15 Healthy Juice Recipes to Boost Your Daily Fruit and Veggie Intake

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

Some days a salad just is not happening, and that is exactly where a glass of juice earns its keep.

A juicer or a high speed blender turns a pile of produce into something you can sip on the way out the door, which is a lot faster than chewing through three servings of vegetables before noon.

The Mayo Clinic notes that juicing may help reduce cancer risk, boost the immune system, cleanse the body of toxins and support weight loss, though juice is not a replacement for whole produce.

Registered dietitian and exercise physiologist Dr. Felicia Stoler, DCN, MS, RDN, shares her tips for making better juice at home.

She is the author of Living Skinny in Fat Genes: The Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Feel Great and a former host of TLC’s Honey We’re Killing The Kids! Below you will find her five tips plus 15 healthy juice recipes, including three favorites worth starting with: simple green juice, vitamin boost detox juice and carrot pineapple orange juice.

5 Tips for Making Healthy Juice at Home

Before you start throwing everything in the fridge into the blender, here is how Stoler says to get more out of every glass.

1. Build your menu around in season produce. Look at what is fresh right now and what is sitting in your crisper about to go soft. In season fruit usually tastes better and costs less, so your juice improves without any extra effort on your part.
2. Juice the rainbow. Different colors signal different phytonutrients, so mixing greens, oranges, reds and purples gets you a wider spread of them in a single glass instead of the same few nutrients on repeat.
3. Keep peels and seeds when you can. They add fiber and help you feel fuller. Stoler suggests reaching for a blender rather than a juicer, since blending keeps more of the pulp and fiber in the drink. Some experts, including guidance cited by Midwest Neurology Associates, P.C., argue that juicing can improve nutrient absorption and reduce the work your digestive system has to do, so there is a fair case for both approaches.
4. Eat produce, do not just drink it. Juice is mostly carbohydrates plus some amino acids from vegetables, so it moves through you quickly. Chewing whole fruit delivers fiber more slowly and keeps you satisfied longer. Stoler compares about 100 calories of apple juice to a medium apple with similar calories that takes far longer to eat. That said, if you struggle to work enough produce into your day, a glass of juice is still a smart addition.
5. Use juicing to waste less. Puree melons and berries that are about to spoil, then freeze the puree in silicone ice cube trays. Store the cubes in reusable bags in the freezer and drop them into water, cocktails or mocktails, or use them to make frozen fruit pops.

15 Healthy Juice Recipes to Get You Started

Every recipe below is quick, most take 15 minutes or less, and most need nothing more than a blender. Times, servings and ingredient notes come straight from the source recipes, so you know exactly what you are signing up for before you start.

Carrot, Pineapple and Ginger Juice

If you are new to juicing, start here. This one takes 10 minutes, serves 1 to 2 and uses just three main ingredients: carrots, pineapple and ginger.

The pineapple does the heavy lifting, adding a sweet tangy tropical note that keeps the carrots from tasting too earthy. According to the Cleveland Clinic, pineapple also supplies fiber and more than 100 percent of your daily manganese in a single serving.

Carrot greens can go straight into the blender if you have them, though they will change the color of the finished juice. It is vegan, beginner friendly and easy to make ahead for the week.

Celery Juice

Celery juice earned its following on the strength of celery’s reputation as a gut healing vegetable. Healthline notes it is also believed to reduce inflammation, support hydration and aid digestion. This version takes 15 minutes, serves 1 to 2 and calls for organic celery.

The ritual matters as much as the recipe here: drink it fresh first thing in the morning and wait 20 minutes before you eat or drink anything else.

I keep a bunch of celery washed and chopped in the fridge so the blender is loaded before I have even had coffee. Vegan, beginner friendly and ready in under 30 minutes.

Lemon Ginger Turmeric Wellness Shots

You have seen these little bottles at the supermarket and the smoothie counter, and they are rarely cheap. Making them at home takes 10 minutes and yields 2 servings from orange, lemon, turmeric and ginger.

The turmeric spiked shots are gluten free, vegan and simple enough for a first attempt. Ginger earns its place beyond flavor: Hackensack Meridian Health notes it may soothe nausea, migraines and pain.

I pour mine into small glass jars and keep them in the fridge door so a shot is ready on a rushed morning. Fewer than 10 ingredients and easy to make ahead.

Simple Green Juice

Green juice lives or dies by its balance, and this one gets it right in 15 minutes for 2 servings.

Kale, apple, celery and cucumber go in, and a large tart Granny Smith apple does the work of curbing the bitterness of the greens and herbs. It is Mediterranean diet friendly, gluten free, vegan and uses fewer than 10 ingredients.

If you like things sweeter, a light drizzle of honey helps, and you can swap in a sweeter apple variety or a banana instead. For strict vegans, maple syrup or agave works just as well.

Make it ahead and give the jar a good shake before serving.

Watermelon Juice

This is the recipe I bring out in July, when the watermelon is so ripe it practically falls apart on the cutting board.

It takes 10 minutes, serves 4 and needs no juicer at all, because watermelon is soft enough to blend into a smooth drink. Lime keeps it from tasting flat.

Watermelon is packed with antioxidants such as lycopene, and WebMD notes it may help prevent joint inflammation. It is gluten free, vegan and great made ahead for a cookout.

The source recipe also works as a base for margaritas, which makes it a solid two for one for a summer gathering.

