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Juice can be a quick and easy way to introduce plenty of fruits and vegetables to a daily routine. It can contribute to a healthier lifestyle and infuse important vitamins and minerals into your diet. However, for those who like to drink juice every day, or even multiple times a day, buying fresh juice on the go can quickly become unaffordable and time consuming.
Purchasing a cold press juicer to use at home can reduce costs and save time over the long run—letting you juice as many times a day as you choose. The best cold press juicer provides nutritious juice, requires minimal prep and cleanup time, and fits your available space and budget. Read on to learn about the features and factors to consider as you shop for a cold press juicer and explore options in a variety of categories that are among the best you can buy.
- BEST OVERALL: Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra 1100W Power, Easy Clean
- BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine
- BEST PERSONAL JUICER: HUROM HP Slow Juicer
- BEST COMMERCIAL JUICER: Omega NC900HDC Juicer Extractor and Nutrition System
- BEST SLOW JUICER: Juicer Machines, Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
- BEST CITRUS JUICER: Eurolux ELCJ-1700 Electric Citrus Juicer
- BEST FOR GREEN JUICE: Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal
- BEST FOR MANUAL JUICING: Zulay Professional Citrus Juicer Manual Citrus Press
Photo: amazon.com
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Cold Press Juicer
Selecting the best cold press juicer for your needs depends on a variety of factors. Bear in mind the time you want to spend preparing fruits and vegetables for juicing, how quickly you want to make the juice, how long you want the juice to last, how much room you have for storage, how easy the juicer is to clean, and possible attachments and extra features.
Type
Juicers are available in different types that vary in functionality.
Cold press juicers, also called masticating juicers, use slower speeds for extracting juice from fruits and vegetables. The masticating process “chews up” or grinds the produce using an auger (gear) that squeezes the fruits and vegetables through a sharp screen. This process removes as much liquid as possible—generally 15 to 20 percent more than traditional juicers. There are also twin-gear juicers that use two augers to grind the juice from the produce. The twin gears push the food through a screen.
Since these juicers don’t use blades that run at high speeds or heat up to extract the juice, they have earned the moniker “cold press juicers.” A masticating motor can cycle as low as 40 RPM up to as high as 150 RPM. It’s believed the lack of heat helps maintain the juice’s nutrients, and the slower process produces drier pulp. This process also introduces less oxidation to the fruits and vegetables, meaning the juice lasts longer before it sours.
Cold-pressed juice can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours—juice made in a twin-gear juicer can be refrigerated for up to four to five days.
Centrifugal juicers, also known as traditional juicers, use faster speeds and spinning blades, much like a blender, to produce juice in seconds. A centrifugal juicer can cycle over 10,000 RPM. However, this juicing method creates heat that can strip some of the nutrients from the juice and introduce oxidation that shortens its shelf-life—the juice lasts for about 24 hours.
Citrus juicers squeeze juice from lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits. There are manual and electric citrus juicers.
Size/Capacity
There are several factors to consider when looking at the size and capacity of a cold press juicer: yield, feed chute, and juice container.
Yield
The speed of the juicer, plus the amount of force or pressure used to extract the juice, will determine the yield—meaning the amount of juice produced. Slow-speed cold press (masticating) juicers tend to yield more juice than fast-speed centrifugal juicers. However, for certain fruits and vegetables, cold press and centrifugal juicers extract about the same amount.
Feed Chute
A large feed chute equals less prep time. Cold press juicers with a 3-inch chute can accept most whole fruits and vegetables. Instead of cutting apples, oranges, cucumbers, and other produce into small pieces that
fit into the juicer, all you need to do is push them into the chute. Some juicers feature both a large feed chute and a smaller chute for celery, kale, and other narrow produce.
Juice Container
Juice containers vary in size, from as small as 8 ounces for a personal juicer to over 40 ounces for a professional juicer. Choose a size that will accommodate how much you want to juice at one time and the number of people in your household who plan to juice.
Some containers include measurements, like a measuring cup, if you need a specific amount of juice for a recipe or a personal goal. Larger containers are often shaped like pitchers, so they’re easier to pour and store in the refrigerator. Some juicers don’t include a container—you’ll need to use a drinking glass or another vessel.
