This preserved lemons recipe is simple to make and brings bold, tangy flavor to tagines, salads, and more. With just lemons, salt, and time, you’ll have a vibrant condiment ready for any dish!

Pouring lemon juice in a jar filled with salted lemons.

Here is Why This Preserved Lemon Recipe Works

Minimal Ingredients, Maximum Flavor: All you need is lemons, salt, and a little patience—no fancy tools or hard-to-find items here!

Long Shelf Life: Once made, these lemons can chill in your fridge for up to a year, so you’re basically future-proofing your meals.

Versatile Kitchen MVP: From tagines to pasta dishes to a preserved lemon vinaigrette, these pickled lemons bring their A-game to almost any recipe.

Easier Than You Think: No, you don’t need to channel your inner homesteader. If you can stuff a lemon with salt, you’ve got this!

The Ingredients

Produce: Lemons (fresh)
Pantry seasonings: Sea salt
Pantry: Lemon juice (optional, for topping off the jar)

Juicing a lemon on a glass citrus juicer.

Ways to Use Preserved Lemons

Dressings and Marinades: Chop up the peel and mix it into salad dressings, marinades, or vinaigrettes for a tangy kick.
Tagines and Stews: A must-have for Moroccan dishes. Add preserved lemons to chicken or lamb tagines for authentic flavor. Try it in our Moroccan chicken stew.
Pasta Dishes: Toss chopped preserved lemons into pasta with olive oil, garlic, and herbs.
Seafood: Add preserved lemons to grilled fish, shrimp, or scallops for a bright and savory finish.
Rice and Grain Bowls: Stir preserved lemons into rice, quinoa, or couscous for a flavor-packed side dish.
Compound butter: Our preserved lemon butter is so good on fish and chicken.
Soups: Brighten up hearty soups like lentil, tomato, or chicken with finely chopped preserved lemons.

Slicing down the center of lemons prior to preserving them.

Tips for Success

Use unwaxed lemons. If your lemons are waxed, remove the coating by pouring boiling water over them and scrubbing thoroughly.
Press the lemons firmly into the jar to release their juices and minimize air pockets.
A clean, sterilized jar helps prevent unwanted bacteria and keeps your preserved lemons fresh for months.
Make sure the lemons are completely covered with juice to avoid spoilage. Add extra lemon juice if needed.
During the first few days, turn the jar upside down and back again to evenly distribute the salt and juice.
Let the lemons ferment for at least a month. The flavor only gets better with time!

Pouring salt into sliced crevices of a lemon to make preserved lemons.

Storing Preserved Moroccan Lemons

Refrigeration: Keep preserved lemons in the fridge in their jar. Make sure they are submerged in juice to prevent spoilage. Add more lemon juice if needed to keep them covered. They’ll last up to a year when properly stored.

Freezing: While preserved lemons don’t need to be frozen, you can chop the peel into smaller portions and freeze them in an airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 6 months.

Two lemons in a dish of salt with a spoon sitting beside them.

Pickled Lemons add Flavor to Recipes

Preserved lemons, sometimes called pickled lemons, are one of those simple recipes that feel a little magical. Just lemons, salt, and time, yet the result is a powerhouse of flavor that transforms your cooking.

Use it to whip up a Moroccan-inspired recipe or jazz up a salad. With a long shelf life, they’re a kitchen staple worth the tiny bit of effort.

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Sprinkling salt over lemons to preserve them.

Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons have an intense flavor and their tender rind has an almost jam-like consistency.

5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: to 6 preserved lemons (12 to 18 servings)

Calories: 21kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

4-6 lemons depending on the size of the jar you choose
4-6 tablespoons sea salt
Juice of 4 additional lemons

Instructions

Wash and scrub the lemons. *See Notes
The classic Moroccan way is to cut each lemon in quarters but not right through, so that the pieces are still attached to the stem end. Then, stuff each lemon with a tablespoon of salt and squeeze it closed. Put them in a sterilized preserving jar, pressing them down so that they are squashed together, and close the jar.
Leave the jar sitting on the counter top for 3 to 4 days, turning them upside down/right-side up at least once every day.
After 3-4 days open the jar and press the lemons down firmly, the lemons will be softened somewhat and will give up some of their juices.
Juice 4 fresh lemons and pour the juice over the top and smash down again so that the lemons are completely covered with juice.
Close the jar and leave in the refrigerator for at least a month, the longer they are left to ferment the better flavor will be.
Before using, rinse the lemon peel under cold water to get rid of the salt. If you will be using the pulp you may need to adjust the seasoning in the dish to allow for the saltiness of the pulp.

Notes

Most lemons will have a waxy food grade film covering them.
To remove the waxy film from the lemons, place them in a single layer of a colander and pour boiling water over them. Then, holding the lemons, one at a time, under cool running tap water scrub each lemon. Pat dry with paper towels and you are ready to make your preserved lemons.
The lemons should sit on the counter top for 3-4 days, turning at least once per day.
After 4 days, juice 4 fresh lemons and pour over the top of the lemons. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 1 month.
The longer the lemons sit in the fridge the better they will be.
The entire lemon can be eaten.
I used my meat mallet to press the lemons down firmly.
As you use the lemons, keep the remaining lemons pushed down and covered with juice. Add additional juice as necessary.
Preserved lemons will keep at least a year in the refrigerator.