This lemon sugar recipe is a creative and delicious way to add a burst of citrusy flavor to anything you can imagine! It’s made by infusing granulated sugar with fresh lemon zest to create a tangy sweet condiment that can be used to garnish cocktail glasses, top baked goods, or even as an ingredient in any of your favorite recipes!

A hand with blue nail polish holds a spoon over a dark plate, scooping up homemade lemon sugar thats being poured from a glass jar. Several fresh lemons are on the wooden surface nearby.

One of my favorite things to do is infuse sugar with other flavors and use it in place of regular granulated sugar. It’s a neat little trick I learned about in culinary school, and I’ve kept it in my back pocket ever since. Infused sugars and flavored salts are so simple to make, but they are such a fun and creative way to add an extra burst of lemon flavor all your recipes. They also make incredible host gifts, too! It’s extremely easy to customize flavors, which you can then add to almost anything you can imagine.

I love using this as a cocktail garnish on the rim of a glass like in my limoncello Italian margarita or a limoncello spritz, and I also love using this as a finishing sugar on baked goods like scones and sugar cookies, too! It’s wonderful sprinkled over cookies that have lemon or berries loaf, cakes, or even scones. Tea time will never be the same. Craving more sugar infusions? Check out my vanilla bean sugar, which I use almost every time I bake recipe that needs a boost of extra vanilla flavor.

why this infused citrus sugar recipe works:

🍋 bold & zesty. This tangy sugar packs a bold punch of natural citrus flavor that brightens up any dish or drink it touches. Your homemade lemonade won’t ever be the same!

🙌 quick & easy. This recipe takes just minutes to make, then all you need to do is allow it to dry out before using it or storing it!

♻️ sustainable. This is a great recipe to make when you’re using lemon juice in another recipe, but aren’t sure what to do with the leftover zest or peels! In fact, I almost always zest my lemons before juicing, just to keep this sugar on hand!

🛒 ingredients

A wooden board displays five whole lemons, one halved, and a white bowl filled with lemon sugar. The items are labeled lemons and granulated sugar.

lemon zest – use organic lemons if possible since we’re only using the zest in this recipe. You’ll need at least three lemons of a medium size to make 1 cup of sugar.
granulated sugar – granulated white sugar is my preferred sugar for infusions and syrups because it’s a blank canvas flavor wise. This means that the fresh lemon flavor will be front and center, as it should be! Swapping the sugar out will impact the intensity of the lemon taste, so keep that in mind.

See the recipe card for the exact quantities.

🍳 step-by-step process for making lemon sugar

A person zesting a lemon with a metal grater preparing fresh lemon sugar. Several whole lemons rest on a striped kitchen towel, while a brown cutting board is placed on the counter beneath their hands.

1: Zest 2-3 medium lemons using a microplane, being careful to only get the yellow part.

A person whisking lemon sugar and zest in a glass bowl, with fresh lemons and a striped kitchen towel on the counter nearby.

2: Combine lemon zest and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine.

A hand holding a whisk mixes coarse, white lemon sugar on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fresh lemons and a striped towel add vibrant touches in the background.

3: Use the mixture immediately, or if you’re saving it for later use, spread mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet to dry.

A food processor containing a crumbly mixture is being filled with lemon sugar and other ingredients poured from a brown paper bag, set on a white base against a light blue background.

4: Once dry, transfer to the bowl of a food processor.

A top-down view of a food processor containing a finely ground yellow and white mixture, likely cornmeal or polenta, possibly blended with lemon sugar, on a light blue surface.

5: Pulse the sugar a few times to break up any clumps.

6: Store in an airtight container once completely dry.

Hint: Don’t over-process or you’ll pulverize the sugar and change its texture.

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💡tips & tricks for getting it right

🍽️ how to use your lemon sugar mix

use in place of granulated sugar – use this citrus sugar measure for measure in any recipe that needs sugar and the flavor of lemon! It helps to add another layer of flavor to any of your favorite lemon recipes!
macerate fruit – give a generous sprinkling of this sugar overtop fresh fruit and allow the sugars to draw out the moisture of the fruit for a simple yet scrumptious dessert! The essential oils from the lemon peel help to brighten almost any kind of fruit, making the flavors really pop!
save the juice – juice your lemons after you zest them and freeze the fresh lemon juice to use in other recipes like seasonal lemonades, desserts, or salad dressings! Always be sure to zest your lemons before you juice them— it’s kinda tricky to zest lemons after they’ve been peeled and squeezed.

