Orange Zest Substitute (2024)

If you are looking for the best Orange zest substitute for baking or cooking recipes, I´ve got you covered. Orange zest is a precious ingredient in baking that quickly gives baked desserts and dishes a zing. However, when you run out of oranges, you need an easy and quick alternative to orange zest so I will share with you 14 orange zest replacements. Keep on reading!

What is orange zest?

Simply put, orange zest is the exterior part of the orange and other colored outer portion of the orange peel. It is full of a rich tangy, and citrusy flavor that tastes great in baked goods, drinks, and salad dressings.

Orange zest contains the fruit’s essential oils, which helps add to the aroma of the recipes. As such, it packs an incredible flavor and smells that can take your recipes to the next level. The zest refers to extremely thin strips (fine pieces) of the outer peel of a fruit.

Is orange zest the same as orange peel?

First, you should know orange zest is part of the orange peel. The entire peel comprises a darker, colored outer portion, the zest, and an inner white pith.

On the other hand, the pith tastes a little bitter due to the absence of essential oils therefore it is rarely used in baking recipes.

Orange zest has a tangy flavor due to the essential oils present in the exterior portion of the peel. The essential oils are responsible for the citrusy scent and flavor.

How to make orange zest?

In recipe instructions, orange zest refers to thin strips (fine pieces) of the outer part of orange peel. You must use an appropriate method and tool to get zest from an orange peel.

Microplane: Microplane is a unique kitchen tool that offers the best way to get the orange zest. To make zest, hold the Microplane in one hand, placing one end on a flat surface.

Hold the tool at a comfortable angle and pull an orange across the metal plate of the Microplane. It helps grate the outer surface of the orange peel, scraping off thin strips.

Using this technique makes the zests thinner and longer. Therefore, microplaning is an ideal method to zest oranges and it is best for decorating drinks, candies, and cakes.

Grater: Grating is excellent when you need a lot of orange zest for your recipe, as it is fast and easy. Get a grater with small holes, preferably a cheese grater.

Push your fruit down the grater like the standard cheese-grating practice. Make sure to turn the orange as you grate it so you do not include much of the white pith of the peel.

Vegetable Peeler: You can also use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to make orange zest. However, you need to learn how to do it correctly. Ideally, you want to start by cutting off thin and long slices of the exterior portion of the peel. Then, cut the slices into thinner strips.

Vegetable peelers and paring knives work best when you want thicker, larger, or longer zest. Not forgetting, this method allows you to cut the orange zest into different shapes.

What does orange zest do in a recipe?

The best thing about using orange zest in different recipes is that a little goes a long way. You only need a tiny amount to enhance the taste and flavor of your cookies, cakes, muffins, bread, etc.

Sauces: Orange zest helps nourish the flavors in sauces and salad dressings. The ingredient has an apt usage in recipes like bacon jam. It can work as the perfect substitute for cranberry orange sauce.

Baked goods: Many baked desserts, like cookies and cakes, use orange zest to create the perfect balance between citrusy and sweet flavors. Try my chocolate orange bundt cake recipe to enjoy a sweet treat loaded with candied orange zest.

Garnish: Orange zest makes an excellent garnish for some sweet and savory dishes as well as drinks.

What is the best Substitute for Orange Zest?

Is orange zest a key ingredient in your recipe, but it is not available? You can easily substitute orange zest to complete your recipe and get the same tangy and citrusy flavors.

However, you must remember that an orange zest alternative ingredient should always be the last resort. While they are similar to the original ingredient, they may lack in providing the same flavor, consistency, and texture to some extent. Here are the best orange zest substitutes to use in your recipes.

1. Dried Orange Peel

As I mentioned earlier in this post, orange zest is not the same as orange peel. Orange peel includes the white inner part of the peel, which is missing in zest. Dried orange peel in most cases is in fact, dehydrated orange zest with the white part included.

It has a slightly bitterer and sourer taste compared to orange zest. While orange peel has a tangy flavor profile, the taste drifts more toward sourness instead of sweetness.

In most cases, you can use dried orange peel as a substitute for orange zest. It can add a bright citrus flavor to main course dishes and desserts.

2. Candied Orange Zest

You can substitute orange zest with candied orange zest when the former is not available. You must be careful about changing your recipe’s flavor profile when using candied orange peels. The name itself suggests that these peels contain added sugar.

