If you’re a juicing beginner, you’re most likely looking for a juicer that’s affordable, easy to operate, and suitable for everyday use. Whether you’re upgrading from using the blend-sieve juicing technique or you fancy taking up a new healthy hobby, there are plenty of juicers on the market that are affordably priced and tailored towards newbies.
In this guide, I’ve shared reviews of the best juicers for beginners – and down at the bottom of the page, you can take a look at helpful information about buying the right juicer for your needs.
๐ฅ Best Juicers for Beginners
- Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra
- Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain Compact
- Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer
- Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar
- Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
- Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine
Juicer | Details | |
---|---|---|
Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra | Type: Centrifugal Speed: 12-18K RPM Warranty: 2 years Dimensions: 16.5 x 13.5 x 9.7 inches | |
Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain Compact | Type: Centrifugal Speed: 14,000 RPM Warranty: 1 year Dimensions: 7.4 x 10.4 x 12.7 inches | |
Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer | Type: Horizontal Speed: 80 RPMs Warranty: 15 years Dimensions: 14.5 x 6.5 x 15.5 inches | |
Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar | Type: Vertical Speed: 47 RPM Warranty: 10 years Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 17.75 inches | |
Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer | Type: Horizontal Speed: 80 RPM Warranty: 3 years Dimensions: 16.1 x 7.9 x 11.6 inches | |
Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine | Type: Centrifugal Power: 800W Warranty: 3 years Dimensions: 7.8 x 11.5 x 14.4 inches |
โญ Reviews โ Best Juicer for Beginners 2023
Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra
Finding a juicer that costs less money but still offers a high-quality performance doesn’t have to be a challenge, as the Mueller Austria juice extractor proves. This juicer is one of the best-value options, costing less than $100, but has a modern, solid stainless steel design that makes it ideal for beginners who are looking for both ease of use and durability.
This juicer’s powerful 1,100-watt motor produces juice at a fast rate with no foaming or clogging, not wasting as much juice as similar centrifugal models. You can add whole fruits and veggies to the wide chute, whether you favor soft fruits like tomatoes (the Mueller Austria even makes for a good citrus juicer) or hard produce like carrots.
There are two speed settings to choose from – the low speed setting from 12, 000 RPM to 15, 000 RPM and the high speed setting from 15, 000 RPM to 18, 000 RPM – to help you extract the maximum juice yield from any ingredient. The only produce that isn’t best for this juicer is leafy greens, as ingredients like spinach require a slower, more thorough processing.
It’s easy to use and clean the Mueller Austria, with its built-in pulp container, stainless steel body and dishwasher safe parts. With a black and silver finish, it’s designed to fit in nicely with the rest of your kitchen appliances. It does have a slightly wider footprint than the average juicer, so keep this in mind if you have limited counter space available.
๐ What I Like
- Cleaning the machine is easy
- Sleek, modern design
- Powerful motor
๐ What I Don’t Like
- Doesn’t produce as much juice as other juicers
- Not ideal for leafy greens
Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain Compact
The Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain is a fantastic option for beginners who don’t want to spend too much money on their first juicer. This heavy-duty centrifugal juicer is compact and space-saving, with a durable stainless steel design that’ll see you through years of juicing. It runs at a high speed of 14, 000 RPM, producing a high juice yield from fruits and vegetables almost immediately.
Both the Breville juicer’s micro-mesh filter basket and disk are made from stainless steel, making the Breville a tough juicer that can handle even hard fruits without complaint. If you want to make juice in a hurry, you can quickly disassemble this juicer after use, so it’s suitable for anyone who can’t dedicate the time for a slow juicer with a long cleanup process.
The Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain is designed to extract a juice at a 30% higher yield, with 40% more nutrients, when compared to similar juicers. The large chute accommodates whole fruits and vegetables, saving you time on prep, too. With the high-powered, 700-watt motor, the Breville is a versatile juicer that operates at 14,000 RPM, and the majority of its parts are designed to put in your dishwasher for extra convenience.
If safety is important to you, you’ll appreciate that this Breville machine has a safety locking arm that prevents it from switching on until it’s properly locked in place. It’s priced at less than $100, making it one of the best value juicers for beginners on this list, especially as it’s offered from Breville, a trusted brand – though it has a 1-year warranty that isn’t the best we’ve come across.
๐ What I Like
- Made from BPA-free materials
- Easy to assemble
- Can handle both soft fruits and hard fruits very well
๐ What I Don’t Like
- Produces a wetter pulp than some machines
- Juice extraction isn’t very efficient
- Fills with pulp quite quickly
Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center Juicer
The best juicer machine for beginners with a bigger budget is the Omega J800HDS. This juicing machine is one of Omega’s most popular product offerings, with a powerful motor with a slow speed performance that can produce a high juice yield at a high quality.
