Flavours That Go With Lemon: 70+ Best Ingredient Combinations

Fresh lemons are one of the easiest ways to add a dash of bright flavour to your cooking. The sour, acidic taste of lemons works with a range of different ingredients, in everything from savoury dishes to desserts. Lemons go well with lots of different herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables, proteins like poultry and fish, and a range of other sweet and savoury ingredients. Explore the best lemon flavour combinations in this comprehensive list of over 70 flavours that go with lemon.

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may be paid a commission if you use these links to make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Herbs that go with lemon

Fresh herbs are lemon are both easy and healthy ways to add a burst of flavour to your cooking. This flavour duo is popular in Mediterranean cooking, including Greek dishes. Lemons go with a host of different herbs, in sweet and savoury dishes and drinks. Try one of these herb and lemon combinations:

• Basil – Lemon and basil is one of my favourite combinations. It’s lovely in pasta, chicken dishes, lemon and basil pesto. It even works in sweet dishes, like lemon and basil cake, and in lemonade and other lemon drinks.
• Chives – Chives, or garlic chives, with lemon work well with fish and seafood, chicken, in pasta and in tasty lemon salad dressings, or our compund lemon garlic butter.
• Coriander (Cilantro) – Lemon and coriander (cilantro) is a delicious combination, frequently found in Indian dishes. It’s perfect for flavouring fish and chicken dishes.
• Dill – Combine dill and lemon to flavour seafood, sauces or in this lemon cannellini bean dip with plenty of fresh dill. We also pair lemon and dill in our Greek lemon rice pilaf.
• Lavender – Subtle lavendar flavours pair well with lemon in sweet baked treats like cookies, or even lemon based drinks.
• Mint – Lemon and mint are a popular combination in everything from drinks and desserts to salads, like our easy lemon fennel and cucumber salad. Or enjoy mint and lemon in a refreshing flavoured water, lemonade or a cocktail.
• Oregano – Lemon and oregano is a popular combination in Greek cuisine. Use this combination to flavour chicken fish or lamb, rice, potatoes and vegetables.
• Parsley – Parsley and lemon go together well in everything savoury, from salads and pasta to seafood and meat dishes. Our lemon garlic butter with herbs is packed with fresh parsley.
• Rosemary – Lemon and rosemary are a wonderful combination for chicken dishes, crunchy roast potatoes, and even to flavour shortbread biscuits or refreshing drinks.
• Tarragon – Often forgotten, tarragon and lemon is a classic flavour pairing that’s perfect for chicken and fish dishes. Combine with mustard for even more flavour in a sauce or marinade.
• Thyme – Thyme is another herb that works well with lemon to flavour chicken and seafood, or use these two ingredients to flavour drinks and cocktails.

Spices that go with lemon

Lots of different spices go well with tangy lemon, in both sweet and savoury combinations. Explore some of these different spiced lemon flavours in your cooking:

