Lemon converter: whole lemons, cups, grams

A recipe lists '2 lemons' or asks for 100 g of lemon, and you have a motley collection of fruit of differing sizes in your fruit bowl. A medium lemon weighs about 115 g whole, so the amount for your recipe changes based on the size of the lemons you have. This converter moves between whole lemons, grams, ounces, and cups of chopped fruit. For juice, the juice calculator linked below works out how much juice you can get from your bag of lemons.

A small lemon is 85 g whole and a large one is 145 g, so 'three lemons' can mean anything from 255 g to 435 g of fruit. Picking the right amount for the size you have keeps dressings, curds, and marinades tasting as they should.

How much does a lemon weigh?

A medium, or average, lemon weighs about 115 g, with a small one around 85 g and a large one around 145 g.

Related Lemon Ingredients

Recipes often call for lemon juice by the cup or spoon rather than whole lemons. The lemon juice converter can help you scale a recipe by volume or weight if you are working with straight juice. See our Lemon Juice converter.

Limes are smaller and more floral than lemons, and the lime converter counts whole fruit, cups, and grams the same way. Lemons and limes can sometimes be substituted if the other is not available. See our Lime converter.

Need oranges instead? The orange converter works out whole-fruit counts and chopped cups across small, medium, and large sizes. See our Orange converter.

After a bigger, more bitter citrus taste? The grapefruit converter turns whole grapefruits into segmented cups, grams, and ounces at any size. Grapefruit juice can stand in for lemon when you want a bitter edge. See our Grapefruit converter.

Out of lemon? See lemon substitutes →

Lemon converter tool

Enter an amount, pick your units, and set the size for counting whole lemons.

Size applies to whole lemons (small / medium / large).

Result

0.52 cups

Lemon Calculators & Kitchen Tools

Working with lemon? These tools handle the jobs a converter cannot.

Common Lemon conversions

Quick reference for lemon at medium size. Switch the size in the converter above for small or large.

lemonsCups (chopped)
1 lemon0.52 cups
2 lemons1.05 cups
3 lemons1.57 cups
4 lemons2.09 cups
5 lemons2.61 cups
6 lemons3.14 cups

Lemon conversion chart

The chart below shows how whole lemons (medium size) convert to cups, grams and ounces.

lemonscupscups (US)gozlbkg
1 lemon0.52 cups0.55 cups (US)115 g4.06 oz0.25 lb0.12 kg
2 lemons1.05 cups1.09 cups (US)230 g8.11 oz0.51 lb0.23 kg
3 lemons1.57 cups1.64 cups (US)345 g12.17 oz0.76 lb0.35 kg
4 lemons2.09 cups2.18 cups (US)460 g16.23 oz1.01 lb0.46 kg
5 lemons2.61 cups2.73 cups (US)575 g20.28 oz1.27 lb0.57 kg

Lemon varieties and best uses

The conversions above are the same whatever variety you use; the difference is what each is good for. Here is how the common lemon varieties compare.

VarietyBest for
EurekaEveryday lemon juice: reliable, widely stocked, very juicy.
LisbonBaking, canning, and lemonade: flavour close to Eureka, good acid.
MeyerDesserts and dressings: sweeter and less sharp, thin-skinned.
AmalfiZesting and gourmet baking: intensely fragrant peel, low bitterness.

Which should I pick?

For dressings, curds, and cocktails, Eureka is your best bet as they are widely available and reliably juicy. No Eureka? Lisbon is nearly identical and will work in any recipe that calls for lemon. Choose Meyer in desserts where a sweeter, less sharp citrus note might suit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the size of a medium lemon?
A medium lemon weighs about 115 g, which works out to roughly 0.52 cups (0.55 US cups) of chopped flesh. Lemons come in a range of sizes depending on the season, variety and where they were grown, so weight and cup figures shift accordingly. Use the size selector above to match what you actually have, then read the exact conversion for any amount.
How much does an average lemon weigh?
An average lemon is the same as a medium one: about 115 g. A small lemon is lighter at around 85 g and a large one heavier at about 145 g, so the size you actually have changes the total for any recipe that counts lemons by the piece rather than by weight.
How much does a large lemon weigh?
A large lemon weighs about 145 g, noticeably more than a medium, or average, one at 115 g or a small one at 85 g. Set the size selector to large to convert cups, grams and ounces for the bigger lemons you actually have on the counter.
Which lemon variety should I use?
For dressings, curds, and cocktails, Eureka is your best bet as they are widely available and reliably juicy. No Eureka? Lisbon is nearly identical and will work in any recipe that calls for lemon. Choose Meyer in desserts where a sweeter, less sharp citrus note might suit.
How much juice is in a lemon?
A lemon yields approximately 45% of its weight in juice. That means a medium lemon (115 g) yields about 52 ml, a small one (85 g) about 38 ml and a large one (145 g) about 65 ml. See the juice yield calculator if you are adding lemon to your juice blend. Open the juice yield calculator
How do I convert grams to ounces for any ingredient?
Converting grams to ounces is pure weight maths that applies to any food, not just lemons, so 200 grams is always 7.05 ounces. For other amounts, the weight converter at the link below handles grams, ounces, pounds, kilograms and stone in both directions. Grams to ounces converter

Lemon measurement options

Choose from the following measurements to convert from

Other produce

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