Beet juice is sweet, earthy, and packed with nutrients. Making your own beet juice is healthier and tastier than buying store-bought juice. But how much effort does it take to make fresh beet juice from home?
There are several ways to make beet juice at home, and not all of them require a juicer. Beets are one of the easiest veggies to juice, especially if you have an electric juicer.
In this guide, I’ll share the health benefits of drinking beet juice, and how to prepare and juice beets. I’ll also be sharing some of my favorite homemade beet juice recipe ideas.
🩺 Health Benefits of Beet Juice
Beet juice contains exactly the same ingredients and nutrients as beets themselves. The only difference is beet juice (when made in a juicer) doesn’t contain fiber.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest health benefits of beet juice:
Lowers Blood Pressure
One of the proven health benefits of beet juice is its blood pressure-lowering abilities. Studies have found that beet juice can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure when consumed daily. It’s thought that the nitrates in beet juice, which convert to nitrate oxide in the blood, help to relax and widen the blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
Improves Physical Performance
Drinking beet juice can improve physical performance by increasing the body’s plasma nitrate levels, according to a small study. The study found that drinking two cups of beet juice a day reduces maximum oxygen output and helps athletes to perform faster.
Helps with Weight Maintenance
Beet juice is virtually calorie-free, but is packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. This makes beet juice a great alternative to sugar-laden juices and heavy smoothies. Drinking a glass of beet juice in place of an unhealthy beverage will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to help you to maintain a healthy weight. The juice should fill you up, making you less likely to reach for unhealthy, calorie-dense snacks.
May Reduce Cholesterol
Early studies suggest that drinking beetroot juice may help with high cholesterol. According to one study, beetroot extract can increase good cholesterol, while lowering triglycerides and total cholesterol. It’s likely that the phytonutrients in beets, such as flavonoids, are responsible for this health benefit.
Contains Healthy Minerals
Raw beets are a fantastic source of a range of essential nutrients, including iron, manganese, sodium, copper, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Together, these nutrients support healthy immune function, strengthen the bones, and provide energy to the muscles. Drinking beet juice in raw form is the best way to access these nutrients in abundance, because eliminating the pulp allows for a more nutrient-dense juice.
Good Source of Vitamin C
Many of the benefits of beetroot juice are associated with beetroot’s vitamin C content. Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant linked to the growth, development and repair of all the tissues in the body, and has anti-aging, skin health, and hair growth benefits. A cup of beet juice contains around 12-15 mg of vitamin C, which is just under a quarter of the recommended daily amount.
May Boost Brain Health
Drinking beetroot juice can boost brain health, according to some studies. One study found that the nitrates in beetroot can improve the flow of blood to the frontal lobes of the brain, supporting healthy cognitive behavior and thinking, and slowing cognitive decline. This information suggests that beets, with their high nitrate content, can slow the progression of dementia in older people.
Easy Way to Consume Beets
Beets are a difficult vegetable to cook with. You can add beets to salads, risottos and other dishes, but they’re an acquired taste and texture, and not everyone wants to add beets to their meals. Drinking the juice of beets is a much easier way to access the benefits of beets without having to eat them. This is also a better option for people who struggle to eat hard, dense foods, like elderly people.
🍷 How to Prepare Beets for Juicing: Step by Step
There isn’t much prep work that’s needed for juicing beets. Here’s what you need to do:
- Wash the beets under running water. Use a vegetable scrubber to scrub the peel if you plan to leave it on during juicing. This will remove any bacteria. If your beets aren’t organic, scrubbing will also remove pesticides and herbicides that have embedded into the skin.
- Peel the beets (if you prefer not to juice the skin) and cut the veggie into thin slices. Cutting beets up small isn’t essential if you have a juicer with a big chute, or a high-powered blender, but I recommend it, because it makes the beets easier to process. Remember, beetroot can stain, so be careful not to prepare beets on a surface that can’t easily be cleaned.