• Cardamom – Lemon and cardamom taste good together in savoury and sweet dishes. This is a surprisingly tasty combination for cakes and sweet baked goods.
• Cinnamon – Subtle notes of cinnamon work well with zesty lemon in spiced desserts, cookies and cakes. Lemon and cinnamon are the stars of Greek style rice pudding (Rizogalo).
• Chili (chilli/chile) – Spicy chili peppers and tangy lemon are perfect together for flavouring chicken, seafood, sauces and dressings, or even in a pasta dish. These two flavours combine well with garlic too.
• Cumin – Lemon and cumin are a good combination for flavouring chicken or root vegetables like roasted carrots.
• Garlic – Garlic and lemon are perfect partners to flavour meat and poultry, seafood, pasta, or to create a simple lemon vinaigrette dressing for your salad. These flavours are the star of our lemon and garlic butter recipe.
• Ginger – I love lemon and ginger herbal tea, but this ingredient combination is wonderful in baked treats like cookies, cakes, muffins and slices, or add some spice to your lemon marmalade by adding ginger.
• Mustard – Add some Dijon or seeded mustard to a simple lemon vinaigrette salad dressing, or serve a lemon mustard cream sauce with chicken or fish.
• Paprika – Lemon and paprika make an ideal marinade for chicken dishes, or use these ingredients together in a lemon paprika pasta.
• Pepper – Pepper and lemon go so well together that you can buy lemon pepper seasoning at the store. This combination is ideal for adding seasoning to everything from chicken or fish to vegetables like roasted red peppers, asparagus or broccoli. Lemon and pepper are also key to a tasty vinaigrette salad dressing.
• Saffron – Pair lemon and saffron to flavour rice dishes, from a simple side to a tasty rissoto. These two ingredients are also good for marinating chicken, flavouring potatioes, or even pairing together in a lemon dessert.
• Star Anise – Use star anise to compliment lemon in everything from sweet biscotti or savoury crackers to cakes and desserts. Star anise is also an ideal spice to include with preserved lemons, and adds depth to lemon and ginger flavoured teas or hot lemon drinks.
• Vanilla – Whether you use extract, paste or true beans, the flavour of vanilla works well with lemon in desserts like panna cotta or pudding, lemon slices, cookies and cakes.

Lemon with nuts, seeds and berries

The sour tang of lemon works well with sweet tart berries and a range of different nuts and seeds.

• Almonds – The mild sweet taste of almonds goes very well with lemon. This combination is lovely for baking sweet cookeis or cakes (great for gluten free baking), adding slivered almonds to lemon flavoured main or vegetable dish. or simply roasting almonds with some lemon and garlic.
• Blueberries – Lemon and blueberry are another favourite lemon ingredient combination. The burst of sweet tart blueberries works well with lemon flavoured desserts, especially baked dessrts like cakes, muffins and puddings.
• Blackberries – The tartness of blackberries taste delicious with lemon in all kinds of sweet treats, including lemons bars and cakes.
• Capers – Salty capers (which are a really a pickled flower bud rather than a berry) are delicious with lemon. This combination is perfect for an antipasto platter, lemon pasta dishes or with fish and seafood.
• Cashew – Creamy cashew nuts go well with lemon in vegan dishes, bliss balls or energy balls, or tossed through a salad with a lemon dressing. Or flavour roasted cashews with lemon for a tasty snack.
• Coconut – Lemon and the sweetness of coconut are perfect together. Use them for baking and desserts, like cakes, muffins or a no bake lemon slice, or combine them in savoury dishes like coconut prawns or with fish.
• Cranberry – Like other berries, the tartness of cranberries goes well with lemon. Use these flavours together in lemons cakes, mufins and bars, or add dried cranberries to a salad with a lemon dressing.
• Hazelnut – Lemon and hazelnuts work well together in desserts. I also like to use hazelnuts and lemon zest to flavour green beans or other vegetables. Or use hazelnuts and lemon in a crumb or crust for fish.
• Macadamia – Creamy macadamia nuts and lemon are delicious in cookies and baking, like in our sweet lemon macadmia cookies.
• Pinenuts – Pinenuts are a great way to add texture to dishes and they go really well with lemon flavours in pasta dishes or salads, especially with rocket (arugula). Lemon works well with pinenut based pesto too.
• Pistachio – Use pistachio and lemon together in sweet cakes and tarts for a delicious combination.
• Pomegranate – Lemon and pomegranate go very well together in salads and salad dressings and cous cous dishes. Pomegranate is alsio a lovely addition to lemonade drinks or a lemon cake.
• Poppy seeds – Lemon and poppy seed is a classic combination for cakes and muffins, like in our whole lemon and poppy seed cake or this vegan lemon and poppy seed zucchini cake. Or try adding poppy seeds to a lemon vinaigrette salad dressing.
• Raspberries – I love raspberry and lemon together because of the combination or flavours and colours. Ripe raspberries are delciious in lemon desserts, from cakes and scones to muffins and puddings.
• Sesame – Use sesame with lemon in savoury crackers or chicken dishes. Or use tahini (ground sesame) with lemon in sauces, dressings, marinades and dips like hummus.
• Strawberry – The sweetness of strawberries goes well with tangy lemon in cakes, blondies and tarts, as well as drinks like strawberry lemonade. cocktails and mocktails.

