A tablespoon of lemon juice is 15.2 g, approximately. Recipes use tablespoons for small amounts, which is exactly where guessing goes wrong, because being out by half a spoon matters far more in a single tablespoon than in a whole cup. The conversion itself is simple: a cup of lemon juice weighs 244 g, and a tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so 244 ÷ 16 = 15.2 g.
The figure comes from USDA, measured poured, and every result on this page is labelled approximate. Keep the scale nearby for anything that has to be exact.
About Lemon Juice
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, sharp and acidic. Dressings, marinades, baking and drinks. That is why it shows up in recipes measured by the tablespoon: it is used in amounts too small for a cup measure to be practical, yet large enough that guessing the weight can throw a dish off. Knowing that one tablespoon weighs 15.2 g lets you move between the spoon and the scale without stopping to work it out.
Storage. Refrigerate fresh juice; use within 1 week.
Tablespoon to grams table
| Tablespoons | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 5.1 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 15.2 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 30.5 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 45.8 g |
| 4 tablespoons | 61 g |
| 5 tablespoons | 76.2 g |
| 6 tablespoons | 91.5 g |
| 7 tablespoons | 106.8 g |
| 8 tablespoons | 122 g |
| 9 tablespoons | 137.2 g |
| 10 tablespoons | 152.5 g |
| 11 tablespoons | 167.8 g |
| 12 tablespoons | 183 g |
| 13 tablespoons | 198.2 g |
| 14 tablespoons | 213.5 g |
| 15 tablespoons | 228.8 g |
| 16 tablespoons | 244 g |
One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every figure above is the cup weight of 244 g divided by 16 and rounded to one decimal place. Sixteen tablespoons make one cup, which is why the last row of the table matches the cup weight exactly. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Cups to grams for reference
Most recipes switch between cups and tablespoons, so here is the same ingredient measured in cups. Use this table when a recipe gives a cup amount and you want to weigh it, or when you have already measured in tablespoons and want to check the total.
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4 tablespoons | 61 g |
| 1/3 cup | 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon | 81.3 g |
| 1/2 cup | 8 tablespoons | 122 g |
| 2/3 cup | 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons | 162.7 g |
| 3/4 cup | 12 tablespoons | 183 g |
| 1 cup | 16 tablespoons | 244 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 24 tablespoons | 366 g |
| 2 cups | 32 tablespoons | 488 g |
Worked examples
A dressing for a side salad
A dressing for a side salad for two uses 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, about 30.5 g, whisked with oil and a pinch of salt. Two tablespoons is the right amount of liquid to coat a bowl of leaves without pooling at the bottom. Whisk it until the mixture comes together, taste it, and only then pour it over the salad, because a dressing is much easier to adjust in the bowl than on the leaves.
A marinade for a weeknight dinner
A marinade for two portions of chicken or fish uses 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, about 45.8 g, mixed with oil, garlic and herbs. The liquid carries the flavour into the food and keeps the surface moist while it cooks. Marinate for twenty to thirty minutes, and discard any leftover marinade that touched raw meat rather than reusing it as a sauce.
A glaze for roasted vegetables
A glaze for a tray of roast vegetables uses 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, about 30.5 g, brushed over the vegetables in the last ten minutes of cooking. Brushing it on late stops the sugars in the glaze from burning, and two tablespoons is enough to coat a full tray without making it soggy. Brush it on, return the tray to the oven, and watch it closely, because a glaze goes from glossy to burnt in a couple of minutes.
How the figure is measured
Lemon Juice is a liquid, so it is measured poured: fill the tablespoon to the brim and level it by eye, or pour it into a small jug and read the level. Liquids are the easiest ingredients to measure by volume, because they settle flat and leave no air pockets, but they still cling to the spoon, so let the spoon drip for a moment before you count it as added. For larger amounts, pour into a jug rather than counting spoonfuls, since counting sixteen tablespoons is slow and each pour adds a small error.
The cup weight of 244 g comes from USDA. The tablespoon figure is that cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place, which is why the table is consistent from one row to the next. All results are approximate: brand, grind, humidity and temperature all move the real weight a little, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use these numbers as a guide.
Scaling the recipe up and down
Tablespoons scale cleanly once you know the weight of one spoon. A recipe that calls for 8 tablespoons of lemon juice needs 122 g, and doubling it to 16 tablespoons means 244 g, exactly one cup. Halving works the same way: 4 tablespoons is 61 g, and 2 tablespoons is 30.5 g. The rule that matters is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance.
When a recipe gives a weight instead of spoonfuls, work backwards: 100 g of lemon juice is about 6.6 tablespoons, and 50 g is about 3.3 tablespoons. Round to the nearest half tablespoon when you are measuring by hand, and accept that the result will be a gram or two off, which is fine for most cooking. For large amounts, stop counting spoons and switch to a cup measure or a scale: counting out 16 tablespoons is slow and error-prone, and a cup is faster and more accurate.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is a tablespoon of lemon juice?
One tablespoon of lemon juice weighs 15.2 g, approximately. The figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 244 g by 16, since one tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup. One teaspoon is 5.1 g, and one cup is 244 g.
Is a tablespoon of lemon juice the same weight as a tablespoon of water?
Very close. A tablespoon of water weighs 14.8 g, and a tablespoon of lemon juice weighs 15.2 g. Most water-based liquids sit within a gram or two of water per tablespoon, which is why recipes often treat them as interchangeable by volume.
How many grams is a tablespoon of lemon juice?
One tablespoon of lemon juice weighs 15.2 g, approximately. The figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 244 g by 16, since one tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup. One teaspoon is 5.1 g, and one cup is 244 g.
How many grams is a teaspoon of lemon juice?
One teaspoon of lemon juice weighs 5.1 g, approximately. A teaspoon is a third of a tablespoon, so the teaspoon weight is the tablespoon weight of 15.2 g divided by three. For very small amounts, the teaspoon is the better tool, because it is easier to level accurately than a tablespoon.
How many tablespoons of lemon juice are in 100 g?
About 6.6 tablespoons. The calculation is 100 g divided by 15.2 g per tablespoon, which gives 6.6. In practice, measure 6.6 level tablespoons and accept that the result will be a gram or two off, or weigh the ingredient directly if the recipe needs to be exact.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring a liquid in a dry cup, where it clings to the sides and some of it never reaches the bowl.
- Counting spoonfuls for a large amount instead of switching to a jug or a scale, which lets small errors add up.
- Reading a jug at an angle instead of at eye level, which makes the level look higher or lower than it is.
- Pouring straight from the bottle into the pan, which is almost always more than the recipe asked for.
The thread running through all of these is the same: a tablespoon is only a standard measure when it is filled in the standard way. Measure lemon juice poured, level it off, and check the weight on a scale when the recipe has to be right, and the numbers on this page will serve you well.