When you feel something coming on, vitamin C is the first thing most of us reach for. These juices pack several sources of it, from cranberries and kumquats through to pomelo, amla, wild rosehips, clementines, elderberries, pomegranate, turmeric, ginger, parsley and fresh thyme. None of it will stop you catching a cold, but a fresh glass is a better habit than a can of pop. Elderberry is the one ingredient here with real trial evidence behind it, and the elderberry juice page sets out plainly what that evidence does and does not show.
All our immunity juices
Apple Orange Carrot and Parsley Juice
A bright, immune-supporting juice full of vitamin C, with parsley for an extra hit of vitamin K.
Pomegranate Pineapple Apple Ginger and Orange Juice
A jewel-coloured antioxidant powerhouse that tastes like a tropical fruit punch.
Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shot
A fiery little shot of turmeric, ginger and lemon to fire up your immune system.
Strawberry Kiwi Orange Juice
Strawberries, kiwi and orange in one bright, sweet glass. It tastes like a smoothie bar drink but it is just fruit, and it packs more vitamin C than most of us get in a whole day.
Cranberry Apple Orange Juice
Tart cranberries, sweet apple and orange in one ruby-red glass. Cranberries bring plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants, which is why I pour this one when I feel a cold coming on.
Carrot Orange Turmeric Juice
Carrots, oranges and fresh turmeric with a pinch of black pepper. It’s sweet, earthy and a proper glass of vitamin C and beta-carotene when you feel something coming on.
Peach Carrot Ginger Juice
A sweet, slightly spicy juice that pairs juicy peaches with earthy carrot and a kick of fresh ginger. Loads of vitamin C and vitamin A to give your immune system a hand when you need it.
Blackcurrant Apple Juice
Blackcurrants are the most underrated thing you can put through a juicer. They are sharp, properly sharp, and deep purple, and two sweet apples are all they need to stop being a challenge. Fresh or frozen, ten minutes later you have two cold glasses that taste like the blackcurrant squash you grew up on, only without the added sugar.
Mango Orange Juice
Two tropical fruits that make a brilliant glass of juice: ripe mango and fresh oranges, no added sugar, nothing else in the way. It’s thick, sweet and sunny, and one glass carries more vitamin C than a standard orange juice. Ten minutes from fruit to glass.
Mango Passion Fruit Juice
Passion fruit is the fruit you buy for the smell and then wonder what to do with. This is the answer: scoop the pulp over sweet mango, juice or blitz it, and you get a thick golden glass that tastes like a holiday. No added sugar and nothing strained away unless you want it that way, and it carries more vitamin C than a glass of orange juice.
Guava Pineapple Juice
Guava is the quiet one in the fruit bowl, and I think that’s why it took me so long to actually juice one. Cut it open and the kitchen smells like the inside of a tropical greenhouse, and the flesh is thick enough that the juicer fights you for it. Pineapple sorts that out. It brings enough water to loosen the guava and just enough sharpness to stop the glass tasting flat. Two guavas and a quarter of a pineapple is all it takes, and you end up with around 250mg of vitamin C a glass, which is well past what you need in a day.
Pumpkin, Apple and Orange Juice
Raw pumpkin is not something most people think to juice, and I only tried it because I had a small one going spare. It turns out to be mild, faintly sweet and much lighter than the colour suggests. On its own it is a bit flat and starchy, so two red apples and two oranges do the sweetening and the ginger sits at the back to keep it out of dessert territory. Ten minutes, two glasses, no cooking, and it suits the weeks from late September when the small pumpkins turn up cheap in the shops.
Cantaloupe and Orange Juice
Melon and orange, pressed cold and drunk straight away. Two ingredients, five minutes, and a glass of juice that tastes like the last warm week of September. Nothing else goes in and it does not need it.
Clementine, Apple and Ginger Juice
Clementines get lumped in with oranges, but they are their own fruit: sweeter, easier to peel, and still carrying close to an orange’s worth of vitamin C. Through a juicer with two apples for body and a knuckle of ginger for warmth you get a bright saturated orange glass that tastes like the middle of winter. It is the one I make in December, when the fruit bowl is full of them and half the house is sniffing.
