Wondering how much juice in one lemon? Here’s the formula you need, plus tips on how to juice a lemon, zesting, recipes, and more.
Making a recipe with lemons and need to know how much juice you’ll get? Here’s our expert answer: honed after making hundreds of lemon recipes throughout the years.
On average, there are 3 tablespoons of juice in one lemon. So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. But, because some lemons are less juicy than others, it’s safe to say you’d need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice.
How to juice a lemon
What’s the best way to juice a lemon, once you’ve purchased your fruit? There’s really no wrong way to do it: though if you use your hands you might end up with lots of seeds and pulp. Here are a few ways to juice a lemon:
- Roll the lemon on the countertop for a few seconds. This helps to release the juices inside the fruit.
- Cut the fruit in half width-wise.
- Place in a press juicer: A press juicer is the quickest and easiest method: it gets out the most juice and saves your fingers from tiring out from squeezing. Place the fruit into the press juicer cut side down and squeeze the handles together.
- Or, press in a handheld citrus juicer. Place the fruit cut side down onto a handheld citrus juicer and twist the lemon to release the juices.
- Don’t have a juicer? Simply squeeze out the juice with your hands into a small liquid measuring cup, then strain it to remove seeds.
How much juice is in one lemon?
This is a common question when you’re working with citrus, especially if a recipe calls for lemon juice in tablespoons. The answer to this question all depends on the size. All lemons are different, but here’s a basic guide. How much lemon juice in one lemon?
- A medium lemon yields 3 tablespoons juice, and a large lemon yields 4 tablespoons juice (¼ cup). A very small lemon yields about 2 tablespoons juice.
With this ratio in mind, here are a few more answers to common questions about lemon juice:
- How much juice is in 2 lemons? Two medium lemon equals about 6 tablespoons juice, and two large yield ½ cup juice.
- How much juice is in ½ lemon? Half a medium lemon yields 1 ½ tablespoons juice; half a large lemon yields about 2 tablespoons juice.
- How many lemons do I need for ½ cup juice? You’ll need 3 medium or 2 large lemons. (We’d recommend buying 3 lemons to be safe.)
- How many lemons do I need for 1 cup juice? You’ll need 6 medium or 4 large lemons; again, buy 6 to err on the safe side.
How to Make Homemade Lemonade Using Real Lemons
FAQ
How many lemons make 1 cup of juice?
How much of bottled lemon juice is equal to 1 lemon?
Can I substitute bottled lemon juice for fresh lemon juice?
How many lemons make a cup of juice?
As a rule of thumb, a single medium-sized lemon yields 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of juice. That means you’ll usually need 5 to 6 lemons to make up a full cup of juice. These are only averages though, so in practical terms you’ll find there’s a lot of variation between them.
How can one get all the lemon juice out of a lemon?
To get all the lemon juice out of the lemon, you need to squeeze it using a good juicer. Then you can remove a little of the pulp with a spoon and add it to the previously squeezed juice.
How many tablespoons of lemon juice do I Need?
So, if a recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, you’ll need to buy at least 2 small lemons or 1 medium lemon the next time. On the other hand, if your recipe calls for the juice of one lemon and all you have is bottled lemon juice, you’ll need 2 tablespoons worth.
How much juice is in a medium lemon?
Two medium lemon equals about 6 tablespoons juice, and two large yield ½ cup juice. How much juice is in ½ lemon? Half a medium lemon yields 1 ½ tablespoons juice; half a large lemon yields about 2 tablespoons juice.