Substitute For Lemon Zest

These bright yellow, little balls of Sunshine and citrusy fun are all we need to add zing to our lives. Lemon Zest is widely used all over the world in many dishes. However, I wanted to test out some substitutes for Lemon Zest and how they alter the taste of dishes.

What is Lemon Zest?

Lemon Zest is the skin or you may say peel of a Lemon. You may use it with or without Lemon juice as it helps to add a tangy flavor to all your recipes. The main reason for using Lemon Zest in recipes is because it adds more flavor to baked goods and savory dishes. Also, Zest is a great substitute of Lemon Juice as well.

How To Zest a Lemon?

Zesting a Lemon is the easiest thing on the planet. Get yourself a Microplane Zester; It’s like a shredder with holes to peel the skin or mince anything. Roll the Lemon on it as you go to peel off the zest.

PRO TIP: You must take care of one thing to avoid zesting the white part attached to the Lemon. That is bitter and may spoil your dish.

Substitutes of Lemon Zest

Now that we know what Lemon Zest is and how you can peel it let’s get on with the Lemon Zest substitutes that you can use if you don’t like adding Zest to your dishes or you’re out of good Lemons to Zest.

Following are some Lemon Zest substitutes that you can use without risking the taste of your dish:

Fresh Lemon Juice

Though Lemon Zest does come from Lemons, the juice does not give that strong lemony, tarty flavor that the zest does. Still, Lemon juice is a good Lemon Zest alternative that you can use in your dishes.

Lime Zest

If you don’t have lemons to zest, you can always use lime’s zest instead. Lime Zest adds enough kick to give a tarty, citrusy, and lemony flavor to your dish.

Orange Zest

Orange Zest is another Lemon Zest substitute that can be used in your recipes. They do tend to change the flavor of your dish slightly. Mainly depends upon the amount of Zest you add in, but it’s a good alternative.

Other than Orange Zest, you may add the zest of any citrus fruit, which shall do the job well.

Dried Lemon Peel

Dried Lemon Peel is another good Lemon Zest substitute that you can add to your dishes. You can find dried Lemon Peels on Amazon easily and get them delivered to your doorstep. If a recipe calls for 1 tsp of Lemon Zest, add ½ tsp of dried Lemon peels to it, which shall do its job well.

Health Benefits of Lemon Zest

Other than the tangy and citrusy taste it adds to our dishes, and it does have numerous health benefits. Let’s look at them below:

1. Lemons Zest supports your oral health
2. It is high in antioxidants
3. It has antimicrobial and antifungal properties as well
4. Helps to boost your immunity
5. Helps promote heart health
6. Has anti-cancer properties
7. It May also help in treating gallstones

How To Add Lemon Zest To Your Food?

Following are some delicious ways with which you can add Lemon Zest to your life:

1. Lemon Zest goes great in Salads and many baked goods such as Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, etc
2. You can grate Lemon Zest on dishes such as soups, drinks, dressings, and marinades
3. You can make Lemon tea with them

And many more options.

Mouth-Watering Recommendations

I love it when you try out my recipes. Here are a few more delicious recommendations for you to try out and fill your lives with the taste of joy and mine with some good old feedback:

1. Scrumptious Salmon recipes for Salmon lovers: Old bay Salmon Recipe, Outback Salmon Recipe, Paula Deen Salmon Croquette Recipe, Lemon Grilled Salmon Recipe, Hubert Keller Salmon Souffle Recipe
2. Melt in your mouth dessert options: Almond Rocher, Duncan Hines Almond Pound Cake, Mocha Almond Fudge Ice cream, Almond Roca Cake, Almond Poppy Seed Muffins.