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5 Types of Juicers Explained (The Definitive 2024 Guide)

5 types of juicers

Nowadays, making your own healthy juices from scratch is simple. There’s no need to head to your local juice bar for a ginger shot or a glass or freshly squeezed OJ, and nor do you have to resort to the processed, artificial juices sold in your local supermarket.

Buying a juicer to use in your own home is the more affordable, enjoyable long-term solution. But if you’re new to juicing and you’ve never used a juicer before, how do you know which is right for you?

Before you start searching online, I strongly recommend knowing your options – which will help you to determine what type of juicer is best for you.

In this guide, I’ll be explaining the features, pros and cons of the 5 different types of juicers available on the market today.

🔴 Masticating Juicers

Masticating juicers, also referred to as slow juicers or cold press juicers, use a slow, controlled process to produce high-quality juice.

Omega MM900HDS Masticating Juicer

How it Works

A slow juicer uses a slow auger, otherwise known as a gear, to mash and crush fruits and veggies, before pressing them against a sharp screen to extract the juice.

Masticating juicers have a very slow operation of 80 to 100 RPM (rotations per minute). Some masticating juicers operate as slowly as 60 RPM.

It’s worth noting that while masticating juicers are often marketed as “cold press” juicers, they don’t actually use a press. I’ve discussed press juicers later in this guide.

Variations

There are two types of masticating juicer on the market: vertical and horizontal.

Horizontal

Horizontal masticating juicers tend to be the slowest of the two, and are the better option for juicing leafy greens and wheatgrass. A horizontal masticating juicer typically has a smaller feed tube and requires more prep. You can make more than just juices in a horizontal juicer – many of these juicers will also allow you to make sorbets, nut butters, and more.

Because of its horizontal design, a horizontal juicer requires that you use the pusher to push fruits and vegetables through the feed chute and into the juicer.

Vertical

Vertical masticating juicers are slightly faster and less likely to clog, thanks to their vertical design. These types of slow juicers typically have wider feed chutes and provide ease when juicing because of their vertically spinning augers. Vertical juicers are more expensive than horizontal juicers.

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Better if you want to juice greens
  • Higher yield of juice
  • Produces a dry pulp
  • Juices have a longer shelf-life
  • Minimal heat buildup or oxidation
  • Can also be used to make nut butter and sorbets

👎 Cons

  • Take up more counter space, especially horizontal juicers
  • Smaller feed chutes require more prep work
  • More difficult to clean
  • Much slower process
  • More expensive than other juicers

🟠 Centrifugal Juicers

Centrifugal juicers are otherwise known as fast juicers and use centrifugal force to process juice from fruits and vegetables. They’re the most widely available, popular home juicer on the market.

If you’re on a budget and don’t want to waste too much time or effort making batches of juice, centrifugal juicers are for you. Because centrifugal juicers are so affordable, they’re a great choice for beginners.

Centrifugal Juicer

How it Works

A centrifugal juicer operates at incredibly high speeds, with a spinning blade that is capable of functioning at 6,000-14,000 RPM (compare this to the masticating juicer’s blade speed to get an idea of just how fast this is). It separates the juice from the pulp from both hard and soft fruits and vegetables.

In this way, a centrifugal juicer almost works more like a blender, but with a difference: after the fruits and vegetables have been shredded by the blades, they are thrown against a sharp screen, where the juice is pushed through the holes into a jug or container.

The juice produced by this type of juicer is a little less juice-like than juice produced by a masticating system. It’s common for centrifugal juices to contain an average of 30% solids, including stems and skins.

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Fast and convenient
  • Can juice almost all types of produce without clogging or blocking
  • Suitable for small budgets
  • Upright design takes up less kitchen space

👎 Cons

  • Juice separates & loses nutritional value faster
  • Quality of juice is poorer
  • Shorter shelf life
  • Reduced amount of juice extracted
  • High-speed operation produces heat that kills nutrients
  • Can be quite loud
  • Not the best juicer for juicing leafy greens
  • Juice contains more pulp
  • Can’t be used for processing nuts and seeds

🟢 Triturating Juicers

A triturating juicer, or twin-gear juicer, uses two blades to juice produce. This type of juicer is ideally suited for juicing difficult-to-juice ingredients like wheatgrass and leafy greens, and offers an exceptionally high juice yield.