ℹ️ troubleshooting tips

use a microplane – this special grater is the perfect tool for the job of zesting lemons. It gently and efficiently removes the zest without cutting too deep to get the white pith as well. Don’t use a vegetable peeler unless you’re super confident in your ability to ONLY get the yellow part of the lemon, and NOT the white part, which will give your sugar a bitter taste.
pulse carefully – be careful not to pulverize your lemon sugar too much in a food processor, or you will change the texture of the sugar, which will also change how it acts in recipes.
not enough lemon flavor – if you want even more lemon flavor, you can use more lemon zest! Add more zest 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s at the flavor you like. For best results, don’t use more than 6 tablespoons of lemon zest per cup of sugar or you could end up with sugar that’s too wet.
drying slowly – The final product will be slightly more moist than regular sugar (but less than brown sugar), so it might clump up a bit. Just break up any hardened pieces before using! If you live in a humid area like me, the lemon zest may take longer to dry out. You can speed things up with a dehydrator on low temp, but whatever you do, don’t stick it in the oven unless you want a melted sugary mess! Trust me on this one. 😅

A baking sheet covered with a layer of grated moist lemon sugar topping sits on a light blue surface next to a bunch of fresh lemons on a striped kitchen towel.

Here’s what your sugar will look like when it’s just made. Notice how it appears a little moist and clumpy, sort of like brown sugar.

A rectangular baking dish with an dried, crumbly lemon sugar sits on a wooden board. Fresh lemons are placed around the board on a light blue surface.

Here’s the sugar when it’s dried out and dehydrated. The lemon zest sort of crystallizes and the sugar hardens a bit.

🍋 prepping your lemons

A person with blue nail polish uses an orange brush to scrub a lemon—perhaps preparing it for lemon sugar—over a blue bowl. Other lemons rest nearby on a striped towel and a wooden board.

Make sure to wash your lemons and give them a good scrubbing, this helps to remove any wax, dirt, or other impurities from the skin. I like to choose organic citrus in any recipe I’m planning to use the peel in to minimize pesticide exposure.

♻️ customize your infused sugar

use a seasonal variety of lemon – you can easily swap out conventional lemons for a more seasonal variety like Meyer lemons when they’re in season in winter! Typically, the lemons available at the grocery story are eureka variety lemons.
use multiple kinds of citrus – you can also use a combination of lime zest and orange zest to make a custom blended fragrant sugar!

🧰 equipment needed & storage tips

microplane – this handy tool helps you easily grate your lemon zest without fear of getting any bitter pith in the mix. Peelers are harder to use unless you’re really experienced with using the right pressure to only get lemon zest without pith. Box graters should be left in the cabinet for this job as they don’t grate fine enough to only get the zest from citrus fruits.
bowl and whisk and/or food processor – I use both a medium bowl and whisk and a food processor, but you can use just one or the other! A food processor is a great way to help combine things quickly, but be careful not to process the sugar for too long or it’ll end up too powdery.
baking pan & parchment paper – I love using a lined baking sheet to dry out my infused sugar through an afternoon. Plus, the parchment makes it easy to transfer the finished sugar without making a huge mess.

🫙 how to store your infused sugar

It’s best to use your citrus sugar within a few months (although I’ve definitely used mine for up to a year and am still alive to blog about it 🤫). Just be sure to mark the date you made it so you know when it’s most fresh! Once it’s dried out, you can store it at room temperature, but it’s a good idea to keep it in a cabinet or pantry out of direct sunlight to help preserve the flavor.

💬 q+a

Why is my lemon sugar clumping during storage?

The lemon zest adds extra moisture to the sugar, making it susceptible to clumping, especially during longer term storage. You can use a mesh sieve to filter out the clumps, or you can process it in a food processor to break them apart before using it.

How can I make the flavor more intense in this lemon sugar?

You can add more lemon zest to make the recipe more intense, but if you want to use a LOT of lemon zest, allow it to dry out before mixing it with the sugar. The lemon oil in the peel could lead you to have a wet or sticky sugar mixture if the ratio of lemon zest to sugar is too high.

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A bowl of lemon sugar with a spoon resting on top, surrounded by fresh lemons and a zesty lemon half on a wooden surface.

Lemon Sugar (Easy Citrus Sugar for Cooking and Baking)

This easy lemon sugar recipe combines fresh lemon zest with granulated sugar to create a vibrant, citrusy sweetener perfect for rimming cocktail glasses, topping baked goods, or adding a burst of lemon flavor to your favorite recipes. Made with just two simple ingredients, this lemon zest sugar brings a bright, aromatic touch to any dish it garnishes.

5 from 1 vote

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