Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning is super easy to make at home! Whip up your own batch with only lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
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The BEST Lemon Pepper Seasoning
With its bright citrus tang and its zingy peppery flavor, Lemon Pepper Seasoning is my favorite seasoning for all things chicken and fish. This stuff is addictive!
What does Lemon Pepper taste like?
The kick of pepper meets the zing of lemon in this highly addictive, all-purpose spice blend.
Healthy Seasoning Recipe
Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning is so much more natural and healthier than store bought mixes.
Here’s the label from McCormick’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning: salt, black pepper, citric acid, onion, sugar, garlic, calcium stearate, silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, celery seed, lemon oil, and FD&C yellow No. 5. It’s pretty much just salt and chemicals.
Making your own Lemon Pepper Seasoning is so much healthier with only natural ingredients. Plus, you can control the amount of salt you use. While I have included salt as an ingredient, I leave the salt out completely so that I can salt each dish exactly how I want it.
DIY is way cheaper than store bought
I love saving money at the grocery store. Making my own homemade spice mixes is so much more economical than buying the premade mixes.
Notice the first few ingredients on McCormick’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning: salt, black pepper, citric acid, onion, sugar, calcium stearate…? On a product label, the ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts.
Walmart sells McCormick’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning for about $.53 an ounce.
Considering that salt is the predominant ingredient, and Walmart sells salt (the Great Value brand) for 1.5 cents an ounce, it’s easy to see how making your own spice mix is a much better deal.
And if you normally throw away the peels after squeezing fresh lemons, the zest is pretty much free!
(Penzeys sells their Lemon Pepper Seasoning for $3.35 an ounce. Just sayin’. This stuff isn’t cheap.)
Ingredients
Lemon Pepper is made with three ingredients:
- dried lemon zest
- pepper
- salt
I love the pure flavor and simplicity of Lemon Pepper made with just these three ingredients. (Actually two ingredients, because I always leave out the salt.)
However, it’s very versatile and you can make any additions to suit your own taste or the dish you’re making. For some ideas on other spices you can mix in, here are some of the ingredients in blends from well-known spice shops: (I’ve left out the preservatives.)
- Penzeys: salt, black pepper, citric acid, lemon peel, garlic, and minced green onion.
- The Spice House: pepper, salt, citric acid, powdered lemon peel, MSG, garlic, and onion.
- The Oakton Spice shop: black pepper, lemon zest, coriander, amchoor, aleppo chile flakes, green onion, thyme, turmeric, citric acid, and parsley.
- Spice Jungle: Salt, spices, citric acid, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon oil.
- American Spice: Salt, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Sugar, Minced Onion, Minced Garlic, Granulated Onion, Natural Lemon Juice Flavor, and Lemon Oil.
Salt free Seasoning
I make a no salt Lemon Pepper by leaving the salt out when making this Lemon Pepper recipe so that I can use as much of the seasoning as I want, without over salting the food. I salt the food separately so it’s just how I like it.
Organic
I use organic lemons in my Dried Lemon Zest to avoid any pesticides that are on the peels.
Lemon Pepper add-ins
From the lists above, some common add-ins to make your Lemon Pepper Seasoning your own include:
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Sugar
- Citric acid
Some less common add-ins are:
- Amchoor – (Amchur) dried green mango powder to add sourness and tang. It’s about five times as sour as lemon juice. One teaspoon of amchoor is equivalent to about 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Chili flakes
- Thyme
- Parsley
How to make Dried Lemon Zest
Check out my post on How to Make Dried Lemon Zest. It’s super easy and dries out in the oven in about 30 minutes.
If you want to buy Dried Lemon Zest, You can find it at Penzeys or on Amazon.
How to make Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Lemon Pepper is very flexible in the amounts that you use. I use about 4 parts lemon zest to 1 part pepper. If you like more peppery zing, you can increase the amount of pepper.
Simply combine the Dried Lemon Zest, black pepper, and salt – if using (I leave the salt out) – in a glass jar and shake to combine.
If you don’t have a spice grinder, zest your lemon as fine as possible and use cracked or ground pepper so that everything is already in small pieces.
Lemon Pepper Powder
If you would like your Lemon Pepper in powder form, simply give it a couple of pulses in a spice or coffee grinder.
How to use
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning is perfect for chicken, fish, shrimp, and steaks
- Mix with a little oil and use as a lemon pepper spice rub
- Lemon Pepper grilled chicken breasts (my current summer fave)
- Use it in Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Sprinkle over roasted veggies or potatoes
- Tossed with pasta
- Mixed into dough for homemade crackers
- Use in lemony dishes like my Lemon Caper Chicken or Creamy Lemon Artichoke Chicken Pasta for another dimension of lemon.
- Sprinkle it on popcorn
Does the seasoning go bad?
This Lemon Pepper Seasoning should stay fresh for about two years in a tightly sealed container.
