Beyond making fresh juice, what else can a juicer do? You may be surprised to know that yours could potentially do much more, from making baby food to nut milk to veggie burgers.
The key to getting more than just fresh, nutritious juice from a juicer, however, is to buy the best juicer, which has versatile attachments and quality mechanisms to cope with the demands you put on it. Even then, it's important to know that there are still limitations to what a juicer can do.
Indeed, while some ingredients won't fare well by being put through a juicer, others will damage your appliance.
What can you make in a juicer?
Before you buy, know that there are two different types of juicers. Centrifugal/fast juicers and cold press juicers, also referred to as slow juicers or masticating juicers. You can find a full comparison in our centrifugal juicers vs cold press juicers feature, but know some of each kind can do more than others, and that depending on what you want to make in it, your juicer will need certain attachments, some of which you may need to buy separately. Centrifugal juicers use a rotating blade at a very high speed and centrifugal force to extract juice and the pulp through a mesh. While slow juicers work at a much slower, but equally efficient pace to "masticate" or chew the fruit with a crushing auger design and does a more thorough job of extracting out the most juice.
Both, however, can tackle certain surprising tasks that you may not have considered, though we find that you get the most versatility with a slow juicer style, especially if you plan to make nut milk, smoothies, and sorbets. Here are a few quick suggestions for the most versatile juicers on the market:
The Kuvings comes with a built-in ability to make smoothies, sorbets, and other drinks and dips. It can tackle a range of tasks.
The Breville is explicitly marketed as a juicer and a blender. It's big, but it saves you from having to buy two appliances.
The Nama is my favorite juicer of all time. It's smart, beautiful, and makes deliciously crisp juice.
Can a juicer make nut milk?
Slow and cold-pressed juicers can make nut milks. I use mine every day to make almond and oat milks, because our household consumption of the two is astronomical. The process is simple. You have to pre-soak whatever you're making your milk from. For example, oats need to soak in water three hours before you make oat milk. Almonds need to soak overnight to soften the hard texture of them.
You can add equal parts nuts and water to your juicer to create your own dairy-alternative milk. And, yes, you can use a slow juicer in the process of making nut butter, too.
Note, centrifugal juicers are not equipped to make nut milk as the nuts need to be masticated and ground with an auger-style as opposed to chopped.
Can a juicer make smoothies?
Some juicers can make smoothies, but not all. You'll want to make sure your juicer is equipped to handle these thicker ingredients, like designs from Hurom, Omega or Kuvings, which offer smoothie attachments. Kuvings's smoothie strainer has a rubber plug that plugs the hole in the juicer where juice pulp would normally extract from, meaning the pulp and juice are essentially integrated together. These smoothies won't be as thick as blender-made designs since you'll use frozen fruit as opposed to ice cubes to thicken your mixture.
If you don't have the luxury of a smoothie accessory, don't fret. You can still make a smoothie in a juicer. All you need to do is put the ingredients that you want in your smoothie through the juicer. If you plan on using banana or yogurt, keep these ingredients separate, because they won't fare as well in a juicer.
Once you've juiced the fruits and vegetables, add some of the extracted pulp back into your juice as well as the banana and yogurt. Mix them together and your drink will get thicker, with more texture too.
The end result might look a little different from a traditional blender smoothie, but it still delivers the all-important nutrients. If it's not quite as you like it, keep playing with the juice-to-pulp ratio to achieve the perfect texture.
Can a juicer make sorbet or ice cream?
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You'll have seen slow and cold press juicers all over TikTok. If you have these types of juicers (or sorbet attachments for yours), it's a simple and straightforward recipe. For instance, Hurom's Alpha Series juicers like the Hurom H-AA Slow Juicer include an ice cream strainer where you can use frozen fruit that is slightly thawed to mimic an ice cream consistency. Kuvings offers a sorbet attachment that makes it easy to make single-ingredient frozen treats with just frozen fruit.
Can you make tofu in a juicer?
Deciding to make your own tofu sounds daunting in and of itself. Making it with a juicer might sound like an even trickier task, but it's actually a lot easier than you might think. Hurom, who makes some of the best juicers on the market, have its own recipe for making tofu with a juicer. I've actually used it to make my own tofu and I can vouch that Hurom's tofu recipe makes a delicious block of tofu. It's super satisfying too.
Hurom days to soak 10.5 oz of soybeans in water for a day. They recommend waiting for 'the beans to soak until they appear 2-3 times larger than before. Then, using a fine strainer, close the juice cap, close the pulp control ever, and add soaked beans and filtered water to your juicer in a 1:1 ratio.' At this stage, you can even add chopped vegetables to your juicer.
Next, they say to half-release the compressed pulp. Pour out the extracted bean juice into a pan and boil it on medium heat, stirring the liquid to stop it from burning. Then, add the bittern to the pot and pour the tofu into a tofu press.
Can you make soup in a juicer?
Juicers can be really useful for making a delicious, healthy soup. Vanessa Simkins from All About Juicing, says that 'it's a great way to get that concentrated nutrition into a meal instead of a juice glass.'
She has plenty of raw (uncooked) soup recipes, but you can cook your vegetables to make these too. They're just as delicious.
I'd recommend browsing her juicer recipes, because the soup making is easy. You juice whichever ingredients you're using. For example, if you're making a tomato soup, juice tomatoes, basil, and carrots together. That's all you have to do. The soup might be a lighter texture than your favorite soups. If that's not for you, add some pulp back into the mix.
Can you make cauliflower pizza in a juicer?
It might sound whacky, but, yes, you can make a cauliflower pizza with a juicer. It's healthy, delicious, and easy.
Cauliflower pizza crusts have a tendency to go soggy or mushy. Lori Taylor, founder of The Produce Moms, says 'the juicer is able to squeeze nearly every bit of water out of the cauliflower. This means you can use the dry cauliflower pulp to form your pizza crust. It's easier than any other method and more effective too.'
All you have to do is mix your cauliflower with eff, cheese, and seasoning. It bakes into a wonderfully crispy base that you can top with some delicious ingredients. Here's the link to the recipe how to make a cauliflower pizza base using a juicer if you want more information.
These are just a few proofs that your juicer doesn't have to be a single-function appliance. Whilst it will always be an expert in deliciously crisp drinks, knowing that you can use yours for so much more can help you justify making more of an investment in your juicer.
FAQs
Can a juicer replace a blender?
When deciding between a juicer versus a blender, know that a blender is designed to mash and blend all ingredients together while a juicer separates the liquid from the pulp and fiber for a smoother, more drink-like result. A juicer can perform some of the functions of a blender, especially when it comes to creating smoothies and sorbets. Your juicer could replace a blender, but a blender will likely not replace your juicer.
Can you make hummus in a juicer?
If you don't have a food processor, you can use the extracted juice and pulp from chickpeas to make hummus. A slow juicer will yield the best results.
Can you make crackers in a juicer?
Something to dip into your hummus? Yes, please! Simply collect the pulp from your vegetable juicing and mix it with seeds and spices (flax, chia, whatever takes your fancy) and yeast, roll out, cut, and bake in the oven.
Can you make veggie burgers in a juicer?
Again, that pulp shouldn't necessarily be discarded. Instead, combine it in a bowl with egg, seasoning, spices, and whatever else you like to create patties that can be fried in oil or butter. Yummy.
