How To Juice Without A Juicer: The Easiest Way To Get Started

So many fruits. So many veggies. So little time…

Is there a way to juice without a juicer?

Yes, there is! Use your Blender, duh …

Really? But, how can I juice fruits & veggies without a blender or juicer? I don’t have either!?

That’s OK too! You still can do your DIY juicing at home. Let me show you how later on (keep reading).

How To Juice Without A Juicer

DIY juicing usually involves a pretty hefty investment in a juicer. So what’s a healthy hacker like you & me to do? Create juice without a juicer, of course!

Yes, it’s possible !!! You don’t need an expensive juicer to make your favorite juice or smoothie. Learn the secrets to juicing without a big-budget juicer and reap all the benefits.

All you need – is a few kitchen gadgets along with a standard blender. I’ll show you how to make juice without a juicer – here & now!

A Blender you say but which one?

Any one of those would do! You just have to know a few little tricks, that’s about it…

There are different kinds of blenders in the market, most of them used in their kitchen are the “standard countertop” blenders. If that’s not the case for you, don’t worry – it’s fine with the one you already have! Even a “Hand Blender” will do…

Your Guide to Juicing Without a Juicer

I’ll show you how to use your blender in a handy way to make your juice smoother. You won’t be able to tell the difference as if it just came out of a fancy overpriced juicer!

Also, you need a few nifty kitchen gadgets (most probably you already have those).

Equipment Options

• Sifter/mesh strainers (medium to large size would do just enough!)
• Round glass bowl (any bowl that can hold the round strainer is OK to use)
• Knife & chopping board for chopping
• Peeler (depending on the veg/fruit produce you’re going to use)
• Nut milk bag / a clean cheesecloth (nice to have but not mandatory
• A silicone spatula
• A jar/container to store your juice (optional)

Now You’re Ready! Let’s Start:

Instructions

For standard Countertop Blenders

Prepare Your Produce

• Rinse & wash your produce/ingredients well.
• Peel & pith away from the skin (for citrus, watermelon, etc).
• Fruits like beets, ginger & carrots need a good scrub usually.
• Lop off the tops & bottoms (depending on the types of your ingredients).
• Fruits like pineapples need extra care.
• Now cut them into chunks.

Before Blending

• Fill in only one-third of your blender with chopped ingredients.
• Yes, order matters – put soft & puny items first, and on top of that the sturdier chunks.
• Add a little water – usually one-fifth of the blender volume.
• Close the lid. Make sure you do that – otherwise, you’re up for a messy outcome!
• Plug in the electric connection.
• Put one of your palms on top of the lid before starting the blender.

Start Blending

• Now, blend! It’s OK if your blender goes through some initial cajoling.
• Stop the blender after 3-5 seconds, and wait for 2-3 seconds to start it again.
• Follow the above cycle a few more times (depending on the mix of your ingredients).
• Don’t hesitate to give a quick stir with your silicone spatula.
• Add a splash of water if you’re still not convinced.
• Once you are ready with your mix, stop the blender & unplug the chord.

After Blending

• Set your mesh strainer over the bowl.
• Pour the mixture into the mesh strainer.
• Use your spatula to extract the juice.
• Let the pulp sit for a few minutes and drip it out on its’ own.
• You’re free to toss your pulp into the waste bin. I suggest against that – I’ll share with you what to do with it later; read on.
• Put aside the pulp in another bowl for now.
• Clean & rinse the strainer as soon as possible.
• Your juice is ready – enjoy!

How to Make Green Juice Without A Juicer

Help me out… I don’t have a blender either ?!?!

Did I tell you to keep reading earlier? Here comes the moment of truth!

First of all, you don’t need to press the panic button, yet! You can still pull it off. You just have to go through a few extra miles. Are you ready for that? Good! Now continue reading.

How do you manually blend juice?

1. Grate With a Grater & Strain Using Cheesecloth

Use a sturdy Grater to extract juice from different producers. And then, squeeze it with a cheesecloth. This method involves much more effort on your part. But it is still worth it!

This particular juicing method works best with solid fruits & veggies. Apples, pears, carrots, beets, ginger, tomatoes & cucumbers are solid examples. Leafy greens & pineapples are not suitable for this method.

You Need (Equipment Options)

• A Grater
• A piece of Clean Cheesecloth
• A rounded Bowl

Directions

STEP 1 – Initial Preparation

Wash & rinse all the ingredients beforehand. Remove stems, unnecessary peels, seeds & pits.

STEP 2 – Grate Your Fruits

Put the grater into a bowl. Start grating.

For citrus fruits, you don’t need to grate. Simply remove the peel and the seeds of the fruit. And then, use only the pulp.

STEP 3 – Squeeze That Grated Pulp

Collect the grated produce & place it inside the piece of cheesecloth. Start squeezing the pulp. Strain the juice in the bowl.

