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You've got to try making your own delicious, homemade lemon pepper seasoning.

It's bright and kicky and is a wonderful topping for chicken, steak, white fish, or roasted veggies.

This homemade seasoning blend can be used as an all-purpose seasoning, which you'll love! When you make your own lemon pepper blend from scratch, the citrus flavor really shines.

Lemon pepper seasoning in a mortar and pestle.

This delicious blend will be one of your new favorite seasonings!

Storebought lemon pepper is made with citric acid or lemon to give it a punch of lemon flavor. It's good in a pinch, but this blend uses the peels of fresh lemons and has the freshest and zestiest flavor!

Lemons in a bowl and a plate with spices.

Lemon Pepper Seasoning Ingredients

Fresh Lemons
Ground Black Pepper (Black Peppercorns)
Onion Powder or Granulated Onions
Flaky Sea Salt
Garlic Powder or Granulated Garlic

How to Make Lemon Pepper Spice

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of lemon peel. Be careful not to bring too much pith with the peel - you want a thin layer of bright yellow skin.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the peels out on the sheet. Do not overlap the peels; they should not touch each other.

Lemon skins on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the sides begin to curl up.

Dehydrated lemon peels on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Remove the dry lemon peels from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

Blend them in a food processor, blender, or spice grinder for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Lemon pepper seasoning ingredients on a white plate.

Combine the dried lemon pieces, black pepper, granulated onions, sea salt, and granulated garlic in a bowl and stir to combine.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

An overhead shot of a plate of lemon pepper seasoning with a spoon.

Tips for Making This Seasoning Blend

Cooking Tips - Make sure your lemon peels get very dry in the oven. They should be fully curled before you remove them from the oven.

Preparation Tips - For a finer texture, blend the lemon peels in the food processor for 1 to 2 minutes. For a coarser texture (like the photos above), blend for 30 to 45 seconds.

Storage

This homemade lemon pepper seasoning blend will keep for up to 3 months if stored in an airtight container or glass jar at room temperature. Make sure to keep it in a dry (low-humidity) place so the peels don't rehydrate.

Substitutions

If you don't have time to make this recipe, you can substitute lemon pepper seasoning for a mixture of a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, two teaspoons of ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.

Recipes With Lemon Pepper Seasoning

If you’re looking for recipes that use lemon pepper seasoning, we recommend these dishes.

Roasted Lemon Pepper Asparagus - One of the simplest and most delicious ways to prep a green veggie side.
Grilled Lemon Pepper Potatoes - An easy side dish with a kicky dipping sauce.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs - A zesty chicken dish that's a weeknight meal favorite.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings - baked until crispy then basted with lemon pepper seasoning and melted butter.

Lemon Pepper Seasoning Marinade

To make a marinade from this seasoning blend, combine 3 tablespoons of lemon pepper seasoning with ¼ cup olive oil. Whisk till fully combined.

More Homemade Spice Blends

Cajun Seasoning - a versatile seasoning with a spicy kick!
Chicken Seasoning Blend - a fantastic spice mixture for chicken breasts, thighs, or whole chicken.
Homemade Ramen Seasoning - the best ramen spice blend for homemade ramen

If you try this lemon pepper spice mixture, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos, or leave us a rating.

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

This homemade lemon pepper seasoning is bright and kicky! It's a great topping for meat and roasted veggies.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Additional Time: 5

Total Time: 45

Servings: cup

Author: Emily Wilson

Ingredients

10 lemons
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onions
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of lemon peel. Be careful not to bring too much pith with the peel - you want a thin layer of bright yellow skin.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the peels out on the sheet. Do not overlap the peels, they should not touch each other.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sides begin to curl up.
Remove peels from the oven and allow them to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before blitzing them in a food processor or blender for 30 seconds to 1 minute.*
Combine the dried lemon pieces, black pepper, granulated onions, sea salt, and granulated garlic in a bowl and stir to combine.
Use immediately or store in sealed container a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

The dehydrated skins of 10 lemons will yield about ½ cup of dried zest.

We like a thicker textured seasoning, so we blend our peels for about 45 seconds in a high-speed blender. If you'd like a finer, more powder-like texture to your seasoning, blend for 1 minute to 1 ½ minutes.