Make your own delicious lemon pepper seasoning with this easy-to-follow recipe. Get the perfect spice ratio of freshly ground black pepper, garlic, and lemon zest. Starting with fresh lemons is how you get the best flavor!
Preheat oven to 200°F/93°C. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Wash lemons and then cut off both ends of the lemons. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel in strips. Try to get only the skin and not too much of the white pith that's below the skin. See notes for ideas on what to do with the lemons after removing the peel.
Lay the peels on the prepared pan in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes. The lemon strips will begin to curl up on the ends. The most important thing is that they should be dried out. If you can't tear them apart with your hands, it will be hard to pulverize them in the blender. So, bake them until they are dried.
Remove the lemon peels from the oven, and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cooled lemon peels to a food processor and pulse in short bursts to break them down. Then process for up to 1 minute, until a coarse sand-like texture is achieved.
Add remaining ingredients and pulse in short bursts until everything is broken down.
Transfer to a lidded container and store in a dry dark place for up to 6 months. The flavor profile diminishes after this time so you'll want to make a fresh batch.
Notes
What to do with the rest of the lemons?Don't toss those lemons!
Peel off the pith and tear the lemons into pieces (like an orange) and freeze the lemon pieces to add to glasses of water later.
Juice the lemons and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. Then transfer frozen lemon juice cubes to a freezer bag. Add lemon ice cubes to recipes, smoothies, or to make infused water.