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    Ingredient guide · Ingredient reference

    Vitamin C in lemon and lemon juice: the squeeze is a smaller serving

    Raw lemon flesh and raw lemon juice have different reference concentrations. The amount in a squeeze depends on how much juice is used.

    Read the evidence ↓

    Supplement Science Insights Editorial Team

    Published September 23, 2026

    Whole edible lemon and juice are different entries

    USDA SR Legacy 2018 lists raw lemon without peel at 53.0 mg vitamin C per 100 g and raw lemon juice at 38.7 mg per 100 g. The listed 58 g edible lemon provides about 30.7 mg. Lemon therefore contributes vitamin C, but a little juice should not be counted as that entire edible fruit. [1]

    A squeeze needs a quantity

    The raw-juice record gives 48 g as one lemon’s reference juice yield, which calculates to 18.6 mg vitamin C. Its 30.5 g fluid-ounce portion gives 11.8 mg. Actual yields vary. Bottled, heated or fortified juice needs a matching record or label rather than an automatic copy of this raw-juice estimate. [1][2]

    Vitamin C supports normal collagen synthesis and has antioxidant functions, according to NIH ODS. Lemon can contribute to that nutrient intake. Those established vitamin functions do not prove that a particular lemon drink treats a disease or has benefits beyond an otherwise adequate diet. [1][2]

    Calculating a hypothetical drink

    Suppose a drink contains 15 g of raw lemon juice. The estimate is 5.8 mg vitamin C; using 30 g gives 11.6 mg. Adding plain water changes the drink’s concentration, not the amount supplied by the measured juice. These serving estimates do not establish special effects of lemon water. [1]

    Hypothetical example — scale measured raw juice in a drink
    Raw lemon juice usedEstimated vitamin C
    15 g5.8 mg
    30 g11.6 mg
    Vitamin C in lemon and lemon juice: the squeeze is a smaller serving — original article outline diagram
    Original editorial diagram of this article’s sections; no product photograph or clinical finding is depicted.

    Sources for this article

    1. USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy April 2018 food composition dataset
      Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.
    2. Vitamin C - Health Professional Fact Sheet
      Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.