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How to Use a Citrus Squeezer Explore this Article parts 1 Choosing and Cutting Fruit Video: Choosing and Cutting the Fruit 2 Extracting the Juice Video: Extracting Juice With a Citrus Squeezer + Show 1 more... - Show less... Other Sections Things You'll Need Related Articles References Reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur
Last Updated: January 30, 2026 References
X
This article was reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 45,971 times.
Using a handheld citrus squeezer is an easy and effective way of extracting the juice from citrus fruits. Select the best fruit for juicing by checking its firmness and making sure it’s no colder than room temperature. Roll the fruit on the counter with gentle pressure before juicing it. Finally, cut the fruit for optimum leverage and juice extraction.
Steps
Part 1 Part 1 of 2:
Choosing and Cutting Fruit
1 Feel the firmness of the fruit. Select a fresh, ripe fruit. Choose a fruit that’s slightly (and evenly) soft, but not mushy. Avoid juicing a fruit that feels hard.[1]XResearch source
The harder the fruit, the more difficult it will be to juice.
The heavier the fruit feels, the juicier it will be![2]XResearch source
The best citrus fruit has a rind free of blemishes, and a bold, sweet scent.
2 Ensure the fruit is at least room temperature. Leave it sitting at room temperature until it is no longer cold to the touch.[3]XResearch source Warm the fruit in the microwave, on high, for twenty to thirty seconds, if desired. Allow it to cool for one minute.[4]XResearch source
Warm fruit is easier to juice.
Warming the fruit is especially useful if it was refrigerated.
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3 Roll the fruit with your hands. Hold the fruit against a countertop or other surface. Apply gentle pressure. Roll the fruit back and forth.[5]XResearch source
Rolling the fruit loosens its inner segments, to prepare the fruit for juicing.
4 Cut the fruit with a large chef’s knife. Make the cut a bit off-center.[6]XResearch source Cut the fruit lengthwise if it will fit that way into your squeezer.[7]XResearch source If not, cut the fruit crosswise, then slice off pointy tip of the rind (if applicable).[8]XResearch source
You can get more juice out of fruits like lemons and limes by cutting them lengthwise instead of crosswise.
Cutting off the rind tip will give you more leverage for using a manual squeezer.
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Video: Choosing and Cutting the Fruit
Part 2 Part 2 of 2:
Extracting the Juice
1 Place the fruit into the squeezer. Make sure to place the cut side of the fruit facing down. The interior dome of the squeezer should press towards the rind-end of the fruit.[9]XResearch source
Placing the cut side face-down may appear counter-intuitive at first. However, if you leave the cut side facing up, the juice will squirt upwards!
2 Bring the handles together. Hold the squeezer over a bowl. Place the bottom handle in your non-dominant hand. Press down the top handle with your dominant hand, until the handles are close enough together that you can grip them with both hands at once.[10]XResearch source
If you know exactly how much fruit you need to juice, you can skip the separate container and squeeze directly into a pot or other cookware.[11]XResearch source
3 Squeeze the handles. Place one hand in front of the other. Grip the handles of the squeezer with both hands at the same time. Squeeze several times, until juice stops flowing from the squeezer.[12]XResearch source
The squeezer will invert the rind so that it’s almost inside-out.
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Video: Extracting Juice With a Citrus Squeezer
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Things You'll Need
Citrus fruit
Citrus squeezer
Bowl
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
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Reviewed by: Jennifer Levasseur Personal Chef This article was reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College. This article has been viewed 45,971 times. 8 votes - 50% Co-authors: 5Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 45,971 Categories: Care and Use of Cooking Equipment | Kitchen Countertop Appliances In other languages Spanish Japanese
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Alta Vista
Jun 21, 2022
"I am glad I found this article on How to use a Citrus Squeezer. I could not for the life of me, make sense of how the citrus fruit would go into this contraption in order that I could extract the juice (from a lemon). wikiHow helped to make sense of it."..." more
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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Reviewed by: Jennifer Levasseur Personal Chef 8 votes - 50% Click a star to vote 50% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 5Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 45,971
Alta Vista
Jun 21, 2022
"I am glad I found this article on How to use a Citrus Squeezer. I could not for the life of me, make sense of how the citrus fruit would go into this contraption in order that I could extract the juice (from a lemon). wikiHow helped to make sense of it."..." more Share yours!
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How toGet More Juice out of a Lemon 
How to Slice Lemons 
How toDe‐Pith Oranges 
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Reviewed by: Jennifer Levasseur Personal Chef This article was reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College. This article has been viewed 45,971 times. 8 votes - 50% Co-authors: 5 Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 45,971 Categories: Care and Use of Cooking Equipment | Kitchen Countertop Appliances In other languages Spanish Japanese 
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1 Feel the firmness of the fruit. Select a fresh, ripe fruit. Choose a fruit that’s slightly (and evenly) soft, but not mushy. Avoid juicing a fruit that feels hard.[1] 
2 Ensure the fruit is at least room temperature. Leave it sitting at room temperature until it is no longer cold to the touch.[3] Warm the fruit in the microwave, on high, for twenty to thirty seconds, if desired. Allow it to cool for one minute.[4] 
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