Substitutes for Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has a distinct flavor and is used in a variety of dishes in both baking and cooking. Lemon juice is also used in many beverage recipes. When you have a recipe that calls for lemon juice but don't have any lemons on hand, you can use a few other ingredients. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Vinegar

Vinegar is acidic like lemon juice and is a good substitute for this reason. However, vinegar does not add any flavor. If you are making something that needs lemon flavor, you might want to add some lemon zest to the vinegar or try another substitute. Add 1/2 tsp. of vinegar for every 1 tsp. of lemon juice the recipe calls for.

White Wine

Like lemon juice, white wine is also acidic. However, unlike vinegar, white white will also give some extra flavor to your dish. It's better to use white wine in cooking rather than baking, as the cooking process will allow the alcohol to cook off. An equivalent amount of white wine can be used.

Citrus Juices

Other citrus juices can be used in place of lemon juice. Lime juice has the most similar taste to lemon juice, but grapefruit juice and orange juice can also work, depending on the recipe. Use fresh juice when available and use an equal amount of citrus juice to the amount of lemon juice the recipe calls for.

Extracts and Bottle Juices

Bottled lemon juice can be easily substituted for fresh lemon juice in a recipe. Lemon extract can also be used, as well as other citrus extracts, depending on the recipe. For every 1 tsp. of lemon juice the recipe calls for, use 1/2 tsp. of extract.