We have this amazing Meyer lemon tree that came with our house. Each year we try to freeze lemons to last the year. I like to use frozen lemons in a variety of ways to I like to freeze lemons in a variety of ways. I freeze whole lemons, lemons slices, and lemon juice. You can freeze lemon zest but I find I like it better dehydrated.
In addition to freezing lemons, I also make preserved (fermented) lemons and dehydrated lemons.
I keep track of my preserved food with these worksheets. You can get them emailed to you by filling out the form below. It’s nice to have all that information of what I preserved each year in one place.
Preparing Lemons to be Frozen
Since we grow our own lemons or get surplus from neighbors who grow their own lemons I know they haven’t been sprayed. I don’t feel a need to do more than a quick washing of the lemons to prepare them.
Birds like to nest in our tree so there’s often bird droppings on some of them. Our chickens like to hang out under the tree and kick up dirt with sticks to the lemons. So, I wash them in a sink of soapy water.
If you’re using store bought lemons you might want to wash with a bit of apple cider vinegar or vegetable wash. You’ll need to do your own research and decide the pros and cons of it all.
Freezing Whole Lemons
Freezing lemons whole is the easiest way to preserve lemons. After preparing them, dry them off and toss them in the freezer. If you have more than one or two lemons you’re freezing, put them in a ziplock bag so they stay together. If you have lemon that you’re not going to use before it starts to shrivel up, just toss it in the freezer to preserve it.
I freeze 10-12 this way each year to use during the winter for my homemade cold and flu remedies. They work great!
When frozen lemons thaw out the texture is kind of mushy, so be aware of that. But the flavor is the same as fresh lemons.
In addition to using frozen lemons to make homemade remedies, you can grate a whole frozen lemon. Once the lemon is completely froze, use a cheese grater to grate the whole thing. You’ll want to wear an oven mitt for this because it’s hard to hold a frozen lemon for long. Then put the frozen grated lemon in a bag or jar and put it back into the freezer. When you want to season a dish or your water put a spoonful of the frozen grated lemon in it.
This gives you the benefits of the juice and the rind. The essential oil is in the rind and it has some great healing properties – but the vitamins are in the juice and that has some great healing properties. If you’re in the habit of putting drops of lemon essential oil in your water each day (which I don’t recommend, by the way), using frozen grated lemons instead will give you all the health benefits of lemon and is much cheaper and environmentally friendly.
Freezing Lemon Slices
You can freeze lemon slices the same way you freeze cucumber slices.
- Wash and dry the lemons
- Slice the lemons 1/4″ thick
- Lay lemon slices on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Put baking sheet in the freezer overnight
- Once frozen, remove lemon slices and put in ziplock bag
- Store frozen lemon slices in freezer
Of course frozen lemon slices are great for infusing water but they can also be used for cooking fish or chicken or used as a garnish.
When the lemon slices thaw out, the juice will most likely be released from the pulp cells. The juice expands when frozen and the cells can (and probably will) burst, especially if the lemons are super juicy like Meyer lemons are. That’s totally fine if you’re dropping a frozen lemon slice into water. It’s not so fine if you’ve laid the bag of frozen lemon slices on the counter and forgot and they all thawed out.
If you’re using them to bake fish, put the lemon slice on before it thaws out, then the juice will permeate the fish while baking. If you’re using it as a garnish and don’t want lemon juice puddling, thaw the lemon slices on a separate plate and then add them as a garnish.
Freezing Lemon Juice
One of the first attachments bought for my KitchenAid Mixer was the citrus juicer. It’s wonderful for all the lemons we have. Before that we used a hand held juicer like this. We still use the hand held juicer if we’re just going to be juicing a few lemons.
I mainly freeze our juice in 16 ounce plastic cups. I have a set of reusable plastic cups that we use for large gatherings. Lemon juice can also be frozen in ice cube trays, which I’ll do a few of. But since we mainly use the frozen lemon juice for lemonade I like the cups better, I use one block of frozen lemon juice to make a gallon of lemonade.
To freeze lemon juice in the cups or ice cube trays, fill the cups (or ice cube trays) with lemon juice and put them int he freezer overnight. Once they’re completely frozen, run warm water over the cup to thaw it out just a bit. The juice block should be able to be popped out of the cup when you squeeze the cup. Put the frozen lemon juice blocks in a ziplock bag (I can usually get 4-5 blocks per bag) and store in the freezer.
You can freeze lemon juice in glass if you’re not using plastic. Just leave about a couple of inches head space and don’t put the lid on until they are frozen. Also, shorter jars with wide mouths work best for freezing. Here are some more tips for freezing in glass containers.
I also fill a few cups with lemon slices and lemon juice poured over them to freeze. When we have a party, the lemonade has fun lemon slices floating in it.
Freezing Lemon Zest
I mentioned earlier that freezing lemon zest isn’t my favorite way to preserve it; I prefer to dehydrate it. But it is possible to freeze lemon zest and lots of people like to preserve zest by freezing it.
Having a zesting tool to zest lemons is really great because a regular grater will often dig too far into the pith which is the bitter white part on the inside of the lemon peel. The pith is great for digestion which is another reason why using a whole grated frozen lemon is good for your health. But when I am baking with lemon zest, I really don’t want the bitter taste of the peel.
- Wash and dry the lemons
- Using a zesting tool remove the peel from the lemons
- Put lemon zest in a mason jar or ziplock bag and store in the freezer.