- Remove any bad parts of the beets. You’re now ready to make beetroot juice in a juicer or a blender.
Is it Better to Juice Raw Beets or Cooked Beets?
You’ll notice that I didn’t tell you to cook your beets during pep. This is because beets in their raw form contain more nutrients and antioxidants compared to cooked beets. When beets are cooked, they lose some of the nutrients that give them their color (that’s why cooked beets are often dull in comparison to uncooked beets).
It’s better to juice raw beets with the highest nutrient content. Beets are naturally sweet when they’re raw, and they’re not dangerous in uncooked form, so you don’t need to cook beets before juicing.
If you do want to juice cooked beets, sautée or roast the beets to hold onto as many nutrients as possible.
📝 How to Juice Beets (Without a Juicer)
If you don’t own a juicer, you can still make beetroot juice in a blender. The difference here is that the juice pulp will remain. If you don’t mind a pulpy juice, this shouldn’t bother you. You can always strain the pulp from the juice after blending if you don’t find the pulp texture pleasant.
To make beetroot juice in a blender, follow these instructions:
- After preparing the beets following the instructions above, place the beets in a blender and blitz at a high speed.
- Continue blending the beets until the mixture is smooth. This could take up to a minute.
- Switch off the blender. If you don’t like pulpy juice, pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer or nut milk bag, with a large bowl beneath. Use the back of a spoon to press the pulp against the strainer, or squeeze the nut milk bag to extract all the juice you can.
- The bowl will catch the juice. Discard the pulp and drink the juice immediately.
Juicing beets with a blender takes longer than using a juicer. There are three stages to the process: preparing the beets, blending the beets, and extracting the juice.
When you use a juicer, on the other hand, there are only two processes involved: preparing the beets and extracting the juice. You get more juice from using a juicer, too, especially if you feed the pulp through the juicer after the first batch of beets is processed.
💭 Can you Put Beets in a Juicer?
Yes, you can put beets in a juicer. In fact, if you want to make a homemade beetroot juice recipe, it’s best to use a juicer.
Beets are thick, dense veggies that are easily processed by juicers. You can add beets to a juicer to make it easier to process more difficult to juice produce, like leafy greens and soft, juicy fruits.
📌 What Kind of Juicer is Best for Beets?
Although both centrifugal (fast) and masticating (slow) juicers can handle beets, I recommend using a masticating juicer for your beet juice recipes. Slow juicers extract as much juice as possible from beets, while centrifugal juicers, with their fast performance, will discard beet pulp before all the juice is extracted.
Slow juicers are more expensive, but they can help you get the best value for money from your beets. If you’re an avid juicing enthusiast, I recommend making a slightly bigger upfront investment on a masticating juicer for your vegetable juice recipes.
📔 How to Make Beet Juice in a Juicer
Find out the process for making beet juice in a juicer below.
- Prepare the beets following the step-by-step guide in this article. Make sure the beets are small enough to fit through your juicer’s feed chute.
- Feed the beets into your juicer, one by one. If you’re juicing anything else alongside the beets, feed these into the juicer too, alternating between soft and hard produce.
- Drink the juice immediately.
🤔 Which Fruits and Vegetables Pair Well with Beets?
Beet juice has a distinct flavor that can be enjoyed on its own. However, the juice can taste quite earthy, and earthiness isn’t for everyone. Adding more flavors to your juice can make it more exciting.
Some of the fruits and vegetables that pair well with beets include:
- Apples
- Lemons
- Carrots
- Mandarins
- Fresh ginger
- Oranges
- Cucumbers
- Chard
- Grapefruit
- Pineapples
- Celery
- Spinach
💯 Best Homemade Beet Juice Recipes
There are hundreds of beet juice recipe ideas online, and some are tastier than others. I’ve shared three of my favorite recipes for fresh juices containing beets below.
