How to Extract Oil from Orange Peels

Co-authored by Ritu Thakur, MA

Last Updated: August 16, 2024 Approved

The oil extracted from oranges is used in a number of cleaning products and food recipes because of its pleasant aroma and powerful solvent properties. It is also believed to possess a number of health benefits. With a few rinds, you can create orange oil at home to use for a variety of purposes. You can also quickly extract orange oil and infuse it with ordinary cooking oils to create scented oil for use in cooking and around the house.

Extracting Citrus Oil at Home

Grate the peel off an orange, then let them air-dry on a paper towel for 1-2 days. After, use a food processor to coarsely grind them. Place the peels in a sterilized jar and cover them with warm vodka. Strain it after 2-4 days, then let the alcohol evaporate.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Orange Essential Oil in a Jar

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In order to extract orange oil in a jar, you will need a mason jar, a zester and some grain alcohol. Because it is largely tasteless, vodka works best for creating orange oil. It will not dilute or overwhelm the orange scent in the finished oil.
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Remove the orange peels. The essential oil in oranges, limonene, is largely found in the peel. Because of this, you will want to remove the peels from oranges before making your oil.^{[1]
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Research source} You can either cut the peel from the orange with a knife or grind off the peel with a zester.^{[2]
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- For best results, avoid cutting off any of the pith. This part of the orange has very little limonene and will make your mixture bitter.
- If you do not have a zester, you can also use a Microplane, a vegetable peeler, or a paring knife.
- The amount of oranges used can vary. It depends on how many oranges you have or how much essential oil you want to make.
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Dry the peels. Once you have removed the peels, you will need to let them dry. Place them on a paper towel and leave them in direct sunlight until they are completely dry. Depending on the humidity in your area, this can take a couple of days. To accelerate the process, try chopping the orange peels into small pieces (1 in or 2.5 cm).^{[3]
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Grind the peels. After the peels have dried, place them in a food processor. Grind them until they are a coarse consistency. Avoid over drying your peels. This can cause them to lose some of their limonene.^{[4]
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- If you used a Microplane or a zester, you will not need to grind the peels further.
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Warm the grain alcohol. Fill a bowl with warm tap water. It should be warm but not overly hot (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius). Place the bottle of grain alcohol in the warm water and let it soak for about 20 minutes.^{[5]
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- Vodka works well for this process.
- You can use cold alcohol. However, warm alcohol will help you get more oil.^{[6]
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Place the zested or ground orange peel in a mason jar. Pour in enough alcohol to completely cover the orange peels. Once you have covered the grinds, secure the lid and vigorously shake the jar for several minutes.^{[7]
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During that time, you may also want to shake the mixture two or three times a day. You may also consider letting sit longer than a few days. The more you shake it and the longer you let it sit, the more oil you will get from your mixture.^{[8]
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Using a coffee filter or a cheese cloth, strain the mixture into a shallow dish. Be sure to squeeze all of the liquid into the bowl.^{[9]
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Allow the alcohol to evaporate. Cover the bowl with a cloth or paper towel and let it sit for a few days. This will allow the remaining alcohol in the mixture to evaporate. Once the alcohol has evaporated, you will be left with orange oil.^{[10]
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- Do not let the towel fall into the mixture. It will suck up the oil.
- Once the alcohol has evaporated, put the remaining oil in a container with a lid.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Infusing Oil with Orange

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1
Choose a type of oil. When infusing an oil, you will want to choose something that has a mild flavor and accepts the taste of whatever is being cooked in it. Olive oil is widely available and easy to infuse. However, its own flavor can be too strong. Consider using extra virgin olive, peanut, grapeseed, or avocado oils. These oils all have lighter flavors.^{[11]
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- Choosing a lighter oil will help ensure that your oil has the taste and aroma that you want.
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Grate the peel. Before you start, make sure that you wash and dry your orange to reduce the amount of pesticide in the fruit.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source

National Pesticide Information Center
Organization run by Oregon State University providing objective, science-based information about pests and pesticides

