If you keep one thing in your fridge, make it this. Two ingredients, twenty minutes, and a lemon infused olive oil you'll use on everything. Greeks have been doing this forever - not because it's trendy, but because it works. I've been making it for years, and it instantly lifts salads, fish, and roasted vegetables. The commercial versions? Not even close.
Table of Contents
Recipe snapshot
📸 At a glance:
- 🫒 What it is: Lemon infused olive oil is simply good quality extra virgin olive oil gently heated with fresh lemon peel until fragrant and flavourful. Two ingredients, no special equipment needed.
- ⏱️ How long it takes: About 20 minutes from start to finish - most of that is hands off while the oil does its thing on the stove.
- 🍋 What makes it worth making: The commercial versions are expensive and frankly disappointing. This one tastes like actual lemon and actual olive oil - because that's exactly what it is.
- 🫙 How to use it: Drizzle over salads, grilled fish, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, or anywhere you'd use regular olive oil but want a citrus lift.
- ✅ Peter's tip: Use the best olive oil you can find. Greek extra virgin if possible - the flavour difference is real and it matters here more than almost anywhere else.
⭐️ READER REVIEW
"I have made your lemon infused olive oil wow its delicious 😋"
- Vern
What you need
Just two ingredients - but both matter enormously.
- Extra virgin olive oil - this is not the place for a cheap or light olive oil. The oil IS the recipe, so use the best you have. Greek extra virgin is my preference - a good Laconian EVOO has a natural fruitiness that works beautifully with lemon. If you wouldn't drizzle it on bread, don't use it here.
- Fresh lemons - specifically the peel, not the juice. You want unwaxed organic lemons if you can find them - you're using the skin, so what's on the outside matters. Scrub them thoroughly regardless. Avoid any of the white pith when peeling - it's bitter and will affect the flavour of the oil.
Quick overview - how to make it
Full instructions and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Prep your lemons - Scrub your lemons thoroughly and peel them carefully, avoiding the white pith. The peel only - no juice needed here.
- Step 2: Gently heat the oil - Add the lemon peel and olive oil to a small saucepan over the lowest heat possible. You want a very gentle warmth - not a simmer, not a bubble. If the oil starts moving in the pan it's too hot. Heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 3: Cool and strain - Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Strain out the lemon peel and pour into a clean bottle or jar.
- Step 4: Store and wait - Seal and store in a cool dark place. The flavour develops and deepens over the first few days - try to be patient. It's worth it.
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A few tips for the best result
- Low and slow is non-negotiable. If the oil bubbles or simmers at any point you've gone too hot. High heat destroys the delicate lemon oils and will leave you with a bitter result. Keep it at the absolute lowest setting your stove allows.
- Avoid the pith. The white layer between the zest and the flesh is bitter. Take your time peeling and keep the strips as clean as possible - a sharp vegetable peeler works better than a knife here.
- Organic lemons are worth it. You're essentially extracting flavour directly from the skin. Unwaxed organic lemons give you a cleaner, brighter result.
- Let it rest before using. The flavour genuinely develops over the first 2-3 days. Make it ahead if you can.
- Store it properly. Cool, dark place - not next to the stove. Heat and light degrade olive oil quickly and you've put good oil into this. Look after it.
FAQ
'd strongly advise against it. Lemon juice contains water and acid which can cause the oil to spoil much faster and affects the flavour completely. The peel is where the aromatic citrus oils live - that's what you want infusing into the olive oil, not the juice.
Stored in a cool dark place it will keep for 2-3 weeks. If you've kept the lemon peel in the oil after straining - remove it. Leaving organic matter in the oil shortens its shelf life considerably and can cause it to turn rancid.
Fresh only. Dried peel has lost most of the essential oils that give you that bright, aromatic result. It's worth using the real thing.
Almost always the pith. That white layer between the zest and the flesh is intensely bitter and it will overpower the olive oil. Take your time peeling and keep the strips as clean as possible.
Absolutely - rosemary, thyme or garlic all work beautifully alongside lemon. Add them to the saucepan at the same time as the peel and infuse together. Just be aware that garlic in oil carries a small food safety risk if stored at room temperature - refrigerate any garlic infused oil and use within a week.
