Lemon Juice:
Grams to Cups
By Stefan Ulrich · Last updated
Lemon juice weighs 244 grams per cup — essentially the same as water. This makes it one of the simplest ingredients to convert: for practical purposes, 1 ml of lemon juice = 1 gram.
How much Lemon Juice weighs at each cup measure.
Convert Lemon Juice
1 cup = 244 grams
= — grams
= — cups
Quick reference
Measurement Table
| Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 5 g | 0.18 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 0.53 oz |
| ⅛ cup | 31 g | 1.09 oz |
| ¼ cup | 61 g | 2.15 oz |
| ⅓ cup | 81 g | 2.86 oz |
| ½ cup | 122 g | 4.30 oz |
| ⅔ cup | 163 g | 5.75 oz |
| ¾ cup | 183 g | 6.46 oz |
| 1 cup | 244 g | 8.61 oz |
| 1¼ cups | 305 g | 10.76 oz |
| 1½ cups | 366 g | 12.91 oz |
| 2 cups | 488 g | 17.21 oz |
| 3 cups | 732 g | 25.82 oz |
About Lemon Juice
Fresh-squeezed and bottled lemon juice weigh the same per cup. The difference is in flavor and acidity: fresh lemon juice has a brighter, more complex flavor, while bottled (typically ReaLemon) has a more uniform, slightly cooked taste. For lemon curd, lemon bars, and any recipe where lemon is the primary flavor, fresh juice is noticeably superior. For recipes where lemon provides background acidity (activating baking soda, deglazing), bottled works fine.
How many lemons for a cup of juice? A medium lemon yields approximately 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 45 g) of juice. You'll need roughly 5–6 medium lemons for 1 cup. This varies significantly by lemon size, variety, and freshness — room-temperature lemons yield more juice than cold ones.
Lemon zest is often called for alongside lemon juice. One medium lemon produces about 1 tablespoon of zest (6 g). Zest before juicing — it's much easier to zest a whole lemon than a juiced half.
For baking chemistry, lemon juice's acidity (pH ~2) reacts with baking soda to produce lift. The standard ratio: 1 teaspoon baking soda needs about 1 tablespoon (15 g) of lemon juice to fully neutralize.
Tips for measuring Lemon Juice
- 1 medium lemon ≈ 3 tbsp (45 g) juice + 1 tbsp (6 g) zest.
- ~5–6 lemons needed for 1 cup juice.
- Roll lemons firmly on counter before juicing — releases more juice.
- Room-temperature lemons yield 20–30% more juice than cold ones.
Common mistakes
- Using bottled juice for lemon-forward recipes — noticeable flavor difference
- Zesting after juicing — much harder to zest a squeezed lemon half
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grams in a cup of Lemon Juice?
- 1 cup of Lemon Juice weighs 244 grams — the standard used in most American recipes. Use the converter above for any other amount.
- How many grams is 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice?
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice weighs about 15 grams. The full table above lists every common cup fraction.
- What's the most common mistake when measuring Lemon Juice?
- Using bottled juice for lemon-forward recipes — noticeable flavor difference. Weighing on a kitchen scale avoids it entirely.
- Does Lemon Juice need to be levelled in the cup?
- Yes — spoon lemon Juice in and sweep a straight edge across the top. Scooping or tapping compacts it and changes the weight.