How to Make Orange Peel Powder And Why it’s So Worth it!
After you peel an orange, fold the peel over and hold it up to your nose for a moment. That burst of bright, citrusy scent, warm and sharp at the same time, is what you’d be throwing out.
Taking some time to dry the peels will yield a lovely, fragrant ingredient that can be used in multiple DIY projects.
Orange peel powder carries that same citrus fragrance into everything you stir it into, from candles and bath salts to potpourri, shower steamers, and skin scrubs.
What’s more, it costs nothing to make. You don’t have to buy anything. Dry the orange peels after eating the fruit and powder them. That’s it!
The process is straightforward, and there’s more than one way to do it depending on the equipment you have at home. I use all three methods at different times of the year. Read on and pick the one that suits you.
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What You Need to Make Orange Peel Powder
- Fresh oranges – organic if possible to minimize pesticides in the powder
- Vegetable peeler or sharp knife
- Oven, food dehydrator, or a sunny windowsill (see drying methods below)
- Coffee grinder or spice grinder (a blender works too — see tips)
- Fine mesh sieve or strainer (optional, for a finer powder)
- Airtight glass jar for storage
Tip: One medium orange yields roughly 1–2 teaspoons of finished powder. Save peels in the fridge for up to a week — or freeze them — while you collect enough for a good-sized batch.
How To Make Orange Peel Powder: Step By Step
Choose Fleshy, Organic Oranges
Organic is the better choice here since you’re using the peel, not the flesh. Conventionally grown oranges are often treated with fungicides and wax coatings applied directly to the skin. If organic isn’t available, scrub the peels thoroughly under warm running water before you start.
Rinse and dry. Wash the oranges well under running water and pat them dry. Removing surface moisture now means less work for the dehydrating stage later.
Peel Oranges and Cut Peels Into Segments
Peel the oranges and cut the peel into strips or small squares roughly 2–3cm across. Smaller pieces dry faster and more evenly than large curls of peel.
For culinary use, it’s best to use only the thin, colored outer layer, as the white pith underneath can be bitter.
Keep the pith if you’re using the dry orange peel powder in homemade bath and fragrance projects.
Dehydrate the Sliced Peels & Grind Coarsely
Dry the peels using whichever method is most convenient for you – oven, dehydrator, or sun-drying. Full instructions for all three are in the next section.
You’re aiming for peels that are completely hard and brittle. The peels should snap rather than bend.
Break the dried peels into smaller pieces and run them through your coffee or spice grinder until you have a coarse, crumbly mix. Don’t try to get to a fine powder yet.
Dehydrate Again
This is the step most people skip, and it’s the one most responsible for powders that go moldy early.
Spread the coarsely ground pieces back onto your dehydrating tray or baking sheet and dry for another 30–60 minutes. Grinding exposes fresh interior surface area that can harbor hidden moisture. This second pass removes it.
Grind Completely Dry Orange Peels to a Fine Powder
Return the pieces to the grinder and run until you have a smooth, fine powder. For an even finer result, press the powder through a fine mesh sieve and regrind any larger pieces that don’t pass through.
Store immediately. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and store in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight. Properly dried and stored, your homemade orange peel powder will keep for up to six months.
How To Dry Orange Peels: 3 Methods
I’ve used all three of these at different points — the dehydrator in autumn and winter when I’m making things in batches, the oven when I need powder quickly, and sun-drying in summer when the weather is reliably warm. Each has its place.
Using a Food Dehydrator
A dehydrator is the most hands-off option and gives the most consistent results. Arrange the peel pieces in a single layer on the dehydrator tray, making sure they don’t overlap.
Set the temperature to 95–115°F (35–45°C) and run in 30-minute intervals, checking each time, until the pieces are completely hard and snap cleanly. This usually takes 2–4 hours depending on how thick your peels are. The low, steady temperature preserves the fragrant volatile compounds in the peel better than a hot oven does — your finished powder will smell noticeably more vibrant.
Using an Oven
Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature setting, ideally around 150°F (65°C). Arrange the peel pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer.
Place the sheet in the oven and prop the door slightly open with a wooden spoon to let moisture escape. A closed oven traps steam and slows the process considerably.
Check every 30 minutes and turn the pieces if the underside is drying faster.
Most orange peels are completely dried in 2–3 hours, but thicker pieces or peels with more pith may need longer. They’re ready when they’re completely hard and brittle.
Watch out: Oven temperatures vary. Check regularly in the first hour — the goal is slow drying, not toasting. Peels that brown or smell burnt won’t make good powder.
Sun Drying (No Equipment Needed)
Sun drying is the slowest method, but requires nothing more than a warm day and a baking tray. Cut the peels into thin strips or small pieces, thinner than you would for the oven or dehydrator, as there’s less heat to compensate.
Lay them on a tray lined with baking paper and place somewhere that gets direct sun for most of the day. This may be a south-facing windowsill, a table outside, a greenhouse shelf. Bring them in overnight and return them to the sun the next day. Depending on the warmth and air circulation, sun drying takes anywhere from 2 days to a week.
