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Lemon

Lemon is a tart citrus fruit used for its juice, flesh, and aromatic peel in savory dishes, desserts, and drinks.

Lemon — illustrative ingredient image

About Lemon

Lemon is the fruit of a citrus tree, typically used for its juice, segmented flesh, or aromatic peel in sauces, marinades, dressings, desserts, preserves, and drinks. It may be used fresh, squeezed, sliced, grated, or preserved.

Its juice is sharply acidic and fragrant, while the flesh is juicy and segmented. The coloured outer peel contains aromatic oils and supplies a pronounced floral citrus aroma; the white inner pith is more bitter. Cultivars vary in seediness, acidity, size, and rind thickness.

Lemons are usually oval with a yellow rind enclosing pale segments and seeds, though appearance varies by cultivar. They are sold whole, juiced, peeled, or preserved. Squeezing releases thin juice, zesting concentrates aromatic peel, and cooking or preserving changes the fruit’s texture and balances its tartness and bitterness.

Ingredient type
whole food

Forms & related ingredients

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Where lemon appears

279 linked foods

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Main dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for lemon

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Lemon

English

buddha's hands

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Citron, chair sans peau, sans pépins, cru

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Citron, zeste, cru

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

lemon (raw)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemon, peeled, raw

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemon, preserved

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemons, flesh only, raw, weighed with peel and pips

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemons, peeled, flesh only

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemons, raw, without peel

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Lemons, whole, without pips

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

MEYER LEMON

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

raw lemon peel

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

raw peeled lemon

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Lemon nutrition & diet

Lemon nutritional value

Lemons, raw, without peel

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.

Calories
29kcal
Protein
1.1g
Carbs
9.3g
Fat
0.3g

Reference values for the specific food form shown. Other varieties, brands and preparations can differ.

Portions & preparation

Specify whether the serving is whole edible flesh, juice-bearing segments, or a preparation using peel, since these forms are not interchangeable. Record fresh versus cooked, preserved, candied, or sweetened lemon separately. Remove seeds and inedible peel unless the reference explicitly includes them.

Compare the right form: Match references to fresh lemon flesh or the documented edible part, distinguishing peeled segments, whole fruit, preserved, candied, and sweetened forms.

Diet considerations

Lemon is plant-derived citrus fruit. Compatibility changes with sugar, syrup, alcohol, dairy, gelatin, or savory sauces added during preparation. Fresh fruit differs from candied, preserved, juiced, or dessert forms; portions and accompanying sweeteners can create different carbohydrate patterns than plain lemon used as a garnish.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically compatible
  • Vegetarian
    Typically compatible
  • Pescatarian
    Typically compatible
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically compatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Vegetarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Pescatarian · Typically compatible
The plain ingredient profile is plant, fungal or mineral based. Added ingredients in a prepared product need a separate check.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically compatible
The plain form fits the conventional paleo food groups. Added ingredients and individual interpretations can differ.
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Lemons, raw, without peel ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .