Lemon Pepper Seasoning: What’s in It, Where the Flavor Comes From, and How to Use It

At its simplest, lemon pepper is lemon zest and cracked pepper. Most store-bought versions are really seasoned salts, though: salt is the first ingredient on McCormick’s label, ahead of the black pepper, with lemon oil bringing the lemon.¹ It’s best known on fish, seafood and chicken, and in Atlanta, on chicken wings, where “lemon pepper wet” came from a menu item at American Deli, by an Atlanta screenwriter’s account.² Below: what named blends contain, where the flavor comes from, how to use it, and what to know about sodium and labels.

At a glance

What’s in it: two labels side by side

There’s no single recipe. Here are the ingredient lists of two named products, in label order:

The two blends get their lemon in different ways: McCormick from lemon oil and citric acid, The Spice House from dried lemon peel and citric acid. Salt is first on McCormick’s list and second on The Spice House’s.¹³

A homemade version can be as simple as finely grated lemon zest, dried and mixed with coarsely ground black pepper, with salt to taste.

Flavor and the compounds behind it

The pepper. Black pepper’s flavor comes mainly from piperine, which makes up 4.9 to 7.7% of black pepper according to PROSEA. Piperine works on the same heat receptor as chili’s capsaicin, TRPV1, but in lab tests on the human receptor it was a weaker activator than capsaicin.⁶ Black pepper’s essential oil is about 90% monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons.⁷

The lemon. Lemon essential oil is pressed from the peel. In one study of cold-pressed peel oil from Venezuelan lemons, limonene made up 65.65% of the oil. The main aldehydes were geranial (1.43%) and neral (0.87%), which the authors treat as quality markers.⁴ That’s one orchard’s oil, not a figure for lemons in general.

The two halves share at least one compound. Limonene is also the largest single component (24.0%) in an Indian black pepper oil sample analyzed by PROSEA.⁷

How it tastes depends on the blend. Salt-forward blends taste mostly salty and peppery, with a sour lift from citric acid. Blends with more peel or oil smell more clearly of lemon.

Origin

None of the sources we found records when or where lemon and black pepper were first paired as a seasoning, and the blend has no documented inventor.

The ingredients have separate histories. PROSEA says black pepper is native to India’s Western Ghats, though sources differ on its exact native range (see black pepper).⁷ The lemon isn’t a wild species at all. Kew describes Citrus × limon as a cultigen derived from artificial hybrids involving citron, pomelo and mandarin (C. medica, C. maxima and C. reticulata).⁸ So the often-repeated claim that both lemon and pepper come from India holds only for the pepper, and only with that caveat.

How lemon pepper is used

Fish and seafood. McCormick suggests it especially for fish, shrimp and other seafood, and recommends stirring it into melted butter or olive oil to brush on seafood while grilling or broiling.¹

Chicken and wings. McCormick also suggests chicken breasts, pork chops and pasta, and a rub for chicken wings.¹ In Atlanta, lemon pepper wings are a local institution. Atlanta magazine describes two styles: at J.R. Crickets, buffalo wings finished with a heavy shake of dry lemon pepper seasoning, and at American Deli, a lemon pepper sauce that coats the wing. The phrase “lemon pepper wet,” made famous by the FX series Atlanta, came from a menu item at American Deli, according to the show’s screenwriter Stephen Glover.²

Everything else. McCormick lists eggs, tuna salad, coleslaw, salad dressings, marinades and dips.¹ The Spice House suggests chicken, vegetables, fish, avocado toast and fish-fry breading.³

Most blends are salted, so taste before you add more salt to a dish.

Buying and quality

Check the ingredient list for three things: whether salt comes first, how the lemon gets in (oil, peel or just citric acid), and any added colors or flavor enhancers. McCormick’s blend contains FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake.¹ FDA rules require foods with FD&C Yellow No. 5 to name it in the ingredient list.⁹

Storage

We couldn’t find a shelf-life figure for lemon pepper from a regulator or standards body. Keep it tightly closed, away from heat and light. Once a blend loses its lemon smell, it’s mostly adding salt and pepper.

Sodium and health

Lemon pepper isn’t a meaningful source of nutrients. McCormick’s label lists 0 calories per 1/4-teaspoon serving. Its main nutritional effect is sodium. The same label lists 170 mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon (7% of the Daily Value),⁵ about 680 mg per teaspoon. The FDA’s Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 mg a day,¹⁰ and the World Health Organization recommends adults stay under 2,000 mg, naming raised blood pressure as the main health effect of eating too much.¹¹

You’ll see claims that lemon pepper helps prevent obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease. Nothing we found supports them. If you’re watching sodium, read the label and salt the dish separately.

Substitutes and comparisons

• Lemon pepper substitutes
• Black pepper, black pepper substitutes and white pepper vs. black pepper
• Cracked vs. ground black pepper
• Seasoned salt
• Lemon myrtle and lemon thyme, other lemon-scented seasonings
• Too much pepper