Vitamin Boost Detox Juice

Five minutes, 2 servings and a color that tells you it is doing something. Carrot, orange, apple, kale and spinach go into the blender, with the fresh citrus and the tart sweet apple making the greens far more drinkable.

The lemon is the one detail worth getting right: peel it for a smoother blend, or leave it whole, seeds and all, if you want extra fiber and do not mind a slightly less smooth texture.

It is gluten free, vegan, under 30 minutes and easy to make ahead for the week. I usually blend mine the night before and shake it hard in the morning.

Kiwi Agua Fresca

Agua fresca is the trick of cutting fresh fruit juice with cold water, which stretches one batch into a light, refreshing pitcher.

This version takes 5 minutes and serves 8, so it is a smart choice when you are feeding a crowd or packing a cooler for a picnic.

Kiwi is the star, and the Cleveland Clinic notes it is gut friendly and packed with vitamins C and E plus antioxidants. Agave is listed as optional, and honestly the fruit is sweet enough without it.

Gluten free, vegan and it holds up beautifully when made ahead. Add ice right before serving so the drink does not get diluted.

Super Powered Orange Juice

Orange juice gets a serious upgrade here with a mix of root vegetables, citrus and stone fruit. Carrot, orange, lemon and nectarine blend in 10 minutes and serve 5, which makes this one a good pitcher recipe for a weekend breakfast.

Mint is optional but adds an herbaceous note that makes the whole glass feel a little more special. Squeezing the oranges fresh is worth the extra few minutes, since Healthline notes fresh squeezed juice retains more nutrients than the store bought kind.

It is gluten free, vegan and kid friendly. Pour it into small cups for the kids and taller glasses for the grown ups.

Immune Boosting Kickstart Juice

Not everyone wants a sweet drink in the morning, and this is the answer for the savory crowd. It takes 5 minutes, serves 2 and combines tomato juice with spinach and parsley, so it drinks like a fresh Bloody Mary without the vodka.

GoodRx notes tomato juice contains vitamin C, potassium, antioxidants and lycopene. A dash of hot sauce is suggested to bring the flavor closer to that brunch cocktail, and I am all for it. It is gluten free, vegan and uses fewer than 10 ingredients.

Serve it over ice with a celery stick if you want the full effect.

Apple Carrot Beet Ginger Juice

Beet gives this single serving juice its deep ruby color and an earthy sweetness, while apple and carrots round it out and ginger adds a little heat. It takes 10 minutes and delivers vitamins, folate and polyphenols in one glass.

If you want it sweeter, a splash of unfiltered apple juice does the trick. Two practical notes from the source recipe: a regular blender works in place of a juicer, and you can leave the peel on the ginger since it is thin and blends easily.

Gluten free, vegan and under 30 minutes. Wear an apron, beets are enthusiastic.

Carrot Pineapple Orange Juice

Five minutes, 1 to 2 servings and three ingredients you probably already have: carrot, pineapple and orange. It is gluten free, vegan and one of the fastest recipes on this list, which makes it a good weekday default.

If you want to push the nutrition further, toss in a handful of greens such as kale or spinach, since Healthline notes leafy greens bring antioxidants and possible blood pressure benefits to the glass.

Serve it over crushed ice and it tastes like something you would order on vacation. Great for kids too, because the pineapple keeps everything sweet.

Sparkling Pomegranate Juice

If soda is the habit you are trying to break, this is the swap. It takes 5 minutes and serves 1, spiking plain soda water with tart pomegranate juice and a little lemon.

You get the fizz and the bright flavor without the added sugar of a can of pop. No pomegranate juice on hand? The source recipe suggests dark cherry, tart cherry, Concord grape, cranberry, or really any pure juice without added sugar.

It is gluten free, vegan and uses fewer than 10 ingredients. I keep a bottle of pomegranate juice in the fridge for exactly this purpose.

3 Ingredient Lemon Ginger Water

Simple, cheap and genuinely pleasant to drink, this lemon and ginger water takes 5 minutes and serves 2. It reportedly offers digestive benefits, and it works just as well in the morning as it does at night.

Cayenne or black pepper can be added if you like a little heat, and Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that black pepper improves the bioavailability of turmeric, so it is a smart addition if you already use turmeric elsewhere in your routine.

Tea can stand in for the water if you want something warmer. Gluten free, vegan and made with fewer than 10 ingredients.

Pink Drink

This is a homemade take on the Starbucks Pink Drink, made with tea, orange juice and coconut milk, and it comes together in 25 minutes for 4 servings with far less added sugar than the drive thru version. No juicer is required.

It does contain caffeine from the tea, so it doubles as a morning pick me up, and it is gluten free, vegan and kid friendly if you keep the servings small.

The source author suggests juicing a few berries to deepen the pink color and add a little fiber. I like it poured over ice in a clear glass, because half the fun is the color.

Jamu (Indonesian Turmeric Ginger Drink)

Jamu is an Indonesian turmeric, ginger and lemon drink, and it is a lovely way to close out this list. It takes 15 minutes and serves 8, so it is built for sharing, and it is loaded with vitamin C from the lemon.

You can serve it cold over ice or warm like a tea, depending on the season and your mood. It can be made in either a blender or a juicer, which makes it flexible for whatever equipment you already own.

Honey is the sweetener in the original, and swapping in maple syrup keeps it vegan. Under 30 minutes and fewer than 10 ingredients.