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Here’s how to zest an orange: 3 ways! You’ll need a microplane, box grater, or vegetable peeler to make orange zest to use in all your recipes.

How to zest an orange
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Wondering how to zest an orange? We’re here to help. You’d think that to make zest…you’d need a zester, right? It’s actually not the best tool for the job. Zesters are hard to use, and are better suited for cocktails, anyway. To get your zest, you’ll need either a microplane or a box grater…and a vegetable peeler will do in a pinch! Here’s how to make a fine zest for using in recipes (not cocktail garnishes).

**Want to zest an orange for a cocktail garnish? Go to How to Make a Lemon Twist (it works for oranges, too!)

What is zest?

Orange zest is the colored outside portion of its peel. It brings a citrusy, tangy flavor to recipes. It’s great in salad dressings like our Citrus Salad Dressing, or baked goods like Orange & Fennel Cake.

Here’s the most important part of how to zest an orange: You want the colorful part of the peel only, not the white pith! The pith has a bitter flavor and should be avoided.

Orange zest

Best method: How to zest an orange

The best method for how to zest an orange? Using a microplane. What’s a microplane? It’s a handheld grater that has a metal plate with sharp holes. You’ll find this works much faster than using a box grater, and it results in more consistent grating. You can use it to grate all sorts of things: lemons, limes, garlic, and ginger. Here’s the coarse microplane grater we use.

Don’t have a microplane? Don’t worry. You can use the fine holes on a box grater.

Here’s how to zest an orange with a microplane (or fine holes on a box grater):

  1. Hold the microplane in one hand, then place one end on a flat surface and hold it at an angle. (For the box grater, simply place it on a flat surface like a cutting board.)
  2. Hold the orange in the other hand, and drag it down over the microplane holes. Important: make sure to remove the orange part of the skin only! Avoid the white pith, which can taste bitter.
  3. Gradually turn the orange until all orange parts of the peel have been removed.

How to zest an orange: in a pinch!

If you don’t have a microplane or a box grater, you can use a vegetable peeler! This method is a little more difficult because it can be hard to remove the peel using a peeler. But it works! Here’s what to do:

  • Use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel off large pieces of the orange part of the skin only (avoiding the pith). 
  • Use a chef’s knife to mince the peel into very small pieces.
How to zest an orange

How much zest and juice in 1 orange?

We’ve got the magic formula. Keep in mind that this quantity varies slightly if you have very large or very small oranges. Here’s the formula: One medium orange yields about 1 to 2 tablespoons zest and about ¼ cup orange juice. 1 large orange can have up to 3 tablespoons zest.

Recipes with orange zest

We love cooking with this ingredient for the beautiful zing it adds! Here are some of our favorite recipes that incorporate it:

Fennel orange salad
This Fennel Orange Salad features orange zest in the citrus salad dressing
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How to Zest an Orange

How to zest an orange
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Here’s how to zest an orange: 3 ways! You’ll need a microplane, box grater, or vegetable peeler to make orange zest to use in all your recipes.

Note: This method yields fine zest for using in recipes (not cocktail garnishes). **Want to zest an orange for a cocktail garnish? Go to How to Make a Lemon Twist — it works for oranges, too!

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minutes
  • Yield: 2 to 3 tablespoons 1x
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Zested
  • Cuisine: Citrus

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 orange
  • 1 coarse microplane, fine grater, or vegetable peeler

Instructions

  1. Wash the orange and dry it. Then use one of the zesting methods below:
  2. Microplane: Hold the microplane in one hand, place one end on a flat surface and hold it at an angle. Hold the orange in the other hand, and drag it down over the microplane holes. Remove the orange part of the skin only (not the pith). Gradually turn the orange until all sides are zested.
  3. Fine grater: Do the same as the microplane, using the finest holes on your box grater.
  4. Peeler: Use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel off large pieces of the colored part of the skin only, dragging from the top to the bottom (not the pith). Then use a knife to mince the peel into very small pieces.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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3 Comments

  1. Sharon Perkins says:

    Great explanation and easily done, thanks to your clear instructions.






  2. Paula says:

    Hello, can freshly grated orange zest be added to a combination of other spices & stored at room temperature for a extended period of time?
    Thanking you in advance for your prompt response.
    Blessings!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Hi! No, you would need to dry it out before mixing otherwise the moisture will go into the other spices.