6 Best Juicers for Fruit and Vegetables
Good juicers may help to increase your daily intake of fruit and vegetables.
There is nothing more refreshing than starting the day with a fresh juice or getting an energy boost from a delicious smoothie. Whatever the reason, a juicer will make the task effortless, and produce a glass of nutrition goodness for you.
A juicer extracts liquid from the product, separating the juice from the pulp. Minimise food waste by using the pulp in other preparations.
Before getting to the many health benefits of incorporating fresh juice into your diet, let’s look at which juicer is best for your personal needs.
List of best juicers
- Most popular – Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine, Big Mouth Large 3” Feed Chute
- Best centrifugal – Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer
- Best masticating – Hurom H-AA Slow Juicer
- Best compact – Ninja JC101 Cold Press Pro Compact Powerful Slow Juicer with Total Pulp Control
- Best manual – Zulay Professional Citrus Juicer – Manual Citrus Press and Orange Squeezer
- Best handheld – Zulay Metal 2-In-1 Lemon Lime Squeezer – Hand Juicer Lemon Squeezer
Types of Juicers
Manual juicers
There is nothing easier than using manual squeezers and reamers, but they are only suitable for use with citrus fruits. Although a reamer is efficient if you only need the juice from one piece of citrus, it can get a bit messy.
Squeezers are large presses which can hold half a lime or lemon. These handheld tools make less mess, but they are still only recommended for smaller batches of squeezing.
Electric juicers
Electric models make juicing citrus fruit a breeze. You hold the citrus on a spinning reamer attached to a container in which the extracted juice is collected. Perfect if you have a small batch of citrus to juice.
Centrifugal juicers
It’s in the name, centrifugal force gathers juice from any kind of fruit or vegetables though a spinning motion. The produce is shredded and separates the juice from the pulp. Models with extra features let you control how much pulp you’d like in your juice. A quick way to extract juice from fresh produce but there is more washing up to do.
Masticating juicers
Masticating juicers crush the fruits and vegetables slowly. This said, they work as quickly as centrifugal juicers, and they are usually quieter. It is believed that crushing the ingredients preserve nutrients better than centrifugal juicers that generate heat. Masticating juicers come at a more expensive price, but they can juice a wider range of vegetables including leafy greens. This type of juicer is often high on the list of professionals, but these also need more time to clean.
Things to consider before buying a fruit and veg juicer
Size
As mentioned above, manual juicers are small, easy to store, but not made for regular juicing, and they only work for citrus fruits. An electric juicer is perfect for a small family if you each need a glass of orange juice at breakfast. For those who want to juice fruit and vegetables in larger batches regularly, a centrifugal or masticating juicer is the only way to go! They are larger in size but can produce any juice in no time to mix up your juice diet.
Noise level
Manual juicers will never hit maximum decibels. Masticating juicers are not very loud but make a squeaking noise while crushing the fruit. However, centrifugal juicers spin fast, and sound like a blender. You will undeniably wake people up if you use the machine before breakfast!
Features
Some of the more sophisticated models give options to leave a lot or less pulp in the juice. Other juicers even do much more than juicing and will let you grind meat or extrude pasta dough.
Overview of best juicers
Most popular – Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine, Big Mouth Large 3” Feed Chute
This model is nicely designed, our favourite, and the most affordable! The juicer is easy to assemble, easy to use with an extra-large feed chute to hold whole fruits and vegetables, and an extra-large pulp bin. The juice is extracted perfectly pulp-free and when finished all removable parts are dishwasher safe, but the juicer also has side-cleaning tools for easy and safe handwashing. The only pain point is the noise, but there is no other machine that offers the same quality for this attractive price.
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Best centrifugal – Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer
This model comes with a jug of 35 oz (1L) and makes enough juice for the entire family in no time. The extra wide chute holds large pieces without cutting, and dual speeds are ideal. Use low speed for soft fruit, and high speed for denser fruits and harder vegetables. A froth separator keeps the juice foam-free, and the juice quality is excellent. Although it is a centrifuge juicer, it produces less heat compared to other models with the same technology.
After use, there is a lot to disassemble before most parts are dishwasher safe. The power cord wraps under the base, and the pulp container is detachable making the blender easy to store, although it is still quite large.
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Best masticating – Hurom H-AA Slow Juicer
This slow speed masticating juicer runs very quietly. Juice is sent out of one chute and pulp out of another for continuous juicing. This model simulates the speed of hand-juicing with the pulp chute that can be set to produce different amounts of pulp in the juice.
Hard or soft fruits and vegetables and leafy greens can be processed but should be cut into smaller pieces for optimal juicing. There is the extra added feature of a grinder for grinding nuts or other dried grains.
Related: Best stand mixers
Best compact – Ninja JC101 Cold Press Pro Compact Powerful Slow Juicer with Total Pulp Control
If you like a compact model yet still powerful, then this Ninja juicer is right for you. This cold press model produces little foam and the amount of pulp ending up in the juice can be controlled by three interchangeable pulp filters – no pulp, little pulp, or lots of pulp.
The Ninja compact model still has a 16 oz (½ L) jug and is easy to disassemble and dishwasher safe.
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Best manual – Zulay Professional Citrus Juicer – Manual Citrus Press and Orange Squeezer
Many professionals use this citrus squeezer. The firm grip handle is pulled down with the use of leverage and gravity for easy and quick juicing while hands stay clean. The cup holds citrus of all sizes, from the smallest lime to a large grapefruit, just make sure to remove seeds or stones. The juicer is made of heavy cast iron, it is stable and secured in place with rubber feet. All detachable parts are dishwasher safe and other parts can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth.
Related: Best blenders for home use
Best handheld – Zulay Metal 2-In-1 Lemon Lime Squeezer – Hand Juicer Lemon Squeezer
This 2-in-1 citrus press has separate sections and is suitable to squeeze limes, lemons, and small oranges. It is easy to use and entirely dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. Note that some of the pulp may ‘escape’ into the juice but otherwise a good tool for occasional juicing.
6 Benefits of using a vegetable juicer
In addition to the drinks being refreshing and quite tasty, there are specific health benefits to using a vegetable juicer as part of your routine. These are the top six healthy reasons to enjoy a nice glass of vegetable juice, or even a creamy smoothie.
1. Increase veggie intake
Many health experts and enthusiasts recommend juicing as an easy and convenient way to consume a variety of vegetables. This helps individuals who would have a hard time adding the veg to their diets in another way.
2. Detoxification
Some vegetables like beetroot, celery, and kale are known to aid in cleansing the body. To help with this goal, the best juicer for vegetables and leafy greens would be ideal.
3. Hydration
Vegetable juices are high in water content which keeps the body hydrated and supple. Plus, drinking your own juice is free from all the sugars and preservatives, so it can be a nice change from a bottle of water.
4. Increased Energy
Drinking vegetable juice can give you a quick energy boost as it is rich in nutrients. It is a great idea right after a workout of any kind. It would even help in the afternoon when you start to fade a little at work. It is a super pick-me-up!
5. Better Immunity
Vegetables are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, and other nutrients which help in boosting the immune system.
6. Nutrient Absorption
Juicing helps to break down the vegetables, making it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients. Not everyone enjoys eating raw veg, and juicing gives those people an excellent alternative.