How to Easily Freeze Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest

How to Easily Freeze Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest

This post will teach you How to Easily Freeze Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest.

Without a doubt, my favorite flavor is lemon.  I love chocolate.  I love peanut butter. Caramel.  I love fruity things, bitter things, sour things, and sweet things.  But given a choice, I will choose the lemon flavored thing 9 times out of 10.

All that being said I often find myself with an abundance of lemons, and nothing immediate to do with them.  So since I don't want to let all that delicious citrus fruit go to waste, I've started freezing them, both whole lemons and all their component parts. So if it's lemon season and you are lucky enough to have, or know someone who has a lemon tree, or if you just bought a bag of lemons that you can't use up, this post will show you how to do the same!

These methods will also work with lime juice, meyer lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and orange juice.  Basically this is the best way to freeze citrus juice.

Can You Freeze Lemon Juice

Yes!  Fresh lemon juice freezes exceptionally well.  The key to getting the best flavored frozen lemon juice is to freeze it while it's as fresh as possible.  

Try to freeze the juice right after juicing the lemons instead of freezing juice that's been refrigerated for several days.  (Fresh lemon juice will last in the fridge for 3-4 days).

Freezing Bottled Lemon Juice 

I don't recommend freezing bottled juice as it will become bitter after freezing.

How to Easily Juice a Lemon

There are SO MANY different ways to juice lemons.  

• You buy an electric juicer.  
• You can buy a citrus reamer.  
• A handheld juicer is a great option.  
• This one is great too!
• You can squeeze the lemons by hand.  
• You can use a pair of tongs (this one is actually my favorite.  The length of the tongs means that you dont have to expend a ton of energy to get all the juice out of the fresh citrus. 

How To Freeze Lemon Juice

Simply juice your lemons using your preferred method and then freeze the juice in one of the following ways:

To Freeze as Ice Cubes:

Juice the lemons into measuring cup with a spout and then pour the juice into the ice cube trays.  A standard ice-cube tray holds two tablespoons worth of liquid, but you don't want to fill the cubes all the way up, as the frozen cubes will expand.  

Leave a little room at the top of each ice cube.  Once the lemon cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray, and transfer them to a plastic bag.  Mark the bag with the date you froze the lemon ice cubes and store in the freezer for up to three months.

To Freeze in Jars or Bags:

Follow the procedure outlined as if you're freezing ice cubes, but pour the lemon juice into a freezer safe glass jar, or into a Ziplock bag.  

• If pouring into a jar, make sure to leave room so that the jar doesn't crack as the liquid freezes and expands.  
• If pouring into a baggie, try to remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing and freezing.  

Either method - make sure you mark your dates on the containers, and then place them in the freezer for up to three months.

I tend to freeze smaller amounts of juice, but if you find yourself with a lot of lemons and lots of juice, the jar or bag method might be better.  If you're freezing the juice to add to sweet or savory dishes, smaller is probably better, but if you're using the fresh lemons so that you can have lemonade in the winter, larger portions are better.

Is it safe to freeze glass jars?

It is safe to freeze glass!  And because a glass container isn't porous like plastic, the lemon smell and flavor wont transfer to the container.

How to Thaw Lemon Juice

The method of thawing the lemon juice depends on how it's frozen.

Thawing Lemon Juice Cubes

Remove however many cubes you need from the freezer bag, and place them in a small bowl in the fridge to defrost.  If you're short on time, you can zap them in the microwave for 10 second intervals until they've thawed completely.

Thawing Lemon Juice Bags

Remove the bag from the freezer and place it in a bowl in the fridge to thaw.  If you're short on time, you can place the bag of juice into a bowl, and run cold water on it (sort of the way you quickly thaw frozen fish) until the juice thaws out.

Thawing Lemon Juice Jars

Place the frozen jar of juice in the fridge and let it thaw overnight.  I don't recommend using any methods to speed up the thawing of glass as it's fragile and is prone to crack at large temperature swings.

