How to Juice Without a Juicer (Tips & Tricks)
- Nicole Wells
- Last updated:
Do you feel like you are pretending to be an adult when you realize you don’t have a lot of kitchen supplies? You are not alone. The great thing about not having a juicer is realizing you don’t have to spend money on one, and all you need are a few common and essential kitchen items. You can save space and be well on your way to that authentic and 100% real juice flavor for all your mixing, baking, and cooking needs.
Where to Start
First, decide what kind of fruit juice mix you want. Pick a mix that is easy to start with. If you only need one fruit juice at a time, that makes things easier.
If you don’t know where to start, we suggest something like pineapple, kale, and lemon juice. Take a ripe pineapple, a green apple, three cups of kale, a small cucumber, and a lemon, and prep the fruit according to the linked recipe. Keep in mind that the recipe only offers one juicer-free method. You can use the same recipe or fruit mixture and apply it to the mashing and grating methods.
For all the methods below, you’ll need a couple of bowls or containers, a mesh strainer, and a spatula. If you don’t have some specific materials like a cheese grater, cheesecloth, or blender, you can still follow the mashing technique.
The 3 Different Methods for Juicing Without a Juicer
Method 1: Mash ’em
While this method won’t reap the most bang for your buck, it’ll get the job done. You’ll need a tall bowl, a potato masher, a strainer, and a container to pour the juice into.
Prepare your fruit by either chopping it or peeling it (depending on the fruit). There’s no need to remove the seeds because the strainer will catch them. Place the fruit into a bowl and go to work at it. Mash it for everything you’ve got until you’ve got enough juice to pour out into a container. Continue to mash the fruit until you stop seeing juice, or until you’re unable to strain any more out of the fruit mixture.
If you’re using more than one type of fruit, don’t put more into the bowl than you can mash at once. Add it as the mixture becomes easier to manipulate.
Method 2: Blend ’em
Like the mashing method, using a blender will get the job done, but it will also get the job done much more quickly.
Depending on the fruits you are using, you may need to peel and core them before you cut them into chunks that will fit into your blender. Don’t overwork your blender. Add fruit as necessary, and if the blender gets jammed, don’t be afraid to reach in with a spatula (after turning the blender off) and mix it all up.
Once the fruit is blended, place the mesh strainer over the top and pour all the liquid into a container. Repeat until you’re certain that you’ve gotten all the fruit juice out of it.
Method 3: Grate and Strain
Another technique for extracting juice is the cheesecloth trick. What’s cheesecloth, you ask? It’s gauze and cardboard woven into a cloth-like material commonly used to make (you guessed it) cheese. However, it also works well to strain produce juice after it’s grated.
Although this method involves more effort and requires more brute strength, you can still make a couple of glasses of juice! Be sure to do some research on your desired fruit to make sure that it’ll work well with the grating method.
Like the other methods, start the usual way by cleaning and preparing the fruit appropriately. Next, you’ll need to grate as much of the fruit into a bowl as you can. Be careful to keep your fingers away from the grating edges!
Next, place the fruit into the cheesecloth bag and squeeze and twist it into the bowl. Use as much strength as you can to get out all the juice! Using smaller amounts of fruit at a time may help you get more juice out of the fruit.
If All Else Fails…
If all else fails, then perhaps you should consider getting a juicer. They can be a tad on the expensive side, but if the other methods don’t work for you, this may be the best choice.
As you get the hang of juicing the fruit you like, start to try out new recipes. There are many combinations and pre-made recipes you can use. Experiment with those recipes, and don’t be afraid to make them your own!
Featured Image Credit: Hiveminer
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