Lemon Powder: 7 Best Ways to Use in Cooking and Amazing Health Benefits!
Lemons have been a kitchen staple in Indian households. Lemons are also rich in Vitamin C and carry nutritional benefits. However, dealing with lemons can often be a struggle. It is a task to squeeze out every drop of that rich citrus juice (hey! It’s not cheap!). Or when a seed drops in, it becomes a hassle.
But now, you can enjoy all the lemon powder benefits without the mess. Introducing Lemon Powder, your new friend in the kitchen. Let’s take a look at Lemon Powder, some fantastic uses of lemon powder in cooking, and its health benefits!
What is Lemon Powder?
Lemon Powder, also known as Nimbu Powder in Hindi, is a unique seasoning ingredient. It is made using fresh lemon juice extracted from the finest quality of lemons, which is spray-dried into a powdered form. The result is a sweet, sour, and tangy lemon seasoning powder that offers limitless culinary potential.
You can use lemon powder as a substitute for actual lemon juice in your recipes. No need to worry about washing, slicing, deseeding, and squeezing lemons. It is convenient to use and works perfectly with sweet and savoury recipes.
Lemon Powder Flavour Profile:
Lemon powder has that classic sour and tart taste similar to fresh lemons but more concentrated. It is zesty, slightly bitter, and citrusy.
How to Use Lemon Powder:
- Use ½ tsp dry lemon powder as a substitute for one tbsp fresh lemon juice.
- Add it in the last 15 minutes of your preparation.
How to Select the Best Lemon powder?
- Shelf Life: Check the shelf life, manufacturing date, and ‘Best Before’ guidelines before you purchase. A good quality lemon powder will carry 12-18 months of shelf life.
- Packaging: Inspect the packaging thoroughly. It should have proper packaging and sealing to protect quality and flavour.
- No Preservatives or Additives: The best lemon powder will not have additives, preservatives, chemicals, or colours. It should be 100% natural and pure.
- Food Safety License: You must check whether the packaging comes with an FSSAI mark. This mark indicates that the product is approved by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
7 Delicious and Creative Lemon Powder Uses in Indian Cooking
Lemon powder seasoning is incredibly versatile. Here are seven fantastic ways to use lemon powder in your cooking:
We all love a refreshing glass of ‘nimbu paani’ on hot summer days. You can make delicious lemonade with lemon powder. Just add lemon powder to your glass with other ingredients, and enjoy!
Fan of lemon in your tea? Make a fancy cup of hot lemon tea, or add a kick of tang to your favourite tea with a pinch of lemon powder. And if you are bored of bland water, you can always stir in lemon powder and keep yourself hydrated. A hot Lemon Ginger Drink may help soothe cough, congestion, and cold.
Lemon powder pairs well with several fruits and vegetables. You can combine it with cucumbers to make Cucumber Smoothie, or blend it with papaya, pineapple, and coconut milk for a tropical delight. Add it to your Watermelon Juice, Healthy Beetroot Juice, Pear Juice, Carrot Juice, and Mojitos.
Make a zingy dip with lemon powder. You can add it to mayonnaise, guacamole, salsa, hummus, coleslaw, or yoghurt and dill, and make an excellent dipping sauce. Mix it with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, or other spices to use as a salad dressing. You can sprinkle the lemon juice powder over your vegetable, corn, chicken, or green salads.
You can use lemon powder as a multipurpose garnish or seasoning. Sprinkle it over your fruit bowls, toasted nuts, bhel puri, chaat, etc. You can also use it to season your sautéed vegetables, corn, chicken, and fish recipes.
Lemon powder is gold when it comes to baking, bringing you limitless opportunities for creativity and experimentation. You can add lemon powder to baked goods like muffins, cookies, cakes, sweet bread, pies, puddings, tarts, and cheesecakes.
It can also be whipped into frosting and buttercream or used for icings, glazes, sauces, and dessert fillings. The major advantage of lemon powder is that it brings tartness to your baked recipes without messing up the proportions.
Mix lemon powder seasoning with other spices and dried herbs to create custom blends. You can use these mixes as marinades or flavour your curries, soups, stews, and sabzis.
Best Combos:
Lemon Powder can be paired with Ginger Powder and added to warm beverages, vegetable smoothies, and fruit juices. This combination also works excellently in gravies, paneer dishes, soups, etc.
Combine Lemon Powder with Garlic Powder and Red Onion Powder to give a flavour boost to your dips and sauces, salads, chaats, and other snack items.
Popular Recipe Recommendations:
How to Store Lemon Powder:
Store lemon powder in an airtight container and a dry, cool place.
7 Surprising Health Benefits of Lemon Powder
Here are seven health benefits you can enjoy by adding lemon powder to your diet:
Lemon Powder has a high concentration of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and flavonoids. They strengthen your immune system, protecting you against cold, cough, flu, and bacterial infections. Vitamin C and other antioxidants also protect your body from the damage caused by free radicals, reducing the risk of neurogenerative diseases.
Dry lemon powder contains a powerful fibre called pectin, which helps reduce weight and fight obesity. When ingested, this fibre can help you feel fuller sooner and satiated for longer.
There are several lemon powder uses for skin improvement. It has a high content of Vitamin C, which reduces dryness, slows down ageing, detoxifies your skin, and helps fight wrinkles, acne, dark spots, and pigmentation. The citric acid in lemon powder also helps rejuvenate your skin, giving it a youthful glow. You can also make a mask with lemon powder for skin brightening.
Another lemon powder benefit is that it can help improve your heart health. It reduces the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases by controlling blood pressure, improving circulation, and decreasing cholesterol levels.
The chemicals hesperetin and rutin in lemon powder help bring your blood sugar under control. Lemon powder may also slow the conversion of starch into sugar, improve glycaemic control, and lower glucose levels.
Lemon powder contains a high amount of dietary fibre. Soluble fibres help improve digestion and gut health, regulate bowel movements, and reduce constipation and other gastrointestinal problems.
Vitamin C deficiency is linked to oral problems like bleeding gums, scurvy, gum infections, and gingivitis. Being a rich source of Vitamin C, lemon powder can help fight these dental issues and maintain good oral health and hygiene.
Lemon powder is a fantastic ingredient. It is convenient to use, versatile, and packed with all the goodness of fresh lemons. You can buy Lemon Powder online at Zilli’s. It is made with the finest quality of fresh lemons and will surely be an excellent addition to your kitchen!
FAQs:
How do you use lemon powder in cooking?
There are plenty of dried lemon powder uses in cooking. It is a great substitute for fresh lemon in your preparations. As it has an intense flavour, you should use ½ tsp of lemon powder for 1 tbsp lemon juice. You can use it in beverages, savoury dishes, and baking.
Is lemon powder the same as lemon juice?
Yes. Essentially, dry lemon powder is made by spray-drying lemon juice. You can use lemon juice powder as a replacement for lemon juice, zest, and extract.
Is Lemon powder good for health?
Yes, there are various lemon powder benefits. It boosts your immunity, reduces the risk of heart disease, helps control diabetes, assists with weight loss, boosts oral health, and improves your skin.
Does lemon powder contain citric acid?
Yes, lemon powder is known to contain a high level of citric acid. Citric acid helps reduce weight, dissolve excess fat, boost metabolism, improve digestion, and remove toxins from your body.
How long does lemon powder last?
Lemon powder is more shelf-stable compared to fresh lemons and has a longer shelf life. You can expect your lemon powder to last around 18 months in your kitchen.