The Different Types Of Juicers

As awareness for nutritious fruits and vegetables increases, more people prefer including homemade juices in their diet instead of packaged ones. And this is one of the best choices for health if you have the right kind of juicer.

The variety of options can be overwhelming if you search for juicers in the marketplace. But before you buy any equipment for juicing, you need to consider your exact requirements. How often do you drink juice? What kind of juice do you frequently prefer?

Your juicing requirements determine the kind of juicers you should buy. Still trying to figure out what the different juicers are all about? I have created the below guide explaining all types of juicers so you can make the best choice.

Different Types Of Juicers- centrifugal, cold press, hand press, hand squeeze, etc.
1

Centrifugal Juicer

Centrifugal juicers are one of the common types of juicer machines found in most homes because of how cheap and easy they are to use. These juicers shred the fruits and vegetables using blades rotating at high speed, taking out the juice through the centrifugal generated by the rotation.

The juice is sprinkled on the walls surrounding the blades and is eventually collected in the container below. Though the juice is pulpy and not completely filtered, it is a good choice for people just starting out with juicing.

However, centrifugal juicers are not good for nutrient retention. Due to high RPM, the motor generates a substantial amount of heat that partly oxidizes and destroys the nutrients, vitamins and enzymes present in the juice.

Centrifugal juicers are suitable for juicing hard vegetables and fruits such as carrots, cucumbers, and beetroots due to the high speed and torque of the motor. But they will not work well for vegetables or greens which are soft. A centrifugal juicer is your best bet if you are looking for something on a budget that produces juice easily and faster.

Pros

  • They quickly extract the juice in a single run, depending on the size of the feeding tube.
  • They are affordable, durable, and easy to function.
  • Centrifugal juicers are able to juice almost all types of hard and soft fruits/vegetables.
  • Cleaning a centrifugal juicer is also easy.

Cons

  • Centrifugal juicers tend to be loud, disturbing the morning routine for some.
  • A centrifugal juicer generates heat and creates a lot of foam at the top, which can speed up oxidation and reduce the quality of the juice.
Centrifugal juicer pros and cons
2

Cold Press Juicer

Unlike the centrifugal juicer, which shreds the fruit, cold press juicers crush and press the fruits and vegetable using an auger. The juice pass through a mesh, extracting the juice along with dry pulps. In this process, less heat is generated which does not degrade the nutritional quality of the juice.

Also known as masticating juicers or slow juicers, cold press juicers are of two types- horizontal and vertical. These juicer machines yield very pulpy but highly nutritional juice. I use cold press juicers from Hestia and Kuvings for my home requirements.

The best cold press juicers can process almost all fruits and vegetables, including frozen ones. If you have more time at hand or prefer drinking the juice sometime after extracting, then cold press juicers are for you.

Pros

  • Cold press juicers produce the best quality juices.
  • The yield is less foamy, reducing oxidation and saving the juice from degrading.
  • Easy to clean and set up.
  • Works with hard, soft, and leafy vegetables.
  • Versatile usage. You can use it to produce nut butter or nut milk.

Cons

  • Slow juicing speed.
  • Yields thicker juice than the centrifugal juicer, which can be unpleasant to drink to some people.
  • Cold press juicers are pretty costly.
Cold press juicer pros and cons
3

Twin Gear Juicer

Twin gear juicers are an advanced version of cold press juicers. They contain two rotating augers instead of one, which crushes the fruit between them. This gives out much more juice from the same quantity of fruit as compared to other juicers.

The pulp is also very dry as the juicer works to extract every bit of juice from the fruit. Twin gear juicers operate at a moderate 80 to 100 RPM, making them slow but effective. If you love juicing greens or want to extract every last drop of juice from your produce, then twin gear juicers are a perfect choice.

Pros

  • Yields highly concentrated, nutritious juices utilizing almost all the produce inserted in the feeding tube.
  • Works even for delicate produce such as lemongrass or herbs.
  • The moderate speed produces lesser foam resulting in lesser oxidation.
  • The heat produced during operation is negligible, so juices are better preserved.

Cons

  • Expensive compared to centrifugal and cold press juicers.
  • The two augers make the juicer quite heavy.
  • The chute is smaller, meaning you need more prep time to cut the fruits. This can also be a challenge to clean.
Twin Gear Juicer Pros and Cons
4

Hand Press Juicer

Hand press juicers are one of the most basic types of juicers. These manual juicers have a platform where you place the fruit and a lever that controls the weight. When you pull the lever with your hands, the weight presses against the fruit, crushing it and extracting the juice.

If you use juicers occasionally and want to find something inexpensive, then it’s good to choose a hand-operated juicer. However, it considerably increases the time and effort, which is why I recommend getting an electric model.

