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Squeeze the best out of your five a day with these juicer machines
When it comes to juicers, there’s a definite risk of analysis paralysis. With so many models to choose from and a dizzying host of bells and whistles on each machine, how is anyone supposed to decide without a PhD in electrical engineering? But with the best juicers often costing hundreds of pounds, it’s definitely something to get right.
They may have come on leaps and bounds in the last few decades, but they’ve been in homes since they were invented in 1930 by Dr Norman Walker. And having spent his life drinking juices from the machines he created, he lived to the ripe old age of 108 – proof in juice, indeed.
The benefits of juicing are plentiful – not only is it a great way to get your five a day, but it can also be made in advance for meal prep. Juicing is also a quick way to absorb a large amount of vitamins and minerals because a lot of the fibre is removed in the juicing process.
There are three main types of machines. Centrifugal juicers use tiny teeth on spinning baskets to grate the fruit and veg and pass it through a sieve, so are better with hard veg. Masticating juicers mimic the mouth’s chewing motion, and then press the pulp to extract the juice – these are a great option if you can’t have a noisy juicer, as they tend to be quieter. Triturating juicers use rotating gears to crush and grind, then press out the juice, leaving behind a dry pulp.
The great thing about most modern-day juicers is that they do “extras”, whether that’s making a sorbet, chopping veggies or grinding seeds and nuts. Whatever your preference, it’s worth considering the yield, the ease of use, how it cleans, as well as the price. Fortunately, we’ve worked all this out, so you don’t have to.
Each juicer was tested using four juicing recipes: carrot, orange and ginger juice; turmeric, sweet potato and apple juice; beetroot, spinach and apple juice; and cucumber, kale, spinach and ginger juice.
We assessed each juicer by considering how easy it was to make the juice – including how much the raw ingredients needed to be prepped or chopped before being juiced, how fast the juice was made and how quietly it did so. We also paid attention to the smoothness of the juice, both in appearance and taste, as well as the aftermath and cleaning process.
While some juice devotees have favourite flavours and combinations they’ll revisit, we chose recipes based on a variety of textures of the fruits and vegetables to see how our machines coped with different consistencies, shapes and juice content.
With a whopping 400W motor, this is one of the fastest juicers we’ve tested. The 65mm feed chute holds whole fruits, so if you’re in a hurry there’s no need to chop. The three-speed control is incredibly easy to get used to and the safety lock protection means the juicer can’t start unless everything is in the right place, making it safe for little ones to use under supervision. The four non-slip pads at the base also mean it’ll stay where you need it to even on a wet work surface. It’s also easy to clean and comes with a brush to help you. An added bonus is that it comes with juice recipe cards too.
This juicer takes a while to put together and we understand manual juicing might not be everyone’s cup of, well, juice, but this model is perfect for juice on the go or camping. The instructions are clear, the suction feet hold it in place, and while it takes a bit of elbow grease for the harder fruits and veg, you can adjust the pulp nozzle to add more into your juice if you want a more fibrous drink.
It’s completely silent to use, so it’s handy in an office or when the rest of the house is asleep, and the pulp is surprisingly dry considering it’s a manual juicer. The price point makes it the cheapest on the list and its energy consumption is zero.
While, ultimately, juicing is about the end product, this juicer looks as good as the juice it makes tastes. Sage’s design is sleek but without sacrificing form for function. Its dishwasher-friendly nature makes it an easy clean, and the dryness of the pulp really impressed us.
The 2l juice jug means you can make enough for up to six people at a time – we made fresh pineapple juice to have in a pitcher with rum after testing.
A fuss-free, quiet machine, the juices we made were all vibrant in colour, and the lack of prep needed for the fruit and veg makes it a fast option when you’re short on time. If you juice daily and are an aficionado, this is the one for you.
The name Nutribullet is pretty synonymous with juicing and this machine is no exception. The low speed is great for berries and softer fruits; the high speed for fruit and veg such as cucumber and pineapple; and the turbo speed whizzed through carrots and beetroot with ease. It was among the fastest to make the juices, and it was quiet, too.
All components are dishwasher safe, and it comes with a handy tray to freeze anything you make but don’t want to consume straight away. It also comes with a juice jug with a lid, so you can use it as a travel cup. At just 41cm high, it’s one of the smaller models we’ve tested.
If mornings are busy and multitasking needs to happen to get out the door on time, then this is the perfect juicer for you. A revolution in the juicing world, the Nama J2 is the only hands-free juicer on the market. Load it up with what you want to juice, walk away to get other jobs done, and you’ll return to a batch of juiced drinks.
It’s cold pressed so it preserves all the vitamins and minerals in whatever you choose to juice. The family-friendly safety features mean kids can get in on the action, too, and as it has a 200W motor, it’s nice and light, too.
This juicer allows for an extremely customisable juicing experience, with a sieve that lets you decide whether you want bits in or out of your juice. It can also cope with nuts, so you can make your own nut milk. Running at less than 60 decibels, it’s one of the quieter appliances we reviewed. It also promises less foaming and no clogging compared to its centrifugal rivals.
