Easy Lemon Sugar – Perfect for Baking!

Hi! If you want to know all the tips and tricks to make this recipe, please read the whole article with detailed step-by-step instructions and useful information. If you want to go straight to the recipe or print it, you can do so with the buttons above. Share, tweet, and pin on social media too! Enjoy the recipe. Maiko

This lemon sugar is super easy to make and only requires two ingredients – sugar and lemon! It’s perfect on muffins, cakes, and any other lemon baked good to enhance the lovely lemon flavour and fragrance. It’s great for making lemonade too! Make this recipe over summer when lemons are in season.

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Have you ever made love before it’s so easy to make with just two ingredients granulated sugar and lemon peel, that’s it! all you need to do is put the granulated sugar and lemon peel in a food processor, process until it’s very fine,  and voila!  Sweet tangy and delicious lemon sugar is ready in just under 10 minutes! So easy, isn’t it? 

Main ingredients and substitutions

Granulated sugar: I used granulated sugar for the base of this recipe but you can also use caster sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer.

Lemon peel:  Get fresh organic lemons from your local supermarket. Organic is very important for this recipe because you don’t want all the nasty things like pesticides or any chemicals on the lemon peel!

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Food processor:  I use my KitchenAid food processor to make this recipe! It’s compact yet powerful, I use it from making pie crusts to nut butter.

Lemon zester:  I actually bought my first lemon zester recently and it’s incredibly useful when it comes to zesting lemons, obviously! You can go ahead and use a knife to peel your lemons and use it in this recipe too, which I did this time.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make easy lemon sugar

Step 1:  Prepare the lemons

So the first step to making this recipe is to prep all the lemons. Wash and dry the lemons thoroughly before peeling them. You can either use a lemon zester, peeler or use a knife to peel the lemon zest. Be careful not to cut your fingers or grate your fingers accidentally!

Step 2: Process the lemon peel and sugar in the food processor

Put the granulated sugar and peeled/zested lemon zest in a food processor and process until they are combined for about 3 minutes.

 step 3:  Put in the  jar

Once the lemon sugar is ready, put it in a jar with an airtight lid and use it on your baked goods, make lemonade with it, or store it in the fridge. Enjoy!

Expert tips and tricks

Only use the yellow part of the lemon

Try to only peel the yellow part of the lemons, aka lemon zest, because the white part underneath tastes bitter and not great in this lemon sugar recipe. The yellow part on the surface is where all the lemon fragrance, flavour and oil are at. A little bit of white part is fine though, but try your best to only get the yellow part!

Use caster sugar if making it without a food processor

If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry! You can still make this recipe. Grate the lemon zest using a lemon zester, and simply mix the zest with caster sugar in a mixing bowl using a spoon until well combined. Try to squeeze the lemon zest into the sugar with a spoon while mixing! Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar so it will incorporate with zested lemon zest pretty well. 

How to store

I store my lemon sugar in a jar with a good tight lid to keep it fresh. You can store it for 2-3 days this way in the fridge! Try to use it on your baked goods, use in lemonade, etc. while it’s nice and fresh!

You can also freeze the sugar as well. After you make it, put the sugar in a freezer-friendly airtight container and store it in a freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw whatever amount you are using and use within the day of thawing.

Q and A

What can I use this sugar for?

You can use it for many things! Here are some of my favourite ways to use lemon sugar.

Baked goods: I use lemon sugar in cake, muffin, and cupcake batters to enhance the lemon flavour! It’s great to use in any lemon recipes. Sprinkling the sugar on baked goods is another great way to use the sugar. On muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, cakes, literally anything you can think of that can have a little boost of lemon flavour!

Lemonade: Dissolve a tablespoon of lemon sugar with hot water, pour it into a glass with lots of ice in it, and top it up with sparkling water to make nice and refreshing lemonade!

Cocktail decoration: You can use it to decorate the rim of a cocktail glass for lemon cocktails. How cute is that!

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE this lemon sugar recipe because it is:

• easy to make
• perfect for baking
• perfect sprinkle on lemon baked goods
• makes a lovely lemonade

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious lemon and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Blueberry lemon muffins
• Lemon Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake

Visit the recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe in the comment section below if you like this recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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