How to Freeze Lemon Zest

• Begin by zesting your lemons with a microplane zester.  This tool is the rock star of my kitchen - I actually own two of them so that one is always clean.  To freeze, place a piece of parchment paper on a plate, and then make teaspoon size piles of lemon zest on that plate.  
• Place the plate in the freezer and let the zest freeze for an hour or two.  Once frozen, you can remove the little piles of zest, and place them in a baggie or freezer safe plastic containers.  
• I prefer to place them in a plastic container, as they can be a little bit prone to breaking apart, and they're less likely to get jostled around as they would be in a baggie.  As with the juice, make sure to label the container with the date that you froze the zest.

How to Use Frozen Lemon Zest

I use mine mostly for adding a pop of acidity to pastas, soups, and other savory meals. I also use it in baking whenever zest is called for.  You dont even need to thaw it - just toss it in with the rest of the ingredients.

Because the zest is so small, it begins to thaw on its own right away.  Frozen zest will start to lose some of its flavor about 4 weeks in, but will stay useable for up to three months.  The zest will lose its color a bit, so I wouldn't recommend using frozen zest as a garnish.

One fun thing to do with zest is to make lemon sugar. Rub granulated sugar and lemon zest together between your fingers until the oils from the zest infuse the sugar.  Use the sugar to rim drinks glasses, or to top cookies!

How Long is Frozen Lemon Juice Good For

The frozen juice will be good for three to four months in the freezer.  Make sure you label everything you freeze with dates, so you know when it was frozen.  

A great way to extend the life of frozen juice is to use a vacuum sealer to get as much air out of the baggies you place the juice/cubes/zest into as possible.  If you don't have a vacuum sealer, keep an eye out for freezer burn - once the cubes no longer smell like lemon but more like ice, you know it's time to get rid of them.

How to Freeze Lemon Slices

Once your lemons are zested, take one or two of them and thinly slice them.  Place a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet, and then lay out the lemon slices in a single layer.  Place in the freezer for an hour, then transfer the frozen slices to a ziploc bag marked with the date you froze them.

Whenever you need to add a hit of lemon to your water or iced tea, you can grab a lemon slice, and toss it in the glass.  You can also use the thin slices of lemon as a garnish or top salmon filets with the slices before baking.  You can also freeze them as lemon wedges rather than slices.

How to Freeze Whole Lemons

To freeze whole lemons just make sure to wash them well, and then toss them in the freezer in an airtight container.  They'll keep for three to four months this way. When ready to use, just thaw them out in the fridge, and then you can cut them in half and juice them.  Thawed whole lemons are fairly mushy, but they taste just fine, so I would only use them for their juice and not for the actual lemon.

Uses for Leftover Lemon Peels:

I like to take the leftover lemon rinds, and cut them up into tiny pieces. Then place those in an ice cube tray and make little lemon skin ice cubes.  Then, when my garbage disposal needs a refresh, I can just toss a few lemons down the disposal to freshen it up.

• You can use the peels to scrub and disinfect your stainless steel sink.
• You can make your own cleaning solution by mixing lemon peels with white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for two weeks, then drain out the lemon peels, and add the mixture to a spray bottle. Fill the rest of the way with water, and you've got yourself a great household cleaner!

How Much Juice is in One Lemon?

It really varies based on the size of the lemon.  A small to medium lemon will usually contain about 2 tablespoons of juice and 2 teaspoons of zest.  

A large lemon will usually have about 3 tablespoons of juice and 2-3 teaspoons of zest. When I took the pictures for this post, I zested and juiced 6 lemons.  I got three quarters of a cup of lemon juice (12 tablespoons) and about 14 teaspoons of zest.  

Are Lemons Healthy?

They absolutely are!  The health benefits of lemons are legion.  They are super high in vitamin C, so if you feel a cold coming on, make sure to drink more lemon water.  They fight against kidney stones.  They have been shown to reduce your risks of cancer and to aid in digestive health.  They're basically a superfood.

A Few Delicious Recipes You Can Make Using Frozen Lemon Juice

• Kris Jenner's Lemon Cake
• Lemon Garlic Pasta
• Lemon Pepper Fries (a great use for lemon zest)
• Lemon Cake Mix Cookies