You won’t find many juicers that are designed like this one, with its Ultem auger that’s 8 times stronger than most plastics and a gear reduction that offers the same power as a 2HP motor. The stainless steel blades boast a dual-stage processing operation that can be used to juice everything from leafy greens to soft produce like berries, and tough veggies like carrots. This juicer is also simple to use for non-juicing purposes, such as making nut butters.
A handy feature of this Omega product is its automatic pulp ejection, which lets you continuously extract juice while automatically sending pulp into the pulp container. Being a slow juicing machine, the Omega J8006HDS is relatively quiet while in operation, and the dry pulp makes this machine particularly easy to clean after use.
If you like getting your money’s worth, you’ll be impressed to hear that this juicer has a 15-year warranty – that’s the highest warranty currently offered by the best juice extractor machines on this list.
๐ What I Like
- Easy to clean
- Features for non-juicing activities
- Great value for money
๐ What I Don’t Like
- No dishwasher safe parts
- Doesn’t have a wide chute (around 1.5 inches)
- Horizontal design takes up more space
Tribest SW-2020 Slowstar
One of the best easy to use masticating juicers for beginners is the Tribest Slowstar. This vertical cold-press juicer doesn’t require much counter space, and operates more efficiently than a horizontal juicer, giving you quicker access to high-quality juices. Whether you plan to make juices from leafy greens, carrots, beets or more, this juicer is up for the challenge.
If you want a juicer that can extract maximum juice yield from hard and soft produce, the Tribest Slowstar is a great option. It offers a high-end performance that makes it more than worth its price tag, thoroughly separating juice and pulp with a dual blade that offers double the cutting action at the same slow, heat-reducing speed.
The Tribest Slowstar doesn’t have the widest feed chute – it’s measured at 2.5 inches – so you’ll need to chop fruits and veggies before you start juicing to comfortably fit them into the chute. The 200-watt motor might not be the most heavy-duty on this list, but the sharp, strong stainless steel blades eliminate the need for anything more powerful.
While being easy to use and clean, this juice extractor has more parts than similar juicers, and though it produces a fairly dry pulp, disassembly before cleaning may take longer than you’d like. It shouldn’t take you long to pick up how to put it together, however – and cleaning is a quick and painless task thanks to the included cleaning brush.
๐ What I Like
- Doesn’t take up much counter space
- Handles leafy greens well
- Easy to clean
๐ What I Don’t Like
- Not very easy to disassemble
- Feed tube is small
- May jam from time to time
Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer
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Another fantastic slightly higher-end juicing option is the Aicok slow juicing machine. This juicer produces the highest yield of juice possible, and is ideal for beginners, as you can disassemble it by simply pressing a button. The parts are safe to load in the dishwasher, and a cleaning brush comes included for tackling tough stains.
Operating at a low speed with a quiet motor, the Aicok is ideal for anyone who plans to juice at anti-social hours, and has the time on their hands to reap the benefits of a slower, more thorough processing.
It features a heavy-duty 7-segment spiral, which is made from non-toxic material and opens up each cell in all types of produce, and you can reverse the function of the blades in the event of a blockage without having to do the work yourself.
You can rest assured that only food-grade Tritan material is used in this slow electric juicer, and any plastic used is 100% BPA-free. You can clean this machine relatively easily, as everything comes apart in seconds, but there are some tight spaces that take a bit of extra patience to clean if you’re doing it by hand.
๐ What I Like
- Easy to disassemble and clean
- Doesnโt take up much countertop space
- Slow speed juicing for highest yield of juice
๐ What I Don’t Like
- Produces a fairly wet pulp
- Only has a 2-year warranty
Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine
The final juicer on my list is the Hamilton Beach juicer. This centrifugal juicer is affordably priced at just over $50, and is small, space-saving, and portable. The pulp bin is found inside this machine – a novelty feature that prevents the need for excess counter space and gives you a handy storage slot when taking the juicer on the go.
You can rely on the Hamilton Beach juicer to handle most fruits and vegetables, thanks to its relatively powerful 800-watt motor. There’s no need to chop up your produce before juicing, either, as whole veggies and fruits can comfortably fit inside the 3-inch feed chute.
There are fewer parts included in this juicer, which makes it easy to assemble, disassemble and clean. You don’t have to spend hours scrubbing away at the removable components, as they’re designed for dishwasher cleaning, so you can simply load them up and reassemble the machine once they’re washed and dried. If you’re a fan of doing things the old fashioned way, there’s also an included cleaning brush for the job.