3. Orange Extract

Make sure to use pure orange extract without flavorings. Besides orange extract, other orange zest substitute extracts derived from other citrusy fruits make ideal options. You can find pure extracts in many flavors that you can choose from according to the requirements of your recipe.

4. Orange Juice

Often, you can use fresh fruit juice to replace fruits in various recipes.

Orange juice is an excellent substitute for orange zest in baking however you have to bear in mind that it is an extra wet ingredient (and acid!). You can also use it in salad dressings as a replacement for orange zest when unavailable.

5. Orange syrup

You can easily make orange syrup by cooking an equal amount of freshly squeezed orange juice and sugar on the stove for a few minutes until a syrupy consistency is achieved. Orange syrup can be the most perfect orange flavor addition to your cakes or muffins.

How to use it:

Cook orange syrup using an equal amount of freshly squeezed orange juice and sugar, then apply syrup on top of your baked goods (eg. cake, muffins) after baking. I explain in more detail how to apply syrup in mylemon meringue loaf recipe, it works the same with orange syrup on orange cakes.

6. Orange Marmalade

Are you making a dessert but do not have orange zest? Orange zest is the key ingredient in many dessert recipes, especially baked goods. Orange marmalade has a sweet citrusy flavor that works well in most sweet recipes.

7. Orange essential oil

Many essential oils are suitable for use as a flavoring and are safe for human consumption, but please always check the information on the packaging.

8. Lemon Zest

Replacing orange zest with lemon zest will change your recipe’s flavor profile to some extent. However, you can rest assured that your dish will have a similar aroma and flavor as it is the closest match of flavor.

Lemon zest can make an excellent orange zest and orange rind substitute since it belongs to the same family of fruits. Lemon has a similar taste, aroma, and texture that can quickly transfer these qualities to your recipes.

9. Lime Zest

Limes are similar to lemons except that they are greener, rounder, and smaller. Both lime and lemon have a sour taste and citrusy aroma.

Lime zest is an excellent substitute for orange zest in cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. Besides making cakes and cheesecakes, you can use them to garnish your favorite co*cktails.

10. Clementine Zest

Clementine is another easy orange substitute. Clementines are a type of mandarin oranges, an ideal option to substitute orange zest. Therefore, they have a deep color and are sweeter than regular oranges.

Like oranges, these fruits have a tangy flavor profile. These citrus fruits have a greater similarity with oranges as clementines are not as sour as limes or lemons.

11. Grapefruit Zest

Grapefruit belongs to the same fruit family as orange, with a similar flavor profile. These fruits are citrusy, tangy, and zingy in flavor and aroma. As such, it can do the same job as orange and lemon zest.

Grapefruit zest is suited as a substitute for orange zest in baking and cooking. Similarly, you can use grapefruit juice to replace orange juice in some recipes.

12. Pomelo

Pomelo is a non-hybrid, natural fruit with a flavor combination of sour and sweet. It is similar to grapefruit in taste, belonging to the family of citrus fruits.

The largest citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia, is the least acidic substitute fruit for orange. Nevertheless, they have quite the same amount of sweetness as oranges.

13. Kumquat

Kumquat has been a staple in Southeast Asian countries for centuries. It is used to enhance the flavor of various dishes while many prefer eating it raw.

It is a distinctly citrusy fruit. Kumquat has a slightly sweet flavor and an overwhelmingly tangy and sour taste. Interestingly, the peel is sweeter than the flesh of the fruit itself.

14. Yuzu

Yuzu is a citrus fruit originating from Asia. It is known for its highly aromatic rind that maintains its sour for even after cooking at high temperatures. The citrusy fruit is also called the Japanese citrus lemon for its strong tart. Yuzu tastes like a hybrid of grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin orange.

15. Leave it out

Unless the hero flavor of the dish you are making is orange (so that orange zest or a substitute cannot be left out), you might want to experiment with other flavorings and spices that can work well with the recipe you are making. Vanilla bean can be an excellent orange zest substitute if the original orange zest ingredient is unavailable.

Orange zest substitute FAQs

Conclusions

Do you want to add citrusy orange flavor to your recipe but do not have oranges at hand? You can replace the orange zest in your recipes with readily available ingredients at home.

Using orange zest is a wonderful addition to your recipes and luckily, there are plenty of alternatives when you want that lovely tangy taste in your baking or cooking.Use this guide and just choose the one that makes the most sense to you for your recipe.