How to Juice Without a Juicer: If You Don’t Want to Invest in a Juicer

While it is possible to juice without having a juicer, I’d still recommend those who are serious about investing in a juicer because these tools are efficient at extracting juice.

Choosing the right type will depend on different factors like budget, type of product you’ll juice and such.

I’ve written a detailed guide on how to select the right juicer, so make sure to check it out after reading this article.

It was a Tuesday morning, and I was prepping for the day’s pre-breakfast meal – Fresh Juice!

I turned on the juicer, and nothing happened, then I tried plugging it in again; maybe it was loose, still nothing.

I disassembled and reassembled it again, thinking that I might not have locked the safety mechanism well enough, still nothing.

After 20 minutes of trying, the juicer won’t turn on. It was a goner.

So rather than let the ingredients go to waste, I had to improvise, then I remembered watching a video about using a blender to extract the juice. I said to myself, and this is an excellent opportunity to try this!

Here’s the video.

You’ll notice that she used a nut milk bag that may or may not be available in your area.

In this article, I’ll show you another way of separating the liquid from the pulp.

Using a blender is excellent if you:

  • want to juice but don’t want to spend a few hundred bucks on a juicer
  • just want to try out juicing without having to spend $$$ for a good quality juicer
  • aren’t into juicing but would like to drink fresh juice once in a while

I’ve done this around five times already, and there are four steps.

Step 1

Before putting all ingredients inside a blender, you’ll need to pre-cut them into smaller chunks.

It prevents the blender from stalling and ensures that the blades would be able to reach all the ingredients and chop them up.

If you have a high-end blender like a Vitamix, this might not be a crucial step, but if you use a less powerful one, this is very important.

Step 2

Put all the ingredients into a blender.

I would put leafy greens usually first at the sides of the blender then place harder ingredients next like carrots and softer ones like pineapple above it.

But that’s just my personal preference. Ordering wouldn’t matter because it will all be pureed in the end.

Add ½ to a cup of water to the mixture so that it blends easier and does not stall.

Step 3

It’s time to blend. I like to pulse it a few times it gets things rolling.

Step 4

Juice in Blender

After blending, it’s time to separate the liquid from the pulp. There are two ways of doing this: you could use a nut milk bag or a fine strainer like this one.

Puree on Strainer

I used the latter because I couldn’t find any nut milk bag here, and I don’t want my hands touching the juice I’ll drink (even if I wash my hands). Plus, it is an additional expense.

Use a spoon or a rubber spatula to force the liquid through the strainer.

After squeezing out all the liquid, you can now enjoy fresh, natural juice without the preservatives.

And here’s the pulp left.

Strainer

Here’s the recipe (just in case you’re curious):

  • 1/2 – Fresh pineapple
  • 5 – Carrots (peeled)
  • 2 – Mustard leaves

There you have it, juicing without a juicer is possible if you have the right tools.

Drink it within 20 minutes or so if you don’t plan on refrigerating it.

But if you’re planning on storing it, make sure to keep it in an airtight jar then store it in a cool place. Please drink it as soon as possible because blended drinks will go bad within 24 hours (or less!) since there’s a lot of air inside the liquid.

Air equals oxidation, and it’ll spoil at an accelerated rate.

It is a big reason why I’d recommend a masticating juicer if you plan on juicing a lot.

Before ending this, remember the video I shared with you earlier?

The beautiful woman in the video is Cinthia Torres, and she asked a few questions in her article that you may have, too, and I’d like to answer them here one by one.

Is juicing better?

I am assuming that Cinthia is comparing the pros and cons of a juicer vs. a blender.

I think juicing is better than blending in specific situations.

Now bear with me on this – I am talking about juicing with a masticating juicer, not with a centrifugal type juicer.

A masticating juicer squeezes the juice out using low rpm, usually between 80 and 100. It preserves more enzymes, phytochemicals, and other nutrients that are present in vegetables and fruits.

A blender uses high rpm (usually between 6,000 and 15,000), and this generates heat that kills more enzymes and phytochemicals.

