Buying guide for best juicers
Everyone needs multiple servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but this can be difficult to manage with a demanding schedule. Luckily, juicers are an easy way to get your filling of fruit; for some people, it’s way less effort to drink fruit and vegetables than eat them, and juicers are a great tool for young, picky eaters.
While there are many models to choose from, you don’t want just any juicer, of course. Key considerations you should keep in mind are capacity, additional features such as mincing or chopping, ability to juice different fruits and vegetables, and juicing speeds. We’ll cover all of these features in our reviews, along with pricing.
We’ve compiled the best juicers available, so take a look at our recommendations once you’re ready to make a purchase. Keep reading to learn about all the important features to consider before adding a juicer to your shopping cart.
Types of juicers
There are two basic types of juicers: masticating and extracting. Both have pros and cons.
Masticating juicers
These are also called cold-press or auger-style juicers. These devices have an auger that grinds the produce, breaking down cell walls and releasing the juice, which is then squeezed through a steel screen. Masticating juicers take longer than extractors to produce your cup of juice, but yield more juice and leave more of the nutrients intact. If you like green juices with plenty of leafy, tough greens like kale, you’ll be happiest with this type of juicer. Many can also be used to make nut milk. You’ll pay quite a bit more for a cold-press juicer, however.
Pros: Quieter than extracting machines, produce more juice, leave drier pulp, good for juicing kale, spinach, and other green vegetables.
Cons: Expensive, take longer to produce the juice, prone to jamming when used on tough greens, produce needs to be cut into small pieces before juicing.
Price: Expect to spend $100 to $300 for an auger-style juicer.
Extracting juicers
These are also called centrifugal juicers, have a spinning mesh basket with a grated bottom. Produce is whirled against the grate, shredding it and releasing the juice. Pulp spins into a separate basket, while the juice runs out the device’s spout. Centrifugal juicers work much faster than masticating juicers, but are also quite a bit louder and yield less juice. They work very well on the fruits and veggies most likely to be juiced, such as apples, oranges, and carrots, but tend to struggle with leafy greens like kale. These juicers are the less expensive choice.
Pros: Juice quickly, suitable for most fruits and vegetables, no need to cut produce into small pieces before juicing, less expensive.
Cons: Noisy, not good with leafy greens, juice has less fiber and nutrients than juice from an auger juicer.
Price: Expect to spend $50 to $100 for a centrifugal juicer.
Masticating juicers have an auger that grinds produce. Extracting juicers push produce through a grated bottom. We look at both types when researching the market and shortlisting products.
When researching a juicer, we find out how many speed settings it offers. While some brands offer just one speed, others have variable settings for different types of fruits and vegetables.
Because many consumers prefer juice that isn’t chunky, we look for machines with pulp collectors. This feature prevents pulp from getting into the juice.
We understand the appeal of streamlined cleanup, so we research how easy each juicer is to clean. Some masticating juicers come with a setting to reverse the auger, which allows you to release clogged produce. Other models come with a cleaning brush.
Chute size impacts how much produce a machine can juice at once. This is one of our top considerations when researching and shortlisting products.
We take note of each juicer’s maximum capacity, which is usually measured in ounces, so potential buyers know how much juice they could make at once.
We look for juicers with good power ratings. The more power a juicer has, the easier it is to juice tougher fruits and vegetables.
In our research, we look for juicers that don’t clog easily. To avoid clogging with some machines, fruits and vegetables must be cut into small pieces.
A juicer with a spout has merit in our eyes. A good spout allows you to pour the juice directly into a cup.
We appreciate a juicer that comes with a clear container so you can see everything that’s being juiced and whether chunky pieces get left behind.
Features to look for in a juicer
Juicers tend to be fairly simple, but there are a few features that add extra convenience.
Large chute
This makes it easier to push produce into the machine.
Clear juice container
Most juicers have this, but you might find a few models with opaque containers.
Large pulp collector
If the pulp collector is small, you’ll have to stop frequently and empty it.
Variable speeds
While masticating juicers typically only have one speed, some centrifugal juicers offer variable speeds, so you can juice soft fruit slowly and harder fruits or vegetables at higher speeds.
Reverse function
This common feature of masticating juicers lets you reverse the auger direction to release clogged produce.
Power
The more motor power, the better your juicer can handle tough produce.
Multipurpose functions
Many masticating juicers have settings to do more than just juice; they can also grind coffee, make nut milk, puree baby food, and chop herbs.
Noise
In general, masticating juicers are quieter than centrifugal juicers, but some centrifugal juicers are louder than others.
Dishwasher-safe
It’s convenient to be able to wash your juicer’s collecting cups in the dishwasher.
External pulp collector
Juicing leaves behind pulp, and lots of it. Most masticating juicers have an external collection cup for pulp, but the pulp cup on some centrifugal juicers is inside the machine. That’s less convenient to clean. Look for a juicer with an external pulp collector.
Tips for using your juicer
You’ve chosen your juicer. You’ve got a pile of fresh produce ready to go. Now it’s time to get juicing!
Here are some tips to help you squeeze the healthiest and tastiest juice possible.
Not only should you start with fresh produce, you should drink your juice as soon as possible after extracting it. Oxidation quickly breaks down nutrients in the juice, so consume your juice within a day if possible. Immediately is even better.
If your juicer has two speeds, use the lower speed for soft fruit like berries, and the higher speed for greens and harder fruit like apples.
Extra juice? Store it in an airtight glass container in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 48 hours.
Save yourself precious morning time by washing and cutting up produce the night before you’re going to juice.
For the tastiest brew, limit your juicing ingredients to two or three types of produce and perhaps one herb or spice. Too many flavors makes a muddled, unappealing – perhaps even brown – juice.
While you can juice almost any fruit or vegetable, there are a few exceptions. You’ll have a hard time juicing bananas, avocados, rhubarb, mangoes, and peaches. These are all exceptional ingredients for blending smoothies, however.
If you have a garden, add the pulp from your juicer to a compost pile. You’ll soon have rich fertilizer to feed your plants. Leftover pulp can also be used in smoothies, sauces, soups, stews, and desserts.
Wash all produce thoroughly before juicing to remove pesticide residue, dirt, bacteria, and other potentially harmful organisms. That includes organically grown produce – just because it is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides doesn’t mean it can’t have stomach-upsetting germs on the surface.
Consider color when choosing your ingredients. Mix red and green produce, and you’ll end up with a brownish juice, which might be healthy, but won’t look too appetizing.
If the pulp is still fairly wet, run it through the juicer again to extract as much juice as possible.
Don’t force produce into your juicer or overfill the basket. You’ll end up with a mess.
Remember to remove all pits from your fruit before juicing; it’s easy to overlook small seeds in citrus.
Some produce should be peeled before juicing, and some is fine to leave unpeeled. Generally, peel if the produce is not organic. If it is organic, go ahead and leave the peel on apples, beets, cucumbers, grapes, and carrots.
If a significant portion of your calories are going to come from juice each day, mix up your produce. Go with veggie-heavy juices, using just a bit of fruit for sweetness. Alternate types of produce, and try something entirely new periodically. Farmers markets and ethnic grocery stores are great spots to find fruits and vegetables you’ve never tasted before.