Can you use fresh lemon zest?
Because the flavor and aroma of dried zest is different from fresh zest, using fresh lemon zest would change the flavor and intensity of the mix. It would also have to be used within a week as fresh lemon zest is perishable.
Recipe
Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried lemon zest
- 1 - 2 tablespoons black pepper whole, crushed, or ground *see note*
- Optional: Salt to taste I leave it out
Instructions
- Combine the dried lemon zest, black pepper, and salt if using in a jar. Shake to combine thoroughly.
- If you want a finer powder, grind in a spice/coffee grinder.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 years. It will lose its potency as time passes. It will stay fresher longer if left unground.
Notes
- The ratio of lemon zest to black pepper is very flexible. If you want it more lemony, use 1 tablespoon black pepper. If you like it more spicy, use 2 tablespoons black pepper.
- If you are using a spice grinder, you can use whatever type of pepper you have on hand.
- If you don’t have a spice grinder, zest your lemon as fine as possible and use cracked or ground pepper so that everything is already in small pieces.
- My favorite add-ins are 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder.
Nutrition
Enjoy, friends!
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Pauline T. White says
I am a DIY'er and make a lot of my food condiments etc. I have been experimenting with Turmeric. and would like to add some to my Lemon Pepper. I just wondered what the ratio should be. Have you tried this and do you have any recommendations? I love to keep the ingredient list simple... Lemon Pepper Garlic, Lemmon Pepper Onion, etc...
Thanks for this article, it is inspirational.
Kelly says
Hi Pauline! Happy to meet a fellow DIYer! I haven't tried it with tumeric, but now I am curious to know how it would taste.
Dianna G says
I'm so excited to make this homemade Lemon Pepper! This is my secret ingredient to the BEST scrambled eggs in the world. With the cost of groceries sky rocketing these days, I'm all about making my own every thing that I can. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
Kelly says
This is such a great recipe to save money, especially when we'd just throw out the peels anyway! Thanks so much, Dianna!
jeans says
Wow this traditional recipe is so amazing am really like it . Its full of taste . Loved the lemon seasoning thank you so much for sharing the most informative things
Kelly says
So happy you liked it! Thanks so much!
moozi says
AM rate this recipe 5 star after try this ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, its supper cool ,,,,,,,,,, am mad by this taste
You made my day ,,,,,,,, Its make my family lol
Thank you so much
Kelly says
Thanks so much!
Rahul says
I made the lemon pepper wings today and it was so tasty. Loved the homemade seasoning. Thanks for sharing the recipe Kelly
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Rahul!
David @ Spiced says
Wow, those prices really make you stop and think! $3.35/oz? Penzey's makes nice spices, but man that is steep when you look at what's actually in this seasoning blend. I also love the idea of adding salt later based on the recipe. Great tips here, Kelly!
Kelly says
It's so much cheaper to make it at home! Thanks so much, David!
Lauren BasicGinger.com says
Kelly, I'm all about homemade seasoning blends and this one sounds incredible! I cannot wait to make a bulk batch to keep on hand, so much better than the store blends (and more cost effective) Thank you so much for sharing!
Kelly says
Tastes better and costs less! It's a win-win! Thanks so much, Lauren!
Priya says
Homemade spices are best always. I love all the clicks Kelly.
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Priya!
mimi rippee says
Well this is fabulous! I used to be so against spice mixtures, and if I needed one, I'd make my own. Even curry powders. I've finally relaxed over the years, and I do own a Penzey's lemon pepper seasoning. A little of that in guacamole and it's perfect. It's gained my respect. But I'd so much prefer yours, with the dried lemon zest. Brilliant!
Kelly says
It's wonderful in guac! Thanks so much, Mimi!
Valentina says
Kelly, your spice and seasoning mixes are always so beautiful. I'm a fan of the lemon-pepper combination. I even use it with chocolate. At the moment though, I would love it with roasted corn. This is great to have at the ready. Thank you! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kelly says
Roasted corn would be wonderful, Valentina! I'll try that tonight! Thanks so much!
Ron says
Hi Kelly, I use lemon pepper almost everytime we BBQ a piece of meat, but I've never made my own. I did dry my lemon zest per your previous post and it came out perfect. So, I've got the zest, salt and fresh ground pepper which means I have no excuse for not making my own. I'll let you know how it works with my next BBQ.
Kelly says
Hope you love it, Ron! Thanks so much!
Balvinder says
This is such a wonderful idea to always have on hand.
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Balvinder!
David Scott Allen says
I love the simplicity of your recipe, Kelly... lemon, pepper, salt. All the additional flavors are so unnecessary. I can’t eat the store brands because of the garlic, so I am fully on board to make my own now. Thanks!
Kelly says
I love controlling what I put into it! Thanks so much, David!
Cookie Monster says
Simple and very tasty
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
angiesrecipes says
I love homemade spice blends too...so much fresher and better!
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Angie!