Sweet Beet Juice Recipe
If simplicity is what you’re looking for, you’ll enjoy this sweet beet juice recipe. As the name suggests, there’s nothing bitter or intensely vegetable-y about this fresh juice.
Beets aren’t the only root vegetable in the juice – there’s also carrots, but these are far less earthy. The inclusion of one green apple and two mandarins will make you forget you’re drinking beets at all.
Orange Beet Juice Recipe
All your favorite orange fruits and veggies are included in this naturally sweet beet juice recipe. Orange and fresh ginger is one of the best ingredient combinations, and you can find them both in this easy beet recipe.
Of course, no orange juice would be complete without carrots. All these ingredients can be juiced in a centrifugal or masticating juicer, but if you have a citrus juicer for the oranges, even better.
Beet Apple Spinach Juice Recipe
If you’re a fan of green vegetable juices, the best beet juice for you is this beet apple spinach juice recipe. As the name suggests, you combine beets with one apple and spinach, along with three stalks of celery.
This recipe is customizable, so if you want to pack in your greens but you’re not a fan of green juice, try adding apple juice for sweetness, or lemon juice or fresh ginger for a zingy flavor.
💡 FAQs
When is the best time to buy beets?
Beets are available all year, but the best time to buy them is between June and October. This is because beets grow best when they’re planted in early spring and harvested throughout the summer and fall seasons.
What are the best beets for juicing?
You might be tempted to buy big beets to reduce your prep work for juicing, but actually, small beets taste the nicest. Choose small-to-medium beets for the sweetest juice. Avoid beets with spotting and bruising, and beets with wilted, browning greens.
You don’t have to always juice traditional red beets all the time. If you come across yellow beets, orange beets, or striped beets, give them a try – they each have a unique flavor profile.
What’s the best way to store beets before juicing?
Store beets in a refrigerator to keep them fresh for as long as possible before use. You can keep beets in the fridge for up to 10 days. Throw the beets out as soon as they turn soft.
Can you juice beet greens?
Yes, you can juice the stems and leaves of beets. Beet greens are low in calories and provide nutrients that you can’t get from the beets themselves. If you’re making an effort to reduce your waste, I recommend adding beet greens to your juicer when making beetroot juice. Find out more about how to juice beet greens here.
Can you juice beet peels?
Yes, you can juice the peels of your beets. However, beet peels have a more bitter taste than beets, and you’ll need a powerful juicer to handle the peels without clogging or jamming. If you do plan to juice beet peels, make sure you wash the peels thoroughly before juicing. This will remove dirt (and potentially pesticides, if your beets aren’t organic), so you don’t end up contaminating your juice.
Can beet juice be stored?
Yes, you can store beet juice if you can’t drink it straight away. Store beet juice made in a centrifugal juicer for 48 hours, ideally drinking the juice within 24 hours. Beet juice from a slow juicer lasts up to 72 hours. Keep the juice in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling.
You can also freeze beet juice for up to three months. Be careful not to fill the container all the way to the top, as liquids expand when they freeze.
Homemade beet juice is healthier than store-bought juice because it doesn’t contain additives or preservatives. However, it’s best to drink beet juice straight away to prevent oxidation (nutrient loss resulting from exposure to oxygen).
What does beetroot juice taste like?
Beet juice has a unique sweet, earthy flavor. The sweetness of the beets balances out the earthiness, but the flavor of beet juice isn’t for everyone. If you’re not a fan of beet juice, try juicing your beets alongside other fruits and vegetables – you won’t even notice the beet flavor once you disguise it.
What can you do with beetroot juice?
You can drink fresh beetroot juice alone or combine it with other juices, like fresh ginger and lemon juice. Aside from drinking, you can add raw beetroot juice to soups and sauces. Another fun use of beet juice is as a flavoring and colorant for sweet bakes, like cakes.
What can you do with beet pulp?
You don’t have to get rid of the beet pulp after juicing. Try adding the pulp to dough for bread, cookies, or pizzas, or mix it into vegetarian burgers.