Pros

  • Inexpensive compared to electric juicers.
  • Easy to use and clean.
  • No nutrition is lost from the juice as it does not generate heat during operation.
  • It does not generate any noise.

Cons

  • Low yield and juicing efficiency.
  • Manual efforts can be troublesome.
  • Suitable for a limited fruits like oranges, sweet lemons, etc.
Hand press juicer pros and cons
5

Hand Squeeze Juicer

Hand squeeze juicers are most commonly found in households to juice oranges and lemons. They are hand-held machines having two handles with a space to place the put. When you press on the top handle, it crushes the fruit and yields juice.

These juicers can be treated as a handy kitchen tool as they are best for squeezing lemons. But if you want to juice anything else, it is best to look for other options.

Pros

  • Very cheap and easily available.
  • Good for quick juicing.
  • Easy to clean and store.
  • Nutrients and enzymes remain intact after juicing.
  • No noise as there is no motor.

Cons

  • Can only juice lemons and other small citrus fruits.
  • Involves manual effort.
Hand squeeze juicer pros and cons
6

Hand Crank Juicer

Hand crank juicers look like twin gear juicers but use the same principle as centrifugal juicers, but the only difference is these juicers are manually powered. You need to insert the fruits or veggies through the feed tube and rotate the blade using a handle.

The blade shreds the fruit into pieces, and the gear crushes the fruit to extract the juice. Though the functioning is similar to centrifugal juicers, the efficiency is greatly reduced as there is no motor to power the juicer.

Hand crank juicers require less effort and extract more juice compared to other manual juicers. These juicers are best for fruits that are soft or pulpy. If electric juicers are not an option, then hand-crank juicers are your best bet.

Pros

  • Hand crank juicers don’t cause any noise as they don’t have a motor.
  • They are lightweight, portable, and easy to use.
  • They don’t heat up like electric juicers, which means the quality of the juice is preserved.
  • There is no foam in the juice to cause oxidation.

Cons

  • Can’t juice very hard fruits and vegetables as it requires a lot of manual power.
  • Very slow extraction compared to electric juicers.
  • The efficiency is low, and fruit pulp may require re-extraction to take out the most juice.
Hand crank juicer pros and cons
7

Hydraulic Press Juicer

Hydraulic press juicers carefully extract juice by exerting a lot of pressure on the ground or shredded fruit. These are juicers that actually “cold-press” the produce. The juicing takes place in two steps.

In the first step, the produce is shredded into small bits or ground into a rough paste. Then, the pulp is placed under heavy hydraulic pressure, which yields the juice. As there is no cutting or shredding of the fruit, the juice is very pure.

Hydraulic press juicers are the best among all types of juicers but they are not usually suitable for home use due to large size and capacity. Commercial juice outlet often use hydraulic press juicers to produce good quality juice in large quantity. I have also used these juicers in several bars and restaurants.

The nutritional value of juices extracted from a hydraulic press is unmatchable to others. If you are looking for high-quality, pulp-free juice every day in the comfort of your home, then hydraulic press juicers are for you.

Pros

  • The extracted juice has a very low amount of pulp. You get almost 100% pure juice without any annoying chunks or bits of produce.
  • All the nutrients are preserved, and there is little chance of oxidation as there is no foam on top.
  • Apart from juicing, you can use it to extract dairy-free milk such as soy and almond milk and also for nut and seed butter.
  • Works with green leafy vegetables and extracts the highest juice from them.

Cons

  • Hydraulic press juicers are very expensive.
  • Cleaning and maintaining hydraulic press juicers are difficult.
  • These are basically industrial-grade cold press juicers that are not ideal for home uses.
Hydraulic Press Juicer pros and cons
8

Portable Electric Juicer

Portable electric juicers are the recent hype and are seen everywhere on the internet. These cordless, battery-operated juicers are a dream come true for anyone who prefers drinking juice on the go.

Portable electric juicers work like a blender by first blending the produce. Some of these juicers come with a sieve letting you filter out the juice while keeping the pulp in the juicer.

These types of juicers are best for gym-goers and other fitness enthusiasts who like their juice on the go. They work well for fruits that are soft such as kiwis, strawberries, apples bananas, pineapples, and oranges. If you like to carry a juicer while you travel, then definitely go for a portable electric juicer.

Pros

  • Doesn’t require a conventional power supply as the juicer is battery-operated.
  • Lightweight and portable, making juicing possible anytime, anywhere.
  • Very affordable compared to other electric juicers like centrifugal or cold press.
  • Easy to use and clean.

