Most medium lemons give about 2–3 tablespoons of juice, with 2 tablespoons being a safe estimate for recipes.

Quick Scoop

  • A small lemon : usually around 2 tablespoons of juice.
  • A medium lemon : about 2–3 tablespoons (roughly 1–1.5 ounces).
  • A large lemon : around 4–5 tablespoons (about 1/4 cup).

So if a recipe just says “the juice of one lemon,” using about 2 tablespoons will work for most standard supermarket lemons, and you can go up to 3 tablespoons if your lemon is on the larger/juicier side.

A simple rule of thumb: 1 lemon ≈ 2 tablespoons juice; 2 lemons ≈ 1/4 cup; 4–5 lemons ≈ 3/4–1 cup.

Meta description (SEO):
Wondering how much lemon juice is in one lemon? Learn the average tablespoons per small, medium, and large lemon, plus easy conversion tips so your recipes turn out just right.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.