In This Post:
The Best Juicers | Criteria for Choosing the Best Juicer |
The Four Different Types of Juicers | My Favorite Juice Recipes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Hiya Sweet Friends,
The other day I got a hilarious email from one of my closest pals. Here’s what she wrote:
“I hope you don’t want to poke my eyes out for asking this question, but you’re so educated on this stuff and I don’t trust anyone else but you! I think I need to upgrade my juicer. There are so many juicers to choose from on the market. Where do I start? Oh and if you haven’t blogged about this, you should. It’s all so confusing!”
When I think about all the diet and lifestyle upgrades I’ve made, juicing takes the cake.
Once you get on the juicing train, you won’t want to step off. But you guessed it, ya need a juicer to make the fabulous stuff. So to help you get started, or take your practice further, I’ve done a deep dive on many of the popular juicers available today.
Our Top Overall Picks
| My Top Juicer Picks | Juicer Type | My Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Hurom H400 Juicer | Masticating/Slow Juicer | 15/15 |
| Super Angel 5500 | Twin-Gear/Triturating | 14/15 |
| Breville Juice Fountain Multispeed | Centrifugal | 12/15 |
The Best Juicers
The low-down on my juicer ratings: In addition to my experience with many of these juicers, I reviewed every unbiased juicer review blog or website I could find as well as the most “helpful” positive and negative Amazon reviews for each machine. Everyone’s juicer experience is somewhat subjective, but I hope that these ratings and detailed juicer stats give you the tools you need to make an informed decision.
Hurom H400 Juicer
Type: Masticating/Slow Juicer
My rating: 15/15
I love the Hurom H400 juicer for many reasons. It has a large, self-feeding hopper. It’s quiet. It’s easy to clean, and it gives me a high yield.
Yield: The slow squeeze process allows you to get the most out of your produce. In fact, the H400 gives you the highest yield out of any of the Hurom Easy Clean models.
Usability: The large chamber and hopper size makes it easy to load larger amounts of produce. This is great for making larger batches to keep for later, or when you’re juicing for friends or family. The handy gauge window on the front of the model allows you to see how full the chamber is, as well as the beautiful colors of your juice.
Clean-up: The strainer-free design means less mineral buildup over time. And you can easily separate the individual parts. All this adds up to much less time scrubbing and cleaning.
Super Angel 5500
Type: Twin-Gear/Triturating
My rating: 14/15
The Super Angel 5500 juicer is a top-of-the-line twin-gear masticating juicer known for its high juice yield, ease of use, and excellent clean-up features, all housed in a durable stainless steel body.
Yield: The Super Angel 5500 is known for a high juice yield. It operates at a low speed of 83 RPM, which ensures minimal oxidation and maximum nutrient retention.
Usability: The juicer is straightforward to use, with a setup that allows even those new to juicing to operate it easily. Although it features a narrow feed chute requiring produce to be cut into smaller pieces, the overall juicing process is oh-so-efficient.
Clean-up: Cleaning the Super Angel 5500 is relatively easy. While not all components are dishwasher safe, the juicer is equipped with a cleaning brush and is designed for easy disassembly for cleaning.
BREVILLE JUICE FOUNTAIN MULTISPEED
Type: Centrifugal
My rating: 12/15
The Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed (BJE510XL) juicer is a centrifugal model that is well-regarded for its efficient juice extraction, particularly from hard fruits and vegetables like carrots and apples. It features a strong 900-watt motor with five adjustable speeds, which allows you to optimize the juicing process depending on the type of produce you’re using.
Yield: The juicer is very effective at extracting juice from hard produce, and while it is less efficient with leafy greens, it still performs reasonably well when they are packed between harder ingredients.
Usability: The Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed has a wide 3-inch feed chute that minimizes the need for pre-cutting fruits and vegetables, allowing for faster and more convenient juicing sessions.
Clean-up: Cleaning this juicer is easy-peasy. It includes a cleaning brush and most of its parts are dishwasher safe (top rack recommended), which facilitates quick cleanup. Immediate cleaning is advised to prevent pulp from drying up and staining the plastic parts.
Criteria for Choosing the Best Juicer
Before you select a juicer, ask yourself the following questions, and be honest!
- How much prep time am I willing to invest in my daily juicing?
- How much cleanup am I willing to endure on a daily basis?
- What’s my budget?
- Will I be juicing wheatgrass?
- What’s more important: The shelf life of my juice or the time/effort it takes to make my juice?
- How much space do I have?
Which Juicer Should You Choose?
