If you’re sick of spending $12 a pop for a daily juice on the way to work (or $20, if you’re hooked on Erewhon’s viral smoothies), let me take your hand and gently say: life doesn’t have to be this way. You can sip antioxidant-packed juice without leaving the house and even customize the recipe to your liking … if you invest in the right home juicer.
Home juicers can conjure images of clunky machines with huge countertop footprints, jammed parts, countless components to clean and – perhaps most onerous – hefty price tags. But many models trade these pitfalls for graceful, efficient and minimalist designs, little mess, low noise and few, easy-to-clean parts.
Today’s juicers also come in a wide range of price points. And while you may still get sticker shock from spending anywhere from $150 to $800 for a high-quality juicer, it won’t take many mornings of swapping your pricey store-bought juice or smoothie habit for juicing at home in order to recuperate the one-time cost. Many of the higher-end models are even warrantied for 15 years, making the initial investment make even more financial sense in the long run.
Most of these new-and-improved juicers are masticating juicers, which you might recognize in less cursed language as cold-press juicers or slow juicers. They yield more juice, less foam and a higher retention of those good-for-you nutrients than other types of the machines. (More on that below.)
So, to save you the trouble, I’ve found the very best masticating juicers worth the squeeze. Whether you’re looking for a space-saving design or the best budget juicer, here are the best options for making fresh drinks at home with maximum flavor and minimal effort. And, further below, I’ve shared tips on what to know before buying a juicer, how to clean your new machine and more.
Why you should trust me
I’m a veteran food writer, editor and recipe developer who’s worked at Martha Stewart, Domino and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazines. During my time as senior digital editor at Food Network, I collaborated with the test kitchen team to pitch, sample and perfect recipes with two tasting sessions every day. I also worked as a kitchen assistant at the New School culinary program, took pastry classes at the French Culinary Institute, and have contributed to cookbooks for Martha Stewart and Bon Appétit. For years, I’ve tested juicers, blenders, slow cookers and other kitchen appliances to find the best options for home cooks.
How I tested
To find the most convenient juicer, I picked 10 models to test-drive, starting at $59 for the most affordable option and topping out at $770 for the highest-end machine.
To test produce with a range of textures, I used an all-rounder green juice recipe with soft ingredients such as lemons and cucumbers, fibrous apples and ginger, and stringy celery and kale (the most notorious juice machine clogger of all!). When I checked out of Trader Joe’s with a cart piled high with fruit, veggies and herbs in every shade of green, my cashier said: “Wow … this is gonna make a lot of juice,” with a tinge of polite concern. She was right – I estimate I juiced about 30lbs of produce throughout my tests. I weighed each ingredient precisely and analyzed the juice yield, juice-to-foam ratio, and quantity and texture of the pulp each appliance produced. The juice was graded on its quality, including flavor, texture, color, and uniformity or separation.
The features, ease of assembly, use and cleaning also factored into my ratings, as well as the amount of noise, and aesthetics. For noise, I rated juicers from “ultra-quiet” to “some noise”.
All prices current at the time of publication.
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Best overall juicer:
Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer
$599 at Amazon
$599 at Nama
Why we love it
Unpacking Nama’s box felt like opening a present thanks to the cheerful illustrations. It also came with a second coarse strainer for drinks with more texture, like smoothies, in addition to the usual parts: base, hopper to place produce in, auger to crush it and a fine strainer to separate the pulp from the juice.
The machine was easy to assemble, with components that glided and clicked together seamlessly. I loaded the generously sized hopper with my cornucopia of green ingredients, and it hummed quietly. (Fruits like apples can even be added to the hopper whole, reducing the need to pre-chop.) It produced pulp that was dry and uniform (a sign of a high-quality machine) and bright-green juice. Cleanup was painless thanks to a removable pulp shoot and hopper lid.
I also loved that this multitasking machine can be used to make homemade nut milks, soups and sauces.
It’s a shame that … It comes with a $599 price tag. But with a 15-year warranty, frequent juice drinkers will still save money in the long run.
Dimensions: 9.8” W x 9.0” D x 17.7” H
Weight: 12.1lb
Noise: Ultra-quiet
Power: 120V, 200W
Colors available: Three (white, black and gray)
Speed: 50RPM
Hopper capacity: 70oz
Warranty: 15 years
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Best budget juicer:
Shine Multi-Batch Compact Cold Press Juicer
$149.95 at Amazon
$149.95 at Tribest
Why we love it
The best affordable juicer on the market is also our best compact juicer, making it both wallet- and small space-friendly. Weighing just 4.3lbs, it’s also so light that hardcore juice lovers have been known to pack it up and travel with it.
