• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Holistic Chef Academy logo

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Courses
  • Membership
  • Contact Us
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    Connect

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Courses
  • Membership
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Courses
    • Membership
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Juicing

    How To Prepare Ingredients For Juicing

    27th November 2022 by Jamie Raftery Leave a Comment

    To peel or not to peel? I get these types of questions a lot! Here are my tips on how to prepare ingredients for juicing and help guide you along the way to becoming a pro juice master.

    preparing-beetroot-for-juicing
    Jump to:
    • General preparation tips for cold press juicing
    • Preparing fruits for cold press juicing
    • Preparing vegetables & spices for cold press juicing
    • What kind of juicer should I use?
    • Order Now & Get Juicing!
    • More slow-juicing resources
    • Slow juice recipes to try
    • Do you have any questions about any specific ingredients? Or have tips you would like to share?
    • FAQ

    General preparation tips for cold press juicing

    1. Always wash ingredients thoroughly and use an antimicrobial wash or baking soda and water. When serving raw juice you want to make sure the product is as clean as possible and free from any soil.
    2. If the peel doesn’t affect the flavor or color of the juice – don’t peel it! There is a large concentration of nutrients in the outer layer of many fruits and vegetables.
    3. If the seeds are the size of a cherry pit or larger, remove them – pits and large seeds can add a slightly bitter flavor to juice, as well as damage the blades of your juicer. (Grape seeds are ok)
    4. For large items (pineapples, celery, beetroot, carrots, and other larger ingredients), I prefer to cut them into smaller pieces – this will make it easier to process the ingredients at a more consistent rate.
    apples-for-cold-press-juicing

    Preparing fruits for cold press juicing

    • Apples & Pears: You can keep them whole and unpeeled. I like to cut in ¼ and take the seeds out.
    • Berries: I recommend using a blender to blend into a puree, then add it to the juice.
    • Cucumbers: For light-colored, non-green juices, I peel the cucumbers – otherwise, I leave the skin on.
    • Grapes: Take the grapes off the vine. Small seeds are generally ok to go through a good quality juicer.
    • Lemons & Limes: When juiced whole, I find the peel bitter so I like to peel the outer pith.
    • Mangos & Papayas: These do not contain a lot of juice – I recommend blending in a blender and then adding to the juice.
    • Melons: Peel the outer skin and cut it into chunks. I like to de-seed honeydew and cantaloupe, as you get a slightly bitter flavor when you grind or process the seeds.
    • Nuts: Soak overnight in water and rinse before juicing.
    • Oranges & Grapefruits: I prefer to peel these items and then grind & press due to the bitter flavor in the peel.
    • Pineapples: Remove the green crown and cut into quarters, but leave the skin on.
    • Passion Fruit: I like to add passion fruit juice to the finished juice by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, and mixing them into the juice.
    • Tomato: Remove from the vine and cut large tomatoes in half.
    fresh-kale-for-slow-press-juicing

    Preparing vegetables & spices for cold press juicing

    • Beetroot: Remove the top ends and clean the bottoms thoroughly. If the beets are a little old I like to remove the skins. You can also leave the skins on, they will need a good wash. I cut the beets into small pieces so they are easier to go through the juicer!
    • Carrots: Peel if non-organic, otherwise leave the skin on and cut into small pieces to help the juicer.
    • Leafy Vegetables: In general, do not remove the stems, they typically contain a lot of flavor and nutrition. Coming from the farm, leafy greens usually have the most dirt on the leaves and need to be thoroughly washed.
    • Broccoli: Chop or break into small pieces.
    • Ginger: The outer peel can be a little bitter. You can peel before juicing. This is a personal preference.
    • Turmeric root: Simply wash and juice - take note, turmeric will leave behind a vivid orange / yellow color. You will need to give your juicer an extra good soak and wash! (Always wear gloves when juicing turmeric!)

    What kind of juicer should I use?

    If you’re just starting out with juicing, the first thing you’ll need is a good juicer! There are two main kinds of juicers out there:

    centrifugal-juicer

    1. Centrifugal (AKA: fast)

    The standard juicer you grab from the store is probably a centrifugal juicer.

    The disadvantages of these kinds of juicers are pretty numerous.

    • They aren’t very efficient at extracting juice.
    • They don’t do well juicing leafy greens.
    • They are very loud.
    • Some of these juicers get hot enough that they actually break down the nutrients in the juice.

    The advantage of these kinds of juicers?

    • They are affordable - you can grab one very cheaply. If you only want to juice occasionally and not for nutrition purposes (like say for cooking or baking), a centrifugal juicer will do you fine.
    slow-press-juicer

    2. Masticating (AKA: slow or cold-press juicers)

    If you really want to get into juicing and get the most flavor and nutrients out of your fruits and veggies, a slow juicer is the best way to go.

