The best substitutes for lemon extract

Lemon is one of the most popular ingredients in the world and adds a lot of dimension to food. It will almost certainly appear on any restaurant menu and in a wide variety of dishes around the world.

Many recipes use lemon extract in particular because it has a very concentrated lemon flavor and a long shelf life.

However, like so many things, you may run out of lemon extract just when you need it most. This is life.

So what are the best substitutes for lemon extract?  Fresh lemons (for juice and zest), fresh limes (also for juice and zest), lemon essence, and orange juice are the best substitutes for lemon extract in recipes.

In this article, we will classify and discuss these 5 substitutes for lemon extract, as well as how to substitute using each of them.

What is lemon extract?

Lemon extract is a lemon flavored liquid made from lemons and is usually oil or alcohol based. The way lemon extract is made is by soaking the rinds of the lemons in a clear, neutral-tasting spirit, usually vodka.

The essential oils in the peels are released, allowing them to infuse into the alcohol. The alcohol is then distilled, creating a clear or pale yellow liquid having a percentage of about 77%.

This process creates a beautiful lemon flavor profile without the sour, tart taste of fresh lemon juice.

Lemon extract can be used in various culinary dishes, both sweet and savoury. They can be baked goods, prepared desserts, frozen desserts, marinades, pickles, or dressings, to name a few.

Pero si tu Extracto Puro de Limón McCormick se ha agotado, necesitarás algo que te salve el día, ¡y el plato!

Por eso te hemos cubierto con una práctica lista de sustitutos.

Sustitutos del extracto de limón

El hecho de que algo tenga sabor a limón no significa que sea un buen sustituto del extracto de limón.

Hay muchos factores que hay que tener en cuenta a la hora de sustituir el extracto de limón. Los más importantes son

• Cómo se verá afectada la consistencia del producto final.
• Cómo se verá afectado el sabor.
• Cómo se verá afectada la textura del producto final.

Como estamos trabajando con ingredientes ácidos, algunos sustitutos pueden cuajar los lácteos, lo que hará que la receta fracase. Blech.

Some substitutes may also have a weaker flavor and therefore need to be used in larger amounts, which can alter cooking, freezing, or setting times.

Yeah, it’s not just an overall lemon flavor we’re going for here. Cooking is a science as well as an art, which means there are multiple factors to consider when making substitutions.

But don’t worry, there are solutions.

Below we’ve ranked lemon extract substitutes and exactly why we think they deserve ranking.

1. Lemon peel

Lemon zest is the finely grated skin (rind) of a lemon. This is achieved using a grater/microplane or the finer side of a box grater.

Be careful not to grate the pith (the white part under the skin) as it is very bitter and will impart that flavor during the cooking process.

Lemon zest is by far the best substitute for lemon extract or any other lemon flavoring. It is not acidic and its flavor is very concentrated, like that of lemon extract.

It’s not in a liquid form, which means you can usually add a lot of extra zest without changing the consistency of your dish or dessert. It also won’t cause dairy to curdle due to the lack of acidity.

Another advantage is that you can keep the lemons after zesting them, thus making the most of the lemon possible and reducing food waste.

You can substitute an equal part lemon zest for the lemon extract and easily add more to modify the flavor.

2. Lemon juice

Freshly squeezed lemon juice is obviously the most authentic lemon flavor you can get. It is much more tart and acidic than lemon extract.

However, lemon extract is much more concentrated than lemon juice, so you will need to use more juice than extract to get the same flavor. You can substitute 1 teaspoon of lemon extract for 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

This is where you may encounter difficulties with this substitute.

You can easily use this substitute in dressings, marinades, or pickles with no problem, but as soon as you use it in baking-related recipes (baked goods, prepared desserts, frozen desserts, etc.) you may have more problems.

Since you have to use a lot more lemon juice, the volume of liquid could drastically change the recipe. You can solve this problem by removing the difference from another liquid ingredient.

Another factor, as we have mentioned initially, is that lemon juice is much more acidic than lemon extract.

