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Last modified on May 5th, 2023
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5 Expert Instant Pot Tricks
HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH THE INSTANT POT
For a clean, bright smelling home just whip up a batch of Pressure Cooker Lemon Extract! This extract gives a perfect lemon-y punch to any dish.
Caution: Never make Extract in a stovetop pressure cooker or near an open flame. My recipes are written for electric pressure cookers only. Always use a NaturalRelease, never a quick release.
For more information on making Pressure Cooker Extract, see this article: Instant Pot Vanilla Extract Research
This Pressure Cooker Lemon Extract takes the cake for “Prettiest Extract”. I mean just look at the bright yellow, lemony sunshine in a jar! Super fragrant, happy, refreshing, Lemon Extract!
Now the first time I made this it was bitter and soapy tasting. The reason being that I was using a very dull vegetable peeler and was getting a lot of the white, bitter pith with my strips of peel.
Then came along this heavenly fruit peeler, and my zest peeling abilities have gotten seriously fierce!
Compared to commercial lemon extracts, that to me taste and smell very artificial, this Pressure Cooker Lemon Extract gives an incredible punch of fragrant lemon to whipped cream, ice cream, Berry Lemon Compote (so good mixed in yogurt!), and this delicious lemon curd by my dear friend Barbara at Pressure Cooking Today.
I went a bit heavier on the amount of lemon peel that I put in this extract compared to other recipes I’ve seen and I think it’s well worth it considering how cheap it is to make it.
Now go make your house smell like citrus heaven!
Be sure and check out the other extracts: Cinnamon, Vanilla, Peppermint, and Maple.
And just look what my sister Cami made up for us! Free printable extract labels for all the extracts posted about here.
Enjoy!
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Pressure Cooker Lemon Extract
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.8 from 6 reviews
Pressure Cooker Lemon Extract is bright, powerful, and will make your house smell squeaky clean.
- Author: Marci
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Extract
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- Zest of 3 medium size lemons (try not to get any white pith)
- About 1 cup Vodka (I like red label Smirnoff Vodka 80 proof)
Instructions
- Place the lemon zest in a pint size Mason jar and add vodka, leaving 1 ½-2 inches of headspace. Top with a canning lid and ring and barely tighten.
- Add 1 cup of water to the pressure cooker pot and place trivet inside. Put the Mason jar on the trivet. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Carefully remove the Mason jar, swirl it lightly, and place on a cooling rack overnight.
- Once cooled, top with a pourable lid and use in all your favorite recipes that call for lemon extract or lemon juice.
Notes
- Caution: Never make Extract in a stovetop pressure cooker or near an open flame. My recipes are written for electric pressure cookers only. Always use a NaturalRelease, never a quick release.
- Alcohol smell may be strong at first but will diminish over a week or two. If still overpowering at that point, return it to the pressure cooker for another 30 minutes.
- The pressure cooker will fit up to three jars at a time, so feel free to double or triple the recipe.
5 Expert Instant Pot Tricks
HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH THE INSTANT POT
Reader Interactions
Comments
Therese Valiquette Burch saysDo you happen to know how to make Lemon oil in the insta pot?? Is there such a thing? I want to make the lemoneist scented body scrub that I can. What would you recommend? Your recipe or keep looking for a lemon oil recipe?
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- Marci says
Therese, I have no idea about this one! Sounds amazing though so if you figure it out please report back!
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- Anita says
Thank you, I am making these extracts to give out as presents. I assume the longer the peel stays inside the stronger the flavor will be. How long do you keep the peels inside the jar before you transfer the extract inside small cute bottles?
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- Marci says
Anita, They make such a pretty gift! I would actually include a strip of the peel in each bottle if that’s possible, because it makes the yellow color extra vibrant. Plus the flavor will continue to get stronger even after you gift it. If you don’t want to do that, I’d wait at least 2 weeks to allow the alcohol smell to really mellow.
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- Anita says
My jars are out of the pressure cooker and the smell is amazing. While they were cooling you could hear the jar lids sealing to the jars. To place the pourable lid do I unseal the jars now or do I wait until I am ready to use it? I know we are not “canning” but now the jars are nice and sealed.
