Is it possible to create a green juice without a juicer?

I’m a huge fan of green smoothies and not just because of their amazing health benefits. If you get the blend right (which isn’t that hard once you know the fundamentals) they taste pretty damn amazing too!

I’ve written many a post about the humble green smoothie and all it’s benefits, and this post here sums it up pretty well.

It was therefore only a matter of time before I decided I needed to make green juices a part of my life too. I’ve read so many amazing things about cold pressed raw green juices, most notably from the inspirational Kris Carr who’s the daily green juice queen!

The catch was, I don’t actually own a juicer.

What I do have is a blender, so I thought surely there must be a way to create a green juice with that…?!

The difference between a green smoothie and a juice

In my quest to create a green juice without a juicer, I began by considering the differences between a cold pressed raw juice and a smoothie.

A smoothie is generally a blended mixture of whole fruits and vegetables, with an added liquid to get things blending. It can also contain protein powders, nut butters, yogurt, seeds and other natural whole food flavourings such as ginger, turmeric, vanilla or cinnamon.

A cold pressed raw juice, on the other hand, is simply the liquid nutrients squeezed out of whole fruits and vegetables by a juicing machine. Raw juices don’t contain any extra liquids, added protein or flavourings, with the exception of maybe some ginger or turmeric.

Benefits of a cold pressed juice versus a smoothie

Both juices and smoothies are a great way to consume a much larger amount of raw nutrients than you’d be able to if you ate them in their whole form.

Juices are generally much lighter and easier to digest than smoothies. This is because during the juicing process, a juicer removes all the fibre from the fruits and vegetables, leaving the vitamins and minerals more readily available for absorption.

One thing to keep in mind is because all the fibre is removed in a cold pressed juice, any fruit sugars present will also be more readily absorbed. So if you have a fruit loaded juice, you can end up with some pretty crazy blood sugar spikes. The best way to avoid this is obviously to keep the fruit content low in a cold pressed jucie.

Juices are therefore great if you want a big dose of nutrients that’s light on the digestion. This might be when you’re on a cleanse, have potential gut issues, or are just wanting to boost your nutrient intake but not make a meal out of it.

A smoothie on the other hand, is a great choice if you’re wanting to consume more fibre with your nutrients which is beneficial in keeping your digetsion flowing smoothly. Also, by adding protein to your smoothies they canbe a great light meal replacement.

What to consider when making a green juice without a juicer

In order to make a green juice in a blender, the green vegetables therefore need to be blendable and you need a way to remove the fibre after blending.

My other challenge was to create a green juice without using any fruit to sweeten it, as I was still in the middle of a sugar cleanse!

I therefore had to consider which green vegetables go well together to create something drinkable and avoid a bitter tasting green dirt juice. I discovered the secret to making this work was cucumber with it’s soft mellow flavour, and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Lemon juice, although acidic to taste, is amazing at keeping the body slightly alkaline which is the ideal state. From there you can’t go wrong with celery, leafy greens such as kale, spinach, silver beet or collard greens, and fresh herbs like parsley which is very cleansing and mint which is delicious and good for digestion. Lastly, a small amount of fresh ginger adds a warm flavour and is also a great digestive aid.

How to create a green juice in a blender

To create a green juice in a blender, place all the ingredients into the blender jug, add just enough water to get things moving and a little ice to ensure the blender blades don’t heat things up. Blend on high until smooth, then pour the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the fibre. And that’s it! You essentially have a rawc green juice, albeit not officially cold pressed.

This is obviously a slightly crude method and juicers will do a much more efficient job, but if you don’t own a juicer yet and are unsure about investing in one, this is a good way to test it out.

When to purchase a juicer

I ended up loving my blender juices so much that I’ve since borrowed my sister’s juicer to see whether I could taste the difference in the juice, and to decide whether I need to purchase one myself.

The main differences I discovered were the juicer creates a much more intense juice as there’s no added water, and secondly, you can juice things in a juicer that would stop a blender in its tracks. The best examples are carrots and beetroot which make great alternative sweeteners to fruit.

One tip I also discovered was when using beetroot to sweeten a green juice, it’s best to put it through last and just give the juice a little swirl to avoid turning your juice into an unappetising brown colour.

Below I’ve shared my two favourite green juice recipes – a blender recipe and a juicer recipe. The original recipes don’t contain any fruit sweetener (except for lemon juice which isn’t very sweet) and taste pretty damn amazing if I say so myself.

If you’re just starting out with green juices and find them on the savoury side, I’ve included the option to add green apple or beetroot (which is my personal favourite, if not just for the crazy colour contrast it creates).

I hope you use these recipes and may they inspire you to incorporate more fresh greens into your day.

Leave a comment below and tell me what you think, and be sure to tag your pictures #swoonfood on Instagram or facebook. Enjoy!

Green Juice (blender recipe)

Makes: 1 juice

1 x 15cm piece cucumber (peeled if not organic)
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls leafy greens such as: curly kale, cavalo nero, spinach, silver beet, collard greens
1 handful fresh herbs such as: mint and parsley
1 x 5cm piece fresh ginger
1 lemon juiced
3/4 cup filtered water
1 handful ice
optional: 1 green apple, core removed

Wash all the ingredients and place in the blender. Blend on medium speed, using the blender stick to get things moving, then high speed until smooth. If it needs more help to get things blending at the beginning, add a little more water. Pour the blended juice through a fine sieve to remove the fibre and serve in a tall glass.

Green Juice (juicer recipe)

Makes: 1 juice

1 x 15cm piece cucumber (peeled if not organic)
2 stalks celery
2 handfuls leafy greens such as: curly kale, cavalo nero, spinach, silver beet, collard greens
1 handful fresh herbs such as: mint and parsley
1 x 5cm piece fresh ginger
1 small lemon (whole)
optional: 1 small beetroot, peeled and/or 1 green apple, core removed

Put all the ingredients through a juicer in the order listed, ensuring you leave the beetroot to last if using. Drink the juice immediately or it can be stored in a sealed glass jar for one day in the fridge before it starts to oxidise and loose its potency.

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