I am sure you know the saying, “Great things come in little packages!”. Well, the homemade lemon extract is one great thing. It lifts both savory and sweet dishes in a flash. If you love to bake, read on, and learn how to, super quickly, make your homemade lemon extract. Lemon extract is one of those baking ingredients that we usually buy, not thinking much about how easy and fast it is to make it at home. There will often be lemon extract substitutes in the stores, claiming to have “that lemon flavor.” However, it is not even close to the actual real thing.
So what is a lemon extract? Lemon extract is a lemon-flavored liquid made by letting the lemon peels soak in alcohol. Yup, that’s it. There is nothing much to it, just some organic lemons, good quality vodka, and some time.
About the Ingredients
The lemons are in season from November to April, so currently, there are many varieties to choose from. Since I have four Meyer lemon trees in the garden, the Meyer lemon is my obvious choice. I love the flowery citrus aroma that the Meyer lemons have, so generally, I use them for all my baking adventures.
Try to find organic lemons since you will be using only the lemon peel for the homemade lemon extract. All the lemon flavor and the essential oils are contained in the outer peel.
For the alcohol, use vodka that is at least 80% proof. Vodka servers as a preservative, and since it is pretty neutral in flavor, it is excellent for making extracts.
Garden lemon tree 
Steps for Making the Homemade Lemon Extract
As I mentioned previously, there is not much to making the lemon extract. The whole process involves four easy steps.
First, you zest the lemons. Wipe the working surface with alcohol if you will zest directly on it. Note that the white pith is quite bitter and generally of no interest. The best way to get only the peel and not the white pith is to use a Microplane zester. It cuts extra thin taking in only the peel. Just make sure you swipe only once in the same spot on the lemon, else you will get the white pith.
If you don’t have a zester, peel the lemons using a sharp knife. Then place the cut peel white side up and slowly remove the white pith by slicing with your knife away from you. Keep your fingers behind the knife. Continue until there are no white parts visible on the peel. At this point, you can julienne the peels.
Place the zest in a clean, sterilized jar.
Pour vodka into a jar. Close the lid tightly and place it in a dark area.
The longer the lemons are soaked, the stronger the flavor. Generally, it takes about four weeks.
What About the Leftover Lemon Juice?
As the lemons don’t have their peel on anymore, they will dry out quickly in a day or so. But, by all means, please don’t throw them away! Instead, squeeze the juice out and make yourself some lemonade. Alternatively, you can use lemon juice and make homemade lemon curd.
Using the Homemade Lemon Extract
Homemade lemon extract has a clean, refreshing lemony aroma that goes wonderfully with both savory as well as sweet dishes. It is predominantly used in baking, muffins, scones, cakes, etc. Just remember, a little goes a long way!
Homemade Lemon Extract
Equipment & Tools
- Glass jar – sterilized, 260ml ~ 1cup
- Zester
INGREDIENTS
- 5 lemon, zest (organic unwaxed, medium size)
- 260 ml vodka (min 80% proof)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Wash and pat dry the lemons.
- Zest the lemons and add the zest to a clean sterilized jar – Note 1 & 2.
- Close tightly and keep in dark area for about 4 weeks. Flip the jar every other day.
NOTES
- Note that the white pith is quite bitter and generally of no interest. The best way to get only the peel and not the white pith is to use a Microplane zester. It cuts extra thin taking in only the peel. Just make sure you swipe only once in the same spot on the lemon, else you will get the white pith. If you don’t have a zester, peel the lemons using a sharp knife. Then place the cut peel white side up and slowly remove the white pith by slicing with your knife away from you. Keep your fingers behind the knife. Continue until there are no white parts visible on the peel. At this point, you can julienne the peels.
- To sterilize the jar place it in the hot oven at 110ºC/230ºF for at least 10 minutes.
