Gremolata

Name: Gremolata
Prep time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 20 g parsley, leaves, very finely chopped; 2 lemon zest; 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped; 1 pinch salt (optional); 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Vegetarian

A sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic used to wake up rich braises, most famously Milanese osso buco.

Gremolata is an Italian condiment from Italy, ready in about 8 minutes and made with parsley, lemon zest and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 8 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 8 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 5

Ingredients

4 servings (to sprinkle)

20 g Parsley (opens in a new tab), leaves, very finely chopped
2 (12 g) Lemon zest (opens in a new tab)Finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons; avoid the bitter white pith.
1 clove (4 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), very finely chopped
1 pinch (0.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab) (optional)
1 tbsp (13 g) Olive oil (opens in a new tab) (optional)Only if you want a looser, drizzling version (not classic).

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Wash and thoroughly dry the parsley (opens in a new tab), then pick the leaves and chop them very finely.
How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels
2
Step 2
Grate the lemon zest (opens in a new tab) with a fine rasp, taking only the yellow layer.
- 2 min
- Microplane / fine rasp grater (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
3
Step 3
Chop the garlic (opens in a new tab) with the parsley (opens in a new tab) and zest for a final minute so the flavours combine. Sprinkle over the dish just before serving.
- 2 min
How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Milan / Lombardy, Italy · Commonly attributedMore food from Italy
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Raw, No-cook
Taste: citrusy, herby, garlicky, fresh
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Parsley · Lemon zest · Garlic

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

5 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 9 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 18%
Carbohydrate 68%
Fat 14%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	5 kcal	54 kcal
Protein	0.3 g	2.9 g
Carbohydrate	1.1 g	12.9 g
Net carbohydrate	0.6 g	7.1 g
Sugars	0.2 g	2 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.5 g	5.8 g
Fat	0.1 g	0.6 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0.1 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	3 mg	36 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 37 mg
Calcium: 13 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 3 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 21 µg
Vitamin C: 11 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 8 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: salt, olive oil.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Make it within an hour of serving; the zest and garlic lose their punch quickly.

Common mistakes

Grating into the white pith, which makes gremolata bitter.

Serve with

Osso buco alla milanese
Braised lamb shanks
Grilled fish, roast vegetables or white bean soup

Storage

Best fresh; keeps a day covered in the fridge.

Variations

With anchovy or orange: Some cooks chop in an anchovy fillet, or use orange zest for duck and pork.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Goes with

Osso buco alla milanese

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & DrizzleCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Lemon zest2 piece · 12 g
Garlic, very finely chopped1 clove · 4 g

Used in steps 2, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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