It comes with a standard 1-year warranty, which could be better, but is reflective of the price you pay. Take note that a juice cup isn’t included with this machine, so be sure to buy one or have a suitable glass to hand for easy juicing.
๐ What I Like
- Great value for money
- Doesn’t take up much side space
- Suitable for dishwasher washing
๐ What I Don’t Like
- Quite loud
- Produces quite a wet pulp
- Not as powerful as other juicers
๐งพ Buyerโs Guide – Selecting a Juicer for Beginners
Swapping out junk food for juicing is something you won’t regret. But when you’re a complete beginner to juicing, how do you know where to start? You don’t know what to look for in a good juicer, and you’re not even sure about the features you need in a juicer for handling your favorite produce.
So, what is the best juicer for beginners? Let’s take a look at everything you need to know below.
โ๏ธ What Makes a Juicer the Best for Beginners?
The best juicers for beginners all have a number of features in common. When buying a juicer that’s suitable for someone who’s never juiced before, look out for the following:
Fewer parts
All juicers come with detachable parts – but while some have more than 10 finicky components that need to be slotted together, others have less than 5 larger component, helping to speed up the assembly process. If you’ve never assembled a juicer before, it’ll feel less overwhelming to buy a juicer with fewer parts to worry about. You’ll spend less time scratching your head over the user manual and more time doing the fun stuff.
Dishwasher-safe components
It’s becoming more and more common for the best juicers for beginners to have dishwasher-safe removable parts. If you’ve never had to clean a juicer, you might feel overwhelmed with the task (dry pulp is up there with the most difficult foodstuffs to scrub off). Having dishwasher-safe parts means you can simply rinse everything under a running faucet, then wash it clean immediately to remove the majority of the grime.
Easy-read user manual
We all know that user manuals are very hit and miss – some have very poor English translations that are difficult to understand, while others can be an incredibly handy source of information. Generally, if you opt for a juicer that has been manufactured and assembled in the US or Canada, you shouldn’t have a hard time with the user manual.
Customer reviews often mention a product’s user manual, so head online if having a clearly-written guide is important to you. Note that most juicers now have their own YouTube videos that deal with subjects like assembly and cleanup, so if you’re more of a visual learner, you may prefer this option – and it’s easy to check for videos with a quick Google search.
Simple functions
While having multiple settings and features is certainly a selling point of a juicer for some people, if you’re a beginner, you’d probably rather keep things simple. Many of the best juicers for beginners have a simple on-off switch operation. Some juicers are a little more complex, with two or three speed settings that you can switch between depending on the ingredients you’re juicing.
Affordable price
If you’re completely new to juicing, you can’t possibly predict whether it’s something you’ll take up as a daily hobby or not. You might only make time to juice once a week, once a month, when the weather’s nice, or simply when the mood takes you. You might also decide that, for whatever reason, juicing simply isn’t for you.
In that case, the last thing you want to do is spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive juicer that you rarely, if ever, use. Many juicers for beginners are available at less than $100. If your budget can stretch a little further, you can also find some fantastic options for around $150 to $200.
๐ Types of Juicers
Masticating Juicers
Masticating juicers, otherwise known as slow juicer machines or cold-press juicers, are considered the most efficient and effective juicing option available today. A masticating juicer gets its name from the grinding, masticating process it uses to crush fruits and vegetables – mimicking the masticating action of human teeth – which ensures the highest, best-quality juice yield is extracted.
These juicers work at slow and steady speeds of between 60 and 80 RPM (rotations per minute). The slower the speed, the better, as it gives produce a longer contact time with the auger, allowing the highest concentration of juice to be extracted before the pulp is discarded. The slower the speed, the less heat produced, too, which helps to ensure nutrients aren’t lost during processing.
Unsurprisingly, given their desirable features, masticating juicers are the most expensive juicing option – but you can still get a great deal with some of the best masticating juicers out there if you know where to look.
Centrifugal Juicers
Centrifugal juicers operate like high-speed blenders, but with one key difference: instead of blending fruits and vegetables with the pulp, they separate the juice from the pulp, discarding the pulp and leaving only the juice for drinking.
The advantage of centrifugal juicers is that they’re much faster than slow juicer machines, producing almost immediate results. However, their high speed operation comes at a cost – they produce more heat and introduce more oxygen during the juicing process, which kills off a percentage of nutrients in the juice. They also produce a smaller juice yield because fruits and vegetables have less contact time with the gears before the pulp is discarded.
You can buy a top-quality centrifugal juicer for less than $100, and most centrifugal juicers are priced below $150 at least.
