Freeze This Food

Can You Freeze Lemons?

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Illustration of lemons

Yes, and the smart way is to freeze the parts you actually use: juice frozen into cubes and zest frozen in a small bag, both ready to drop into cooking. Whole lemons and slices freeze too but thaw soft and watery, fit only for juicing or drinks. Frozen lemon juice and zest keep their bright flavour for about 4 to 6 months.

Can you freeze lemons?

Yes — it freezes well
How long it keeps frozen
Around 4 to 6 months at best flavourA conservative window for citrus juice and zest; safe much longer at a steady 0 °F (−18 °C), but the aromatic oils that carry the flavour fade over time.
How to freeze it
  1. Zest the lemons first, before juicing, and freeze the zest in a small labelled bag.
  2. Juice the lemons and pour the juice into an ice-cube tray; one cube is roughly one to two tablespoons.
  3. Once the juice cubes are solid, pop them into a bag so you can take one at a time.
  4. To freeze slices for drinks, lay them on a tray, freeze until firm, then bag them.
How to thaw & use
Drop a juice cube straight into a sauce, dressing, or drink; sprinkle frozen zest in as-is; let frozen slices soften in a glass as edible ice.
Texture & quality
Whole frozen lemons lose all firmness and thaw collapsed, so do not expect to slice a frozen one neatly for a garnish. Frozen juice and zest, on the other hand, keep their punch well and are far more useful than a wrinkled lemon forgotten in the fruit bowl.

More in this group: Freezing fruit

Frequently asked questions

What's the best way to freeze lemons?

By the part you use. Freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray and the zest in a small bag, so you can grab exactly what a recipe needs. This wastes far less than freezing whole lemons that thaw too soft to slice.

Can you freeze whole lemons?

You can, and they keep, but they thaw mushy and watery and cannot be sliced cleanly. A frozen whole lemon is really only good for juicing or grating, so freezing the juice and zest separately is usually smarter.

Can you freeze lemon slices for drinks?

Yes. Freeze the slices flat on a tray until firm, then bag them. Dropped into water or a cocktail they act as flavoured ice cubes, chilling the drink and softening slowly rather than diluting it the way plain ice does.

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