To yield the maximum volume of juice, squeeze tightly. Twisting the cheesecloth works wonders for me!

More Juice ideas without a juicer

2. Pitcher Mashing Variation

This method will work especially with tomatoes, kiwis, apples, avocados & citrus fruits.

Heads up for you – this is not the best of the methods around. It yields less amount of juice compared to other methods.

You Will Need (Equipment Options)

• A Pitcher
• A Bowl (in case the mouth of your pitcher is narrow)
• Mashing utensils (most of ’em will do!)

Directions

STEP 1 – Prepare Your Ingredients

Rinse & wash your produce. You would like to chop items like apples. Weed out the seeds – it’s important!

STEP 2 – Properly Mash

Place your ingredients in the pitcher. Press gently at first. Once it gets slightly smooth – start pressing persistently with force. Keep pressing until there is no juice remaining.

Pour it off in another pitcher or bowl when you feel convinced.

STEP 3 – Clean It Up!:

It’s time to remove the remnants of the pulps. Wash the pitcher at once. Otherwise, the pitcher will get strained from the citrus reaction.

A few things to keep in mind

The upward popularity of home juicing is riding a new wave day by day! In that scenario, ensuring hygiene & safe kitchen practices has never been so paramount these days.

You get a concentrated dose of vital & rich nutrients from the juice.

Sounds straightforward? – it isn’t really! Harmful Bacteria & Vicious Pathogen can take a silent entry within your juice if you’re not aware!

Follow these food safety tips to keep your fresh-squeezed juices & nutritious produce safe & healthy.

Food Safety

Juicing is healthy – no argument there. But wait! Are you doing it right? Your freshly-grind juice can become a source of pathogen contamination for you & your family.

Your product has to be clean and free of dirt, bacteria & pesticides. No compromise there!

Keep the following points in the back of your mind before you embark on juicing.

 Buy the Right Produce

• Avoid bruised & damaged produce
• When choosing between fresh-cut or pre-cut produce, opt for the one that is already refrigerated or on ice.

Give it a Thorough Wash

• It’s crucial to wash your uncut, raw produce under running water before peeling or cutting.
• Never use soap or detergent to clean the skin of your fruits or veggies. You don’t want your products to absorb those chemical attributes.
• Rinse sufficiently until you’re convinced.
• You should scrub firm produce, such as melons, with a clean brush.
• Read the label for the pre-packaged produce – look for “ready-to-eat”. If it says so, you can avoid washing.

Prevent the “Cross Contamination”

• Wash your hands before & after the juice preparation.
• Keep your produce separate from raw poultry, meat & seafood in the shopping bags & carts.
• Bacteria on the outside of your produce can jeopardize your overall health. Avoid unhygienic places or markets – don’t buy from there.
• Use mild hot water to clean the chopping boards & cutting utensils before using.

Storing

Drink your Juice ASAP! Don’t want to?

Well, you’ve two options for storing!

You can store raw fruits and vegetables for juicing later, or you can juice them now and store the juice for later consumption.

Storage Before Juicing

• Refrigerate your perishable pre-cut or peeled produce.
• Maintain an average temperature in the freezer around 40° F (or below) to inhibit pathogen growth.
• A few food-borne germs multiply faster in warm weather. As the temperature rises you should keep a close eye on your juice produce to avoid rotting.

Storage After Juicing

• I’ve got some bad news for you: don’t think about storing your ‘already prepared juice’ for too long.
• The longer the juice sits around, the more chance for the nutrients to oxidize (& therefore – be damaged!) You don’t want that!
• Use a clean & airtight glass container for storing.
• Leave one-third of the volume of your container empty – liquid expands when it freezes, duh!
• Immediately after preparing you should freeze the juice.
• 24 to 48 hours at max is the ideal time. Don’t expect it to be as healthy after that.
• Add a piece of lemon, lime (or a grapefruit) into the juice right before storing. It will reduce nutrient loss!

Purified Water & Milk

• Always use purified drinking water to blend your fresh juice!
• Coldwater is much preferable for blending your produce.
• Don’t use much water. Only 1 to 2 cups of water is usually a standard measure
• Use Pasteurized Milk in your juice & smoothie
• If your blender is not the sharpest one, you can go fancy with an additional 1 cup of water to keep things smoother

Helpful Juicing Tips

• Your medication can conflict with certain veggies & fruits. One example is parsley juice – avoid it if you’re taking blood-thinning medication or under warfarin. Consult your family doctor or diet expert to gain information beforehand.
• Avoid oxalate-rich veggies such as rhubarb, okra, beets, and spinach if you’re prone to kidney stones.
• Never use carrot tops. Usually, the greenish part of a carrot is toxic to your body.
• Citrus fruit peels can be too much acidic for your digestive system. Use discretion on that.
• Avoid using Sugar. If you must then sprinkle as little as possible
• There is a tendency to add “per-packaged” juice mixed with fresh juice. We don’t recommend that. Add a few slices of fresh fruit instead, if you want to make things more flavorful.