Go to source} Then, use a zester, Microplane, or a peeler to grate off the orange peel. The number of oranges used with vary depending on the amount of infused oil you are making. In general, you need about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of zest for every cup of oil.^{[13]
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- Avoid removing any pith.
3
Heat the oil and the zest. Place the orange zest in a small saucepan and cover it with oil. Warm the pan over medium heat for about five minutes or until the oil begins to bubble. Do not let the oil and zest get too hot or it will begin to burn and ruin the flavor and smell.^{[14]
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- Heating the orange zest extracts the orange oil that will be infused with your other oil.
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Remove pan from heat. Let the saucepan cool for a few minutes. For a milder infusion, use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces of zest from the oil while it is cooling. If you would like it to have a stronger flavor, leave the zest in the oil while it cools and strain it out before bottling.^{[15]
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- If you remove the zest during cooling, your oil will have a lighter coloring. If the zest stays in during cooling, you will have a cloudier coloring.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Orange Essential Oil

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1
Mix with Castile soap. You can make a powerful and environmentally friendly cleaning solvent when you mix orange oil with Castile soap. Simply add a teaspoon of orange oil extract to a bottle of Castile soap and you have a great all-purpose cleaner. Because Castile soap is made from plant oils, instead of chemical detergent, it is safe on sensitive skin and biodegradable.
- Limonene is a natural grease-cutter and solvent. It is particularly effective at cleaning pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils.
EXPERT TIP

Ritu Thakur, MA
Natural Health Care Professional
Dr. Ritu Thakur is a healthcare consultant based in Delhi, India. She has over 14 years of experience in Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, and Holistic Care. Dr. Ritu also works as a business consultant in the life sciences domain. She has successfully executed 150+ small to large-scale custom consulting projects for both established and development-stage companies. She received her Bachelor Degree in Medicine (BAMS) in 2009 from BU University, Bhopal followed by her Master's in Health Care in 2011 from Apollo Institute of Health Care Management, Hyderabad.

Ritu Thakur, MA
Natural Health Care Professional

You can also mix your orange peel oil into a cream or carrier oil. Orange peel oil is a good source of antioxidants, polyphenols, and vitamin C, and it helps in removing dark spots, wrinkles, and other signs of aging from your face and neck. To use it, mix it with your favorite face cream and massage it into your skin. You could also mix it with a carrier oil like olive, argan, or grapeseed oil. However, avoid using the orange oil alone, because it may irritate your skin.
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Apply as a bug repellent. Insects hate limonene, and a small dab of orange oil can keep them off of you for hours. Simply dab some around your neck, arms and other exposed areas, and you will notice a decrease in bug bites. You can also place a little limonene oil around the campsite to ward off bugs.^{[16]
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- Avoid having limonene around an open flame. It is extremely flammable. In fact, it is so flammable that orange peels make great kindling.
A drop or two of orange oil can easily mask bad smells. Try rubbing a little orange oil inside of a particularly stinky trash can. In fact, a number of commercial deodorizers contain limonene as a cleaning and deodorizing agent. You can make your own deodorizer by combining thirty drops of orange oil with two cups of baking powder.^{[17]
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Improve your health. The essential oil found in oranges is thought to help with multiple types of cancer. Doctors have also used limonene to break up gallstones, and there is some evidence that it can lower cholesterol levels. However, orange oil or any supplement containing limonene is no substitute for proper medical treatment.^{[18]
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Trustworthy Source

PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

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- Be sure to consult with your doctor before taking a limonene supplement or ingesting orange oil.

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How do you extract oil from citrus peel?

Ritu Thakur, MA
Natural Health Care Professional
Dr. Ritu Thakur is a healthcare consultant based in Delhi, India. She has over 14 years of experience in Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, and Holistic Care. Dr. Ritu also works as a business consultant in the life sciences domain. She has successfully executed 150+ small to large-scale custom consulting projects for both established and development-stage companies. She received her Bachelor Degree in Medicine (BAMS) in 2009 from BU University, Bhopal followed by her Master's in Health Care in 2011 from Apollo Institute of Health Care Management, Hyderabad.

Ritu Thakur, MA

Natural Health Care Professional

Expert Answer

Try drying the orange peels before you zest them: If you want to extract oil from orange peels, dry the peels, then grind them into a fine powder. Soak this powder in grain alcohol or vodka, then pour this mixture into a mason jar and keep it under sunlight for 3-4 days, stirring it frequently. Then, strain the mixture through a muslin cloth, then allow the alcohol to evaporate completely. Once it does, you'll have concentrated orange oil.

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Cold-pressing is another way to extract oil from orange peels. However, this method is only practical if you are mass-producing orange oil.

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