Frankly, that depends on your goals and your lifestyle. If you’re a hardcore raw foodie who wants to invest in a killer machine and you have some extra time on your hands, you might go full tilt with a twin-gear juicer.
On the other hand, if you’re a working mama who knows that she’s only going to make her green juice if it’s relatively quick, and easy to clean up, then you might opt for a centrifugal model. Will there be some compromise in nutritional value if you go the easier way? Sure.
But it all comes down to whether or not you’ll actually commit to juicing. Abandoned juicers make great dust collectors and door stops. So for best results, choose the juicer you’ll actually use!
Since everyone has different needs and budgets, I want to show you how I evaluate the many juicers on the market today so that you can choose a juicer tailored to your needs.
The Four Different Types of Juicers
In this section, I’ll teach you how to choose between a centrifugal juicer, a Masticating juicer, a Twin Gear/Triturating juicer, and a Wheatgrass juicer. I’ll list the pros and cons of each and some of my favorite brands and models of that type of juicer.
Centrifugal Juicers
Centrifugal juicers use a fast-spinning grater to shred the fruits and veggies. The juice then gets flung through a strainer and out the spout, while all the pulp flies up into a catch basket.
- Pros: A centrifugal juicer is easy to clean and use, juices fast, takes up less counter space, is less expensive, juices fibrous veggies well, and juices whole fruits well (large chute).
- Cons: Centrifugal juicers aren’t optimal for juicing greens. They’re also noisy, and the juice has a shorter shelf life (20-30 minutes), and nutrients oxidize quicker.
Tip: I stretch out the shelf life by storing any extra juice in an airtight jar to enjoy later that same day—realizing that it does lose nutritional value.
Other top centrifugal juicers that I tested include: Breville Juice Fountain Multi-Speed, Breville Juice Fountain Compact, and Black & Decker Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor.
Masticating Juicers (AKA Cold Press Juicers, Slow Juicers, Single Gear Juicers)
A masticating juicer uses one slowly turning screw-shaped gear that chews up the veggies and squeezes the juice through a stainless-steel screen. This action gently tears open the cell membranes to release the nutrients.
- Pros: A slow juicer extracts more juice with higher nutritional value (enzymes included). It also produces less foam, has a longer fridge life (about 24-48 hours), and is quiet with less waste (drier pulp = less produce in your garbage). Most models also juice wheatgrass and can make nut butters, ice cream, veggie pâtés, and more.
- Cons: Takes longer to prep produce and make juice (a smaller chute means that you have to cut up fruits and veggies into smaller pieces), more difficult to assemble and clean, heavy machine, higher price tag.
My personal favorite slow juicer (which includes a 10-year warranty!) is the Hurom Masticating Slow Juicer.
Other slow juicers that I tested include: Breville Fountain Crush Masticating Slow Juicer and Omega Nutrition Juicer.
Twin-Gear Juicers (or Triturating Juicers)
A twin-gear juicer is another slow juicer, slowly squishing the fruits and veggies between two gears until the pulp is nearly dry and almost all the juice is squeezed out.
- Pros: The juice stays fresh longer (about 72 hours), has a higher juice yield and nutritional value, is more versatile (It can juice wheatgrass and makes nut butter, ice cream, veggie pâtés, and more), and is quiet.
- Cons: It takes longer to prep and juice produce (again, smaller chute, etc.). Cleaning the juicer takes longer, and it is not optimal for juicing citrus fruits. It has a higher price tag and is a larger and heavier machine.
Other twin Gear juicers that I tested include: Super Angel 5500 and Green Star Elite Jumbo Twin Gear Juice Extractor.
Wheatgrass Juicers
Wheatgrass juicers work by slowly squeezing and pressing juice out of the tough wheatgrass fibers—similar to wringing out your wet clothes after running through the sprinkler on a hot afternoon.
Wheatgrass juicers come in hand-crank and electric versions and while some are specific for wheatgrass, others will also juice leafy greens, fruits and vegetables.
Other wheatgrass juicers that I tested include: Lexen Healthy Juicer, Handy Pantry HJ Hurricane.
Remember, you don’t need a separate wheatgrass juicer if you have a slow masticating juicer, twin-gear juicer.
My Favorite Juice Recipes
Need some juicing inspiration? Check out a few of my favs:
- My Signature Green Juice Recipe: This delicious juice packs a healthy punch with leafy greens and tart granny smith apples.
- Orange Uplift Juice: This recipe combines cantaloupe, carrots, celery, and romaine for a refreshing take on an “orange” juice.
- The Spicy Sweetie: A delicious combination of ginger, granny smith apples and tasty veggies will truly make you pucker up.