The wide 75mm mouth of the feeding tube means you can do less cutting and chopping, so you’ll get your juice faster. It’s also easy to clean and can make fruit ice cream, too, so the kids will be happy.
With carrots, cucumber and celery being some of the most popular juicing ingredients, the Kuvings has two chutes – one for long fruit and veg, while the other chute is 88mm wide (one of the widest feed chutes on the market), so you can pop a whole apple into it. The auto-cutting feature means almost zero ingredient prep is needed and the wrap-around cleaning brush makes the machine easy to clean, too.
At 48cm tall, it’s not a juicer that’ll fit snugly under kitchen cupboards, and at 7.5kg it’s not the lightest either. But it is one of the few models that comes in different colours, so you can match it to your kitchen.
You can buy citrus juicing (£34.95, Ukjuicers.com) and smoothie attachments (£59.95, Ukjuicers.com) separately, and it comes with a 10-year warranty, so Kuvings is really putting its money where its mouth is.
Kuving’s patented cold press juicing technology means a hydraulic press extracts the juice using no heat, which can affect the quality, nutrition and flavour of the juice. While it isn’t dishwasher friendly, the B1700 comes with cleaning tools that make the clean-up a doddle – the rotation wiper did its job in seconds.
The juices are silky, smooth and vibrant in colour, thanks to the cold press technology. Much-like the Kuvings model above, it comes with a 10-year motor guarantee, and while it’s not the lightest machine at 6.7kg, it’s simple to put together.
All removable parts are dishwasher safe, making it a great one for those looking for an easy-to-clean juicer. The Magimix uses cold press technology to retain 100 per cent of the vitamins in your fruit and veg. It has two cone sizes to fit all citrus fruits, from oranges to grapefruits, and comes with cups so you can take your juice on the go. It also comes with a recipe book full of ideas, with one recipe suggesting a cake to use up the fibrous pulp from juicing.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a separate pulp container, so if you’re making a large volume, you’ll need to stop and empty it, and it doesn’t come with a juice container, either. However, with just one on/off button, this machine is the simplest to use out of all the juicers in this review. Plus, it comes with a whopping 30-year motor guarantee.
The first centrifugal juicer with a quick clean function, this model takes the hassle out of clearing up. Simply pouring water into the pusher creates a fountain that washes away rind and rinses pulp from the lid, which makes the sieve easier to clean. It went from juicing to being clean and ready to use again in less than two minutes.
The juicer’s single speed ploughed through all the recipes we tested, and the juices had a good froth at the top with very dry pulp left behind. The suction feet meant it stayed in place too, even on a wet worktop.
While we’d happily add any of these juicers to our kitchen cabinets, this Lakeland one stood out from the crowd, thanks to how easy it was to use. It’s simple in shape and all that’s required of you is to feed whole fruits through the chute and watch juice come out of the front while the pulp goes into the back. The 1l jug that’s included catches every last drop, while stopping any spillage or splashing on the countertop, meaning little to no clean-up once complete. Non-slip feet keep it nice and steady, while the motor makes very little noise. The only downside to this one is it is handwash only, so be sure to pop it in to soak straightaway, lest you be left with cement-like crusts.
Ninja is another big-name brand in the kitchen appliance world, so, of course, its juicer didn’t disappoint. The streamlined design means it looks chic on any kitchen countertop. Being a masticating or cold-pressed juicer, it squeezes out every last drop of great-tasting juice from all fruit and veg, just be sure to cut them up to make sure they fit through the chute. A pouring jug and pulp bowl are also included, to make it even easier to use, and different filters can be used to change the level of smoothness too. So, it really can make something to suit everyone.
For those who love orange juice, there may not be much point in picking up any other juicer. With an old-school design, this Smeg number is sure to look fabulous on any kitchen countertop. And don’t let its cute proportions fool you, as this is actually one powerful machine. Simply cut your orange, grapefruit or any other large citrus fruit in half, and watch this gadget whisk you up a refreshing, smooth juice in no time.
Anyone juicing for a family of four, or even bulk batching for a decent supply, is sure to fall in love with this large machine. Blitzing whole fruits at a time, it’s incredibly easy to use, reducing the prep time to almost nothing, for fuss-free, fun juicing. The time it takes to take the fruit from whole to juiced is incredibly speedy, and it even comes with an 800ml jug to easily collect the liquid goodness too. Of course, being a centrifugal juicer, a lot of pulp is produced, but you can easily scoop this out and roll it into balls before freezing into healthy snacks.
When it comes to style, substance and ergonomic use, the Fohere juicer is top of the list. It stays put even on a wet surface, and it doesn’t take up too much space on a work surface either, so will fit in a smaller kitchen. The child-friendly safety measures are a great way to get kids involved and get their five a day, too.
In a similar vein, the recipe book that came with the Magimix juice expert 3 provides us with a range of ideas on how to use the pulp from juicing feels like a nice zero-waste nod, and it’s packed with brilliant and unusual recipes that made us feel more confident to try new concoctions. Its 30-year motor guarantee and the fact you can download the Magimix app for more inspiration make it a great all-rounder with lots of extra value.
For more handy kitchen gadgets, read our edit of the best food steamers for quick, easy and healthy meals