Vertical vs. Horizontal
When considering a cold press juicer, you’ll want to figure in available counter and storage space.
Vertical juicers, with their compact designs, tend to take up less space than horizontal models. These models also usually have faster speeds. Vertical juicers typically have larger feed chutes, which means less preparation work.
If you want to repeatedly move the juicer from the cupboard to the counter and back again, vertical models also tend to have simpler designs, meaning they’re easier to transport—and clean, too.
Horizontal juicers take up more room, but they also offer more features. Some horizontal juicers can also make pasta, nut butter, nut milk, baby food, and more. Because the auger rotates horizontally, you’ll need to rely on the pusher to force the fruits and vegetables down into the drum so they can reach the auger. These juicers have slower speeds, require more prep time, and can be more challenging to clean.
Manual vs. Electric
Manual juicers require your hand, arm, and upper body strength to squeeze juices, primarily out of citrus fruit. These juicers include a cone over which you place a halved piece of orange, lemon, lime, or other citrus fruit. Then, you press down and twist to extract the juice. Some manual juicers instead provide a lever that you pull down to compress the fruit. Other manual juicers act like masticating juicers with an auger and a handle that you manually turn. Due to peeling and cutting, prep time takes a little longer—but a faster and easier cleanup makes up for it. Manual juicers also typically cost less than electric juicers.
Electric juicers automatically withdraw the juices from fruits and vegetables. Centrifugal juicers separate juice and pulp from rinds and casings but cannot break down the fibers in food. Masticating juicers “chew” the food and are able to break down fibers. Electric juicers require less prep time—depending on the size of the feed chute, you can drop certain whole fruits and veggies into the juicer with zero prep. However, cleanup is more involved, and electric juicers tend to be more expensive.
Power and Speed
Power, not speed, is what you’re looking for in a cold press—or masticating—juicer. A 60 RPM juicer means the juicer rotates 60 times per minute. This slower speed means it takes longer to draw the juice from the fruits and vegetables, but it also means less heat, which equals better quality and yield. Power is good. The more power a juicer has, the more volume you extract from fruits and veggies—and the better it works on tough vegetables like celery and greens. But it also means more noise.
Centrifugal juicers run at lightning speeds compared to cold press juicers—the blades spin at tens of thousands of revolutions per minute. You can make an 8-ounce cup of juice in just seconds. The fast-spinning blades generate heat, and the process exposes the liquid to oxidation, which can reduce the nutrients and the shelf life of the juice. But the juice tastes just as yummy.
Attachments
Some juicers include different-size strainers to increase or decrease the amount of pulp in your juice or allow for different kinds of juice and smoothies. Some attachments let you create sauces, baby foods, nut butter, nut milk, sorbets, frozen treats, and even mince herbs and garlic and grind coffee. Most juicers come with cleaning brushes for washing all these extras.
Ease of Cleaning
Fewer parts means easier cleanup. That means you may not want all the extra attachments if you’re looking for simplicity. You will need to disassemble the juicer to wash it out between uses. Look at the product’s details online, and if available, review the manual before purchasing to see how easy (or difficult) it is to take apart and put back together. Some juicers feature dishwasher-safe parts, and others can be washed with warm soapy water or even just rinsed.
Remember to also consider the weight of the appliance. The heavier the juicer, the more difficult it will be to lift, and you may need to raise it during disassembly and assembly.
Our Top Picks
The top picks take into consideration all of the above-mentioned criteria. They also include products in a variety of categories to provide a wide selection of some of the best cold press juicers on the market for making healthy juice at home.
Photo: amazon.com
This 1,100-watt centrifugal juicer from Mueller Austria produces a 16-ounce cup of juice in eight seconds with less clogging and foaming. It features two speed settings for increased versatility. Ideal for softer fruits like oranges and tomatoes, the lower setting cycles between 12,000 to 15,000 RPM. For harder fruits and veggies like celery, carrots, kale, and beets, the higher setting cycles between 15,000 to 18,000 RPM.
