The Harvest Kitchen

How Much Juice in One Lemon

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Here’s a few helpful tips to know about how to juice lemons, how much juice in one lemon and how many lemons for 1 cup juice, plus 25 lemon recipes. 

silver colander filled with lemons. lemons cut in half and juiced in a glass juicer sit next to the colander. For tips and tricks on juicing lemons and how much juice in one lemon

Lemons are one of the most popular fruits of the citrus family. Not only do they have a delicious flavor and perky scent, they are also rich with vitamins and antioxidants that help boost your immune system. 

3 glass juice presses filled with lemon juice. Lemons cut in half and juiced sit next to them.

Choosing the Best Lemons

The lemon should be bright yellow without any skin wrinkling or moldy spots. The juiciest lemons will give a little when you gently squeeze them.  

How Much Lemon Juice in One Lemon

Want to know how much juice in a lemon? Well, the answer to that question depends on the size and ripeness of the lemon. The more ripe the lemon, the more juice it will likely produce. And obviously larger lemons will produce more juice than smaller lemons.

  • 1 small lemon will produce about 2-3 tablespoon (or 1-1.5 fluid ounces)
  • 1 medium lemon will produce about 3-4 tablespoons (or 2 fluid ounces)
  • 1 large lemon will produce about 4-5 tablespoons (or 2.5 fluid ounces)

How Many Lemons for 1 Cup Juice

There are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup, so you’ll either need about 8 small lemons, 5 medium lemons, or 4 large lemons to get 1 cup of lemon juice.  I always buy a few extra lemons, just in case some of the lemons don’t produce much juice.

2 glass juice presses filled with lemon juice, 1 silver juice press filled with lemon juice, 1 yellow lemon squeezer and 1 wood juice reamer with two lemon halves juiced sitting next to them.

How to Juice Lemons

Some lemons can be tougher to juice than others, and some lemons produce more juice than others. Here are a few tips and tricks on juicing lemons to get the most juice from them to add to all your favorite lemon recipes.

  1. With a lemon sitting on a countertop, press down hard with the palm of your hand and roll the lemon back and forth a few times. This helps to break the juice away from the pulp.
  2. Cut the lemon in half lengthwise if you’re juicing by hand. It’s easier to grip when cut lengthwise.
  3. Cut the lemon in half crosswise if you’re using a juicer or a reamer.
  4. Using a fork, poke the pulp a few times to loosen up the membranes to release the most juice.
  5. Use a reamer, juicer or a pair of cooking tongs to extract as much juice from the lemon as possible.

lemon zester with piles of lemon zest next to it

How to Store Lemons

Whole lemons can be stored at room temperature for up to a week and in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks. Lemons will be juiciest when stored at room temperature.  If you won’t be using them within a day or two, then pop them in a zip-lock plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator. You can also freeze whole lemons (blended) and you can freeze lemon slices.

How Long Does Lemon Juice Last

Fresh squeezed lemon juice stored in a container with a tight lid will last in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. The juice can also be frozen in an ice cube tray then transferred to a zip-lock freezer bag if you want to store the juice longer.

Lemon Juice Benefits

Lemons are rich with vitamin C , with one lemon providing about 31 mg of vitamin C. This helps to prevent buildup of plaque and the progression of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The citric acid, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, calcium, pectin and limonene found in lemons are powerful nutrients which give a boost to the immune system, helping to ward off infections and disease. One lemon provides about 31 mg of vitamin C. Lemons are considered one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat. They have a high concentration of negatively charged ions which may increase oxygen flow to the brain.    

2 silver colanders with wooden handles filled with citrus

How to Use Lemon Juice – 25 Lemon Recipes

Lemon juice is so versatile and makes such a great addition to so many recipes for not only the perky pop of flavor but for nutritional benefits as well.  If you’re looking for some new healthy lemon recipes to put your lemon juicing skills to the test, here are some of my favorites! Click the recipe name to take you to the full post.

More Resources

  • How Much Juice in One Lime – Everything you need to know about limes, including how much juice is in one lime
  • How to Cut a Pomegranate – Learn how to easily cut a pomegranate in just minutes and without a mess.
  • How to Make Sun Dried Tomatoes – Learn how to make sun dried tomatoes in the oven to use is so many recipes.
  • How Many Cups in a Quart – Learn how to easily convert cups to quarts.
  • How Many Teaspoons in a Tablespoon – Learn how many teaspoons in a tablespoon and convert teaspoons to tablespoons
  • How Many Cups in a Pound – Learn how to measure accurately and convert cups to pounds
  • How Many Tablespoons in a Cup -Learn how many tablespoons in a cup and how to convert tablespoons to ounces
  • Shallots vs Green Onions – Here’s everything you need to know about shallots. Like what are they and what’s the difference between shallots and green onions? 
  • Tomatoes – Learn everything there is to know about tomatoes, the different types, how to add more to your diet, and recipes
  • Quinoa â€“ Learn everything you need to know about quinoa, how to cook it, plus recipes
  • Lentils – Learn about the different types of lentils, how to cook them, how to use them, plus recipes
  • Parsley – Learn about the benefits of parsley, different types and how to use it
  • Onions – Learn about the different types of onions, the benefits and how to use them
  • Ginger – Learn about the health benefits of ginger, how to use it, plus recipes 
silver colander filled with lemons. lemons cut in half and juiced in a glass juicer sit next to the colander. For tips and tricks on juicing lemons and how much juice in one lemon
Yield: 1 Serving

How to Juice a Lemon

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Here's a few helpful tips to know about how to juice lemons, how much juice in one lemon and how many lemons for 1 cup juice, plus 25 lemon recipes. 

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. With a lemon sitting on a countertop, press down hard with the palm of your hand and roll the lemon back and forth a few times. This helps to break the juice away from the pulp.
  2. Using a fork, poke the pulp a few times to loosen up the membranes to release the most juice.
  3. Cut the lemon in half lengthwise if you're juicing by hand. It's easier to grip when cut lengthwise.
  4. Cut the lemon in half crosswise if you're using a juicer or a reamer.
  5. Put the lemon cut side down on a juicer or a reamer and twist while you press down.
  6. You can also squeeze the juice by hand or use a pair of cooking tongs to grip and squeeze the lemon to extract the juice.

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