For a step-by-step guide on how to start juicing, check out “How to Make a Green Juice.”
Summary
- The best juicers I’ve chosen are based on type, yield, usability, and clean-up.
- The juicer you choose will depend on your budget, time invested, ease of cleanup desired, space you have, and what you’ll be juicing.
- There are four main types of juicers to choose from: Centrifugal, Masticating, Twin Gear/Triturating, and wheatgrass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cold press juicer and masticating juicer the same thing?
A cold press juicer, masticating juicer, and slow juicer are all names for the same juicing machine! They use a mechanism to slowly crush your fruits and veggies to separate the juice from the pulp.
What’s the difference between a masticating juicer and a centrifugal juicer?
A centrifugal juicer uses a spinning blade to chop your ingredients into small pieces. It’s a speedier process but it is capable of damaging the flavor and negating the nutrient density of the resulting juice.
What can you juice in a cold press juicer?
You can juice almost anything in a cold press juicer, from spinach and cucumbers to apples and oranges. Dryer ingredients (like wheatgrass) may need to be paired with something juicier.
How long can you keep cold press juice in the fridge?
Cold-press juices have a longer shelf life and should be “good” for up to 48 hours when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Which Juicer Will You Go With?
I hope this helps you pick out the perfect machine that’ll have you juicing for decades to come! Adopting this one healthy habit will increase your energy, reduce inflammation, boost your immune system, improve your mood and support your overall well-being. It’s like prevention rocket fuel!
Let me know in the comments: What factors are most important to you in a juicer?
Peace & cheers,
it’s really so cool, and would love to win this
Kris, i am a 2 year cancer survivor and have been making very conscious food choices and this year I made the decision to start some kind of juicing. I have been making fruit smoothies with water and banana puree ice cream with a magic bullet. I want to progress to a better machine soon but what else can I do with the bullet that I have? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
LOVE IT, Kris! Thank you!!!! I ALMOST got the Samson Twin-Gear juicer when I was looking. Ended up getting the Omega Nutrition Center in April. After reading your post and looking at your chart, maybe I should have gone with the Samson – way more yield! Oh well, still love my Omega! I juice daily now.
I must subjectively disagree with Clean-Up rating for the Hurom masticating juicer. It was a beast! Lots of parts with metal mesh that needed to be SCRUBBED with a little brush! The instructions say you can run through with water to “self clean” – don’t be fooled! If you plan to use daily, you really need to completely disassemble and hand wash like anything else. Was NOT fun. I returned and bought Omega a few months later.
NOTE to people (like me) who don’t have lots of $$$ to spend on juicers! Go to Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s easy to get their 20% off one item coupon (sometimes they’ll just give it to you in the store!) and for some of the above juicers, that could be $100 off! 😉
I love my Omega 8006 (masticating). After cleaning the basket on my Breville Juice Fountain (centrifugal) for a long time I was glad to go to a masticator. I have found the masticator much easier to clean than a centrifugal. The basket is a killer to get clean on the centrifugals; it takes forever to get all the pulp out of the mesh especially around the rim.
Hi folks,
Just an FYI. Everybody is always raving about Vitamix blenders. I bought one from Costco in April 2014 and in October it burned up. I didn’t abuse it. I didn’t use it every day. Heck I didn’t use it for over a month while my arm was messed up. Costco gave me a full refund. Recently I became friends with a raw food chef on FB who told me that BlendTec was a better machine so I bought one. I’ve been using the refurbished BlendTec that I got for a $100 less than the Vitamix at Costco for a couple weeks now. I have to say it’s a much better design all the way around and has just as much if not more power. It has presets for 6 common uses which work exceptionally well. What really surprised me was is didn’t come with a pusher stick thingy. It doesn’t need it, ever!
5 years ago I replaced my plastic/stainless centrifugal juicer with an ANGEL twin gear and I am still very happy! My husband & I began juicing 7 years ago, I was going through sooo much greens to produce 2 glasses of juice each morning, and got fed up with the wear on the plastic parts of my old juicer. (it was looking like the greens were etching the plastic so I was wondering if we were ingesting the plastic!) I decided I wanted a completely stainless steel juicer. After researching centrifugal vs twin gear I was sold on what the twin gear offered: efficiency; less greens for more juice, more nutritional impact and the complete stainless steel offered easy to clean and no plastic etching. Our ANGEL sits proudly on our kitchen counter, still worth every penny!