Enjoy less prep time by tossing whole fruits and vegetables into the extra-large 3-inch feed chute. As the juicer runs, the locking bar stays in place to ensure the cover doesn’t move during operation. An automatic shut-off switch engages if the juicer overheats or becomes jammed during the juicing process. The juicer also boasts an anti-drip function to help avoid spillage. The juice container offers a 34-ounce capacity, and the pulp bin holds 68 ounces.
This centrifugal juicer uses BPA-free materials and culinary-grade stainless steel cutting discs covered by a micro-mesh filter that extracts the juice. It uses a mastication process suitable for hard-to-juice leafy greens, grasses, sprouts, and herbs. The easy-clean juicer also offers a sleek and modern stainless steel design.
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Juicing can be affordable. This well-priced Hamilton Beach juicer delivers 800 watts of power for making juice in seconds. The stainless steel, micro-mesh cutter and strainer can juice a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as apples, oranges, celery, kale, beets, and gingerroot. It can even make soy, almond, and rice milk. The juicer’s 3-inch feed chute allows for whole pieces of fruit, which means less prep time, and the extra-large pulp bin facilitates the process by eliminating the need to stop and empty the bin. The high-placed spout enables the use of various cup and container sizes.
The dishwasher-safe and BPA-free food pusher, juicer cover, strainer bowl, and pulp bin make for easy cleanup. The juicer also includes a cleaning brush with micro-soft bristles for washing the stainless steel strainer basket.
This juicer is not only affordable, but it’s also designed for simple assembly, handling, operating, and storage—to use, insert the strainer, lock the lid with the metal latches, and put the pulp bin in place.
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Make tasty juice that lasts up to 72 hours with this slow juicer from Hurom. At a speed of 43 RPM, this juicer imitates squeezing produce by hand. It also produces a high yield of juice and bone-dry pulp. Its versatility means it works on fruits, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, nuts, and soybeans to create cold-pressed juices, milk, tofu, and more. The chute opening measures 2 inches, and the chamber capacity is 11.8 ounces.
This compact juicer easily fits on a kitchen counter, and the stylish design adds a splash of color and character. Choose from a mint, pink, or white finish. It boasts a quiet 150-watt motor, and the inner spinning brush rotates and cleans the chamber and strainer during juicing—reducing clogging and increasing efficiency. Taking the juicer apart and putting it back together takes minimal time, and cleanup is a cinch.
Made of BPA-free materials, the juicer features a heavy-duty Ultem strainer and auger that are stronger than traditional plastics—it can operate daily for years. Twin safety sensors prevent the juicer from running when it’s incorrectly placed on the base, and there’s also a cooling system to prevent overheating.
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This cold press juicer from Omega features an 80 RPM, single-auger construction that slowly masticates fruits and vegetables. Due to the lack of heat, this process preserves nutrients, minimizes oxidation, and provides a higher juice yield. The quiet 150-watt, 2 horsepower motor generates more torque for processing tough ingredients, and the five adjustable pressure settings tighten the squeeze on all kinds of foods.
Make more than just fruit and vegetable juice with this juicer. Use it to create baby food, nut butter, nut milk, pasta, sorbet, wheatgrass juice, frozen treats, and even use it to mince herbs and garlic and grind coffee.
Readily move the juicer around the kitchen with the built-in handle. To wash, simply place the removable parts on the dishwasher’s top rack.
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Drink purer juice with this cold press juicer from Aicok. It boasts a seven-segment spiral masticating auger that cuts, breaks, squeezes, mills, separates, grinds, and extracts the contents from fruits and vegetables to produce as much juice as possible. The process creates a higher, more concentrated yield with little foam and drier pulp. The auger cycles at 80 RPM.
In the event of clogging, the juicer features a reverse function that
switches the auger’s direction—this helps with blockages and avoids damage to the unit. The quiet motor doesn’t interfere with conversations or wake up others in the morning. When it’s time for cleaning, click on the one-button disassembly for easy dismantling. The dishwasher-safe parts make cleaning the juicer a breeze, and it also includes a brush for additional scrubbing. Once clean and dry, the juicer is simple to reassemble.