- Marci says
Anita, I would leave them alone until you’re ready to use them. You’re going to love this extract! It smells so amazing!
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- Anita says
Thank you, I am making these extracts to give out as presents. I assume the longer the peel stays inside the stronger the flavor will be. How long do you keep the peels inside the jar before you transfer the extract inside small cute bottles?
- Anita says
When I put 1 cup of Vodka inside a pint jar I have about half of the jar still empty and not 1 1/2″. Do I keep adding vodka until I have 1 1/2″ left? Thank you
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- Barbara says
Can I use quart size jars or are they too big for the cooker?
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- Marci says
Barbara, Quart size are too tall. Pint or half pints for sure!
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- Barbara says
I realized that after I asked. I’ve made both vanilla and orange and today I’m making lemon. The orange and vanilla still taste a bit like alcohol after two weeks. Is this a normal taste? I’ve never really tried extract straight. I figure if I let them stand longer the flavor may mellow. I followed the instructions so is this normal or do you have any ideas what may have happened
- Marci says
Barabara, it will always taste like alcohol straight out of the bottle, but adding it to other things, you shouldn’t notice the alcohol taste at all. In fact, if you didn’t taste any alcohol straight from the jar, I would worry it had evaporated too much. You want it to maintain an alcohol percentage safe enought to store it long term. Enjoy it! I’m excited to try orange!
- Sara says
I have a couple of questions:
1. How long is the shelf life of the extract?
2. Does it need to be refrigerated?
3. Do you have to keep the peels in the liquid? I would like to transfer to small bottles as gifts. Do I strain it?
Thank you.Reply
- Marci says
Sara, When I researched this, the answers were all over the map. I decided to leave the peel in for 3 months and had the extract used up within 6 months. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. If you’re gifting it, you can definitely strain it or put a few slices of lemon peel in it to make it extra cute :). The flavor will continue to infuse the longer the peel is in there as well.
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- Sara says
Thank you so much! These are gifts. I think my family will love them!!
- Marci says
Sara, my mom loves all things lemon. The smell of this extract alone is a gift to her 🙂
- linda says
Can you make vanilla extract and lemon extract at the same time in separate jars?
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- Marci says
Linda, Hmm…good question. My first thought was, “I think it will be fine” but there might be a little crossover. I highly doubt it would be anything significant though where the flats are on the jars.
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- Erica says
I made my first batch and followed your directions exactly but lost about 1/4 of the alcohol. Maybe it has to do with how much I tightened the lid…you said “barely tighten”…when I do canning, sometimes there is siphoning due to opening the pot too quickly, but I allowed it to cool completely (hours) before opening it. What do you think happened?
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- Marci says
Erica, I barely tighten my lid, but that’s hard to express to people because it’s so subjective! It does sound like your lid was too loose for it to evaporate that much. You could top it off if you like, it would need to sit for awhile to get strong again though.
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- Erica says
Great recipes! I’m curious why you leave 1 1/2-2″ headspace in the jar (and use pint jar instead of 1/2 pint because of that). Does the zest swell up that much or is it about the alcohol? Thanks!
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- Marci says
Erica, I like to give plenty of room to decrease the chances of a broken jar.
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- Rosh*ta Jordan says
I made the lemon extract in the instant pot. It sat for a week. It looked great, but I was concerned that I didn’t put enough zest in. So I drained it and put fresh lemon zest in and topped the jar off. In the instant pot, the lid wasn’t on tight. Some of the extract boiled out. So I wiped it off, sealed it, and placed in cabinet. I heard it pop a little while later. A week later, there is the cloudy residue or film resting on top of the lemon zest. Its not much, but I’m concerned. Has the extract gone bad? Is this normal?
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- Marci says
Rosh*ta, hmm…I can’t say I’ve ever seen that on my lemon zest, but with the alcohol, it seems weird that it would go bad. Sorry, I can’t be sure!
