Homemade Vitamin C Powder: Easy Orange and Lemon Peel Recipe

Making your own Vitamin C from citrus peel powder is one of the easiest ways to use up organic lemon or orange peels at home.

It is cheap, simple, and a nice way to add citrus flavor plus some naturally occurring vitamin C and plant compounds to smoothies, yogurt, or recipes.

Just keep expectations realistic: homemade citrus peel powder is still food, not a standardized supplement, so the exact vitamin C amount can vary a lot depending on the fruit, the peel thickness, and how you dry and store it.

As you know, proper doses of Vitamin C are essential for your immune system, your bones, your muscle cartilage, and your dental health, and to prevent viral and bacterial infections.

(Our body does not make Vitamin C, which makes it an important nutrient to have on hand.)

Is Homemade Vitamin C Better?

Homemade citrus peel powder can be a fun, low-cost option if you like using whole-food ingredients and want less waste in the kitchen.

But it is not automatically better than a store-bought vitamin C supplement.

Why?

Because the vitamin C in supplements is usually standardized, while the amount in homemade peel powder can vary a lot.

Drying and storage can also reduce vitamin C over time, especially when heat is used.

It’s not ideal for anyone who needs a precise vitamin C dose.

It also contains its natural source of rutin, hesperidin, and bioflavonoids.

DIY Natural Vitamin C Powder

All you’ll need is a few organic lemons (or any other citrus fruits).

You’ll be using the peels because they are loaded with Vitamin C, much more than the fruit itself.

For example, 100 grams of orange peel provides about 136 mg of Vitamin C, while the fruit provides about 71 mg (in 100 grams of fruit). That’s almost double!

By ingesting the peels – pith and all – you take in much more bioavailable Vitamin C than you would by eating the fruit or taking a synthetic supplement.

Note: it is important that the fruit is organic, as you don’t want to be eating peels sprayed with nasty chemicals.

Follow These Steps:

1. Wash the fruit (I use about 5 lemons for a 2-week supply) and peel off the skin.
2. Cut the peels into small squares, or leave them as strips.
3. Dry them out.

• Air Drying – place them on a cloth and put them by the window in the sunlight. Allow them to dry and shrivel for a few days.

Simple tip: lower-temperature drying is usually gentler on vitamin C than hotter drying, but some loss can still happen with any drying method.

Once they’re dry, use a coffee grinder or a similar device, and turn your peels into a powder.

Store your Vitamin C powder in an airtight container.

Using this method, you can use the powder for about a week (stored in the refrigerator).

• Dehydrator – place the lemon peel strips in a dehydrator at 100ºF for 6-9 hours. Then grind it into a powder and put it in an airtight container.

Using this method, the powder can be used for about 3 months, stored in a cool and dry place, or 6 months in the freezer.

Voila, you’ve just made your own natural, organic Vitamin C supplement at home!

Can You Make Vitamin C Out of Orange Peels?

Yes, you can use the same recipe and instructions to make Vitamin C powder from orange peels as well. This study has shown that 100 grams of dry orange peels contain 110.4–127.70 mg of Vitamin C!

DIY Vitamin C Candy for Kids

To make Vitamin C candy, use the above recipe and sprinkle a little Stevia on the lemon peel strips before placing them in the dehydrator.

When it’s ready, your kids will love munching on these sweet lemon peels, loaded with immune-boosting goodies.

Ways to Use Your Homemade Citrus Peel Powder

Because homemade peel powder is not standardized, it is better to treat it like a food ingredient, not a precise supplement.

Easy ways to use it:

• Stir a small amount into a smoothie
• Mix into yogurt
• Add to oatmeal
• Blend into homemade gummies or fruit leather
• Use a pinch in salad dressings or citrus marinades

A sensible starting amount: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon for flavor and light use.

If you want a precise vitamin C dose, a tested supplement or regular vitamin-C-rich foods is the more reliable option. The adult RDA is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, with higher needs for smokers.

Easy Vitamin-C-Rich Smoothie Recipe

If you do not need a DIY powder, one of the simplest ways to get vitamin C is still to use whole fruits and juice in a smoothie.

Strawberries and orange juice are both established sources of vitamin C

This drink contains 4 of the fruits with the highest levels of Vitamin C. You can freeze it in ice-cube trays for up to 4 weeks.

To make a smoothie, combine 2 cubes with 1/2 cup yogurt or almond/rice milk.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces fresh strawberries (preferably organic)
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup lemon juice – freshly squeezed.

Combine the ingredients in a blender for about 1 minute.

Stir well before pouring and serve cold. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, but if you don’t freeze it, It’s better to drink it right away.

DIY Citrus Vitamin Bites

These are more like homemade chewable bites than true standardized tablets, since the amount of vitamin C per piece will vary.

That makes them fun for convenience, but not ideal if you want a precise dose.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon rosehip powder
• 1 tablespoon acerola powder
• Raw organic honey
• Orange peel powder

Mix together the powdered ingredients and pour just a little bit of warm honey into the mix until it holds together.

Make sure it’s not too sticky or moist.

Pour the mixture into pea-size molds.

Simple Homemade Chewable Vitamin C Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon orange peel powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon peel powder
• 1 tablespoon rosehip powder, if you want a stronger fruit-based blend
• Raw honey, just enough to hold it together

Instructions:

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

1. Add a little honey at a time until the mixture starts to hold together.
2. Shape into small pea-size bites.
3. Let them firm up in the fridge before using.

Start small. Since homemade powders are not standardized, it makes more sense to use these in modest amounts rather than assuming each bite gives a specific vitamin C dose.

More Great Uses for Orange Peels

If you have organic oranges at home, don’t throw the peels away.

Orange peels can be dried, blended into a powder, and used in all kinds of simple recipes.

They also contain vitamin C and other natural plant compounds, although the exact amount can vary depending on the fruit and how you dry and store it.

Here are a few easy ways to use orange peels:

• Dry the peels and grind them into a fine powder for smoothies, yogurt, or oatmeal
• Add a little orange peel powder to homemade gummies or chewable vitamin bites
• Mix a small amount into salad dressings or citrus marinades
• Blend it into baked goods for extra orange flavor
• Add thin strips of peel to tea, as long as you want flavor more than a reliable vitamin C boost

If you want to use orange peels for this recipe, organic is still the better choice, since you are using the peel itself.

More Foods High in Vitamin C

Homemade citrus peel powder can be a nice DIY option, but it is not the only way to get vitamin C.

Many foods are naturally rich in vitamin C, including citrus fruits and juices, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, baked potatoes, and tomatoes.

In fact, many people can get enough vitamin C just by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Some easy vitamin-C-rich foods to keep around are:

• Grapefruit
• Strawberries
• Kiwi
• Red bell peppers
• Green bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Baked potatoes

One good thing about getting vitamin C from food is that these foods usually bring other helpful nutrients with them too.

Conclusion

Getting your daily dose of Vitamin C is amazingly simple – no need for expensive, store-bought, additive-filled supplements.

All you need is a few citrus fruits. You can dry them up and make them into a powder, you can make juice out of them – whatever you want.

And you’ll get the best bioavailable Vitamin C – for you and your family – for a fraction of the cost.

To your health and happiness,

Meital

Studies:

Hassan FA, Elkassas N, Salim I, El-Medany S, Aboelenin SM, Shukry M, Taha AE, Peris S, Soliman M, Mahrose K. Impacts of Dietary Supplementations of Orange Peel and Tomato Pomace Extracts as Natural Sources for Ascorbic Acid on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Plasma Biochemicals and Antioxidant Status of Growing Rabbits. Animals (Basel). 2021 Jun 5;11(6):1688.