    The “slow” is a bit of a misnomer, because while slower than a centrifugal juicer, slow juicers are still very fast with a high output of juice with minimal effort.

    Slow juicers are quiet, easy to clean, and give you the best quality juice. But, they aren’t cheap. To get a good quality slow juicer (like the Hurom Slow Press Juicer I recommend), you’re going to be spending upwards of €‎400. But if you plan on juicing regularly, it’ll be money well spent and a wise investment with an invaluable ROI.

    And since Hurom Juicers are so powerful, you can do a lot more than just juice in them. I regularly use it to make nut milk and smoothies. It’s a piece of kitchen equipment that has earned a prime spot in my kitchen and gets regular use!

    Order Now & Get Juicing!

    Avail of a 10% discount and free delivery on Hurom Juicers to Europe and the UK with my discount code: HOLISTICCH10

    This post contains an affiliate link. As an official partner of Hurom Europe, I receive a small commission if you purchase a juicer from Hurom. I only promote products that I can confidently recommend to my best friend to purchase.

    celery-for-slow-press-juicing

    More slow-juicing resources

    • Health benefits of cold press juicing
    • How to juice cleanse - safely
    • 3-day juice cleanse program

    Slow juice recipes to try

    • SuperGreen Juice
    • Golden Glow Juice
    • Beet It Juice
    • Ginger Shot Immunity Booster
    • Turmeric Jamu Juice
    passion-fruit-for-slow-press-juicing

    Do you have any questions about any specific ingredients? Or have tips you would like to share?

    Let me know by commenting below...

    FAQ

    What are the best fruit and vegetable combinations for juicing?

    1. Spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, apple, and lemon. ...
    2. Beetroot, carrot, celery, apple, and parsley. ...
    3. Carrot, celery, orange, and ginger. ...
    4. Pineapple, mint, spinach, and cucumber. ...
    5. Baby spinach, broccoli, celery, apple, and grapefruit.

    What are the best vegetables for juicing

    Beetroot, carrots, and celery along with all the greens such as broccoli, kale, spinach, parsley, and mint.

    What are the best fruits for juicing?

    Harder fruits such as apples and pears yield a lot of juice. Citrus fruits, pineapples, cucumbers, and melons are also great for juicing.

    What ratio of fruits to vegetables is best for juicing?

    My general rule and recommendation is 70% vegetable to 30% fruit.

    Is slow juicing the same as cold press juicing?

    Yes! The terms slow juicing and cold pressed both refer to the lack of heat and oxidation, which is believed to preserve the live enzyme and nutrient content when juicing.

    How long will the juice last? 

    3 days maximum. Cold pressing creates 100% natural, raw juice. As a result, it is highly perishable with low shelf life (this is good!). If kept refrigerated at 38f / 5c degrees or below, it will last for up to 3 days. You can also freeze your juice to extend its life.

    More Inspiration

    • Benefits Of Cold Press Juicing
    • How To Juice Cleanse
    • Chia Seed Milk
    • Turbo Charged Smoothie

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    jamie-smiling-in-chef-whites

    Hi, my name is Jamie from Galway in the West of Ireland. I've been cooking in Michelin Star kitchens all around the world for most of my career. In 2015 I launched The Holistic Chef academy to focus on the nutritional aspects of food.

    Educate - Inspire - Empower became my mantra and mission. Currently, I'm living and cooking between Europe and Thailand.

    Read more about Jamie

    Cooked @

    brand-logos-for-restaurants-jamie-cooked-in

    Real Good Food

    The Holistic Chef Academy is a place for discovering healthy and wholesome plant-based vegan recipes to make at home.

    Made with affordable ingredients - minimal fuss - highly nutritional - super tasty and full of love.

    Follow Me

    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • LinkedIn

    Sign Up For Free Recipes

    Subscribe to newsletter

    Seasonal Recipes

    • Vegan Christmas recipes + 10 tips to stay healthy & vibrant
    • Thai Vegan Recipes | My Top 9
    • Vegan Banana Bread (Your Go-To Recipe)
    • Turmeric Jamu - Immune Boosting Health Tonic

    Trending Recipes

    • Ash Gourd Juice / Winter Melon Juice
    • Malva Nut Juice
    • The Life Changing Bread - 101
    • Wolffia Cheesecake {Vegan B12 Source}

    Join The Club

    Life On Plants Meal Prep Members Club

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    INFORMATION

    Hi, I'm Jamie...

    Contact

    Subscribe! For new recipes

    Privacy Policy

    SERVICES

    Join Life On Plants Membership

    Vegan Cooking Courses, Phuket

    Wellness Chef Consulting

    Culinary Health Coaching

    CONNECT

    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

    Copyright © 2023 Holistic Chef Academy on the Foodie Pro Theme