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15 Healthy Juice Recipes, Plus a Nutritionist’s Tips for Making It at Home

Sip, sip, hooray

easy healthy juice recipes: carrot orange juice
The Simple Veganista

I’m sure you’ve already figured this out, but eating your daily recommended fruits and veggies doesn’t get any easier once you’re an adult. Before you start trying to choke down three salads a day to get all your vitamins and minerals, there’s a quicker way to consume all that good-for-you produce: juicing. According to the Mayo Clinic, juicing can potentially reduce your cancer risk, boost your immune system, cleanse your body of toxins and even help you lose weight.

Here, you’ll find tips from Dr. Felicia Stoler, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist, for making tastier, healthier drinks at home, plus 15 of my favorite healthy juice recipes. My top picks include simple green juice, vitamin boost detox juice and carrot pineapple orange juice, but the produce section is your oyster.

31 Easy and Healthy Smoothie Recipes That Actually Taste Amazing


Meet the Expert

Dr. Felicia Stoler, DCN, is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist and healthy living consultant. In addition to running her own practice, she authored the book Living Skinny in Fat Genes: The Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Feel Great and is the former host of TLC's Honey We're Killing The Kids!.  

  • Use in-season produce. You can make juice out of just about any fruit or veggie. So, your home juicing menu should lean heavily on what’s fresh, what you’re trying to use before it goes bad (I see you, wilted spinach buried in the crisper drawer) and what you like.
  • Juice the rainbow. Whatever you use, it’s important to juice a range of vibrant produce whenever possible. “The more colorful the fruits and veggies, the more phytonutrients end up in the juice,” says Stoler.
  • Use the peels and seeds whenever possible. Juice provides vitamins and minerals no matter what, but blitzing the skins and seeds too ensures a fiber boost, meaning the juice will help you feel fuller. (On this note, some experts believe that juicing is better for you than eating whole produce because your body better absorbs the nutrients and your digestive system doesn't have to work as hard to digest the fiber, according to Midwest Neurology Associates, P.C.) Stoler suggests using a blender instead of a juicer to keep as much pulp and fiber in the drink as possible.
  • Consider eating your produce in addition to drinking it. Homemade juice is easy to prepare (with the right equipment) and nutritious, but Stoler reminds us that juice is mostly just straight carbohydrates, plus some amino acids if it contains veggies. While there’s nothing wrong with a glass of carbs, it’s better to chew your produce than to drink it to ensure that you’re getting all the fiber it contains. “It takes longer to eat and digest [whole food] than drinking pure liquid that will leave the stomach rapidly and enter the blood stream quicker,” explains Stoler. “Think about a cup of apple juice, which has about 100 calories. One medium apple has almost the same calories, but it takes significantly longer to eat, and you’ll feel fuller after.” Nevertheless, juice is OK every so often, especially if you have trouble working fresh produce into your diet.
  • Use juicing as a way to minimize waste. "Knowing the economy is creating hardships for people, juice some produce (like melons and berries) before they spoil & need to be thrown out," Stoler says. "[They] can be pureed and put into ice cube trays in smaller servings to be upcycled and repurposed. Silicone trays work best; I pop them out and put them in reusable bags in the freezer. [They're] great to use as ice in water over the summer, and even for cocktails and mocktails. People can [also] make their own frozen fruit pops."

1. Carrot, Pineapple and Ginger Juice

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegan, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: carrots, pineapple, ginger
  • Serves: 1 to 2

Pineapple offers sweet-and-tangy tropical flavor to fiber- and vitamin A-rich carrots and spicy ginger. (Pineapple is also packed with fiber and more than 100 percent of your daily manganese per serving, according to Cleveland Clinic.) You can totally add the carrot greens to the blender. Just note that it'll change the color.

2. Celery Juice

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: vegan, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: organic celery
  • Serves: 1 to 2

Chalk the celery juice trend up to the veggie’s gut-healing powers. It’s also believed to reduce inflammation, keep you hydrated and support digestion, Healthline says. Ideally, you should drink it fresh first thing in the morning and wait 20 minutes before consuming anything else.

3. Lemon-Ginger Turmeric Wellness Shots

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: gluten free, vegan, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: orange, lemon, turmeric, ginger
  • Serves: 2

Speaking of trendy, tiny bottles of this magical elixir can be found at tons of supermarkets and cafés nowadays. But it turns out these turmeric-spiked immunity boosters are a breeze (and much cheaper) to prepare at home. The ginger can also soothe nausea, migraines and pain, says Hackensack Meridian Health.

4. Simple Green Juice

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: Mediterranean diet-friendly, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: kale, apple, celery, cucumber
  • Serves: 2

A large, tart Granny Smith apple beautifully curbs the bitterness of fresh greens and herbs. Add a light drizzle of honey if you need to, and if it's still not sweet enough, you can opt for other kinds of apples (or even add a banana). Maple syrup or agave work too, if you're a strict vegan.

