How Much Juice is in a Lemon?

In this lemon juice article you will learn how much juice is in a lemon, plus how many lemons you’ll need for 1 cup of juice. And so much more…

I’ve included a helpful chart below, and answered all your lemon juice equivalent questions.

Half a lemon will yield about 1 1/2 tablespoons, the average juice of one lemon equals 3 tablespoons.

This article will explain so much more, like how many lemons for a cup of juice, plus the juice of 1 lemon, 3 lemons, even 5 lemons.

The average large lemon has 3 tablespoons of juice…

How Much Juice is in a Lemon?

So how much juice is in a lemon? The average lemon has 3 tablespoons of juice. That’s the easy answer, so if you are working on a recipe, 3 tablespoons is the quick answer.

Further down in this article you will learn how many lemons for 1 cup of juice, how much juice is in 1/2 lemon, and more…

What You’ll Find in this Article:

• How Many Tablespoons of Juice in a Lemon
• How Many Lemons for 1 Cup Juice
• Measurements of Lemon Juice Equivalent (easy to read chart!)
• How to Store Lemons
• Lemon Alternatives
• Nutrition and Calories in 1 Lemon
• How to Juice a Lemon
• Printable Juice in a Lemon Guide

Be sure to check out the easy to read chart below, there you can find out how much juice in one lemon, 2 lemons, 3 lemons and even 5 lemons.

Along with the measurements, I’ve include a lemon storage guide. In that section you will find 5 ways to store lemons for later usage. Even a guide to store the juice or the whole citrus fruit.

Below I’ve included tips to get more juice out of your lemons, and a chart to help you figure out how many you will need to buy for a recipe.

Often, you can substitute lemon juice in a recipe for another citrus juice. This article will help you find the exact measurements you will need to cook with lemons.

The juice of 1 lemon equals about 3 tablespoons…

How Many Tablespoons of Juice in a Lemon

One small lemon and one large lemon will release different amounts of juice. The average small lemon has about 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice, and the average large lemon has 3 tablespoons of juice.

Adding a tablespoon of juice to a recipe can help boost flavor and complexity. I love adding lemon juice to water, savory dishes, even sweet recipes! Oh, and our low calorie Lemon Drop Martini… well that’s a work of art!

Special Tip: To get more juice out of your lemon place it on a hard surface. Push down with the palm of your hand while rolling it back and forth. This will help break up the fruit, making juicing a lemon easier, and releasing more juice. Then cut and juice as usual…

Now that you know how many tablespoons of lemon juice in a lemon, large and small… Let’s move onto larger measurements of lemon juice.

In the next section of this how much juice in a lemon article, and I’ll discuss how many lemons for 1 cup of juice… And further below you will find a helpful chart to find the amount of juice in up to 5 lemons!

Up next… how many lemons for a cup of juice.

How Many Lemons for 1 Cup Juice

If you’re cooking with lemons, or making a recipe that calls for 1 cup of lemon juice, you’ll need to find out how many lemons for 1 cup juice. This section will help you figure out how many large lemons, and how many small lemons you’ll need for 1 cup of juice.

One cup is more juice than you may realize… should you come up short you can water down your juice a bit with another citrus fruit, or just water.

Special Tip: One small lemon is about 1/2 the size of a large lemon. Therefore, you will need 2 small lemons to equal the yield of one large lemon. This is helpful if you need only 1/2 cup of juice… etc.

The juice of one lemon equals about 3 tablespoons, and one cup is 16 tablespoons. So, if you need 1 cup of juice, that will equal 5 lemons.

Question: How many lemons for a cup of juice?

Answer: 5 large lemons.

I recommend getting a good juicer for these large jobs, and have highlighted the best one above. This juicer will extract lots of liquid, strain out pulp and seeds, and pours easily making your job easier.

Up next, how much juice in 2 lemons, 3 lemons and even 5 lemons…

Measurements of Lemon Juice Equivalent

This section will give you measurements for large lemons… Small lemons are about 1/2 the size of large lemons and so you will need to double them for this chart.

They are helpful though if you need less juice. Say you only need 1.5 tablespoons of juice. Get a small lemon so you won’t have any waste.

Measurements for Lemon Juice Equivalent:

Number of Lemons	Yield
1/2 Lemon Equals	1 1/2 Tablespoons
1 Lemon Equals	3 Tablespoons
2 Lemons Equal	6 Tablespoons
3 Lemons Equal	9 Tablespoons or 1/2 cup
4 Lemons Equal	12 Tablespoons
5 Lemons Equal	15 Tablespoons or 1 cup

Quick Reference Guide:

1 Lemon yields 3 tablespoons

3 Lemons yields 1/2 cup

5 Lemons yields 1 cup

This handy guide can help you figure out how many lemons you need for any recipe. And make lemon juice substitutes easier as well.

But what if you have leftovers? The next section I’ll show you how to store lemons 5 different ways. You’ll want to be sure to store your lemons properly so you get the most out of them.

