Can You Juice A Whole Lemon?

So, in keeping with the theme of Lemons (which I’ve previously written extensively on) I figured it was time to discuss if you can juice a whole lemon.

This article is going to cover the ins and outs of how and why you would want to juice the whole lemon. If you can even do it. And how to do it.

Let’s get started!

 

Lemons: The All Purpose Fruit To Juice

Some people who are knew to juicing are not sure how exactly they are supposed to go about juicing lemons. Do you have to peel a lemon first, or can you juice a lemon without peeling it?

As I discussed in my prior article, you can juice a lemon without having to peel it. And that’s great because it also answers the question of this article.  You certainly can juice a whole lemon.

The skin of the lemon is something you should want to juice. It’s rich in healthy lemon oil which has been proven to be extremely good for you for a multitude of health reasons.

I like to juice the whole lemon because it adds much more flavor than simply squeezing a lemon to get it’s juice. If you leave the skin out, and only press the lemon in a citrus juicer, then you’re going to get a much more diluted lemon flavor.

That’s ok if you’re looking to make lemonade. But if you’re planning on making a green drink, or really any sort of healthy juice that is based on greens or vegetables, then I advise that you use the whole lemon.

Drawbacks To Juicing A Whole Leomon

What are the drawbacks to using the entire lemon as opposed to only squeezing it?

The primary drawback is that you will need to use a special juicer. Regular juicer’s are not capable of extracting the lemon oil from the lemon skin. And if you use a citrus press, then forget it. It’s only able to squeeze a lemon.

The secondary drawback, which I don’t even consider a real drawback, but if you really are grasping at straws….is that it’s a bit too lemony flavored. The essential oil that you find in a whole lemon is going to really create a potent flavor. It might be a bit much if you’re planning on making lemonade. I even covered that in my article discussing wheather  or not you can make lemonade with a juicer.

Sometimes you only want to use the lemon juice that you get with a citrus squeezer. These are designed for people who make lemonade, use lemons when they cook: lemon pasta, lemon meringue pie, and all other recipes that call for lemon juice.

Overall, I think of two seperate applications for juicing a lemon.

If I’m making lemonade or cooking pasta or even a cake, then I only squeeze the lemon using a citrus juicer. These are eiahter going to  be reams with a bowl design. Or they will be hand pressed juicers.

If, however, I am in the mood to make a fresh green juice or even a healthy fruit juice and want to boost the citrus count, then I use an auger style juicer.

Benefits To Juicing The Whole Lemon

Well, the first is that you get a much more intense flavor! If you really want the lemony flavor, the skin of the lemon is where you will find it. Most of the time, when you look at the ingredients of anything that is flavored to taste like a lemon, you will see “lemon oil” listed as one of the primary ingredients.

The second reason that I like juicing whole lemons instead of just the lemon flesh or pulp, is that you get more health benefits. Juicing lemon skins provides you with a ton of healthy antioxidents and nutrients that are simply not available in regular lemon juices.

Plus, it uses more of the lemon! If you are at all concerned with the enviroment or frugal behavior, then you should want to use all of that lemon that you possible can. Using less of the lemon is basically a waste of money. You’re throwing out good fruit that could otherwise be used. So, I do reccomend that you go ahead and juice that lemon and you’ll be helping out the enviromnet as well as helping your wallet. (organic lemons aren’t cheap, and I only reccomend that you use organic lemons when juicing).

Can You Juice A Whole Lemon With A Juicer?

Yes you can. I like to use an auger juicer, as longtime readers of my blog will know. However, it’s possibe to use oa centrifugal juicer. It’s just not optimal.

The reason that I don’t suggest that you use a cutting disc style juicer is that they simply are incapable of pressing the juice from the whole lemon. The pulp and flesh of the fruit is handelded well enough. But the lemon skin is another story. You’re just not going to be able to get that juice out.

What you’re going to run into when you try and use a regular blender instead of a cold press blender is that the lemon peel isn’t actually juiced per se. It’s akin to grating it really finely over a micrograter. It’s not the same as using a press style juicer.

Think of it like olive oil , which is an analogy that I really like. When people make oil oil from olives, they don’t use a sharp blade to dice up the olives and collect the oil, do they? No, of course not. That wouldn’t work. What they do is use a press.

In ancient times, they might have used a stone wheel. In current times some places even still use this method. It’s still a prefered way to juice olives (which is basically what making oilve oil is).

So, you want to use a crushing juicer that will press the juice out.  I have a whole write up on cold press juicers here you can review.