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Lemon Juice Substitute- Use These Ingredients Instead.
You definitely need to have some lemon juice substitute in your kitchen in case you run out of lemon juice anytime soon. Lemon is an extremely common ingredient used in baking and cooking.
It adds a bright, tangy, citrus flavor to sweet and savory dishes making them perfect to be served. It has a low pH level and is also among the most natural acidic ingredients available. It provides structure too much delicious food like jellies and jams. It helps baked goods rise and gives them the fluffy appearance they need.
However, if you cannot use lemon juice due to some reason or your run out of lemons, you may use other ingredients that can replicate the tangy taste lemon has. Here are a few perfect substitutes for lemon juice.
Lemon Juice Substitute- Choose According To The Recipes
1. Lime Juice
Lime juice makes the best lemon juice substitute and can be used to replace lemons one to one because they have the same acidity level and share a similar taste.
In fact, while preserving and canning most foods, lime is used as an ideal lemon juice substitute because of the same pH level both have. There are other substitutes too like vinegar but they are less acidic and may result in unsafe preserves for long-term storage.
In desserts that use lemon juice as their main ingredient, lime juice might impart a slightly different taste but the results will be citrusy and tart just like lemons.
2. Orange Juice
Orange juice makes a good one-to-one lemon juice substitute for most of the recipes you prepare.
It is slightly less acidic, less tart, and sweeter than lemon juice. It also has a different flavor than lemon juice. In certain recipes in which lemon juice is needed in larger amounts, you can easily substitute the recipe with orange juice as it will have the same impact on flavors. It works well even when added just a pinch.
3. Vinegar
vinegar makes an excellent lemon juice substitute in cooking as well as baking when you only require a small amount to be used.
Much like lemon juice, it has a tart and acidic nature. It can be used as one ingredient instead of lemon on whichever recipe you want.
however, know that vinegar has a very strong and pungent aroma as well as flavor so you should not replace lemon juice with vinegar in those recipes where you use lemon as the key ingredient to draw out tangy flavors. Use orange or lime instead.
4. Citric Acid
Citric acid makes another lemon juice substitute. It is a naturally occurring acid present in lemon juice itself which makes the powdered form of citric acid an excellent substitute for lemon juice especially when you require it for baking purposes.
Only 5 grams of citric acid is equal in acidity to half a cup of lemon juice. Thus, only a small amount or a pinch of citric acid is required for your recipe. You can make adjustments as per the recipe and taste you want to achieve.
You may also be required to add some additional liquids to balance the dry to wet ratio and taste of the recipe. In addition, when you use citric acid for baked goods, you can also protect some antioxidants and vitamins from being destroyed while cooking.
5. Lemon Zest
If you have dried or frozen lemon zest, you need not worry about lemon juice. It serves as an excellent lemon juice substitute as it is a concentrated source of lemon acidity and factors.
It works pretty well in most desserts and recipes as a primary flavor. However, sometimes you will have to add any additional liquid for the recipe to turn out as per your desire mainly when you are baking something.
6. Cream of tartar
Cream of tartar is mainly an acidic powder sold in most grocery stores, You can easily find one in the baking section. It has many culinary uses but most commonly it is used to stabilize whipped creams and egg white foams. It is also one of the ingredients of baking powder.
Due to its acidic nature, you can use it as a lemon juice substitute when you are baking. It is suggested to use a half teaspoon of creat of tartar for every full teaspoon of lemon juice required for a recipe.
Even for this substitute, you may require an additional liquid to balance the taste.
7. Lemon Extract
Lemon extract is a highly concentrated flavor of lemon often available in grocery stores. Reeber that this is highly concentrated so you will just require one or two drops for a recipe.
It is an excellent lemon juice substitute for prepping desserts in which the key ingredient is lemon juice. As it is highly concentrated you can dilute it using another liquid.
8. White Wine
Many people often use lemon juice as white or red wine substitutes, similar you can use white wine for lemon juice substitutes. It can be used one to one in place of lemon juice for preparing savory dishes. Mostly it is used for recipes where only a small amount or few drops of lemon is needed just to brighten the flavor or deglazing the pan.
Both lemon juice and wine are mostly used to deglaze pans. Both are acidic so their acidity intensifies all other flavors in any savory dish.
9. Lemon Verbena
If you have not heard of lemon verbena until now, it is a plant that is used most commonly for the production of folk medicine. Lemon verbena is a great lemon juice substitute because it offers a refreshing and sweet lemon flavor.
Some natives also believe that finding a stronger citrus scent and flavor like lemon verbena is not possible. Many culinary experts suggest using lemon verbena in recipes instead of lemon juice. You can just add a few drops for enhancing the taste and adding a slightly citrusy taste to the dish.
How To Use These Lemon Juice Substitutes?
If you cannot figure out which lemon juice substitute to use in which recipe you are preparing, here is a quick guide to understand which flavors to use.
- For cooking purposes: If you want to prepare recipes or savory dishes by cooking, you can use orange juice or lime juice instead of lemon juice in equal proportions. You can also use half as much vinegar or woe instead of lemon in recipes to be cooked.
- For baking purposes: If you are baking a recipe, again orange and lime juice are great replacements for lemon juice. You may use the lemon extract as well give then dilute it by mixing it with water first. Lemon zest also works quite well for baking purposes.
- For preparing juices and cocktails- Use orange and lime juice instead of lemon juice in equal parts. You can use lemon verbena herbs too for cocktails in small amounts to ensure a great taste.
In addition to all the substitutes for lemon juice. lime juice comes out to be the best substitute for lemon juice. It has quite a similar taste, flavor, and acidity. Next time f you ever feel like going up on making your favorite recipe because you run out of lemon juice, check your pantry for lime or other substitutes and you are good to go.
Also, know that while using a highly concentrate or powdered substitute for lemon juice like lemon extract or citric acid extract, you want to add any additional liquid to balance a correct ratio of ingredients.
These lemon juice substitutes given above will ensure that you cook your desired recipes without the presence of lemon juice in your kitchen or not.