Special Tip: You can juice and then freeze lemon juice for later use! Simply add the juice to ice tray molds and freeze. Then move to a freezer bag or container for easy use. Make it even easier and freeze each cube in 1 tablespoon measurements.

Up next… how to store lemons.

How to Store Lemons

It’s easy to store lemons, and in this section you will learn how to use this citrus fruit and how to store it for later.

My favorite tip is to freeze squeezed lemon juices. Pour it into ice cut trays and freeze into cubes. Then pop out and store in a freezer bag… Here are some tips to store lemons for later.

1. Store Lemons In the Fridge

The best method for storing lemons is in the fridge. This will stop them from ripening more and will help keep the lemons juicy with a soft rind.

2. Freeze Into Icecubes

Anyone with a lemon tree, or even just someone who has bought too many lemons on accident will know that you’ve got to use up your lemons within a week. If you don’t have the use for lemons in time, you can squeeze and freeze them.

Simply squeeze the lemons, pour into ice cube molds and freeze. Then pop into a freezer bag for later.

Special Tip: Freeze these lemon ice cubes in 1 tablespoon measurements so that you know exactly how much you have in each ice cube.

3. Storing 1/2 a Lemon

Cover the cut (exposed) area with plastic wrap. Wrap tight to close off any air. This will preserve the lemon longer.

Of course you can always squeeze the leftover 1/2 lemon and store the juices in the freezer (above) or in the fridge (below).

4. Storing Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice in the Fridge

You can store fresh squeezed juice to use raw for 1-2 days. And after that you can use the juice in cooked recipe for another 2-3 days.

We like to freeze any extra as outlined in #2…

5. Storing Lemon Zest

Lemon zest has zero calories and can add a boost of flavor to any dish! I especially like to add it to cooked and oatmeal.

Zest the lemon rind and store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Just be sure to place it in a air tight freezer bag first.

Lemon Alternatives

What if you don’t have any lemons, or have a picky eater who doesn’t like lemons… here are some alternatives to try in place of the citrus fruit.

In a Drink or Cocktail:

Try a different citrus fruit in place of lemon. My favorite is lime, but grapefruit is closer in tartness.

To Deglaze a Dish:

Use wine or even water. If you need juice to deglaze a pan you can use white or red wine (if fish or chicken use white, red meat use red wine) or just use water.

In a Savory Recipe:

Lime is the best lemon alternative in savory dishes. It gives a nice tartness and can help you use less salt!

In a Sweet Recipe:

Use grapefruit in place of lemon in sweet recipes. It’s closer in tartness and has a lovely color.

Nutrition and Calories in 1 Lemon

Here you will find a nutrition label for the juice of 1 lemon.

Question: How many calories are in 1 lemon?
Answer: There are 11 calories in the juice of 1 lemon

In the next section you will learn how to juice a lemon to get the most out of it, how much juice is in half a lemon and measurements all the way up to 5 lemons.

You can even print the free PDF below to have the juice in a lemon guide handy anytime!

Up next, a printable juice in a lemon guide…

How to Juice a Lemon

Juice Press 

I like to use a juice press, it’s easy and effective. And I feel like I can get the most juice out of my lemons with a juice press.

1. Roll the lemon on a cutting board or hard surface. Pressing down on it a bit while you roll (this breaks up the segments and helps release more juice).
2. Cut the lemon in half.
3. Place one lemon half into the juice press cut side down. Twist, push, and squeeze over a bowl until you have pressed out all the juice.
4. Repeat with the other lemon half.

Citrus Reamer 

A small handheld citrus reamer is also effective, more hands on though.

1. Roll the lemon on a cutting board or hard surface. Pressing down on it a bit while you roll (this breaks up the segments and helps release more juice).
2. Cut the lemon in half.
3. Over a bowl, push the citrus reamer blade into the cut side of one lemon half and twist. Keep going until all the juice is out of the lemon.
4. Repeat with the other half of your lemon.

Fork

When you don’t have a juice press or a citrus reamer, you can use a fork instead. Best of all, you can just pop it into the dishwasher!

1. Roll the lemon on a cutting board or hard surface. Pressing down on it a bit while you roll (this breaks up the segments and helps release more juice).
2. Cut the lemon in half.
3. Over a bowl, push the fork points into the cut side of one lemon half and twist. Keep going until all the juice is out of the lemon.
4. Repeat with the other half of your lemon.

Squeezing 

Squeezing lemons with your hands is also possible, thought I prefer to use a fork in a bind.

1. Roll the lemon on a cutting board or hard surface. Pressing down on it a bit while you roll (this breaks up the segments and helps release more juice).
2. Cut the lemon in half.
3. Over a bowl, squeeze the lemon with your hands, turning as you go. Keep going until all the juice is out of the lemon.
4. Repeat with the other half of your lemon.

Printable Juice in a Lemon Guide:

This printable guide for quantity of lemon juice in a lemon is a great resources to have in your kitchen!

Print it out, or share it on one of these platforms so you have it handy the next time you need it.

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