Manual Juicers
Manual juicers are the most affordable juicing option, making them a great option for anyone who’s considering juicing but doesn’t want to commit to an expensive machine. Usually, manual juicers have one specific function, so while they’re not as versatile as other juicer models, they’re great for beginners who want to make juice out of a single fruit or vegetable.
Manual juicers for citrus fruits and wheatgrass are the most popular option. These operate slightly differently – citrus juicers have a pressing arm that you use to push down on a halved citrus fruit, extracting the juice into the cup below; while wheatgrass juicers have a crank that you turn to send wheatgrass through the juicer, extracting the juice and discarding the pulp separately.
You can pay between $25 and $100 for a manual juicer, depending on which brand you buy from, and your juicer’s capabilities. Many people prefer manual juicers because they have full control over their juicing, but keep in mind that you’ll need to put in more physical work with this type of juicer.
Which Type is Best for Beginners?
There is no best juicer for a beginner out of the three juicer models, but most beginners choose to go for a centrifugal juicer. They have a lower upfront cost, making them a good choice for anyone who’s uncertain whether they’ll take to juicing or not.
Beginners are also less likely to care about extracting the highest juice yield, as offered by a masticating juicer, and they’re just looking for something quick and easy to use, which rules out manual juicers. However, the best type of juicer for you will mostly come down to preference, so if you’d rather not buy a centrifugal juicer, that’s your choice.
๐ญ Things to Consider When Choosing Your First Juicer
Fruit & Veggies You Plan to Juice
When you picture juicing, what’s the end result? Are you drinking a green juice made from wheatgrass and spinach, a fresh cup of OJ, or a ginger and lemon shot?
The fruits and veggies you plan to juice will play a big role in determining what type of juicer you should buy. For instance, centrifugal juicers are ideal for processing soft, squashy fruits like berries, and they’re relatively good at handling thick produce like apples and carrots, but they have a habit of spitting out leafy greens without juicing them at all.
Masticating juicer machines are the best option for difficult produce like celery and spinach, while manual juicers are designed with specific produce in mind, like wheatgrass or citrus fruits. Buying the right juicer for your needs will help you to get your money’s worth. If you don’t know what you plan to juice, a masticating juicer is a sensible option, as it can handle pretty much anything you throw at it.
Juice Yield & Quality
When it comes to juice yield, nothing beats slow juicers. They operate at a slow pace, taking the time to squeeze out the maximum amount of juice before discarding the pulp. Slow juicer machines also produce the highest quality juice because minimal heat and oxygen are introduced to juices during processing.
Centrifugal juicers work faster, using more heat and introducing more oxygen to juices. This can affect quality somewhat. A centrifugal juicer also produces less juice per cup than a masticating juicer, because produce has less time in the juicing chamber. But you can still get a much better quality juice than you’d get from a blender, with no pulp, so you have a high concentration of nutrients in every batch of juice made. If you’re new to juicing, getting the highest possible juice yield at the best quality might not be so important to you.
Ease of Assembly & Disassembly
Ease of assembly and disassembly comes down to two things: the readability of the user manual and the number of detachable parts. Find yourself a juicer with an easy-read manual and very few parts and you’ve got a juicer that’s easy to assemble, even for a beginner. The more parts a juicer contains, the longer it’ll take you to figure out how to slot them all together.
Size of the Feed Chute
A wide feed chute is a handy feature for any juicer, because it limits how much prep work you’ll have to do. Most juicers have a large 3 inch chute or wider, which means you’ll be able to add whole fruits and veggies without chopping them up small beforehand. The widest chute available today is 3.5 inches, and should fit a whole apple comfortably.
Reverse Function
Reverse function is an option you’ll find on most masticating juicers, and makes them easy to use, especially when juicing stringy produce like leafy greens. Because the auger processes produce slowly, certain ingredients can wrap around the gears and cause a clog or a jam. Reverse function spins the gears in the opposite direction, releasing the cause of the clog without the need for manual intervention.
You won’t usually find reverse function on a centrifugal juicer, because these machines operate at high speeds and are unlikely to clog.
Durability
A juicer’s durability determines its value for money. If you spend $100 on a juicer, for instance, you’d expect it to last for at least a couple of years without breaking or showing signs of major wear and tear. High-quality components will lengthen the lifespan of a juicer machine, but nothing lasts forever. If you pay less for a lower-quality juicer, expect to have to replace the mesh screen and auger more frequently than you would with a more durable juicer.
Processing Speed Adjustment
Multiple processing speeds is a common feature of a centrifugal juicer. You can adjust the speed to suit whichever produce you’re juicing, depending on how thick and dense it is. Higher speed settings are more suitable for dense foods like carrots and potatoes, while lower speed settings are better for handling soft, juicy fruits like berries.