Tribest GSE-5050 Greenstar Elite

How it Works

Twin-gear juicers have two gears that operate simultaneously, rotating to grind and crush fruits and vegetables and extract maximum juice before pushing out the solid matter. Produce is forced through a screen that decreases in size, which means that juices can end up containing quite a lot of solids, including skins.

Double-auger juicers work very steadily, usually at speeds of around 80 RPM. Because double-auger juicers have two separate gears, they can work even more slowly than single-auger juicers.

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Thorough performance reduces heat and oxidation
  • Quiet operation
  • Can also be used to make baby food and nut butters

👎 Cons

  • Can be harder to clean
  • Quite expensive
  • Take up more counter space
  • Juice contains a lot of pulp

🔵 Press Juicers

Press juicers, otherwise known as juice presses, are the best option on this list if nutritional value is important to you. These juicers are also referred to as two-stage juicers as these are two stages of the juicing process.

juice press

How it Works

A press juicer grinds produce into a pulp, then applies thousands of pounds of pressure to steadily extract the juice. As I mentioned earlier in this article, not all “cold-pressed” juicing machines contain a press. A juicer can only offer this level of performance if it uses a press.

Variations

There are two types of press juicing machine available today: hydraulic and manual.

Hydraulic

Hydraulic press juicers are automatic; they require a power source and press the produce to extract juice themselves. A hydraulic press juicer can be very expensive, and is nowhere near as common as a traditional slow juicer or centrifugal juicer.

Manual

Manual press juicers, as the name suggests, require manpower to operate. When you operate a manual press juicer, you’ll need to apply the force required to extract juice from your product. Some types of citrus juicers are classed as press juicers. These juicers are suitable for small budgets.

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Makes little heat or oxidation
  • Separates maximum juice
  • Less foam or pulp
  • Hydraulic press juicers can be used to make nut milk and butter

👎 Cons

  • Not as widely available
  • Hydraulic press juicers are costly
  • Can be difficult to clean
  • Manual juicers require more effort

🟣 Steam Juicers

Steam juicers are the most unusual juicing option on this list. They’re very low-tech, but they’re still effective in producing a glass of fresh juice from home.

Steam Juicer

How it Works

A steam juicer consists of several nesting pots that are stacked on top of one another. There is a tube connected to one of the pots that the juice can leave from. Steam juicers need to be placed on a heat source to operate.

To use a steam juicer, add fruits and vegetables to the top pot, which is a colander. This allows steam from the pot underneath – which is filled with water – to penetrate the produce. You don’t need to peel or cut your produce before adding it to the colander.

When fruits and vegetables are steamed, they release juice, which flows out of the tube and into a jug.

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • No need to peel or cut produce before juicing
  • Can produce large batches of juices at one time
  • Minimal pulp
  • Relatively easy to use

👎 Cons

  • Can be quite time-consuming (a big batch takes 1 hour to produce)
  • Not the most high-tech juicing option
  • Not very popular, limited options on the market

🧐 Frequently Asked Questions

How can I decide which of these different types of juicers is for me?

I would recommend weighing up the pros and cons of each and determining which best fit your lifestyle. Ask yourself how much time you’re willing to commit to juicing, and the fruits or veggies you’re most excited to juice. It’s also worth considering whether convenience is more important to you than extracting maximum juice with maximum nutritional value, and vice versa.

How can I make sure the juicer I buy is high quality?

When you find a juicer you want to buy, I recommend doing three things: researching the brand, checking the product’s warranty, and looking at customer reviews. The brand should ideally have a good reputation, and the juicer should have a warranty of at least 2-5 years, depending on the type you buy. While you might see the odd negative review, customers on the whole should be happy with the product.

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