The best juicer will take your breakfast (and other meals) to the next level by letting you sup freshly-squeezed orange and other nutrient-packed drinks without having to put in much effort at all.
There are two types of juicers to pick from; the best centrifugal juicers or the best cold press juicers, which are also known as slow juicers or masticating juicers.
Centrifugal juicers use a flat blade and spinning strainer to create fresh juice, and work best on firmer fruits and veggies. They're faster and more affordable than cold press juicers but they're noisier and create more heat which can break down the nutrients in the fruit quicker than slow juicers.
The best slow juicers, as the name suggests, take their time breaking down fruit and vegetables to ensure as many nutrients as possible are retained and every drop of juice is extracted. Find out more about how the best masticating juicers work by reading what is a cold press juicer?
Unlike the best blenders, which puree every ounce of the fruit and vegetables that come into contact with its blade, the best juicers squeeze out the liquid from fruits and veggies, leaving you with a silky smooth drink. Juicers vs blenders offer a more in-depth look at how the two appliances differ.
Many of the best juicers can do more than create silky smooth drinks, some have attachments and can be used to prepare everything from nut butter to fresh pasta and even grind coffee, while others have a built-in separator to remove excess froth from your drinks.
Aside from the type of juicer you need, consider the size of the machine and where you’re going to keep it. It’s also worth bearing in mind how easy each machine is to clean as this can be a time-consuming process.
We’ve spent hours in the kitchen testing how well some of the most popular juicer brands including Breville and Smeg, which also produce some of the best coffee makers, compare when squeezing everything from oranges and apples to carrots, kale, and even celery into silky smooth juices to find the best juicers you can buy right now.
The best juicers 2021: ranked
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How we test juicers
To find the best juicers we’ve spent hours in the kitchen putting the top models to the test to make a green juice from broccoli, celery, pears and ginger, while also juicing carrots, oranges and apples. As well as evaluating how smooth the drinks are and how fast they’re dispensed, we’re also looking for whether bitterness from the pith and pulp has tainted the taste of the juice, how much foam has been created in the drink and if there’s any remaining fresh produce in the appliance that hasn’t been juiced.
For each model we rate how loud they are, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, if the chute is wide enough for whole fruits and vegetables or whether they need to be chopped before juicing, and if it splashes and drips during and after use.
What are cold press juicers?
Cold press juicers extract liquid from fruits and veggies without using any heat in the process. These types of juicers are popular because the lack of heat helps to preserve the nutrients and vitamins in the juice. The juice normally lasts longer than when you make it using other types of juicers.
For the full pros and cons, check out our feature answering what is a cold press juicer?
Juicers vs blenders
Juicers have been designed to extract the liquid from fresh produce. As we’ve covered above, there are a few different types of juicers and some use sharp blades to break down the fruits and veggies, whereas others slowly press the ingredients to release the liquid. Once the juice has been created, you’ll have the leftover parts of your produce.
Blenders work differently because rather than extracting juices, they break down the entire contents of the blending jug to create a smooth mixture and don’t leave anything behind. For a full round-up of the pros and cons of both juicers and blenders, head to our feature on Juicers vs blenders: what’s the difference?
How to clean a juicer
Cleaning a juicer isn’t always easy, especially as there are lots of small crevices where fruit or veggies can get stuck and start to build-up. Staying on top of the cleanliness of your juicer will help keep your juice tasting as fresh as possible while ensuring the machine is hygienic too.
To give your juicer a deep clean, switch it off and unplug it, and then take all the removable parts off the machine so that you can clean them. Place all loose parts in warm water and add some dish soap - you can give these a scrub with a cloth or a scrubbing brush. If this isn’t enough to remove stubborn build-up, rinse the parts in water and then soak them in white vinegar.
For the smaller and more awkward parts of the juicer that seem impossible to reach, you might need to invest in some micro scrubbing brushes. You can pick up scrubbing brushes designed to reach awkward areas at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
You can use a spoon or a spatula to remove the pulp from the machine and press a small sponge inside the pulp tray to soak up any bits of pulp that are stuck behind.
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