Broccoli might not be the first vegetable you think to put in a juicer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it for juicing purposes.
Can you juice broccoli in a juicer with your other fruits and veggies? Yes. Broccoli juice might not be the tastiest juice out there, but it’s certainly very healthy. You can also juice broccoli leaves, so don’t throw them out if you buy broccoli with the leaves attached.
One of the biggest benefits of juicing broccoli is that, if you don’t enjoy the texture and flavor of this healthy veggie in savory dishes, you can extract its juice – and all its nutrients – in juice form, then mask the flavor with other fruits and veggies.
Read on to learn about the health benefits of raw broccoli, and how to juice these ingredients.
🩺 Health Benefits of Juicing Broccoli
Broccoli has a range of health benefits, and these same benefits can be accessed from drinking broccoli in juice form.
When you juice broccoli, the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are squeezed from the vegetable along with the juice. All that remains is the pulp, which contains nothing but fiber, and can be discarded.
Some of the biggest health benefits of juicing broccoli are:
Packed with Vitamins and Minerals
Broccoli is a fantastic source of a range of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, folate, phosphorous, potassium, and selenium. These vitamins and minerals support healthy bones and muscles, protect the immune system, prevent early aging, and support the body in absorbing nutrients.
Source of Antioxidants
Broccoli contains antioxidants, which prevent free radicals from damaging the cells in our bodies. Glucoraphanin is a compound found in broccoli that is converted into an antioxidant that can reduce oxidative stress, lower the risk of disease, and reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to an early study.
May Reduce Inflammation
The bioactive compounds found in broccoli juice may be effective in reducing inflammation. A flavonoid in broccoli called kaempferol is thought to be especially effective as an anti-inflammatory. Broccoli’s vitamin C content also helps treat and reduce inflammation. What we know so far suggests that broccoli juice can be used effectively in an anti-inflammatory diet.
Supports Healthy Brain Function
Some of the compounds and nutrients in broccoli juice have been found to support healthy brain function and even slow mental decline. Several studies have looked at the effects of broccoli on the brain, and one study found that a single serving of broccoli or another green vegetable could slow age-related mental decline.
Highest Nutritional Value
In its raw form, broccoli contains the most nutrients. Cooking broccoli in any way that introduces heat – including roasting, boiling, and even steaming – results in nutrient loss. Drinking pure broccoli allows you to enjoy the most nutrient-dense form of the vegetable as a juice – a much more palatable version for most people.
Nutritious Juice for Picky Eaters
If you have children who flat-out refuse to even try a broccoli floret, broccoli juice – masked with fruity flavors from other ingredients – might be the solution. Broccoli juice is also a good way for people who struggle to chew hard foods, like elderly people, to obtain healthy vitamins and minerals in an easy-to-digest manner.
Other Benefits
Broccoli has cancer-fighting properties, supports a healthy immune system, good bone health and new bone development, and healthy skin, and helps to maintain balanced blood sugar levels. Broccoli may even prevent heart disease, support red blood cell growth, encourage wound healing, and support heart health. Broccoli breaks down to form vitamin A from beta carotene, which helps us to maintain healthy vision. There are so many benefits of broccoli to be enjoyed in juice form.
Related: Can you juice while on the keto diet?
🥦 How To Juice Broccoli
Ready to try broccoli juice for yourself? You’ll just need a juicer, a knife and a cutting board for prepping, and 1-2 cups of raw broccoli.
Follow these steps to make your own broccoli juice at home:
- Wash the broccoli carefully under running water to remove any dirt (and potentially pesticides, if the broccoli isn’t organically grown)
- Remove any bad parts of the broccoli and discard.
- Cut the broccoli into small pieces that can easily fit in your juicer chute
- Feed the broccoli pieces into the juicer chute. If you’re juicing other vegetables or fruits alongside broccoli, like leafy greens or collard greens like kale, feed these into the juicer at intervals between juicing broccoli. When juicing several kinds of fruits and veggies together, it’s best to feed a variety of these ingredients into the juicer to keep the juicing process running smoothly
- When your juicer has finished extracting broccoli juice, drink the juice immediately
🥫 Which Type Of Juicer Is Best For Broccoli?
As a hard veggie, broccoli can be processed in a masticating juicer and a centrifugal juicer. Slow juicers extract a higher juice yield from fruits and vegetables, but with broccoli, the difference isn’t obvious.