- Danielle B. says
What about lime? Can you give me suggestions for this use? Thanks for sharing your recipes. I am getting ready to start with Christmas gifts! 🙂
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- Marci says
Danielle, I’ve never done lime but I think it would be heavenly! Follow the same directions as the lemon and then report back to me on it! That would be such an amazing, unique gift!
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- Janice A. Esparza says
thanks.give great idea through the article
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- Nicole says
Can I use dried rinds? I can order some of that in bulk. Just wondering if it would work.
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- Marci says
Nicole, that’s a great idea actually, I bet it would work great. Maybe up your cook time to 40 minutes
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- Amy says
Hi there! I’d love to try lemon extract but I have a question. Are you using canning jars with the lid & ring so they seal during the pressurization? I thought the electronic pressure cookers weren’t supposed to be used like that? Maybe I’m wrong…I certainly have been in the past!! I just want to make sure that’s what I’m reading. If I don’t use a jar could I just cook it in small pot inside the IP then transfer it to a sealed jar after cooking?
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- Marci says
Amy, You are right, electric pressure cookers are not for canning. The purpose of the flat and ring in this scenario is to keep the alcohol from evaporating to a point where it won’t be as shelf stable. I talk about that a bit more in the Vanilla/FAQ post. Hope that helps!
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- Kayla says
Curious if you have the link for the template to print out the labels just as you posted for the vanilla? Thank you!
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- Marci says
Kayla, Yep! Here ya go https://www.tidbits-cami.com/printable-vanilla-extract-labels/
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- Denise says
Orange rind for orange extract? Yea or nay?
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- Marci says
Denise, Absolutely! The Lemon works well, I’ll bet the orange is amazing!
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- Tammi says
I love this recipe so can’t wait to try it.
Any ideas on how to make a coconut extract? My mom goes through TONS of it so I would love to make some for her.
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- Marci says
Tammi, I used some dried coconut and it wasn’t very strong. If I tried it again, I would use fresh and add a whole bunch of it. Or maybe even try it again with the dried coconut but fill the jar with half and half coconut and vodka. Now I’m curious again!
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- Morgan says
I have had an instant pot for a few months now, but haven’t ever tried extracts. If I wanted to make a larger batch of lemon (or any kind) would you recommend using a larger mason jar and double or tripling the recipe, several mason jars being “cooked” at the same time, or doing individual batches and “cooking” them seperately? If doing one big or multiple regular jar(s) at the same time would you change the amount of time in the pot? Sorry for so many questions! I appreciate your help!
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- Morgan says
I just re-read your recipe and saw your mind comment about double or tripling the recipe. Oops… haha! Same cooking time?
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- Marci says
Morgan, yep! Same time!
- Toni K says
In this recipe it says zest but in the picture it looks like lemon peels so which is it. I want to try and make some of these extracts for gifts. Thanks so much for recipes, info and your time.
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- Theresa says
Thanks so much for posting and sharing! I love the vanilla extract, and am excited to try these. Do you think you could do a jar of lemon, peppermint, etc at the same time? Or would flavors transfer? I’m also wondering about raspberry extract: maybe dehydrate the berries first? Thanks for any insight!
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- Marci says
Theresa, I would worry the taste might transfer a bit. They were each so powerful when I opened the lid, I would probably do them each separate. I did freeze dried bananas that actually worked really well, but the bananas were kind of black and scary looking so I decided not to post that one! I think raspberries would work great! Especially freeze dried ones so you didn’t have to worry about contamination. Let me know if you try it!
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- Val says
How long will this lemon extract store for? Does it need to be stored in the fridge? I’m looking at making a couple batches for Christmas gifts and was hoping it stored a few months.
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- Marci says
Val, Extracts are typically indefinite, but for me, since this was made with fresh ingredients, I may strain out the lemon in 4 months or so. No need to store it in the fridge!
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- Roberta says
Hi Marci! These extracts look wonderful!!! I’m getting on this bandwagon with the lemon one and will make it this week asap. First use for it that comes to mind is of course in desserts, but I’m thinking that in a pinch it could also be added to the last stages of a hot pasta dish or chicken, or OMG, lemony potatoes (!!!) when recipe calls for lemon zest and life hasn’t given me any lemons that day ????. Worth a try! Thanks for these amazingly tasty creations!!! Xoxo ???? ???? ????