How to use lemon infused olive oil
This is where it gets fun. Once you have a bottle of this in your kitchen you'll find yourself reaching for it constantly. Here's how I use it:
The obvious ones: Drizzle over a Greek salad, grilled fish, or roasted vegetables just before serving. It works anywhere you'd use regular olive oil but want a citrus lift without actually squeezing a lemon.
The less obvious ones:
- Drizzle over fresh ricotta or Greek yoghurt with a little sea salt and good bread. That's a five minute appetiser that tastes like you tried very hard.
- Finish a simple pasta with it instead of regular olive oil - a little goes a long way.
- Use it as a marinade base for chicken or prawns with some fresh herbs and garlic.
- Drizzle over some Rainbow Chard - it's a whole new level of flavour.
- Use it in place of regular olive oil in my lemon ricotta cake for an extra citrus depth.
The most Greek thing you can do with it: Make a simple ladolemono - the classic Greek dressing of olive oil and lemon. Use your lemon infused oil instead of plain and it becomes something genuinely special. It's the dressing that goes on everything from grilled meats to steamed vegetables across Greece. My Greek salad dressing with ouzo takes this idea even further - and it's worth trying.
Storage
- How long does it last? 2-3 weeks stored in a cool dark place. Away from the stove, away from direct sunlight. Heat and light are olive oil's enemies - and you've put good oil into this, so look after it.
- What to store it in? A clean glass bottle or jar with a tight seal. Dark glass is ideal as it protects the oil from light. If you're giving it as a gift - and this makes a genuinely beautiful gift - a nice glass bottle sealed with a cork looks as good as it tastes.
- One important thing: Remove the lemon peel completely before storing. Don't leave organic matter sitting in the oil - it shortens the shelf life and can cause the oil to turn rancid faster than you'd expect.
- Can I refrigerate it? Yes - and if your kitchen runs warm, I'd recommend it. The oil will solidify slightly in the fridge which is completely normal. Just bring it back to room temperature before using and it will return to its usual consistency.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Infused Olive Oil - The Greek Way
Conversions
Ingredients
- 240 ml olive oil, extra virgin
- Peel from 1 or 2 lemons
Instructions
- Scrub your lemons quite thoroughly and peel avoiding any of the white pith.
- Place the lemon peel with the olive oil in a sauce pan and cook over a very low heat for 10-15 mins. (make sure the mixture does not boil. We want to the flavours to infuse nice and slowly)
- Remove from the heat and allow the olive oil to cool down completely. Once cooled, remove the peel and pour the flavoured oil in a bottle or jar.
- Store in a cool, dark place to allow the flavours to develop.
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Peter's Tips →
- Use the best olive oil you have -- it's only two ingredients so quality matters enormously here.
- Keep the heat as low as possible. If the oil bubbles or simmers it's too hot and you'll end up with bitter oil.
- Avoid the white pith when peeling -- it will ruin the flavour. A vegetable peeler gives you more control than a knife.
- Remove all lemon peel before storing. Never leave organic matter sitting in the oil.
- Give it 2-3 days before using -- the flavour develops significantly and it's worth the wait.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Souvlaki For the Soul
Made this recipe?
Rate and Comment below!This recipe was originally published in March 2012 but was updated with new pics and information in May 2026.
Diana Anderson says
I thought lemon infused olive oil would be wonderful in a olive oil cake. So I ordered some and it was very expensive! I followed your recipe and it is cooling on the stove at present. It tastes better than the high dollar lemon olive oil I bought! I am going to try the tahini cake next. Your recipes sound marvelous. You should write a book. I’d buy it!
Peter G says
Thanks Diana I really appreciate your kind words. Glad you also liked the recipe.
Jean says
Definitely i will do this, as i tasted it last week when we were in Greece. Thanks for the recipe.
Vern says
I have made your lemon infused olive oil wow its delicious 😋
Chyrl says
Question: I want to make lemon olive oil for gifts and have been searching for a recipe that would keep. How long can this be stored before use?
Peter G says
The shelf life for olive oil isn't that long. I think a few months would be ok. Thanks