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The aim of the present study is the enzymatic synthesis of sugar ester catalyzed by an immobilized lipase from the seeds of castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). Experiments were focused on the synthesis of a glucose ester by selecting different acyl donors in different organic solvents. The highest esterification yield was obtained with palmitic acid in tert-Butanol. Effects of different parameters (temperature, water activity, glucose/palmitic acid molar ratio and immobilized lipase activity) on the synthesis of glucose palmitate were studied by varying one factor at a time. Maximum conversion yield (65%) was obtained under the optimized conditions: temperature (40 °C), glucose/palmitic acid molar ratio (1:2), water activity (0.3), stirring rate (600 rpm), lipase activity 2.7 U and reaction time (8 h). The structural characteristics of glucose palmitate were confirmed by FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C- NMR analysis. The glucose palmitate could reduce the surface tension of water from 72 to 42 mN/m with a CMC of 0.1 g/L.