Lemons with fruit and vegetables

One of the best ways to use lemons is with other citrus fruits, like oranges and limes. But they also work with many other fruits in baking, fruit salads and drinks. Lemon juice and zest can also be used to add flavour to cooked vegetables and salads. Try these lemon flavour combinations:

• Apple – A little lemon juice will stop apple slices from turning brown, especially in dishes like fruit salad. But lemon and apple also pair well together in baking, flavoured water and juices.
• Arugula/Rocket – Tangy lemon goes well with peppery rocket (arugula) leaves in a salad with a lemon dressing, or with haloumi cheese, seafood, or pasta.
• Avocado – Lemon not only stops avocado from browning, but the two flavours work toegther well in everything from avocado toast and guacamole to avocado and lemon salad.
• Cherries – Cherries and lemon go together well in cherry sorbets and icecreams, or in a cherry flavoured lemonade drink.
• Cucumber – Pour a generous amount of lemon vinaigrette dressing over a cucumber salad or add cucumber and lemon slices to water for a refreshing summer drink.
• Fennel – Citrus and the liquorice notes of fennel are a beautiful combination, and lemon is no exception. Lemon and fennel salad is a favourite, as is seafood cooked with fennel and lemon flavours.
• Grapefruit – As a fellow citrus, grapefruit can be easily combined with lemon. Use these two citrus fruits together in a pink grapefruit lemonade, grapefruit marmalade or citrus flavoured desserts for something a little different.
• Kiwi – Kiwi fruit and lemon make a delicious sorbet combination. Or add kiwi and lemon curd topping to a pavlova or pudding.
• Lime – Lemon and lime are wonderful together, with the slight sweetness of limes moderating the acidic bitterness of lemons. Use lemon and lime together in everything from cakes and desserts to marmalade.
• Lychee – Tropical lychees go well with lemon in fruity cocktails, mocktails and lychee flavoured lemonades.
• Mango – Sweet mangoes pair well with tangy lemon in desserts and cakes, as well as smoothies, cocktails (like a mango lemon mojito) and tropical inspired drinks.
• Olives – Add flavour to green olives by marinating with lemon zest, or combine olives and lemon in pasta. Fruity extra virgin olive oil also goes beautifully with lemon in marinades, dressings or even olive oil cake.
• Passionfruit – Lemon and passionfruit are perfect together for cakes, tarts and sweet desserts. Passionfruit adds extra deliciousness to lemon curd or butter, and combines well with lemon in cheesecakes, fruity drinks and cocktails.
• Pineapple – Pineapple, which is also slightly acidic, is another frruit that goes beautifully with lemon in fruity smoothies and tropical drinks.
• Rhubarb – Lemon and rhubarb make a tasty combination for custards, crumbles and cakes.
• Rockmelon (Canteloupe) – Melon and lemon are a great combination for an icy granita. Or toss melon pieces in lemon juice and sprinkle with a little salt and cayenne pepper for a refreshing appetiser. This also works well for honeydew melon.
• Tomato – Lemon and tomato may not be the most common combination that comes to mind, but it is actually delicious. Lemon pasta dishes work well with with roasted cherry tomatoes, or try this one pan lemon chicken with tomatoes.
• Sweetcorn – Sweetcorn on the cob tastes delicious with lemon butter, or use lemon juice to add a burst of flavour to a corn chowder.
• Watermelon – Use watermelon and lemon in a tasty granita, or serve watermelon pieces tossed in lemon juice and fresh mint.
• Zucchini – Zucchini is a verstaile ingredient that works well with lemon, whether in a baked vegetable dish or even in lemon and zucchini cake.

