Lemon juice vs. Lemon Zest
Nutrition comparison of Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
lemon juice
versus
lemon zest
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in lemon juice and lemon zest:
- Both lemon juice and lemon zest are high in Vitamin C.
- Lemon juice has 53% less calories than lemon zest.
- Lemon juice has 57% less carbohydrates than lemon zest.
- Lemon zest has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6.
- Lemon zest is an excellent source of calcium and dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Lemon juice (Lemon juice, raw) and Lemon Zest (Lemon peel, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Lemon juice has 53% less calories than lemon zest - lemon juice has 22 calories per 100 grams and lemon zest has 47 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, lemon juice is similar to lemon zest for protein, carbs and fat. Lemon juice has a macronutrient ratio of 8:92:0 and for lemon zest, 9:91:0 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Lemon juice | Lemon Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8% | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 92% | 91% |
| Fat | ~ | ~ |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Lemon juice has 57% less carbohydrates than lemon zest - lemon juice has 6.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and lemon zest has 16g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Lemon zest is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 34 times more dietary fiber than lemon juice - lemon juice has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and lemon zest has 10.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Lemon juice and lemon zest contain similar amounts of sugar - lemon juice has 2.5g of sugar per 100 grams and lemon zest has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Lemon juice and lemon zest contain similar amounts of protein - lemon juice has 0.35g of protein per 100 grams and lemon zest has 1.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both lemon juice and lemon zest are low in saturated fat - lemon juice has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and lemon zest has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both lemon juice and lemon zest are high in Vitamin C. Lemon zest has 233% more Vitamin C than lemon juice - lemon juice has 38.7mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and lemon zest has 129mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Lemon zest and lemon juice contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - lemon zest has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and lemon juice does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Lemon juice and lemon zest contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - lemon juice has 0.15mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and lemon zest has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
The B Vitamins
Lemon zest has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6. Both lemon juice and lemon zest contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid and folate.
| Lemon juice | Lemon Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.024 MG | 0.06 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.015 MG | 0.08 MG |
| Niacin | 0.091 MG | 0.4 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.131 MG | 0.319 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.046 MG | 0.172 MG |
| Folate | 20 UG | 13 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Lemon zest is an excellent source of calcium and it has 21 times more calcium than lemon juice - lemon juice has 6mg of calcium per 100 grams and lemon zest has 134mg of calcium.
iron
Lemon zest has 900% more iron than lemon juice - lemon juice has 0.08mg of iron per 100 grams and lemon zest has 0.8mg of iron.
potassium
Lemon zest has 55% more potassium than lemon juice - lemon juice has 103mg of potassium per 100 grams and lemon zest has 160mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both lemon juice and lemon zest contain small amounts of beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Lemon juice | Lemon Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 1 UG | 7 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 15 UG | 18 UG |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 1 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, lemon zest has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than lemon juice per 100 grams.
| Lemon juice | Lemon Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.009 G | 0.026 G |
| Total | 0.009 G | 0.026 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, lemon zest has more linoleic acid than lemon juice per 100 grams.
| Lemon juice | Lemon Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.012 G | 0.063 G |
| Total | 0.012 G | 0.063 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Lemon juice (Lemon juice, raw) and Lemon Zest (Lemon peel, raw) .
Lemon juice g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Lemon Zest g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does lemon juice or lemon zest contain more calories in 100 grams?Lemon juice has 50% less calories than lemon zest - lemon juice has 22 calories in 100g and lemon zest has 47 calories.
Does lemon juice or lemon zest have more carbohydrates?
By weight, lemon juice has 60% fewer carbohydrates than lemon zest - lemon juice has 6.9g of carbs for 100g and lemon zest has 16g of carbohydrates.
Does lemon juice or lemon zest contain more calcium?
Lemon zest is a rich source of calcium and it has 21 times more calcium than lemon juice - lemon juice has 6mg of calcium in 100 grams and lemon zest has 134mg of calcium.