Absolutely Genius Lemon Juice Substitutes You Can Use

Did you know you can actually use bottled Italian salad dressing in place of lemon juice when making a beef steak marinade? Genius, isn’t it?! For those who are allergic to citrus fruits like lemon or are simply out of it, some lemon juice substitutions will work just fine.

If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice.
~ Conan O’Brien.

A glassful of lemon juice with some ice is the perfect, most healthy drink you can opt for on a sweltering summer afternoon, if you plan to give the aerated drinks a miss for good! Squeezing out some fresh lemon juice into a bowlful of lentil stew is the best way to beat the heat. Honestly, I wouldn’t know why one needs to look for a substitute of something as nutritious as lemon juice. But, I guess larder scarcities can lead one to look for a viable substitute for lemon juice. Of course, there are regions where citrus fruits are very difficult to come by. One has to opt for other alternatives then. So, here are some lemon juice substitutes which you can use during culinary exigencies or allergy problems.

Lemon Juice Alternatives

You can actually store lemons for almost a period of three weeks by placing them in plastic packets and then in the crisper section of your fridge to avoid any lemon scarcity. Lemons stay for 2 weeks even without refrigeration. But in spite of this, if you run out of lemons:

Ingredient called for: Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: Yield of 1 medium lemon, i.e., 2 to 3 tablespoons

Can be Replaced with: 3 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 cup

Can be Replaced with: ¾ cup of Persian lime juice

Keep in Mind:
The flavor of the dish will get heightened.

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 cup

Can be Replaced with: ⅔ cup of Mexican lime juice (freshly squeezed lime juice)

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 cup

Can be Replaced with: 1 cup of dry white wine

Keep in Mind:
This is a great sub when making marinades.

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 teaspoon

Can be Replaced with: ½ a teaspoon of lemon extract OR dried lemon peel

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 teaspoon

Can be Replaced with: 1 teaspoon of lemon zest OR lemon marmalade OR lime zest OR orange zest

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 tablespoon

Can be Replaced with: 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Renowned British and Canadian chefs actually opt for this fill-in because of its distinctive lemony flavor.

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 1 tablespoon

Can be Replaced with: ½ a tablespoon of malt vinegar

Keep in Mind:
Use this provided that the recipe doesn’t ask for lemon juice for aromatic or flavoring purposes.

People who have used this substitute say that you can store the dish for a longer time if you use this alternative.

Can be Replaced with: 5 vitamin C tablets + 3 cups of water

Procedure:
Dilute the tablets in water and then use it as a replacement of lemon juice. Amazing, ain’t it?

Keep in Mind:
This replacement actually stalls fruits from turning brownish in color. So now, say bye to discolored fruits and veggies!

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 2 tablespoons

Can be Replaced with: 1 tablespoon of white vinegar

Keep in Mind:
Use the option only when you have to replace a very small amount of lemon juice.

In case you are making jams, this is a bad lemon juice substitute as white vinegar is not as acidic in nature as lemon juice and, therefore, does not coagulate well.

Do not use it for canning recipes. Also, beverages requiring lemon juice will not fare well if you use this option.

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 2 tablespoons

Can be Replaced with: 2 tablespoons of verjuice (a.k.a. vertjus – a sour juice basically obtained by pressing unripe red or white grapes, crabapples, etc.)

Keep in Mind:
This option is perfect for salad dressings.

Verjuice is relatively expensive and a tad difficult to find. You will be able to find it in gourmet specialty shops though.

It usually spoils within a month, that too when kept in the fridge once the bottle has been opened.

If you have a packet of dry unsweetened lemonade drink powder, you are in luck, ladies.

Quantity of Lemon Juice Required: 12 oz.

Can be Replaced with: 1 packet of dry unsweetened lemonade drink powder, like Kool-Aid or Wyler’s + 8 oz. of cold water

Procedure:
Just mix a packet of the powder in cold water and store it in the fridge in a 12 oz. glass jar with a considerably tight lid.

Shake the solution before using it each time and use an equal amount of it to replace lemon juice.

Keep in Mind:
This versatile concoction can be used for baking (think old-fashioned lemon bars!!!).

You can use it for coating freshly cut fruits and vegetables.

It is grand for concocting lemony drinks.

It is perfect for salad dressings as well.

So, you can use these lemon juice substitutes without worrying much about drastic taste deterioration. But use them only if you must as the lemon juice benefits are too many to trade anything with. It is a very rich source of the mineral potassium (a cup of lemon juice has nearly 303 mg of potassium) and also sodium (2 mg). Besides this, lemon juice has no fats and cholesterol in it. The vitamin C content in lemon juice is much celebrated which makes it the magic healer of infections like tonsils and sore throat. Lemon juice for acne, cuts, skin bruises, and sudden eruptions is really very good and quick result yielding. High blood pressure and asthma patients can also reap the benefits of lemon juice by consuming it regularly. So, you would actually be losing out on a lot if you substitute lemon juice. Of course if you are allergic, it’s a different story altogether.

Try these substitutes for lemon juice and let me know if they worked. You can also use a few other options, like red wine, tomato juice, or just some soy sauce mixed with a little sherry. These are all acidic in nature and are specifically more helpful when cooking meat. They actually soften the meat fibers and hasten the cooking process. Try them out. After all, cooking is all about experimentation and substitution!

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