Good to know: Sun drying works best in warm, dry weather with low humidity. In humid conditions, the peels absorb moisture from the air as fast as they lose it, and can go mouldy before they fully dry. Stick to the oven or dehydrator if the weather is damp.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
Go organic if you can. Conventionally grown oranges are treated with pesticides and wax that concentrate in the peel. Organic peels give you a cleaner, purer powder, especially for products that go on your skin.
Don’t skip the second dehydration. It’s the difference between powder that lasts six months and powder that clumps and gets moldy within weeks.
Include the pith or not — depending on what you’re making. For food use, peel off only the thin colored outer layer as the pith is bitter. For bath, body, and home fragrance products, pith included is perfectly fine.
A coffee grinder gives the finest results. A blender works but tends to leave coarser pieces unless the peels are very thoroughly dried. If using a blender, grind in short pulses and sieve the result.
Other citrus works too. The same method applies to clementines, mandarins, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. Each produces a subtly different scent profile worth exploring.
Batch it when the season is right. Oranges are at their peak in the cooler months. Make a large batch in winter and you’ll have citrus-scented powder on hand for your spring and summer DIY projects.
Why it’s Worth Making Homemade Orange Peel Powder
Before you’ve even opened a jar of the finished powder, you’ll notice the scent – warm, citrusy, and genuinely uplifting in the way that only natural fragrance is. That scent is the whole point.
Orange peels contain limonene and other aromatic compounds, the same volatile molecules that give citrus essential oils their characteristic brightness.
Drying and grinding the peel concentrates and preserves those compounds in a form that’s easy to work with, slow-releasing, and wonderfully natural-smelling in finished products.
A Fragrant Addition to Almost Any DIY Project
Stir a teaspoon into melted candle wax to add scent and texture.
Blend it into bath salts, and the warm water activates the citrus aroma as you soak.
Pack it into a drawer sachet with lavender, and it quietly scents your clothes for months.
One of my favorite uses is adding it to a batch of homemade citrus shower steamers. The steam releases that orange fragrance beautifully, turning a quick shower into a genuinely aromatic experience.
Check out many more creative ways to use orange peel powder, including the DIY Citrus Shower Steamers recipe that uses it as a key ingredient.
It Costs Nothing to Make
The peels are a by-product of something you’re already eating. A jar of ready-made orange peel powder from a botanical supplier costs several dollars. Homemade costs only a little time — most of which is hands-off drying time, not active effort.
You Know Exactly What’s In It
No fillers, no additives, no question marks. If you’ve chosen organic oranges and done the drying yourself, the powder is exactly what it says it is. That matters when you’re adding it to skincare products or anything else that goes on your body.
Prefer to buy rather than make? Good-quality organic orange peel powder is available from Starwest Botanicals if you’d like to try a recipe before committing to making your own supply.
That’s all there is to it.
Save the peels, dry them, grind them, and you’ll have a genuinely useful citrus ingredient that earns its place in your DIY kit.
Once you have a jar on hand, you’ll find yourself reaching for it more often than you’d expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the oranges have to be organic?
I strongly recommend using organic oranges, especially for bath and skin products, as conventionally grown oranges are treated with fungicides and wax coatings applied directly to the peel. If organic isn’t available, scrub the peel very thoroughly under warm running water before using.
Can I include the white pith for drying or just the outer peel?
For food use, use only the thin outer colored layer – the pith tastes bitter. For aromatherapy, bath, and home fragrance projects, including the pith is perfectly fine and won’t affect the scent or quality of the powder.
Can I use a regular blender instead of a coffee grinder?
Yes, though a coffee or spice grinder gives a much finer, more consistent result. If using a blender, make sure the peels are completely brittle first, grind in short pulses, and sieve the finished powder to remove any larger pieces.
How long does homemade orange peel powder last?
Up to six months in an airtight container stored away from heat and direct sunlight — provided the peels were completely dry before grinding. Any residual moisture will cause it to clump or go moldy well before then.
Can I make peel powder with other citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, and clementines?
Yes, the method is identical for any citrus peel. Lemon and lime produce a sharper, more tart-smelling powder; clementine and mandarin tend to be softer and sweeter; grapefruit has a slightly floral citrus note. All work well in DIY projects.
Can I use frozen orange peels to make powder?
Yes, byut you will have to thaw the peels completely and pat to remove as much moisture as possible before starting. Frozen peels release a lot of moisture as they thaw, so expect them to need noticeably longer drying time than fresh peels.
Why did my orange peel powder go moldy?
Almost always because the peels weren’t fully dry before grinding. The double-dehydration step in the instructions — where you grind coarsely, dry again, then grind to a fine powder — is specifically designed to prevent this by removing moisture that the first drying pass missed.
How much peel powder does one orange yield?
Roughly 1–2 teaspoons from a medium orange, depending on peel thickness and how fine you grind it. It’s worth saving peels from several oranges before making a batch. Most recipes call for at least a couple of tablespoons.
