Citrus Zest substitute

Best substitute

A Different Citrus Fruit's Zest

Use the same amount by volume as the citrus zest you are replacing

Best for cakes and cookies

Different taste

The simplest answer: lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, mandarin and clementine zest all interchange spoon for spoon.

Other citrus zest substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Dried Citrus Peel
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tsp dried peel for every 1 tbsp fresh zest
Dehydrated and usually chopped or ground peel, sold as dried lemon or orange peel, and a genuinely useful pantry standby.
What changes
Best for
braises and stews, spice rubs and blends, mulled drinks, tea, long-baking cakes and breads
About three times more concentrated by volume than fresh zest but distinctly weaker in aroma overall, and it tastes duller and slightly tea-like where fresh zest is vivid. Bloom it first in the recipe's warm fat or a splash of hot liquid for five minutes, otherwise it stays gritty and tastes like potpourri.
3Citrus Extract
Different taste
Use ½ to 1 tsp lemon or orange extract for every 1 tbsp fresh zest
Aromatic peel oil dissolved in alcohol, which delivers the flavour with no flecks and no grating.
What changes
Best for
cake batter, buttercream and icings, cookies, custards, large batches
Convenient and effective, but it tastes a bit more candied and one-dimensional than fresh peel, and the alcohol carries some of the aroma off in a long bake. It also adds a small amount of liquid. Start at half a teaspoon per tablespoon of zest and taste, since brand strength varies a lot.
4Food-Grade Citrus Oil
Close match
Use ⅛ to ¼ tsp citrus oil for every 1 tbsp fresh zest
Pure pressed peel oil, three or four times stronger than extract, with no water in it at all.
What changes
Best for
tempered chocolate and coatings, hard candy, buttercream that must not be thinned, frostings
The strongest option and the only one usable in chocolate, since water is what makes melted chocolate seize. Measure in drops, about 12 to the eighth of a teaspoon, and go low: overdosed citrus oil tastes like soap and cannot be corrected. Buy only oil labelled food-grade, not aromatherapy oil.
5A Strip of Peel, Infused and Removed
Close match
Use 2 wide strips of peel steeped in the recipe's warm liquid, then lifted out for every 1 tbsp zest
Peel pared off in strips with a vegetable peeler, steeped in cream, milk, syrup or stock, and discarded before the dish is finished.
What changes
Best for
custards and creme anglaise, ice cream, poaching syrups, rice pudding, braises and stocks
For anything smooth, this beats grated zest, because you get the aroma with no flecks and no risk of stringy bits in a custard. Steep for 20 to 30 minutes off the heat. It is no help in a dry dough or a rub, where there is no liquid to infuse.
6Citrus Juice (Last Resort)
Taste and texture differ
Use 2-3 tbsp juice, and reduce another liquid in the recipe by the same amount for every 1 tbsp zest
The obvious thing to reach for and genuinely the weakest option, because the aroma you want is in the peel, not the juice.
What changes
Best for
glazes and icings, dressings and marinades, drinks, sauces
Juice brings acid and water where zest brought neither, which means it does not just taste different, it changes the recipe: the acid reacts with baking soda and alters the rise, and too much liquid will split a buttercream. Expect a tangier, much less fragrant result. Fine in a glaze, disappointing in a cake.

What is Citrus Zest?

Citrus Zest is Citrus zest is the thin coloured outer layer of a lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit peel, grated away from the white pith, and it is where almost all of the fruit's aromatic oil is stored.

Cooking tips

The one thing worth knowing about citrus: nearly all of the smell is in the peel and nearly all of the sourness is in the juice. That is why zest and juice are not interchangeable, and why a lemon cake made with juice instead of zest tastes tart but oddly flavourless.
If a recipe just says citrus zest without specifying, lemon is the safest choice for both sweet and savoury dishes. Reach for orange instead when the recipe involves chocolate, cranberry or warm spices, and lime when it involves coconut, chilli, fish sauce or coriander.
Zest before you juice. It is impossible to zest a squeezed half properly, and this is the single most common order-of-operations mistake in citrus baking.
Rub the zest into the recipe's sugar with your fingertips before creaming. Thirty seconds of this crushes the oil out of the peel and into the sugar, and it is the reason bakery citrus cakes taste more citrusy than home ones made with the same fruit.
Stop grating the instant you see white. The pith holds no aroma and is genuinely bitter, and over-zesting is the usual culprit when a lemon curd or lime pie tastes harsh.
Zest freezes perfectly. Spread leftover zest flat in a small bag, freeze it, and break off what you need; it keeps its aroma for months and means you never waste the peel of a lemon you only wanted the juice from.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use citrus juice instead of citrus zest?

It is the weakest swap and it changes the recipe. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice per tablespoon of zest and remove the same amount of other liquid, but expect much less fragrance plus added acid, which can affect how a cake rises and can split a frosting. If you have any peel at all, zest it instead.

How much zest does one lemon, lime or orange give?

Roughly 1 tablespoon from a lemon, about 2 teaspoons from a Persian lime, and about 2 tablespoons from a large orange. Grapefruit gives 3 tablespoons or more. Loose-skinned fruit like clementines and tangelos give less than their size suggests because the peel is thin and soft.

Which citrus should I use if the recipe just says citrus zest?

Lemon, unless something in the recipe points elsewhere. Chocolate, cranberry, cinnamon, clove, carrot cake and duck all want orange. Coconut, chilli, coriander, fish and Southeast Asian flavours want lime. Grapefruit is best kept for salads and cocktails, where its bitterness is welcome.

Can I just leave the citrus zest out?

It depends entirely on the job it is doing. In a braise, a stew or a spice rub, leaving it out costs you a little brightness and nothing else. In a lemon cake, a gremolata or a citrus shortbread, the zest is the flavour of the dish, so use a different citrus rather than skipping it.

Is citrus peel the same as citrus zest?

Not quite. Zest is only the thin coloured outer layer, grated fine. Peel usually means the whole rind including the white pith, which is bitter and holds no aroma. If a recipe says peel and means candied or dried peel, that is a different ingredient again with its own ratios.

Do I need to buy unwaxed or organic citrus for zest?

It helps but is not essential. Scrub waxed fruit under warm running water and dry it well before zesting, which removes most of the coating. Unwaxed fruit dries out faster in the fridge, so buy it closer to when you plan to use it.

Related substitutes

More fruits substitutes

Citrus Zest substitute

Other citrus zest substitutes

2Dried Citrus Peel

3Citrus Extract

4Food-Grade Citrus Oil

5A Strip of Peel, Infused and Removed

6Citrus Juice (Last Resort)