Small but mighty, it had impressive juice yields and juice-to-foam ratios that were on par with the high-end models. The snug 24oz hopper meant I had to add ingredients in several batches, but it was quick and easy to place produce in the hopper. It processed even the toughest kale stems without my ever having to turn the knob to reverse to fix a clog.
I also liked that all four juicing parts are made with BPA-free materials that are free of heavy metals.
It’s a shame that … Compared with all of the other models we tested (several of which cost about the same amount), the base looked a little cheap, and the prominent logo feels like a dated design.
Price: $149.95
Dimensions: 7.2” W x 6.1” D x 15.2” H
Weight: 4.3lbs
Noise: Quiet
Colors available: Two (white and gray)
Power: 120V, 150W
Speed: 40RPM
Hopper capacity: 24oz
Warranty: Three years
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Best large-capacity juicer:
Kuvings Hands-Free Slow Juicer AUTO10 Plus
$769.99 at Kuvings
Why we love it
With an extension to a capacity of 135oz, Kuvings claims this model has the largest hopper of any slow juicer on the market. It comes with four strainers: a standard juicing strainer, a pulp strainer to control the texture of your OJ, a smoothie strainer for thicker drinks and a blank strainer for making sorbets and other frozen treats.
The supersized hopper allows the AUTO10 Plus to produce up to 2 liters of juice in one batch, making it a great option for large families. And of all the many liters of juices tested, it was the most intense in terms of vibrant flavor and deep emerald-green color. Even after a day or two, the juice didn’t separate like it did with some other juicers.
It’s a shame that … Priced at $770, it’s the most expensive model I tested. But as with the Nama model, the machine comes with a 15-year warranty, so the cost-per-use ratio and versatility make it well worth the purchase if you can swing it.
Dimensions: 10” W x 8” D x 20.25” H (with extension), 10” W x 8” D x 17.75” H (without extension)
Weight: 17.3lbs (with extension), 16.7lbs (without extension)
Noise: Ultra-quiet
Power: 110-120V, 240W
Colors available: Three (silver, white and matte black)
Speed: 50RPM
Hopper capacity: 135oz (with extension)
Warranty: 15 years
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The best of the rest
While these models didn’t nab the top spots on the list, I recommend them all for their convenient designs, helpful features, high yields of fresh-tasting juice and easy cleanup.
For easy cleanup:
Hurom H70 Easy Clean Slow Juicer
$599 at Amazon
$599 at Hurom
This Hurom model was a very close runner-up to the best overall juicer title: it scored top marks for yields and juice-to-foam ratios, plus it’s whisper-quiet and BPA-free. The Hurom also has a super sleek and modern, aesthetically pleasing design, and the components glided and clicked into place beautifully.
Best of all, its streamlined design is strainer-free. Most juicers have a metal mesh strainer, and a vigorous brushing session is required to remove the tiny bits of pulp that get trapped in the fine mesh. But the Hurom uses a double auger system instead of a strainer – eliminating the need to scrub one.
It didn’t make the final cut because … The Nama has a larger hopper, and the minimalist design comes at the expense of having the on/off/reverse button located out of sight at the back of the machine by the power cord, where it can be tricky to reach.
Dimensions: 6.8” W x 8.5” D x 17.2” H
Weight: 14.8lbs
Noise: Ultra-quiet
Power: 120V, 150W
Colors available: Two (white and matte black)
Speed: 60/70RPM
Hopper capacity: 55oz
Warranty: 15 years
For high yields on a budget:
Cuisinart Easy Clean Slow Juicer
$140.99 at Amazon
$159.99 at Best Buy
Out of all the options I tested, only this Cuisinart model and the Shine juicer competed with the $600-and-up machines in terms of high yields and good juice-to-foam ratios. The Cuisinart also minimizes prep by handling whole fruits such as apples and pears.
I also love that the machine’s removable parts are top-rack dishwasher-safe, and that the strainer is mesh-free, making it easy to clean.
It didn’t make the final cut because … Instead of placing ingredients in a hopper like the models above, you must add them to the machine via a feeding tube. And while the tube is wide enough to accommodate whole fruits, this style of juicer is more laborious to use than other styles.