Cons

  • It doesn’t generate enough power to juice or blend harder vegetables like carrots and beetroots.
  • Heats up and produces foam leading to quick degradation of the juice.
Portable electric juicer pros and cons
9

Juicer Mixer Grinder

These appliances are not just meant for juicing but can also do a bunch of other kitchen tasks, such as grinding, blending, and mixing. A juicer mixer grinder is essentially a mixer grinder with an additional juicing facility.

Most juicer mixer grinders come with 2-4 jars for wet grinding, dry grinding, mixing, blending and juicing. Each jar has an inbuilt blade that rotates with the motor and crushes the ingredients. Juicer mixer grinders rotate at high speed, i.e., 15000-22000 RPM, which significantly reduces the juicing time.

So, if you need to choose a multipurpose juicer for occasional use or don’t want to spend too much, then choose the best juicer mixer grinder for your home.

Pros

  • Juicer mixer grinders are versatile. They can be used to extract juices, grind spices, and prepare mixtures using a single motor.
  • Even with a high price, they are a smart investment as you get the benefits of three appliances in one.
  • Juicer mixer grinders are easy to clean as they usually have detachable parts.

Cons

  • As juicer mixer grinders are not meant only for juicing, they may not give as good results as other electric juicers like centrifugal or cold press.
  • They are a considerable investment which might not be a good option if you rarely use the mixer grinder facility.
Juicer mixer grinder pros and cons
10

Specialty Juicers

Apart from the above-mentioned variants, other juicers are available to juice specific fruits or vegetables. These juicers work best if you prefer only a single type of juice or are advised to consume something specific. Specialty juicers lack versatility, but they are highly efficient in extracting the juice of the fruit they are designed for.

Citrus Juicer

It is a juicer designed to juice citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges sweet lemons (mosambi). While manual citrus juicers required much effort and time in the earlier days, the modern electric citrus juicers are way efficient.

A citrus juicer consists of an upside-down cone with ridges attached to a sieve-like plate. The plate is fitted on a container that holds the juice. To use the juicer, you need to cut the citrus fruit in half and press the half on the pointy edge of the cone. This extracts the juice that passes through the sieve into the container.

Manual citrus juicers are suitable for small amounts of juicing as large quantities require a lot of effort. For this reason, choosing a good electric citrus juicer is beneficial as it can significantly reduces effort and time.

Carrot and Beetroot Juicer

Carrots and beetroots are hard vegetables, which means all kinds of juicers can’t process them. That’s you need to choose a juicer specifically made to process hard fruits and vegetables.

These high-powered electric juicers work heavy-duty to crush and extract juice from hard vegetables. Usually, these juicers are either centrifugal or cold press ones.

Most of the carrot and beetroot juicers also come with different power modes, so you can use them for soft or hard fruits, depending on your requirements.

Sugarcane Juicer

Sugarcane is an extremely hard stalk but gives a sweet and delicious juice. Sugarcane juicers are similar to twin-gear juicers. But instead of two gears, these juicers contain four heavy-duty gears.

They come in both electric and manual versions, though the electric models are preferred. To extract the juice, you need to insert the sugarcane between the four rotating gears. These gears crush the sugarcane and squeeze out the juice leaving an almost dry pulp.

Wheatgrass Juicer

Unlike carrots or sugarcanes, wheatgrass is a highly delicate herb that is great for health. That’s why most juicers are unable to extract juice from wheatgrass. A specialized juicer with smaller gears is required to squeeze out wheatgrass juicers.

Most wheatgrass juicers available in the market are small twin-gear juicers with a rack system. These crush the thin wheatgrass leaves to extract as much juice as possible. You need to put a large quantity of wheatgrass through the feeding tube to separate the juice from the pulp effectively.

Pomegranate Juicer

Pomegranates contain many seeds that can turn their juice bitter if extracted using a centrifugal or cold press juicer. Instead, you can use a dedicated pomegranate juicer to extract its juice.

A pomegranate juicer is usually a hand-press juicer that is built to separate the seeds and squeeze out only the juice from pomegranates. You need to cut the fruit in half and place it on the juicing platform.

Then, a lever-operated weight presses the fruit against a mesh which squeezes out its juice. The mesh has smaller holes preventing the pulp and seed from falling into the juice.

Though several types of juicers are available in the market, most are designed to meet specific requirements. Some juicers process soft fruits and vegetables better, while others are meant for hard produce. Understanding the features, pros, and cons of different juicers is important to make an informed decision and select the best juicer for your requirements.

About The Author: Kajal Menon

Kajal MenonKajal Menon is a professional mixologist, author, and co-founder of ProJuicer. She has a degree in Mixology from European Bartender School, New Delhi, excelling in juicing, blending, and mixing. With her experience and proficiency in the field, Kajal provides practical insights, creative ideas, and expert advice.

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