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Prepare various citrus juices without all the extra parts—this citrus juicer from Eurolux provides a one-size-fits-all citrus cone for oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and more. Fewer pieces to assemble, disassemble, clean, and store allow for easy usage and cleanup. The juicer features an auto on-off function that makes it simple to operate. Just plug it in, place the fruit on the cone, and press down on the soft-grip handle. The 160-watt motor does the rest.
The citrus juicer also includes a stainless steel filter that catches pits, preventing them from landing in the juice. The locking spout contains the liquid in the juicer. Lift the spout to keep the fluid in the juicer, or slide it down to allow the freshly squeezed juice to flow into a glass. The suction cups ensure that the device stays in place while juicing and also protect the countertop.
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The Breville Juice Fountain Plus produces an 8-ounce cup of juice in just five seconds. Its 800-watt motor features two speed levels. Juice soft fruits and leafy greens at low speed, and prepare thicker fruits and harder vegetables at high speed.
Some fruits and veggies produce a lot of foam—the built-in froth separator ensures more juice and less foam makes it into the container. The centrifugal juicer boasts a 3-inch-wide chute for whole pieces of fruits and vegetables to decrease total prep time. It also includes a 1.1-quart juice container and a 2.6-quart pulp container to produce a lot of juice at once. The juicer features a stainless steel cutting disc surrounded by a micro-mesh filter to extract more nutrients.
During operation, the safety locking arm secures the lid in place, and the overload protection LED prevents unsafe usage. To clean, place the filter bowl surround, juicing jug, and pulp container on the dishwasher’s top rack, and wash other parts in warm soapy water and wipe dry with a soft cloth. Use the included brush for stubborn or strong food stains and odors.
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This commercial-grade manual citrus juicer from Zulay offers an ergonomic design and a firm grip handle. Place oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits on the 5-inch cone, grip the comfortable handle, pull down, and let leverage and gravity do the rest. The rubber feet hold the juicer in place and prevent it from shifting on the counter while juicing. Collect more juice and less pulp and pits with the stainless steel cup that filters these out of the liquid.
Spend more time juicing and less time cleaning with this juicer as well. The cast-iron juicer wipes down in seconds—and it features detachable, dishwasher-safe parts. Choose from six colors to pair with any kitchen decor: black, gray, rustic copper, pomegranate red, orange, and pink.
FAQs About Cold Press Juicers
For more information about cold press juicers, check out these answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If additional concerns arise, contact the manufacturer.
Q. Is a masticating juicer the same as cold press?
Yes. A masticating juicer uses an auger to slowly extract juice without heating the fruits and vegetables, which can negatively affect the nutrient content of the juice. It’s this lack of heat that also gives it the name “cold press juicer.”
On the other hand, a centrifugal juicer uses high speeds and spinning blades to produce juice in just seconds. The spinning blades heat up, which can affect the nutrients in the juice. A citrus juicer is either manual or electric, but they both generally work in the same manner. Place a halved fruit over the cone and press down on the juicer, relying on the motor or leverage and gravity to do the rest.
Q. Which is better, centrifugal or masticating?
Consider your needs and preferences to decide which type of juicer is better for you. Cen
trifugal juicers are typically less expensive, take only seconds to make juice, and require less prep time because you can use whole pieces of fruits and vegetables. Masticating juicers provide a higher yield of liquid through the “chewing” process. Because the auger works slowly and doesn’t generate any heat, no nutrients are lost. Because there is little oxidation, the juice lasts longer.
Q. What is the difference between cold pressed juice and regular juice?
Regular juice has added preservatives (so it lasts longer) and added sugar. Cold pressed juice is simply fresh fruits and vegetables with no additives.
Q. What is the benefit of cold pressed juice?
Cold pressed juice is healthier because the process effectively preserves nutrients; plus, it contains no added sugar.
Q. How long does cold pressed juice last?
Most cold pressed juice can last up to 72 hours in the refrigerator.
Q. Can I freeze cold pressed juice?
Yes. When properly frozen, cold pressed juice can last up to six months.