Lemon is used in all sorts of recipes, from salad dressings to muffins, but what do you do when you run out of lemon juice? Luckily, there are a couple of tried and true tricks that will work like a charm when you need a lemon juice substitute in a pinch. Keep in mind, depending on how you’re using the lemon juice and what type of recipe you’re whipping up, some of these substitutes will work better than others. So the next time you’re in a jam, try one of these simple lemon juice substitutes

Lime Juice

Possibly the most common lemon juice substitute, lime juice is always good when you may have fresh limes in the house, but not fresh lemons. To substitute, swap equal parts lime juice for lemon juice. Now, because lime juice is slightly more acidic and has a slightly milder flavor, there can be some variance in the flavor of whatever dish you’re trying to make. Lime is also sweeter, so if whatever you’re making calls for additional sugar, you may want to slightly decrease the amount of sugar you add to correspond with the additional sugar of the lime juice.

Vinegar

Lemon juice is high in acidity, so for some recipes it’s more important to opt for the acidity rather than sour flavor. This comes into play for sauces, marinades and salad dressings. Vinegar can work as a perfect substitute, but since the acidity in vinegar is also very high (and the flavor, potent), you’ll need to cut it slightly if you want to use it as a lemon juice substitute. To use, go with a 1/2:1 ratio. This means that if your recipe calls for a teaspoon of lemon juice, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar.

White Wine

Similar to vinegar, white wine is also high in acidity which makes them a good substitute for lemon juice. Also like vinegar, it’s important to use slightly less wine for lemon juice, as a 1:1 ratio will be too acidic. Use half of the required amount of lemon juice in your substitute, so for 1 Tablespoon of lemon use, go with 1/2 Tablespoon of white wine.

Powdered Zest

This one is a freebie, and works great for baked goods. If you’re a serious baker, you may have a few more unique ingredients stashed away in your pantry. If you’re one of those people, you may have some handy powdered lemon zest in your cabinet, and if so, that can work well to give you that lemon flavor without the actual lemon.

Do you have a special lemon juice substitute that you use when you’re out of the real thing? Share it with us in the comments!

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