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- Marci says
Roberta, it is so versatile! I used it in a breakfast cake last week and It was amazing! I love the idea of finishing off savory dishes with it. What a great idea!
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- KLynne says
I’m terrified to use the broken pit seeds and waste Vodka unless you give me the thumbs up.
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- Patricia says
Are you guys really talking about making extract from peach pits? The insides of stone fruit contain cyanide and should not be consumed.
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/slideshow/foods-that-can-kill-youReply
- Marci says
Patricia, I talk about that in the almond extract post. There’s lots of good info there and I even sent my extract off for testing to see what the cyanide levels were and the levels were far below what exists in some of our common day foods like beans and spinach. Check out the almond extract recipe for more info.
- Megan says
Thank you for these recipes. Have you experimented with mint extracts? I am currently working with the slow method and would love to speed it up! Thank you!
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- Marci says
Megan, yes! I posted that recipe here http://tidbits-marci.com/pressure-cooker-peppermint-extract/
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- KLynne says
Thank you! I left the cinnamon and lemon in the jars. I filled 4 oz mason jars, so there was room. Each batch (3 each) made two jars. Soaking the fenugreek seeds now. Can’t find vanilla beans, even on the site you referred us to that weren’t still expensive. Getting ready to smash a bunch of peach seeds as this is peach season here in CO so have enough for three batches! All batches are Xmas gift related but will give early as these girls will need it all to do their Holiday Baking! ???? Thanks again! Still getting used to my Instant Pot!
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- Marci says
Klynne, How amazing are you! You’re friends are gonna love it! I keep hoping the frontier brand of vanilla beans will get back in stock. There are organic ones available in that brand but they are really pricey. Kind of frustrating! I’ll report back if they come back in stock. Nice work though!
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- KLynne says
I’m breaking peach seeds open and the pits keep breaking into small pieces. Is that ok or can I only use the whole pits? Which are few are between?
- KLynne says
Thanks for keeping an eye out. I’m keeping my eyes peeled as well. Cost me $33 for Six just to throw in the Maple and hopefully tonight the Almond Extract. But can I throw in out crumbs, aka broken pieces, and still be ok? Very few broke uninjured and was shocked how many seeds didn’t have pits!
- Marci says
Klynne, I broke my pits just about every time, so yes totally fine to throw those in there. If anything, I think it helped to extract the flavor. That surprises me too about the peach pits! I don’t think I ever had one without a pit. What peach variety is it?
- KLynne says
So if I’m dividing it into smaller jars for gifts, do I go ahead and leave the peeling, aka zest in each jar? The same with the cinnamon sticks? Or do those get reused?
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- Marci says
KLynne, If the bottles are large enough to put some of the peel, cinnamon sticks, etc, in, I would. But if they won’t fit, it will be fine. If you’re making them even a month in advance, I’d go ahead and strain that stuff out. Most of the flavor will be extracted by that point anyways.
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- Beth says
So, I zested my lemon peel which of course gave me a bunch of tiny bits of the rind minus the pith. Do I strain the zest out now or leave and strain before use??
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- Marci says
Beth, I would just leave it in. For at least a couple months. Plus the tiny bits of zest might be amazing in your food!
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- Sally says
Would you use food grade glycerin with this as you did with vanilla?
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- Marci says
Sally, I’ve never tried the other extracts in glycerin, but I believe it would work great.
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- Lea says
Sister pretty please put a link in for the pressure cooker you use and love in each recipe! We want to support you and I’m late to the game and want to buy the kind you as the EXPERT like best!
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- Marci says
Lea, HAHA! Great tip, I’ll start being more consistent with posting that. But just for you, I love the Instant Pot DUO (the one with the yogurt function) and the fa*gor Lux Multicooker.
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- Cynthia says
I’m making l your lemon extract recipe right now. I just wanted to mention that I used a vegetable peeler to get the zest from my lemons and it worked perfect. All zest, no pith! Then I juiced the lemons, so i have lemon juice to use while I’m waiting for the extract to be ready.
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