Thyme, Apple and Lemon Juice
Thyme and lemon is the old stay-home-with-a-cold pairing, and this is the fresh juicer version of it, softened with two green apples so the herb leads without taking the glass over. It takes about ten minutes, and it is the sort of thing to make when your throat is starting to scratch and you want something better for you than a can of pop.
Rosehip, Apple and Orange Juice
This is the British hedgerow in a glass. Wild rosehips are one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C going, far ahead of an orange weight for weight, and that is exactly what the wartime rosehip syrup handed out to children was built on. The difference here is that nothing is boiled and nothing is sweetened: two green apples and two oranges carry the liquid and the sweetness, and the rosehips bring the colour and the punch. It takes about ten minutes, and it is a good one to make in October when the hips are fat in the hedges.
Amla, Apple and Orange Juice
Indian gooseberries are the sourest thing you can put through a juicer, and one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C there is. Two sweet apples and a whole orange carry the sharp little berries, and a thumb of ginger keeps it clean.
Pomelo, Apple and Lemon Juice
Pomelo is the fruit the grapefruit was bred from, and this is the mild, sweet-sharp version of it. Two sweet apples and half a lemon carry the flavour, and the only fiddly part is peeling the fruit back past its thick bitter pith.
Kumquat, Apple and Orange Juice
Kumquats are the one citrus you eat whole, peel and all, because the peel is the sweet part and the flesh is sour. Juiced whole with an apple and an orange, nothing else needs adding.
Cranberry, Pear and Ginger Juice
A deep ruby cranberry juice sweetened only with ripe pear, no sugar and no water, with an honest look at what cranberry does and does not do for a urinary tract infection.
Elderberry, Apple and Ginger Juice
Deep purple and properly tart, sweetened with apple rather than sugar, and cooked first because raw elderberries are not safe to eat.
Apple Orange Carrot and Parsley Juice
A bright, immune-supporting juice full of vitamin C, with parsley for an extra hit of vitamin K.
Equipment
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1 Juicer or blender and sieve
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1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 2 apples cored
- 2 oranges peeled
- 2 carrots scrubbed
- 1 handful parsley
- 1/2 lemon peeled
- 1/2 inch ginger peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
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Core the apples, scrub the carrots and peel the citrus and ginger.
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Juice the carrots, parsley and ginger first, then the apples, oranges and lemon.
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Stir and serve straight away.
Blender method
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Chop everything and blend with a splash of water.
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Strain through a fine sieve and serve over ice.
Notes
This is the one to reach for when you feel a cold coming on: three vitamin C sources plus parsley, which packs more vitamin K than most greens. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSodium: 90mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 8gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 9000IUVitamin C: 130mg
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Pomegranate Pineapple Apple Ginger and Orange Juice
A jewel-coloured antioxidant powerhouse that tastes like a tropical fruit punch.
Equipment
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1 Juicer or blender and sieve
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1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1 apple cored
- 1 inch ginger peeled
- 1 orange peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
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Core the apple, peel the orange and ginger.
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Juice the pomegranate, ginger and apple, then the pineapple and orange.
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Stir and serve immediately over ice.
Blender method
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Blend all ingredients with a splash of water.
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Strain through a fine sieve, pressing well, and serve.
Notes
Pomegranate seeds are fiddly to juice, so feel free to swap in a good quality pure pomegranate juice if you’re short on time. The ginger keeps the sweetness honest. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 7gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 2500IUVitamin C: 140mg
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Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shot
A fiery little shot of turmeric, ginger and lemon to fire up your immune system.
Equipment
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1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
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1 High-speed blender for the blender method
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1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
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4 Small glass bottles for storing the shots
Ingredients
For the shots
- 60 g fresh ginger, scrubbed about a 6cm knob
- 40 g fresh turmeric, scrubbed about a 4cm piece, or 1/2 tsp ground
- 2 lemons, peeled
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1/4 tsp black pepper helps absorb the curcumin
- 1 tsp olive oil helps the body absorb the curcumin
- 2 tbsp water for the blender method only
Instructions
Juicer method
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Scrub the ginger and turmeric (no need to peel), then peel the orange and lemons.
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Feed everything through the juicer.
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Stir in the black pepper and olive oil.
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Pour into small bottles or a jar and keep in the fridge.
