How to Make Juice Without a Juicer

“Mom, can you make some more green juice?” Let’s just say that when your kids ask you to make something that’s made solely from fruits and vegetables, you make it a priority! You guys know I love smoothies, but during this stage of pregnancy, I was ready for something different. I really have not have had crazy cravings, but I have felt blah about some foods. Unfortunately, smoothies have not been on my favorites list lately. But juice sounds amazing! The boys and I have been making green juice and red juice. Based on my DMs, many of you are curious, so I wanted to share with you all about how to make juice without a juicer!

*A couple things to keep in mind: Remember that every person is unique, and I am not a one-size-fits-all kind of person when it comes to food. I am not a believer in the celery juice diet or cure-all. I think juicing is a way to add nutrients, but we do not use this as a meal replacement, and I am in no way promoting a juice cleanse. 

This is an older pic. I haven’t taken any updated ones with green juice, so I decided to use these. 🙂

Ridge in 2017 with some green juice. Oh, my heart. That bright red hair of his!

How to Make Juice Q & A

How do you make it? Teach us your ways!

I dice up all of the fruits and veggies into a large dice, then add those to my Vitamix with plenty of filtered water (between 1-2 cups). We bought a Berkey this year to filter our water, and we have been loving it. 

A high-powered blender is necessary. I bought this refurbished Vitamix 3.5 years ago, and we use it almost daily! Zero issues with it.

Once I blend it really well, I filter it through an Ellie’s Best nut milk bag. I know some people use cheesecloth.

Ingredients? Recipe? Favorite combinations?

Our go-to green juice is:

• 1-2 cups water
• 1 organic apple, diced
• 1/8 pineapple, diced (peeled and core removed)
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 3 stalks organic celery, diced
• 3/4 inch ginger, peeled
• juice of 1-2 lemon(s)
• 2 large handfuls organic kale or spinach

For red juice, as the boys call it, aka, beet juice, we use:

• 1-2 cups water
• 2 beets, peeled and diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced (if using organic carrots, you do not have to peel)
• 1 organic apple, diced
• 1/8 pineapple, diced (peeled and core removed)
• 3/4 inch ginger, peeled
• juice of 1 lemon

For either recipe, blend very well. Add water if needed. Then place the nut milk bag over a pitcher with ice. Pour the juice through the nut milk bag, then squeeze out all of the liquid. You should not have too much pulp left – maybe 1 cup or less.

What juicer do you own?

We just use a blender and a bag to filter it!

Benefits to a blender versus juicer?

Honestly I am not a huge kitchen appliance person. Even our oven in this new house is a little too high-tech for me. Give me a great knife, a gas stove, and some high-quality pans and I’m all set. 🙂 This is why I have still not invested in an instantpot or air fryer. I do love our blender, though!! During quarantine I considered buying a juicer, but then remembered that you can make juice just as easily with a blender and a bag to filter the juice through! See directions above.

Can I use my Nutribullet?

Maybe? I am a big believer in purchasing a more industrial-grade blender. We love our Vitamix, but I know people also like Blendtec. Our Vitamix gets things completely pulverized, and even breaks up raspberry seeds and chia seeds.

If your blender is not quite as powerful, you can certainly use it! You just may not get quite as high of yield.

How do you prevent it from being chunky in a regular blender?

I am only familiar with using our high-powered blender. I would make sure you’re adding plenty of water to the blender, and start slowly, then continue to raise the speed as it chops up the ingredients. Blend gradually.

Do you add any sort of liquid to it before blending? 

Filtered water!

You blend day before and it’s still good left in the fridge overnight?

Yes! We keep ours in a glass jar with a tight lid. You will need to shake it before drinking, because part of it will settle.

Do you strain it? What type of cloth/strainer do you use? And where from?Does it work just as well to use a cheesecloth/milk bag to strain it?

I use an Ellie’s Best nut milk bag (linked here, too). Some say you could use cheesecloth or an old, clean muslin blanket.

You will have some pulp leftover, but not a whole lot. The picture below shows the amount left from the red juice.

The pulp can be used in things like muffins or pancakes, but I have not personally experimented with that.

Is it a meal replacement? Does it add too many calories if not exercising the same day?

We do not use juice as a meal replacement. I am honestly not even sure how many calories it contains. I do not count calories, so I’m not equipped to answer this accurately. Especially since I am pregnant, I am not worried about that at the moment. My main goal is to consume real, whole foods, and minimal processed food and added sugar.

Why juice instead of a smoothie? What about the lack of fiber?

Honestly we’ve been preferring juice to smoothies these days, and my kids have asked for juice. It’s a great way to get some added nutrients, extra hydration, and an energy boost! Juicing healthy fruits and veggies can help your skin, and it’s a way for your body to easily absorb nutrients.

The juice does not replace our other intake of fruits and veggies throughout the day, though. We still eat whole fruits and vegetables at other meals, and we take in fiber that way.

We’ve been having juice with something else for breakfast. The boys always have some fruits and veggies with their lunches, and plants are a big part of our dinners.

What does it actually taste like?

Hmm, it tastes very fresh! The pineapple and apple add some sweetness, and I love the acidity from the lemon. It tastes like fruits and veggies, but there’s a lot of water, so it’s easy to drink. I love the touch of spice from the ginger, too. My kids slurp it down without hesitation! We always use a straw, and we like it best over ice.

 

I hope that was helpful! Please let me know if you guys end up trying it!