How to make juice without a juicer

Juicers may seem like a good investment, but when you factor in sky-high retail costs and a lengthy cleaning process, the romance can quickly fizzle out. The good news is, it’s easier than you might think to whip up delicious juices without a fancy machine.

Here’s how:

Learn to love your blender

When it comes to extracting liquid from fruit and veg, blenders are a great alternative to juicers. They don’t take up much bench space, and can easily whip solids into liquids in a matter of minutes. The faster and sharper the blade the better, though even ‘ancient’ blenders can usually get the job done.

Once you’ve got a pulpy liquid simply push through a strainer and into a bowl. Squeeze out excess juice with a spatula, and discard pulp or use it as compost. If you like experimenting in the kitchen some bakers love to use pulp to beef up muffins, fruit bread and other goodies.

From fresh Pina Coladas and Bloody Mary’s to health kick blends like this apple/carrot/beet/ginger extravaganza from the Minimalist Baker, blenders will  change the way you use your look at juice.

Squeeze up a storm with a simple citrus reamer

These handy devices have been around for decades, and call for nothing more than a little elbow grease. Simply slice fruit in half to expose the segments, then get juicing. A top tip is to give your citrus a bit of a pressurised roll before juicing to help burst open the segments. Others swear by popping lemons, limes and oranges in the microwave for 10 seconds before juicing, though the jury’s out on this one.

Boil up a storm

Winter is on its way, so why not warm up with a steaming hot cup of kompot juice? Loved by Russians and Ukrainians, this delicious beverage is sweet, juicy and heart-warming. We love this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen, which calls for apricots, cherries and blueberries. But really, you can use whatever winter fruits you have on-hand.

Of course, you can always head to the supermarket and pick up any juice under the sun. But where’s the fun in that? With DIY recipes, you can regulate what goes in, cut down your sugar intake and whip up fresh juice whenever you feel like it. Getting creative with juice recipes can also be a fun activity to do with the grandkids, albeit a little messy!

What’s your favourite juice recipe?