How Long Dried Lemons Last (And How to Store Them)

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Whether you bake at home or you have a sweet tooth and like to have dried citrus fruits on hand, dried lemons are a great thing to put in the pantry.

Not only are dried lemons super tasty as a snack on their own, but they can also be incorporated into all sorts of delicious treats, from cookies to muffins to sweetbreads. (If you’re feeling lazy, you can just add them to a bowl of porridge!)

Dried lemons can be bought in almost all supermarkets. They don’t cost much and have a very long shelf life.

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But, as you probably know since you’re reading this, dried fruits don’t last forever. And to keep dried lemons at their best, you need to know how to store them.

So let’s waste no more time with introductions and get to it then.

How Long Do Dried Lemons Last?

The Takeaways: Dried Lemons

Where to store: Cool, dry, and dark place

Shelf life: 4 months to 1 year

Tips: Once opened, store in sealed jars or airtight containers in the pantry or in the fridge.

Stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, such as in a dark cupboard or in the pantry, dried lemons have a shelf life of 4 months to 1 year.1“Packaging and Storing Dried Foods,” National Center for Home Food Preservation, https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry/pack_store.html

This applies to commercially dried lemons as well as lemons dried at home, as long as the latter have been conditioned properly to a moisture content of about 20 percent.

According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, the optimal storage temperature for dried lemons is 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). The warmer and more humid it is in your home, the shorter the shelf life.

Unopened dried lemons can be kept in the original packaging. Once opened, dried lemons should be packed in dry, scalded glass jars or airtight freezer containers.

Label the date and, for best quality, be sure to use them up within 6 months to 1 year.2Drying Fruits — 9.309, Colorado State University Extension, https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/drying-fruits-9-309/

Generally, glass jars are a better option for storing dried lemons than plastic containers because they sweat if there’s too much moisture on the inside, in which case you know to redry and repackage the lemons or to throw them away in case they are moldy.

To store dried lemons for a longer period of time, vacuum-seal them in small, serving-sized bags, throwing in an oxygen absorber packet in each bag. (You can buy a decent vacuum sealer at the thrift store. Oxygen absorbers are carried by well-stocked supermarkets and home improvement stores.)3J. Languille, D. Luther, T. Pennington, S. Wells, The Prepper’s Ultimate Food Storage Guide

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How Do You Tell If Dried Lemons Are Bad?

The number one rule of food safety is, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Dried lemons are no exception.

If the dried lemons in your pantry smell bad, have mold, or appear discolored, you have no way to determine whether or not they are safe for consumption. Throw them away immediately so that others in your household don’t make the mistake of trying to eat them.

If you find that your dried lemons are infested with pantry pests, throw them away and clean the cupboards or shelves where they were stored thoroughly.4”Pantry Pests: Inspects Found in Stored Food,” University of Minnesota Extension,  https://extension.umn.edu/product-and-houseplant-pests/pantry-pests-insects-found-stored-food

If your dried fruits look good and smell fine, but they taste bitter or sour, spit them out and throw the rest of the package away. Safe dried fruit should be pleasantly sweet and not have bitterness or sourness to it.

All in all, trust your senses and let common sense prevail; they are there to protect you. Never eat dried lemons that raise your eyebrows or make you cringe.

Can You Soften Dried Lemons?

The longer the dried lemons sit, the more moisture they’ll lose (provided they are stored properly). This means that dried lemons that are a few months old can become very—and we mean very—hard to chew.

The good news is that you can soften them!

To soften dried lemons, you simply need to soak them in a liquid, refrigerate them, and wait for 60 to 90 minutes. You can use water, fruit juice, milk, or a plant-based milk alternative; it comes down to the recipe if you’re following one and your personal preferences if you are not.

Put the lemons in the fridge during the soak. Because you’re rehydrating them, you’re also transforming them from shelf-stable to perishable, and perishable foods shouldn’t be left to sit out at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours.5”What Is the ‘2-Hour Rule’ With Leaving Food Out?” Ask USDA, https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-the-2-Hour-Rule-with-leaving-food-out

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