Hm? Am surprised the Green Star did not rate as well as Samson on usability? As I have a Green Star 2000 for many years I observed the gears are much bigger than Samson’s that I have worked with doing demos, etc. Also the Samson did not handle as much produce or wheatgrass. Also Samson would stop (over heat). Although BOTH have Korean engines, only can run the GreenStar all day with no overheating. Then again both for this reference are older models. All Love! 🙂 <3
Although such things may be different from the preferred activities
of older passengers, they are worth knowing to better understand the perspective of children. Then collect
a clearance certificate from a security officer.
In this activity the children make their own maracas and celebrate to music.
The games geared toward the very young, will often involve counting or shape and color recognition. ) If you
are very brave, you could also try making seaweed beards, moustaches and eyebrows.
Hello there Lovely…….Whats your thoughts on the nutri bullet? The one on Tv and that guy David Wolfe loves? Many Thanks xx
Hi Kris,
Absolutely love your books, DVD, website and Facebook, but I have to disagree that the Breville multi-speed should get ratings that high. I ran out and bought one today, after having a Jack LaLanne that was working just fine, but I was intrigued by your Smackdown and thought I’d “upgrade”. I don’t think it’s that easy to clean, and it had some features that bothered me. The metal “guide” in the chute is sharp and I actually cut myself trying to clean it tonight (ouch!), then the spout never stops dripping when you turn it off after juicing. Not so wonderful! 🙁 My Jack LaLanne has a stopper on it, which is great. No dripping as you disassemble it to clean. Breville had a better yield and drier pulp, but I’m not happy enough with it to keep it. It’s heading back to Bed, Bath & Beyond tomorrow. I still love ya, but I’m not in love with this Breville – sorry!
what about Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer like?
I love juicing, even tho I also own a Vitamix for smoothies. My juicer is a Kuvings Quiet Upright Masticating juicer and I think it is fabulous! Has a very small footprint and very easy to clean, plus being a masticating juicer – I get tons of juice out of whatever I put in it!
Hey Sweet Lady… I’ve been following you for years (since your documentary came out) and love your fabu-attitude. I’m almost 72 and have had a Vitamix for a couple of years and I LOVE it and use it all the time. My favorite green drink is: cucumber, baby kale and spinach, celery, lime, 1/2 banana, apple, fresh ginger and coconut water. Using the Vitamix I use the whole, unpeeled veggie and fruit and it blends into a really nice “juice”. I’m just wondering if I really need a juicer? Drinking all the liquified fiber I think would be better for you rather than leaving it after the juice is extracted. What are your views on this? P.S. I’m always passing on your information to all my friends… some love it and some think I’m crazy. All I have to say is… healthy is better than the alternative!!
Could you do a Smackdown on deodorant please?
Thanks
Hi!
Great article, I found it from your juicing/smoothie ebook which I got tonight and am loving. I am from Australia and the brand most recommended is:
http://www.oscarjuicers.com.au/neo-da-1000/
It looks to be possibly like the Omega? Have you heard of the Oscar Neo and what are your thoughts on it please? I couldn’t figure out ‘what kind’ of juicer category it falls in to?
Thanks!
And what about citrus? Of the masticating and twin gear juicers, which ones are good at grinding a little citrus peel and pith?
I don’t have a juicer yet because there are so many to choice from. I thought the slow masticating juicers were the best because the juice lasts longer and they hold more vitamins. I bought your book and everything looks so good. I can’t wait to start juicing.
I’ve been making green juice every other day for 2 1/2 years with my Breville Multi-speed juicer (and loving it); however, the motor is burning out already. Is this a common problem? Will I need to purchase a new juicer every 2-3 years?
Hi awesome Kris! I started off using the omega , loved it but not clean up. Then I foxglove red the vitamix…I love it. The reason I switched is because I wanted all the Nutrition. I started juicing because I was going through treatment for ovarian cancer…soo…which is the best to keep my bod strong and healthy . ? Ps what is shelf life of juice for each .?
Check out this blog for a breakdown of juicing vs. blending. https://kriscarr.com/blog-video/how-to-make-a-green-smoothie/
And take a look at the “Which are the best juicers & why?” section for shelf life.
xo, kc
What if you are only able to afford the black and decker juicer but want to make this a part of your lifestyle? The info graphic makes me feel like I won’t succeed with a low quality juicer, but it’s all I have.
Green juice is great, period. Do what works for your lifestyle & give yourself props for investing in your health. 🙂 xo, Kris
Hey, Kris 🙂 I totally agree with you that juicing is the right way to go when it comes to suppluying our body with everything it needs 🙂 I like how you combine certain vegetables/fruits/spices/herbs in order to prepare different types of power juices 🙂 It’s nice to see someone who has the same outlook on nutrition 🙂