Masticating juicers usually only operate at a single speed, and their motors are powerful enough to handle fruits and vegetables of any thickness or density without the need for speed adjustment.
Noise Output
The faster a juicer operates, the louder it’ll be. Unsurprisingly, then, you’ll have a louder juicing experience from a centrifugal juicer than you will from a slow juicer. Slow juicers tend to operate at between 30 and 60 dB (decibels), while centrifugal juicers run at 80 to 90 dB – to put that into perspective, an average conversation at home measures about 50 dB.
Some centrifugal juicers have a “quiet” setting that reduces the volume of juicing slightly, but if you plan to juice at antisocial hours, the most respectful option for your family and neighbors is a masticating model.
Safety Features
No matter what type of juicer you go for, you should always make sure it’s safe to use. Looking for juicers made from BPA-free materials is a wise idea if you want to make sure that no harmful contaminants are introduced to your juices during processing.
In terms of safety of operation, look for a juicer that has a safety locking arm, which is a standard safety feature that all juicers should have. A safety locking arm prevents a machine from operating until it’s safely locked in place. Most juicers also have overheating protection, and will automatically switch off if they get too hot during processing.
Additional Accessories
Some juicers allow you to make more than just healthy juice out of different fruits and veggies. The more popular juicers also have additional accessories that provide a means of making nut butter, baby food, sauces and dips, and even sorbets. Juicers with these capabilities tend to be on the pricier side, as being able to make nut butter from home is an obvious benefit.
Other additional accessories include juice cups of different sizes, juice storage options, and juicer recipe books to get you started. If these don’t come with the juicer you’re looking at, they’re widely available online to purchase separately.
Space Available
Before buying a juicer, you need to make sure you have enough side space to safely accommodate the machine. Vertical juicers don’t only offer a better juicing performance – they’re also a great space-saving option.
Check the measurements of a juicer online and size up your available space when you’re considering making a purchase.
Budget
If you’re new to juicing, you probably don’t have the biggest budget to play with. Understandably, if you haven’t seen the benefits of juicing first-hand – and you don’t even know if you’ll enjoy juicing enough to take it up as a daily habit – you probably don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars in a top-of-the-range model.
Luckily, there are plenty of juicer models available for small-to-medium budgets. A product within the $70-$100 range will perform reasonably well and will have a relatively long lifespan. If you can stretch your budget a little further, juicers priced between $100 and $200 boast a bigger variety of features, and usually last a little longer.
Warranty
In all buying situations, a new juicer should always come with a warranty. When a juicer comes with a warranty, you’re covered if you receive a faulty product, or the product doesn’t live up to your expectations upon unboxing. A warranty is also a vote of confidence from the manufacturer, telling you that they believe in their product enough to willingly offer a refund or replacement if something isn’t right.
Most juicer warranties average at around 5 years, but the best juicers have a 10 to 15-year warranty. Some juicers may also have a slightly lower 1 or 2-year warranty.
โ Frequently Asked Questions
Which juices are easiest to make for beginners?
It’s pretty easy to juice anything, because all that’s required is chopping it up (if a feed tube isn’t wide enough to fit produce in full), sending it down the chute, and letting the machine do the rest. But if you’re looking for produce that won’t clog your machine or result in any issues that you’ll have to deal with, apples, carrots, pears, beets and berries are good options to start with.
Why are juices better than smoothies?
While smoothies are still good for you, and benefit from the high fiber content of the pulp, juices contain only the juice from fruits and veggies. The reason why this is seen as beneficial is because, aside from being high in fiber, the pulp contains no nutritional value at all. So, getting rid of the pulp gives more room in your glass for the nutrient-rich juice, giving you more nutrients per cup.
How long does juicing take?
It depends on the batch you’re making and the juicer you’re using. A centrifugal juicer can produce a cup of juice in a matter of seconds (though remember that they produce a lower juice yield, despite their faster operation). Slow juicers take between 5 and 7 minutes to fill the cup with juice, which is still relatively quick, just not immediate.
How do I clean a juicer?
Most juicers are just as easy to clean as they are to use nowadays. Once you’ve made a batch of juice, simply take the machine apart, reversing the steps you took to assemble the juicer. Then wash the components clean in warm, soapy water – the faster you do this, the better, as dried pulp is near-impossible to remove – dry them off, and reassemble your juicer.
Some juicers’ parts are dishwasher-safe, so it’s as simple as loading them up and pressing “start”. Most products also come with a cleaning brush, which you can use to scrub those more difficult-to-clean components, like the screen and auger.