Blender method
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Roughly chop the ginger and turmeric, peel the orange and lemons, and add everything to a blender with the water.
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Blend on high until completely smooth, about a minute.
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Pour through a fine sieve or nut milk bag and squeeze out every drop.
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Stir in the black pepper and olive oil, then bottle.
Notes
Turmeric stains everything it touches, so rinse the blender, juicer and any worktop straight away.
Nutrition
Serving: 1shotCalories: 35kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 60mgSugar: 5gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 25mg
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Strawberry Kiwi Orange Juice
Strawberries, kiwi and orange in one bright, sweet glass. It tastes like a smoothie bar drink but it is just fruit, and it packs more vitamin C than most of us get in a whole day.
Equipment
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1 Juicer or a high-speed blender
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1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 250 g strawberries, hulled
- 3 ripe kiwis, peeled
- 2 large oranges, peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
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Wash the strawberries and hull them, then peel the kiwis and the oranges. Cut anything your juicer needs into smaller pieces.
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Feed the orange, kiwi and strawberry through the juicer, finishing with the strawberries so they push the last of it through.
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Stir, pour into two glasses over ice if you like, and drink straight away.
Blender method
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Wash and prep everything the same way: hull the strawberries, peel the kiwis and oranges, and cut them into chunks.
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Add the fruit to a high-speed blender with 100ml of cold water.
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Blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds until completely smooth.
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Pour through a fine-mesh sieve or nut milk bag into a jug, pressing the pulp to get the last of the juice, then serve.
Notes
This one is sweeter than most, which is why I keep it to a single glass. If you want it lighter, swap half the strawberries for a cucumber or add a splash of cold water. The blender method keeps a bit more of the fibre, so it comes out thicker. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin C: 280mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cranberry Apple Orange Juice
Tart cranberries, sweet apple and orange in one ruby-red glass. Cranberries bring plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants, which is why I pour this one when I feel a cold coming on.
Equipment
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1 Juicer or a blender and fine sieve
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 2 apples cored
- 1 orange peeled
- 1/2 lemon peeled
Optional
- 1 inch fresh ginger for a little warmth
Instructions
Juicer method
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Wash the cranberries and core the apples. Peel the orange and lemon.
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Feed everything through the juicer, alternating the soft cranberries with the firmer apple so they push each other through.
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Stir, pour over ice and drink straight away.
Blender method
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Core the apples and peel the orange and lemon. Blend everything with 120ml of cold water until smooth.
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Strain through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to get every drop.
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Serve over ice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 330mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 150IUVitamin C: 50mg
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Carrot Orange Turmeric Juice
Carrots, oranges and fresh turmeric with a pinch of black pepper. It’s sweet, earthy and a proper glass of vitamin C and beta-carotene when you feel something coming on.
Equipment
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1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
-
1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
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2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
Juice base
- 3 medium carrots, scrubbed
- 2 medium oranges, peeled
- 1 inch fresh turmeric, peeled or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 lemon, peeled
- 1 pinch black pepper helps your body absorb the turmeric
Optional extras
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled optional, adds a bit of heat
- 1/2 apple, cored optional, extra sweetness
Instructions
Juicer method
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Wash everything, then peel the oranges and lemon. Scrub the carrots and the turmeric.
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Feed the carrots, oranges, turmeric and lemon (and ginger, if using) through your juicer.
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Stir in the black pepper, pour into a chilled glass and drink straight away.
Blender method
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Roughly chop the carrots and oranges, then add everything except the pepper to a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup of cold water.
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Blend on high until completely smooth.
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Strain through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve.
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Stir in the black pepper, then serve.
Notes
Carrots do most of the sweet lifting here, so buy them fresh and firm rather than pre-bagged.
Turmeric stains anything it touches, including your hands and the juicer. Rinse the parts straight away and store the juice in glass, not plastic.
The pinch of black pepper is the one step worth keeping. It helps your body actually absorb the curcumin in the turmeric.
Nutrition figures are an estimate per glass and will vary with your exact ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 50mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 8500IUVitamin C: 60mg
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Peach Carrot Ginger Juice
A sweet, slightly spicy juice that pairs juicy peaches with earthy carrot and a kick of fresh ginger. Loads of vitamin C and vitamin A to give your immune system a hand when you need it.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
-
1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
-
2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
Juice
- 3 medium peaches, halved and stoned
- 3 medium carrots, scrubbed
- 1 inch fresh ginger, roughly chopped
Instructions
Juicer method
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Wash the peaches and carrots. Remove the stones from the peaches and cut everything into pieces that fit your juicer chute.
