Methods for synthesizing a lipoamino acid and a lipopeptide are provided. The method can include reacting a fatty acid with an amino acid or a peptide and a co-reactant salt to form a lipoamino acid or a lipopeptide, respectively. The co-reactant salt is generally a magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, potassium carbonate, iron (II) sulfide (troilite), or a mixture thereof.