Fresh juice is always so good with breakfast or as a healthy afternoon snack, and is brimming with vitamins and minerals. But how to make juice without a juicer? It's very easy with a blender and nut milk bag, so let's walk through it!
Benefits of Juicing
Juices are typically made from fresh fruits and sometimes vegetables, herbs or spices too. This of course means they are packed with healthy nutrients, and are so good as a 'pick-me-up' and to get your 5 a day!
Juicing is particularly lovely in the summer months when you want a fresh and light drink to cool down. They're also so good after a workout (and help you stay away from less healthy treats I find!).
How is juice different to a smoothie?
Juices and smoothies both use fruits (and maybe vegetables too) but have a slightly different method for making them at home, and quite a different consistency.
When we make a smoothie we keep all the pulp of the fruits and vegetables, and often add additional ingredients such as oats, hemp seeds, yogurt or nut or seed butter to thicken. Smoothies have a thick consistency and can be a breakfast by themselves, depending upon ingredients used.
In contrast, juices have a liquid consistency as the pulp is removed from the fruits and vegetables. You can make a juice using a juicer if you have one, or through my method using a blender and nut milk bag, as below.
If you typically use orange juice in your smoothies, but are looking for some alternatives, do check out my orange juice alternatives post!
How to juice without a juicer (step by step)
I used to have a juicer which I loved and used so much. But one day it decided to, well, stop working, make a loud thumping noise and spill juice all over my kitchen counters . . .
As cold-pressed juice is super expensive to buy, I knew I needed to come up with an alternative and it turns out that juicing without a juicer is so quick and easy to do.
Equipment you will need:
blender
nut milk bag (or cheesecloth or muslin cloth)
large bowl.
Steps 1 & 2
Add your ingredients to a blender cup and blend to a thick smoothie-like consistency (images 1 & 2). If you are using fruits and vegetables with a lower water content you may need to add a splash of water to blend.
Step 3
Place a nut bag or cheesecloth (or a muslin cloth) over a large bowl and spoon the fruit mixture into the centre of the cloth (image 3).
Step 4
Gather up the sides of the cloth and squeeze the juice through into your bowl (image 4). Be sure to squeeze well as far more juice comes out than you realise!
Juicing tips
Making juice is very simple and we all have our personal preferences for taste. Love a green juice? Add lots of cucumber, celery and greens! Prefer more fruity sweet juices? Red apples and pear are so delicious.
Some tips:
- I suggest using at least some fruits or vegetables that have a higher water content such as apples or celery. This will give you a better yield from your produce.
- Unless you like a very 'vegetable-tasting' juice, it's often a good idea to balance out the flavors with at least one slightly sweeter fruit.
- Trying to sneak in some greens? Adding kale or other greens in small quantities to an otherwise sweeter juice usually means you can't taste them!
- Love a bit of zing? Fresh ginger root or a sprinkle of turmeric adds a hint of spice and some extra nutrients too.
- For a less 'intense' flavor you can add ice cubes or dilute with a little water.
Tasty juice recipes
Find so many tasty ideas on my smoothies and juices page, including my most popular apple ginger turmeric juice and tasty carrot ginger turmeric juice. And do check out these healthy and tasty recipes:
More healthy drinks
As well as juices, there are lots of other healthy drinks to enjoy:
- Check out my apple pear smoothie and my cucumber celery smoothie, which are both so good as breakfast smoothies and full of flavor.
- For a refreshing summer drink, my blueberry agua fresca is so delicious and light.
- My spiced apple chia fresca has the fun addition of chia seeds to make a very healthy drink!
- Feeling like you need a cozy drink idea? As well as my most popular honey ginger warm milk, there are so many fun ideas on my 10 warm milks round-up and my overview of tea and coffee alternatives!
- For fun celebrations, have a peek at my delicious passion fruit mocktail and my sparkling cherry mocktail!
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