Lemon with meat, poultry, fish, cheese and other proteins

Lemons, like other citrus, are perfect for making marinades, glazes and sauces for many different proteins, especially chicken and seafood. But lemon also works with other meat and poultry, as well as light cheeses and plant-based protein.

• Chicken – From Chinese style lemon chicken, to lemon and herb crusted chicken breast, there are so many ways to use lemon and chicken together well. For a one pan dinner, try lemon chicken baked with potatoes and truss cherry tomatoes.
• Crab – A simple squeeze of fresh lemon juice is ideal with fresh crab meat, or combine lemon and crab in a tasty spaghetti or creamy pasta dish.
• Duck – Orange may be the more famous citrus to use with duck, but lemon is just as delicious. Enjoy chinese style crispy duck with lemon sauce or roast duck with lemon and thyme.
• Feta – Feta cheese and lemon are classic Mediterranean flavours, whether marinating the feta itself, or creating a tasty salad, pasta or chicken dish with lemon and feta.
• Fish – Lemon is the ideal flavour for many different types of fish, from salmon to white fish like snapper. Bake fish with lemon, serve fish with a lemon garlic sauce or simply add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to your fish and chips.
• Goat’s Cheese – Similar to feta, rich goat cheese tastes wonderful with lemon.
• Haloumi – Another cheese that goes well with lemon is salty haloumi. A simple squeeze of lemon and some cracked pepper is perfect for pan friend haloumi, or add haloumi to lemon flavoured salads.
• Ham – Lemon works with satly cured ham in different dishes from pasta to baked citrus glazed ham.
• Oysters – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice is the perfect way to enjoy natural oysters, or take your oysters up a notch with a lemon aoili, lemon herb dressing or lemon and gin granita.
• Pork – Lemon is a great way to marinate and tenderise pork. Grilled pork chops with lemon and garlic or lemon and herbs are popular ways to enjoy these two flavours.
• Prawns – Lemon adds wonderful flavour to prawns and other shellfish. Marinate prawns with lemon, chili and ginger and grill or serve cold in a salad.
• Riccotta – Use ricotta cheese and lemon together in classic Meditarrean style dishes, including ricotta lemon cake or lemon and ricotta pasta.
• Tofu – Tofu is a great plant based protein and can often be used in place of chicken. It works well with lemon in the same way. Try Chinese style sticky lemon tofu or fried tofu with lemon and herbs.

Other ingredients and flavours that go with lemons

Still need more inspiration? Here are some other interesting flavours that go with lamons:

• Gin – Add a slice of lemon to your classic gin and tonic, make a gin fizz or a bees knees cocktail.
• Polenta – Lemon is a lovely way to add flavour to polenta. Serve lemon and herb polenta as a side dish or try a lemon polenta cake.
• Soy sauce – Tangy lemon and salty soy sauce make a great marinade, dipping sauce or dressing. Use this versatile combination to add flavour to poultry, fish, haloumi or tofu.
• Tea – Lemon and tea have a long history. Some people love a squeeze of lemon juice in their black tea or green tea, or a herbal lemon and ginger infusion. Others prefer lemon scented tea or a lemon iced tea.
• Whiskey – Use lemon juice to make a classic whiskey sour cocktail.

More about cooking with lemons

WIth so many options to choose from, have a go at experiementing with more lemons in your cooking. Try our lemon recipes, including our lemon fennel and cucumber salad. Or discover these handy tips for cooking with lemons. And find out which essential citrus tools you’ll need to help juice, zest, peel and slice lemons for your favourite dishes.

For more citrus flavour combinations, see our lists of flavours to use with lime, over 60 flavours that go with orange and flavours combinations with grapefruit.

And we’d love you to subscribe for more tips for growing, using and decorating with lemons and all types of citrus.

Free goodies!

Subscribe and receive our citrus themed weekly planner and to do list

Email*

Email

Submit