How Much Lime Juice in One Lime? Measures, Equivalents & Substitutes of Lime Juice

Your recipe calls for ½ cup of lime juice, but you don’t know how many limes you need for that. Well, let me make the calculation easy for you.

Today, you’ll learn the following from this article:

• How Much Juice Can You Extract from the Limes
• How to Juice a Lime
• How to Pick the Best Lime?
• Types of Lime
• Substitutes for Lime Juice
• Lime vs Lemon

Most recipes that call for lime juice usually specify the required amount of lime juice in tablespoons, ounces, or cups. They typically don’t mention the number of limes that will be required.

Important : You will get 2 Tablespoons of juice from a lime. (from standard-sized limes)

So, a recipe needs 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and you don’t have any bottled juice at home. In that case, you can extract one tablespoon of juice from ½ of fresh lime.

Again, suppose a recipe calls for the juice of 1 lime. You can use 2 tablespoons of bottled lime juice instead.

It’s best to use fresh lime juice because it adds more flavor than bottled lime juice.

However, the amount of juice can vary somewhat depending on the type and size of a lime. You’ll get more juice from Persian lime than Key lime. 

Or, since Key lime is smaller than Persian lime, you’ll need to squeeze it more to get the same amount of juice as Persian lime.

So, the juice amount and the effort you need to put in depends on the limes you’ll be using, and that’s why it’s essential to know the correct equivalent to add the perfect flavor.

Let me help you with my reference chart. Just go through it, and you will easily understand the measurements.

How Much Juice Can You Extract From The Limes

Type of Limes	Number of Limes	Juice in Lime
Key Lime	12- 16 limes, or 1 pound	1⁄2 –  2⁄3 cup Or 4 – 5.33 fluid oz
Key Lime	24 limes	1 cup Or 8 fluid oz
Key Lime	1 (medium-sized)	2-3 Teaspoons Or 0.33 – 0.5 fluid oz
Persian Lime	6-8 medium limes or 1 pound	½ – ⅔ cup  Or 4 – 5.33 fluid oz
Persian Lime	1 (medium-sized)	1-3 Tablespoons Or 0.5 – 1.5 fluid oz
Average Lime	½ of a lime	1 Tablespoon Or 0.5 fluid oz
Average Lime	1 lime	2 Tablespoons Or one fluid oz
Average Lime	2 limes	¼ cup Or 2 fluid oz
Average Lime	4 limes	½ cup Or 4 fluid oz
Average Lime	6 limes	¾ cup Or 6 fluid oz
Average Lime	8 limes	1 cup Or 8 fluid oz

Let Me Tell You How to Juice a Lime

You won’t get lime juice just by buying fresh and firm limes. You will have to follow some steps to get juice from your limes.

If you don’t know how to extract juice from limes, let me help you.

You will need a

• bowl
• sharp knife, and
• handheld juicer to juice a lime.

Now, follow the instructions step by step.

Step 1: Soften the lime by massaging it. Using your palm, roll it on the cutting board or countertop. You can use any flat surface to move it. Massage will separate the segments, and you will easily get more lime juice by squeezing it.

Step 2: Cut the lime crosswise in half using a sharp knife. You will get more juice by doing so.

Step 3: Place the lime half into the handheld juicer. The flesh side should be facing down.

Step 4: Over a bowl, press the two handles of the juicer slowly, and you will get your lime juice. It will smell very fresh. Keep repeating the process to get the required amount of lemon juice.

Step 5: After squeezing all of the juice from a lime, strain the juice through a fine strainer or a small slotted spoon to remove the seeds.

Step 6: If you want to measure your lime juice to get the perfect amount, gently transfer the juice from the bowl into a teaspoon, tablespoon, or measuring cup.

Tips:

• You can use tongs instead of a citrus juicer! Just put a lime half in the tongs and squeeze.
• For best results, you can microwave limes for just 10 seconds. It will loosen up the membranes, and you will easily get all the juice.
• If you juice more limes than you need, store the juice in the fridge for 2-3 days and use it within that time frame.

You may also like: Substitutes For Lime Juice

But Do You Know How to Pick the Best Lime?

To get the most juice from a lime, you need to pick the perfect limes from the grocery store. To buy limes that are fresh and packed with juice, look for the following features:

1. Look for Firm Limes

Firm and tight limes are filled with lime juice compared to those that feel soft. So, always pick limes that are firm and shiny.

2. Choose Lime with Smoother Skin

Lime that is fresh and packed with juice usually has a smooth rind. The skin of a fresh and juicy lime shouldn’t be bumpy because the fruit’s skin is trenched when it is full of juice.

So, avoid limes with bumpy skins.

3. Pick Heavy Limes

Although limes have a more or less standard size, try picking up some limes and comparing their weights. Buy the limes that weigh more because heavy ones have more juice.

4. Go Green

Bright, green-colored lime has more liquid and flavors than dark green and yellow ones. So, buy the bright green limes.

5. Buy Limes That Yield Slightly to Pressure

As I mentioned already, firm limes have more juice than soft ones, but check if it yields to a bit of pressure with your thumb before buying the firm lime.

If it doesn’t yield, the chances are that you won’t get enough juice from it. Also, if it feels too much softer, be sure that it isn’t filled with juice inside.

Bonus Read!

Types of Lime

Persian lime and Key lime are the two most common limes in the United States. Though they’re from the same citrus family, they do have some distinct features as follows-

Features	Persian Lime	Key Lime
Appearance	Oval-shaped.Bigger in size.Has smooth, thick grind and bright green skin.	Spherical-shaped.Smaller in size compared to Persian limes.Has leathery, thin rind and yellow spots with green color.
Flavor	Less sour and a little bit bitter compared to Key limes.Juicy Texture.	Has a distinctive and moderate acidic flavor and a strong aroma. Juicy flesh.
Seeds	It has no seeds in the flesh.	Full of seeds.
Uses	Perfect for both savory and sweet recipes.	Mainly used in baked goods and sweet desserts.
Availability	Easy to find at grocery shops.	Less available than Persian limes.

Some Substitutes for Lime Juice

You can always use fresh lime juice instead of bottled juice, and it’s even better because the flavor of fresh lime juice is more intense and brighter than bottled lime juice.

However, be careful to substitute bottled lime juice for fresh and ensure it is pure juice with no additives.

Also, if you don’t have fresh limes or bottled pure lime juice, you can substitute other citrus fruits. You can use lemon juice but know that the flavor and texture won’t be the same as intended.

And in case you need Key limes for your lime pie. Still, if you can’t find any at the grocery store, you can substitute a mixture of fresh lemon juice and regular lime juice in an equal amount. But first, remember to use the mixture 2 to 3 times less than the required amount of Key lime and then add if needed.

I am sure that you will find Persian lime easily to make your favorite recipe.

However, some other substitutes for lime juice can be white wine, citrus zest, and vinegar.

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Lime vs Lemon: What’s the Difference? 

Though limes and lemons have many similarities, like both being sour and acidic, offering almost the same health benefits, and can be used interchangeably, they also have different characteristics.

Features	Lime	Lemon
Shape	Round and small	Larger than limes and oval-shaped
Color	Bright green	Bright yellow
Taste	Bitter	Sweeter than limes
Uses	Mainly used in savory dishes	Used in both delicious and sweet dishes

Quick Reminder : While substituting them for each other, be mindful of the bitter-sweet flavor balance.