Just like the frozen lemon slices, when frozen lemon zest thaws out it releases the oils. So don’t leave the jar of frozen lemon zest out long enough to thaw out. I’ve done this and it’s a huge bummer to see a years worth of lemon zest no longer usable. That’s why I now dehydrate lemon zest.
Do you have any lemon tips to share with us? Leave them in the comments so we can all learn.
daisy g says
Yum! I love fresh lemon, not only for cooking, but for cleaning and deodorizing too. Great to know they can be frozen whole!
Angi Schneider says
I know, lemons are so very versitile. Do you guys grow them?
Vickie @ makingoursustainablelife.com says
I didn’t know you can freeze them whole! This brings a whole new light on the subject! However, we have been getting hard freezes here this past week, which is unusual for Northern California. 🙁 I don’t think my orange or lemon trees are going to make it, especially since it just keeps getting colder! Ah, well, we have tarped it and put Christmas lights on it, so we have done what we can. We will just have to see! Thanks for the lemon tips!
Angi Schneider says
I KNOW! My life was changed when I found that out. I hope your trees make it. I like the Christms light idea.
Shinir says
I do have line trees and I make tea mix lime juice and freeze it for the busy days .i use mine within a week but I live in hot Chennai where it is only hot hotter and extremely hot no first or snow but November to Jan are mild cool .
Jennifer says
Can I order Meyer Lemons?
Angi Schneider says
Hi Jennifer, I’m sure you can. We don’t sell our lemons at this point and don’t personally know of anyone who does. But I bet if you did an internet search you can find someone. They won’t be ripe until around Thanksgiving so you have some time. Meyer lemons will also grow in a large pot indoors so you might be able to grow your own.
Cecelia says
You can buy Meyer Lemons on Amazon.com
I live in Alaska and they’ll even ship to me.
Angi Schneider says
oh wow! That’s good to know, thanks for sharing.
kathy says
lemons are useful in whitening and stain removal on white linens and white cotton clothing.
wash item (but don’t dry) apply lemon juice to damp cloth and lay out or hang in the sun for a
full sunny day then wash as you normally would.
Angi Schneider says
Thanks for the tip, Kathy!
Ang says
Do you know if limes can be preserved this way as well?
Angi Schneider says
Yes, any citrus can be preserved this way.
Kristine says
Thanks for the info! I have 2 large boxes of lemons to save since our tree had to be removed for a house addition! If I freeze the lemons whole and later grate them, do I grate the seeds too or will I be able to see them and pick them out if frozen?
Angi Schneider says
Hi Kristine, I grate them seeds and all. I can usually find the seeds pretty easily and pick them out but if not, I just grate them with the rest of the lemon.
Laura says
What is the difference between Meyer Lemons and the lemons you find at the grocery. Marked simply, lemons? I am a firm believer in the power of lemons for so many things. Thank you for these freezing tips. I me er even thought of freezing them!
Angi Schneider says
Hey Laura, the lemons sold in most grocery stores are lisbon or eureka varieties. They are more tart than Meyer lemons and have thicker pith (which is the white stuff under the peel). They ship much better than Meyer lemons which is why they’re so widely available. Meyer lemons are a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin. They are usually larger and rounder – more like an orange, have thinner skin, are juicier, and slightly less acidic. I only use Meyer lemons because that’s what I grow, but regular lemons can be used in any recipe that calls for Meyer lemons. Hope that helps.
Diane says
My sister has a rather abundant crop of Meyer lemons do I was kind enough to take about three dozen off her hands. So far I have two LARGE cookie sheets in the freezer, about 32 oz of juice in the freezer, two ice cube trays in the freezer, and a quart of peelings to dehydrate tomorrow. Happy camper!
Angi Schneider says
That’s really great! I’m happy for you!
Linda says
How do I use the frozen lemons?
Angi Schneider says
For the whole lemons, I usually just grate them on a cheese grater. You’ll be amazed how easily they grate. I don’t worry about the seeds or skin, I just use it all. I just grate what I need and put the rest of the lemon back into the freezer to use another day.
If I just want the juice from them, I’ll thaw them in a bowl and then cut them in half and squeeze the juice. The lemons get limp when they thaw out but the flavor is like fresh.
Cris says
How i use the frozen lemons, in a recipe, once I’ve grated them? Like how do. I measure them for say, lemon bars, etc.
Angi Schneider says
You can let the shavings thaw and strain out the juice with a mesh strainer and then just measure the juice like you normally would. If you’re making something that calls for zest you can skip the straining part. Or you can let the whole lemon thaw out and then cut it in half and squeeze out the juice – just know that it will be really mushy once thawed. Whenever I don’t need the whole lemon, I use the grating method. If I need the whole lemon I thaw and then juice the whole lemon. Hope that helps.
Nancy Witt says
I froze quartered lemons to use in my water but they make my water taste like the rind, so it is bitter and not refreshing.
Angi Schneider says
That’s a bummer. I’ve never frozen regular lemons, just Meyer lemons. I bet they are still salvageable by letting them thaw just a bit and removing the rind before putting it in your water. I’m sure it’s the lemon essential oil that is being released from the rind that is making the water taste bitter, so you might also try quickly rinsing the rind under running water before putting it in your glass.
Diane says
I use the little silicone cube trays to freeze citrus juices. The cubes pop right out without wetting the trays. Then I put them in a freezer bag. Works great. Each cube is about 2 Tbls., a nice measure for recipes.
Angi Schneider says
That’s a great idea, Diane! Thanks for sharing.