The fast-spinning blade also sucks in lots of air so you won’t be able to store juice as long as you would in a slow juicer.

Juice extracted from a masticating juicer would last as much as 36 hours, if you store it in an airtight glass container and refrigerate it. But a lot of experts recommend that you should drink it fresh and not save it to gain the maximum nutritional benefit.

If you plan on juicing a lot of leafy greens, then opt for a horizontal auger juicer because these will extract more and prep won’t be as long. I’ve written a detailed guide about choosing one and please read up on that.

Is blending better?

As I’ve mentioned earlier in this article, blending would be suitable for people not looking to invest in a good quality juicer but still enjoy the benefits of juicing.

It will take longer to make juice in a blender if you want it pulp free because you’ll have to use a filter or nut bag to separate pulp and juice. That’ll take extra time.

Some blenders have a “juice” preset where it’ll chop ingredients into a finer consistency, but you’ll have to add more water to the mix. It will dilute the recipe and won’t taste as good.

Does blending oxidize vegetables?

Yup, because of the way a blender functions.

The fast-spinning blade will suck in a lot of air, and if you know basic science, air oxidizes food. You’ll notice that when you open a carton of milk, the manufacturer recommends drinking it within a week. That’s because when you open the seal, air goes in and has oxidized the milk.

Want more proof? Just look at the bubbles here.

Bubbles in Puree

Is juicing expensive?

If you primarily juice greens, it shouldn’t be too expensive.

Now, if you’d use organic produce, expect to pay a little bit more depending on where you buy it. Here where I live, we’d spend as much as double for the organic stuff.

In my first ten days of juicing, I spent roughly $3.4 per day (that’s for one serving). If you’re planning to drink more or do a juice fast, obviously you’d need to spend more.

Will I get enough fiber from juicing?

There is some fiber in vegetable juice, but you don’t drink it to get fiber.

The primary purpose of juicing is to fill out the missing dietary requirements because we don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.

The recommended amount is at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, but in reality, we eat less, sometimes none.

Juicing makes this possible by cutting digestion out of the equation and introducing nutrients directly to the bloodstream, which makes it possible for us to take in more fruit and vegetables in our diet than we usually would because we feel less stuffed.

Fiber can be had from eating fruits and vegetables and oatmeal. That’s why it is essential to have a balanced diet.

Which one is easier?

I have tried juicing with a centrifugal and masticating juicer, as well as a blender.

My personal preference would be using a masticating juicer because it extracts more juice that I can store longer, and it is easier to clean, as long as you pre-cut all the ingredients so that it doesn’t get stuck in the pulp outlet (where the pulp comes out).

If you don’t want to pre-cut, get a centrifugal juicer with a bigger chute or a horizontal auger type juicer where the pulp outlet is much bigger and won’t clog.

It is an additional expense, but I’ve committed to juicing, and the health benefits long term would more than makeup for the cost of the juicer.

To Wrap It Up

As you’ve seen in the video and photos above, it is possible to make fresh juice using a blender. It’ll take longer because you’ll need to separate the pulp and juice.

You’ll need a strainer or a nut bag for this. Now the question is, are you willing to do the extra steps to save from buying a juicer? There are blenders available right now that has a juice preset that’ll blend ingredients finely.

But you’ll need to add a lot of water so that it’ll have the same consistency as a juice and there will be traces of pulp.

If you don’t like pulp and still don’t want to get a juicer, then use a filter or nut bag.

As usual, if you have any questions, please send them below in the contents section or contact me.

2 thoughts on “How to Juice Without a Juicer: If You Don’t Want to Invest in a Juicer”

  1. For those who blend, it takes a couple hours for the oxidation reactions to happen, so if you drink right away then no problem. Also if you you a nut bag you can get the pulp nearly dry with little effort (blend a bit longer if this is a problem), depending on what you do, so it does end up being pretty efficient. I actually prefer the results compared to the cheap non-masticating juicers. Best however to use a nice masticating juicers … if you have $300-$500 lying around.

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