Dimensions: 6.97” W x 10.24” D x 18.27” H
Weight: 12.9lbs
Noise: Some noise
Power: 120V, 200W
Colors available: One (black)
Speed: 60RPM
Hopper capacity: 34oz
Warranty: Three years
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What other juicers did the Guardian test?
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What you need to know about juicers
What should you consider before buying a juicer?
When shopping for a juicer, start by determining your price range. We tested juicers ranging from $59 to $770, but no models priced under $100 made the cut for this article because they scored low on our juice yield, juice-to-foam ratio and consistency ratings.
When thinking about budget, factor in cost per use. If you’re looking to buy a juicer for occasional use in a small kitchen or dorm, the $150 Shine juicer may be ideal. For frequent juicers, it may be worth it to invest in a higher-end model like the Nama, Hurom or Kuvings – all of which come with 15-year warranties.
Another factor to consider is whether you’ll be storing the machine on a countertop or tucked away. For a countertop-friendly model, the design, color options, footprint and height are key. Vertical juicers are tall by definition, and you’ll also need some clearance to use the pusher or add long pieces of whole produce such as carrots and celery sticks.
If you opt to put your juicer away after each use, you’ll also want to keep the footprint and height in mind if you want to store it fully assembled. (For shorter shelves, the bases and hoppers can also be stored separately.) The other important factor is the weight of the machine, since you’ll be moving it often.
How do you clean a juicer?
Most juicers have at least six components to disassemble and handwash. While a couple of the low-to-mid-priced models have some components that can go in the dishwasher, it’s still best to handwash them since the prolonged high heat from a dishwasher can dull or warp the components over time.
It’s best to start cleaning the parts with a sponge and warm, soapy water. Then, use the double-sided cleaning brush or pick that comes with most juicers to brush fine particles from the strainers and dig stringy kale stems and pesky citrus membranes from the pulp chute and ridges in the auger.
Is a juice extractor better than a juicer?
The lingo can be confusing. “Juicers” and “juice extractors” are broad categories that don’t actually convey much information. More helpful terms are centrifugal juicers and masticating juicers. Centrifugal juicers (also known as fast juicers) use blades spinning at high RPMs to cut produce into small pieces, quickly spinning them to the outer edges of the basket and collecting the juice.
“Masticating juicer”, “slow juicer” and “cold-press juicer” are all terms for the same type of machines that use a blade or auger spinning at a much lower speed to crush, press and extract juice from ingredients with less force.
Which is better, a centrifugal or masticating juicer?
Because centrifuge juicers work at high speeds, creating heat, they result in wetter pulp, lower juice yields, more foam and a loss of vitamins and nutrients due to heat and oxidation.
Masticating juicers, on the other hand, work more slowly and quietly – with minimal to no heat. This results in more juice with more nutrients and less foam. For these reasons, masticating juicers are considered to be superior to their noisy, clunky counterparts, though they’re generally more expensive too.
Do I need to peel produce before juicing?
That depends on the type of produce and type of machine. Generally, thin-skinned produce like apples, pears and English cucumbers can be used without peeling – and leaving the skin on will improve the taste and nutritional value. Your machine’s manual should also break down the specific types of fruits and veggies that should or shouldn’t be peeled.
If you’re worried about pesticides, it’s best to either go organic or peel non-organic produce (especially what some call the “dirty dozen”).
Depending on the construction of the juicer, most manuals will also tell you how to layer soft and hard ingredients in the hopper, or what speed is best for processing produce with different textures.
What is the best juice to drink?
The best juice is simply the kind that tastes best to you! But we love a carrot, orange and ginger juice and a Gwyneth-approved green juice or medley of cucumbers, limes and basil. (And, hey … if you want to juice up some grapefruits for a big batch of palomas, that counts as juicing too.)
Looking to get creative using up all that leftover pulp and juice? Check out our guides on how to turn fruit juice pulp into a delicious veggie burger and how to turn excess fruit juice into barbecue sauce.
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Elizabeth Brownfield is a freelance journalist specializing in food and cooking, design and travel. A former New Yorker, she traded a studio apartment in Manhattan for a craftsman in Portland, Oregon, with plenty of space for testing kitchen gadgets and appliances, suitcases, and camping and hiking gear perfect for exploring the beautiful mountains, lakes, rivers and rugged coastline of the Pacific north-west