5. Watermelon Juice

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: watermelon, lime
  • Serves: 4

Don’t sweat getting a fancy juicer for this one: Watermelon is soft enough that you can juice it in your blender instead. (It also makes a great base for a margarita…just sayin’.) Better yet, it's packed with antioxidants, like lycopene, and can prevent joint inflammation, according to WebMD.

6. Vitamin Boost Detox Juice

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: carrot, orange, apple, kale, spinach
  • Serves: 2

You’d be shocked how many greens are in a glass of this stuff. Fresh citrus and a tart-sweet apple makes the healthy juice recipe more palatable. Make sure to peel the lemon, though, to ensure it blends smoothly with the other ingredients. (Alternatively, you can blend the whole lemon, seeds and all, for extra fiber, if you don't mind a less smooth consistency.)

7. Kiwi Agua Fresca

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, make ahead, beginner-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: kiwi
  • Serves: 8

Agua fresca calls for cutting fresh juice with cold water to make it milder in flavor, supremely refreshing and easy to drink. Kiwi makes this a gut-friendly, healthy juice recipe that's packed with vitamins C and E and antioxidants, says the Cleveland Clinic. Add a drizzle of agave if you must, but I'm betting it'll taste great without it.

8. Super-Powered Orange Juice

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: carrot, orange, lemon, nectarine
  • Serves: 5

Like brunch for your immune system. This mix of root veggies, citrus and stone fruit will become a mainstay at your breakfast table in no time. The mint is optional but I love the herbaceous quality it adds to every sip. Take the time to squeeze fresh OJ—it retains many more nutrients than the store-bought stuff, says Healthline.

9. Immune-Boosting Kickstart Juice

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
  • Main Ingredients: tomato juice, spinach, parsley
  • Serves: 2

Like Bloody Marys? Then this is the healthy juice recipe for you. Think fresh tomato juice meets spinach, herbs and lots of supercharged spices. Tomato juice is teeming with vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants and lycopene, GoodRx claims. Add hot sauce to really make it taste like the beloved brunch sipper.

10. Apple Carrot Beet Ginger Juice

  • Time Commitment: 10 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
  • Main Ingredients: beet, apple, ginger, carrots
  • Serves: 1

Bring on the vitamins, folate and polyphenols. Add a splash of unfiltered apple juice if you’d like it a bit sweeter. And while using a juicer is totally fine, you can easily use a regular blender for this one instead. Leave the peel on the ginger for extra good stuff (it's so thin that it'll blend easier than you think).

11. Carrot Pineapple Orange Juice

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
  • Main Ingredients: carrot, pineapple, orange
  • Serves: 1 to 2

Psst: This three-ingredient juice would be twice as nutritious if you added a handful of greens to it, like kale or spinach. (Leafy greens are packed with antioxidants and may help reduce blood pressure, Healthline says.) Sip it out of a glass filled with crushed ice (and adorned with a mini umbrella) if you want it to feel extra tropical.

12. Sparkling Pomegranate Juice

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
  • Main Ingredients: pomegranate, lemon
  • Serves: 1

If you’re aiming to slow your soda consumption, try spiking plain soda water with mouth-puckering pomegranate juice. If you can't find any, substitute dark cherry, tart cherry, Concord grape, cranberry or any other pure juice that doesn't contain added sugar. 

13. 3-Ingredient Lemon Ginger Water

  • Time Commitment: 5 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients
  • Main Ingredients: lemon, ginger
  • Serves: 2

This nourishing drink, which reportedly offers digestive benefits, can be consumed in the morning or at night. If you're looking to heat things up, add cayenne or black pepper. (It turns out that black pepper actually increases the bioavailability of the turmeric, meaning your body will be able to better absorb all its benefits, says Johns Hopkins Medicine.) You can also substitute tea for water.

14. Pink Drink

  • Time Commitment: 25 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly
  • Main Ingredients: tea, orange juice, coconut milk
  • Serves: 4

It's not exactly juice, but it is just like the beloved Starbucks Pink Drink—only without all the added sugar. Like a few others on this list, this bev doesn't require a juicer and also boasts some caffeine, making it an ideal way to start the day. However, I wouldn't blame you for juicing a few berries to intensify the pink flavor and add more fiber to the mix.

15. Jamu (Indonesian Turmeric Ginger Drink)

  • Time Commitment: 15 minutes
  • Why I Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, vegan (optional), <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
  • Main Ingredients: turmeric, ginger, lemon
  • Serves: 8

This Indonesian specialty, which is loaded with vitamin C (thanks to lemons), is incredibly versatile. It can be sipped cold or hot, like a cup of tea. You can make it in a blender or in a juicer, and you can swap the honey for maple syrup to keep it vegan, if you'd prefer.



taryn pire

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