A 2013 study found that a slow juicer produced a 45.50% yield of broccoli juice, while a centrifugal juicer produced a 42.75% yield of juice – so there’s not much difference in juice yield. However, the study did note that using a slow juicer produces a broccoli juice with more anticancer, anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities compared to the juice from a centrifugal juicer.
So, whether you have a slow juicer or a centrifugal juicer, you can use your juicer to make broccoli juice, but slow juicers produce a healthier juice.
If you’re considering buying a juicer and don’t know which one to go for, ask yourself what you plan to juice alongside your broccoli. If you want to juice leafy greens, including broccoli leaves, and soft berries, you’re better off buying a slow juicer, which can handle this produce better.
😋 How to Make Broccoli Juice Taste Good
It’s no surprise that broccoli juice isn’t the tastiest juice in the world. Like all cruciferous vegetables, broccoli has a bitter taste that not everyone enjoys.
However, many people still eat broccoli as a healthy side dish to their savory meals. Yes, some people enjoy the taste of broccoli, but others season broccoli to give it a more enjoyable flavor.
The same goes for broccoli juice. Unless you genuinely enjoy it, you don’t have to force yourself to down a cup of pure, plain broccoli juice. Here are some of the best ways to make broccoli juice taste good:
Don’t use too much broccoli
Add a couple of florets at a time, working up until you find the maximum amount of broccoli that tastes good. Too much broccoli will be overpowering – and it might give you an upset stomach.
Dilute the flavor with watery veggies
Refreshing veggies like celery and cucumber are good options if you want to reduce the intensity of the flavor.
Neutralize the juice with sweetness
Apples, pears, and carrots are all good flavor neutralizers for broccoli juice. These fruits and veggies don’t only add sweetness to your juice – they also introduce a host of nutrients that you can’t find in cruciferous vegetables alone.
Add a zing with citrus fruits
Lemon, lime and grapefruit can all mask broccoli’s bitterness with their own sour-yet-refreshing flavors. Don’t add too much citrus or it’ll overpower the juice – a squeeze of juice is enough.
Introduce roots and herbs
Mint, basil, and fresh ginger are great options for masking the grassy taste of the broccoli plant.
🧊 How to Store Broccoli Juice
Like all fresh juice recipes, the juice from broccoli is best consumed straight after juicing. This means you can enjoy the most nutritious juice before oxidation – nutrient loss caused by oxygen exposure – can occur.
However, if you can’t drink broccoli juice straight away, you can prevent nutrient loss by storing the juice in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Here, it’ll be safe to drink for up to 72 hours – but the sooner you can drink it, the better.
Airtight storage is important because it prevents exposure to oxygen, helping to prolong the shelf life of the juice.
You can freeze broccoli juice for up to 6 months before the juice will begin to lose its nutritional value. Juice expends as it freezes, so fill your containers no more than 3/4 full before putting them in the freezer.
💯 3 of My Favorite Broccoli Juice Recipes
If you’ve never tried broccoli juice before, don’t live in fear. Even if you’re not the biggest broccoli fan, or you just can’t imagine enjoying broccoli in juice form, these three broccoli juice recipes will convert you into a broccoli juicing enthusiast.
You’ll need a juicer, not a blender, for the recipes listed below:
1. Love your Broccoli Juice
Let’s start with a juice that doesn’t look or taste like broccoli. If you’re a bit scared of the thought of juicing broccoli, this juice is for you.
You just need three ingredients: 1 broccoli stalk, 4 small carrots, and 6 strawberries. Enjoy the orangy-pink juice with a sweetness from the strawberries and carrot juice that masks the strong taste of the broccoli.
2. Gingery Apple Broccoli Juice
If you love juicing fresh ginger, and you’re an apple juice fan, this is the broccoli juice recipe to try.
There’s a bit more going on with this recipe, so you’ll need more ingredients and more time for prep. As well as 3 cups of chopped broccoli, get your hands on 2 cored apples, 2 celery stalks, 1 fresh ginger root, and the juice of a lemon. The zinginess of the ginger and lemon and the sweetness of the apple will prevent broccoli from being the overriding flavor.
3. Low-Carb Broccoli Parsnip Juice
Don’t mind the taste of broccoli? This 3-ingredient low-carb green juice is calling your name.
You’ll need 2 ounces of apples, 5 ounces of broccoli, and 2 ounces of parsnips. If you’re feeling really brave, add a couple of Brussels sprouts to the juice. Drink this every morning to feel like the healthiest version of yourself.
