Last Updated on August 12, 2019

Homemade lemon pepper seasoning recipe – Learn how to make this zesty two ingredient spice for all of your culinary needs and Kiss goodbye to the store brought kind.

If you like citrus flavours I’m talking about lemon, oranges and grapefruits with a combination of coarse cracked black pepper then this lemon pepper seasoning is definitely a recipe for you. It’s fairly simple to make, you just need to grab a bunch of lemon along with some black pepper to get started.

What is lemon pepper seasoning

In short, it is a dry condiment made from the zest of fresh lemon(s) combined with black pepper. Some people use peppercorns to make this seasoning but you can use fine or coarse black pepper. The lemon zest is usually dried out using an oven, dehydrator or another commercial appliance.

Lemon pepper seasoning uses

You can use this condiment for a wide range of things

Poultry i.e Lemon rosemary roasted chicken
Seafood i.e shrimp/prawns, fish fillets, baked hake fillets
Vegetables
Garnish

It is also not uncommon for lemon pepper seasoning and spices such as turmeric, garlic and onion to be mixed together and used in this type of recipe.

Lemon pepper ingredients

In order to make this seasoning you will need two ingredients

Fresh lemons (large in size)
Black pepper (peppercorn or coarse will work)
If you want to add any pink salt, turmeric or garlic and so fourth you can but I will instruct when to add.

How to make lemon pepper seasoning

Zest the lemons – Make sure the lemons are washed and blotted dry first of all before zesting . I used my mircoplane to extract what I needed. if you don’t own one, simply use a regular grater or vegetable peeler. You only want to grate the lemon peel and NOT the pith (the white part) which is the bitter part. If you grate any of the pith, it means you are grating too deep so ease off the pressure and be a little more light handed.

Drying out the lemon zest – The lemon zest will need to dry out in the oven on the lowest possible setting. I then added the black pepper so the flavour really intensifies from oven roasting.

I left my zest to oven dry for 1 hour in total and checked it half way through. It shouldn’t burn on the lowest setting.

Milling the lemon and black pepper – Use a spice/coffee grinder to completely pulse the zest and lemon into a fine powdery consistency.

Storage – I store all of my homemade seasoning in an airtight glass jar. Depending on the quantity you make it should lasts for several months.

Is there a lemon pepper substitute

Yes, if you don’t have any lemon pepper seasoning to hand then you can use

Lemon extract with black pepper
Lemon thyme and white pepper/corn with cayenne
Shichimi togarashi

Can I add additional spices to the seasoning and when

I prefer to keep this recipe simple so I add any extras depending on what I am using it for afterwards. Add the additional seasoning such as salt, garlic and herbs when you are grinding the dried lemon zest with the pepper.

Note and tips

Use a food processor or pestle and mortar if you don’t own a spice grinder
An airtight container is recommended to store the spice
Should last for several months
Double or triple the batch if you need more seasoning
Only grate the skin of the lemon and not white part (that’s the bitter pith, we don’t want that)
Add additional herbs/spices and salt accordingly to taste
For a more lemon taste use more than 4 lemons and for black pepper taste add a 1tbsp more

Steps for making lemon pepper seasoning (with pictures)

Grab the lemons (wash and dried) and proceed to zest them individually.

Combine both the zest and lemon in a bowl then whisk before transferring the contents onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Dry out the zest for an hour before milling in a spice grinder.

Other spice blends you may like

Jamaican jerk seasoning

Jamaican curry powder

Poudre de colombo (colombo powder)

Beef stew seasoning mix

Sazon seasoning

Seafood seasoning recipe

All purpose seasoning blend

Creole cajun seasoning