Can I Substitute Lemon Extract For Lemon Juice? Plus Other Alternatives

Fresh lemon juice is sometimes hard to find. But, can I substitute lemon extract for lemon juice? In short, you can, depending on the function.

The short answer is yes. You can substitute lemon juice using lemon extract. But, there are a few things to take into consideration first. You need to understand what each of these ingredients are, so that you can understand when they can be used as well as how they should be substituted.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE LEMON EXTRACT FOR LEMON JUICE?

You can substitute the lemon juice with lemon extract by using a 2 to 1 ratio of lemon juice to extract. Meaning, you use half the amount of lemon extract that the recipe calls for lemon juice.

HOW CAN I SUBSTITUTE LEMON EXTRACT FOR LEMON JUICE?

1

So, this may feel like a very broad category of substitutes, and well, it is. Lemon is part of the citrus family and therefore shares a lot of characteristics with other citrus fruits. 

SUBSTITUTE #1: CITRUS JUICE AND ZEST

2

Vinegar will make an excellent substitute if you only need to substitute a small amount of lemon juice. Obviously, it doesn’t have a lemon-like flavor, but it does have the intense acidity lemon juice has.

SUBSTITUTE #2: VINEGAR

3

Citric acid is an already naturally occurring acid in acidic fruits, like lemons. This means that they will make a fantastic substitution if you need to substitute for acidity!

SUBSTITUTE #3: CITRIC ACID

4

While it is less acidic compared to citric acid, you can still use it to substitute the acidity of lemon juice, but unfortunately not the liquid volume or the flavor.

SUBSTITUTE #4: CREAM OF TARTAR

5

As a last resort, we would say that white wine is a great option. You can substitute it is equal parts and it will give you a slight acidity that is better than nothing. And, it will also make up the liquid volume function.

SUBSTITUTE #5: WHITE WINE

HOW TO USE CREAM OF TARTAR TO SUBSTITUTE LEMON JUICE? We would recommend using a 2 to 1 ratio again. Use half the amount of cream of tartar than the lemon juice amount called for.

Can I Substitute Lemon Extract For Lemon Juice? Plus Other Alternatives