Shopping List for Juicing

In case of occasional juicing, you’re free to throw in a couple of random fruits & veggies in your blender willy-nilly.

On the other hand, you need a smart plan & guidelines on what to buy & use for a regular juicing routine.

You’ve to keep in mind two things for “Homemade Juice”: “Nutrients” & “Taste” categories. Here is a suggestive list:

• Sweet: Apples (green apples or red ones), Pears, Mangoes, Watermelon
• Sour & Sweet Mix: Grapes, Pineapples, Berries
• Roots: Beets, Carrots, Turnips & Parsnips
• Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Mint, Cilantro
• Spice Mix: Hot Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cumin
• Green Veggies: Spinach, Kale, Beet & Mustard Greens, Lettuce, Dandelion, Chard, Arugula
• Tart Category: Oranges, Limes & Lemons
• High-yield Fruits & Veggies: Tomatoes, Melons, Cucumbers

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Juice?

I often get this question a lot…

A Collection of Popular Juicing Recipes

Ready to give juicing a whirl? Smart Choice! It’s the easiest way to put more fruits & veggies into your diet.

1. How to Make Green Juice Without A Juicer

Begin your juicing journey with a simple easy-to-make, beginner-friendly recipe. A Green Smoothie to pump up your metabolism from the get-go!

Ingredients

• Leafy Greens: Kale or Spinach. Any other green veggie would do!
• Fruits: Fresh or frozen – the choice is yours! Banana, Berries, Kiwi, Apples, Mango, or Pineapple.
• Texture: You can enhance the overall texture of your juice or smoothies. Use Yogurt, Coconut milk, a cup of water, or soft tofu to do the trick!
• Organic Enhancer: You may like to add your favorite spice, mint, fresh ginger, honey, and protein powder to make it exciting & yummy.

Blender Green Juice no juicer required

You’re already in good hands! Follow our bullet-proof procedures on how to juice without a juicer from the beginning.

A Few Tips to Make Your Juice Taste Good

• Finely chop your veggies with a knife (optional)
• Blend the liquids, green veggies & sturdier items first
• This prevents having chunky bits of veggies floating around your smoothies.
• Now add the creamy base – banana, kiwi, yogurt, etc.
• And then put in the spices & other enhancers

You have a green smoothie ready to enjoy with family & friends!

2. How to Juice an Orange without a juicer?

• Pick sweeter orange varieties like Valencia or Navel oranges
• You can zap the whole orange in the microwave for a minute
• Or roll the orange against a hard surface with the heel of your hand
• It will break the membranes inside the orange
• Cut the orange in half along the widest part of the equator
• Grab a clean, sturdy fork & a bowl
• Hold the half-orange in one hand
• With the other hand, plunge the fork toward the center
• Twist the fork – the juice will start to release
• Rotate the fork in a circle toward the edge of the peel
• Keep rotating until there is no more juice to be squeezed
• Do the same with the other half of the orange

3. Juicing Citrus without a Juicer

How to Juice Lemons Without Cutting Them At All? Yeah – it’s legit!

You Need (Equipment Options) –

• A clean skewer
• Or, A clean knitting needle
• Or, A sturdy chopstick
• A clean bawl

Choose Your Lemons Wisely –

Try to pick bright yellow lemons with no green spots. Give it a light squeeze to test the firmness. Thinner skin is always better for juicing.

Microwave The Lemon

Put the lemon into the Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds. It will fade away the coldness. And also, the lemon cells will burst inside. Your juicing process will become much more productive as a result.

Roll the Lemons

Roll the lemons one by one only just enough to loosen the membranes inside. Put the lemons on the counter & use your cutting board to put pressure.

Poke the Lemon (the non-stem end)

Use the skewer to poke the non-stem end of each lemon. The non-stem end is the side that pops out a little bit.

Push the skewer in as far as you can. You should aim for at least  1 inch deep into the lemon.

Take adequate caution so that you don’t get hurt yourself.

Time to Squeeze

Turn the poked side of your lemon towards a clean bowl. Now squeeze! It will create a thin stream of lemon juice.

Keep squeezing until you have enough juice. The volume will vary according to the size of your lemon.

You can use a strong chopstick or a knitting needle instead of a skewer.

Parting Advice

DIY juicing takes a few extra bits of chores from your side. Is it worth it for health benefits? It sure does if you ask me!

Before you get started with your juicing escapade, you should know a few things beforehand.

• Proper & Right procedures
• Storing Information & Techniques
• Nutrition Facts

You should also consult with your physician before committing to any juicing diet. While some might dismiss juicing as just hype, it’s not. The true benefits and long-term health improvements come from a well-executed juicing plan.