This means that if you don’t know how to properly incorporate acid into dairy, the dairy will curdle and your recipe won’t work. A quick Google search will help you solve this problem.

We prefer fresh lemon juice to bottled, but others may not. Both have pros and cons. Bottled lemon juice has fewer nutrients and sometimes contains chemicals. However, it is convenient to use if you hate squeezing lemons.

That being said, you won’t be able to mimic the flavor of lemon more accurately than by using freshly squeezed lemon juice.

3. Lime juice or zest

Lime juice is very similar to lemon juice. They taste similar, with the main difference being that lemons are much sourer, while limes are more bitter.

Its acidic pH level is almost the same, which means that you can substitute lemon extract in the same way: for every teaspoon of lemon extract, you can use 2 tablespoons of lime juice.

Esto también significa que al sustituirlo tendrás algunos de los mismos problemas que comentamos con el zumo de limón, como la posibilidad de que cambie la consistencia o se cuaje el lácteo.

Esto se evita fácilmente sabiendo cómo incorporar el zumo de lima a los productos lácteos o reduciendo el líquido de otro ingrediente.

Para los platos salados, no debería ser un problema y será una fantástica sustitución en aderezos y marinadas.

La cáscara de una lima funcionará mejor como sustituto del extracto de limón, ya que puedes utilizar mucha cáscara de lima sin correr ningún riesgo. Puedes empezar utilizando una parte igual de ralladura de lima que de extracto y añadir más si es necesario.

4. Esencia de limón/saborizante

La mayoría de la gente tiene la idea errónea de que el extracto de limón y la esencia de limón es lo mismo. No es así.

La esencia de limón es un producto que se elabora con colorantes, aromatizantes y otros componentes químicos artificiales. El extracto de limón se extrae directamente del propio limón.

Sin embargo, la esencia de limón tiene algunas ventajas. Dura mucho más que el extracto de limón, es un producto económico y muy fácil de encontrar. Además, añadirá un tono amarillo a tus productos, lo que puede animar algunos postres.

Para sustituir la esencia de limón, no hay una proporción exacta a utilizar, ya que es un aromatizante artificial y varía.

Cada marca de esencia tendrá un sabor totalmente diferente: algunas sabrán más a limón real y serán muy concentradas, mientras que otras tendrán un sabor comparativamente soso y diluido.

Puedes empezar sustituyendo partes iguales de esencia de limón por extracto de limón y añadir más si es necesario.

5. Zumo y ralladura de naranja

Para los que no son fans de todo lo relacionado con el limón, el zumo de naranja es el sustituto perfecto. No es tan ácido ni agrio y además es mucho más dulce que el extracto de limón. Sigue teniendo todos los componentes cítricos sin la acidez agria.

Para sustituir el extracto de limón por zumo de naranja, por cada cucharadita de extracto de limón, utiliza 2 cucharadas de zumo de naranja.

Ten en cuenta que, como el zumo de naranja es muy dulce, tu producto puede resultar mucho más dulce de lo previsto. Puedes añadir menos azúcar de la que pide la receta o utilizar ralladura de naranja en su lugar.

You can substitute equal amounts of orange zest for the lemon extract and adjust the flavor from there.

Related questions

Can I use powdered citric acid instead of lemon extract?

Citric acid is a naturally occurring acid found in lemons. This means that using its powdered form will perfectly mimic the acidity, but not the flavor of lemon.

For every teaspoon of lemon extract, you can use ¼ teaspoon (0.04 ounces or 1.25 ml) of citric acid.

Are lemon oils safe to consume?

There are many different oils on the market. Lemon-flavored olive oil should be safe to consume, although it may taste more like oil than lemon. Lemon extract in an oil base is also safe to consume.

There are also lemon essential oils that are not always safe to consume. Please check the bottle to see if it can be consumed orally or not.

What is the shelf life of these ingredients?

Here’s a table showing the average shelf life for each of these substitutes. You can choose the one that best suits your lifestyle and your needs. Keep in mind that the older the ingredient, the weaker its flavor will be.