citrus fruit has two parts: the outer layer, called the flavedo, which is full of flavor because of the oils under the surface, and the inner white layer, the pith or albedo, which is bitter and usually avoided.

Lemon zest is just the outermost layer—only the flavorful flavedo—without the bitter pith. Keep in mind, different fruits vary: grapefruit has thick skin with lots of pith, while limes have almost no pith at all, and that makes a difference when you’re zesting.

Things you can use to zest a lemon:

If you need any of these tools, buying through the links supports the site, so thanks for that. A basic box grater works just fine.

A sharp paring knife is great for zesting and always handy in the kitchen.

A vegetable peeler, old or new, does a good job too. If you have a zester with a built-in channel cutter, it makes quick work of twists for cocktails. And a microplane or surform tool is super versatile—perfect for zesting cheese, ginger, or nutmeg, and worth having if you do a lot of zesting.

How to zest a lemon, all the ways:

Before you start, make sure to wash your fruit well so all the wax is gone and only the fresh zest gets in your food.

Be gentle—avoid digging too deep into the bitter pith or the juicy part—use a light touch and turn the fruit as you go, since different fruits have different thicknesses of skin.

It’s a good idea to make a bit extra zest because you can mix it into salt for Margarita Salt, into sugar for tea or frosting, or into butter to serve with vegetables or fish. And when life gives you lemons, squeeze out the juice for salad dressings, rice dishes, or cocktails.

If you don’t use the juice right away, freeze it in ice cube trays so you can add a splash to baked goods or soups later on.

How to zest a lemon with a knife:

Using a sharp paring knife makes it easy to peel larger strips of citrus for pies, cocktails, or recipes where you want the peel to add flavor and then be removed.

Hold the lemon steady in one hand and carefully cut into the skin at the top, working your way around in strips while keeping the cuts shallow.

Once you’ve peeled the lemon, you can chop or mince the larger pieces into smaller, finer bits for whatever you’re making.

How to zest a lemon with a box grater:

Use a box grater to make lemon zest, sticking to the smallest holes that look like tiny rough surfaces.

Set the grater on a cutting board or clean countertop, hold it steady by the handle with one hand, and with your other hand, press the lemon against the grater, moving it away from you and scraping off the colorful outer skin while avoiding the pith. Keep turning the lemon as you go so you get all the zest you can. If any zest gets stuck in the holes, just give the grater a solid tap against the surface to dislodge it.

How to zest a lemon with a peeler:

A standard or Y-style vegetable peeler is a great tool for removing lemon peel. Hold the lemon firmly in one hand and the peeler in the other, start at the top, and gently peel strips or spirals around the fruit, making sure not to cut too deep.

After peeling the entire lemon, you can chop or mince the longer strips into smaller, finer pieces for use in recipes.

How to zest a lemon with a microplane:

Zesting a lemon is pretty straightforward, but since graters like the Deiss or Microplane are really sharp, you’ve got to be careful.

Just hold the grater in one hand and the lemon in the other, above a cutting board or clean surface. Push the lemon away from you in one smooth motion across the rough side of the grater to get the zest, turning the lemon slightly as you go to make sure you get all of it.

Sometimes the zest will stick to the bottom of the grater — just give it a quick tap, and it’ll fall right off.

How to use a lemon zester or a channel knife:

A lemon zester is a pretty simple tool that might have a channel knife on one side too. If you just want zest, hold the lemon in one hand and press the blades into the skin near the top, then move them across while turning the lemon to get as much zest as possible.

If you’re after a long, narrow peel, use the channel knife by sticking the tip into the middle of the lemon and rotating it to make a strip.

How to make a lemon twist:

To make a lemon twist, just gently wrap a long strip of lemon peel around a straw and pin the ends so it stays curled—then you can do that ahead of time. When your drink’s ready, give the twist a little twist over the glass to squeeze out the oils, and drop it in.

Lemon Zest Substitute:

If you just don’t have lemons, but the recipe calls for zest, here’s some tricks to get that fragrant lemon essence anyway:

For 1 teaspoon lemon zest, substitute:

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest

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