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Feed the peaches, carrots and ginger through the juicer, alternating soft and firm pieces so everything pushes through cleanly.
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Give the juice a stir, then pour into glasses and serve, or store in sealed bottles in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Blender method
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Roughly chop the peaches (stones removed), carrots and ginger and tip them into a high-speed blender with 120ml of cold water.
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Blend on high until completely smooth, about a minute.
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Strain through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve into a jug, pressing to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
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Pour into glasses and serve, or store sealed in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gSodium: 60mgPotassium: 480mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 6500IUVitamin C: 16mg
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Blackcurrant Apple Juice
Blackcurrants are the most underrated thing you can put through a juicer. They are sharp, properly sharp, and deep purple, and two sweet apples are all they need to stop being a challenge. Fresh or frozen, ten minutes later you have two cold glasses that taste like the blackcurrant squash you grew up on, only without the added sugar.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
-
1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
-
2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 250 g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen strip any stalks first; frozen ones need no thawing and juice just as well
- 2 medium sweet apples such as Gala or Pink Lady, cored the sweeter the apple, the less sharp the glass
- 200 ml cold water for the blender method, plus a splash through the juicer at the end to push out the last drops
Instructions
Juicer method
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Wash the blackcurrants and pick off any stalks. Core the apples and cut them into quarters that fit your chute.
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Feed the apples and blackcurrants through the juicer in alternate handfuls. The wet apple pulp helps drag the sticky currants through.
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Splash the cold water through the juicer at the end to rinse out the last of the purple, then stir the juice well.
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Pour into two glasses and drink straight away. It is best within the hour, before it loses its edge.
Blender method
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Put the blackcurrants, chopped apples and cold water in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until the fruit is completely broken down.
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Pour through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Squeeze the bag firmly to get every last drop of juice out.
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Stir, pour into two glasses and drink. The blender version keeps a little more of the fruit’s fibre than the juicer version.
Notes
Blackcurrants are a July and August crop in the UK, but frozen ones are in every supermarket aisle and juice just as well straight from the bag, which is how I make this for most of the year.
If your glass still makes you wince after the two apples, half an apple more usually fixes it. If it is somehow not sharp enough for you, a squeeze of lemon will sort that out.
It keeps for about 48 hours in an airtight bottle in the fridge. Shake before you pour, because the juice settles as it sits.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 225mg
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Mango Orange Juice
Two tropical fruits that make a brilliant glass of juice: ripe mango and fresh oranges, no added sugar, nothing else in the way. It’s thick, sweet and sunny, and one glass carries more vitamin C than a standard orange juice. Ten minutes from fruit to glass.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
-
1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
-
2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
Juice base
- 2 ripe mangoes peeled and stoned, about 400g of flesh; squeeze the stones over the bowl first, they hold more juice than you’d think
- 4 medium oranges juiced, about 350ml; a sweet variety like navel makes the biggest difference here
- 100 ml cold water only if using the blender method
Instructions
Juicer method
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Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh off the stone in big chunks. Squeeze the stones over the bowl, then pick out any stringy bits from the fruit.
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Halve the oranges and juice them into a jug.
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Feed the mango chunks through the juicer a few at a time. Mango is soft, so if it stalls, push it through with a spare orange segment rather than ramming the plunger.
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Stir the mango juice into the orange juice, taste, and pour into two glasses over ice. It settles as it sits, so give it a stir before each sip and drink it the same day.
Blender method
-
Prep the fruit the same way: mango flesh in chunks, oranges juiced.
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Tip the mango, orange juice and cold water into a high-speed blender and blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth.
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Pour through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve and squeeze out as much juice as you can.
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Taste, thin with a splash more water if you need to, and serve over ice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 685mgFiber: 2gSugar: 42gVitamin A: 2540IUVitamin C: 160mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Mango Passion Fruit Juice
Passion fruit is the fruit you buy for the smell and then wonder what to do with. This is the answer: scoop the pulp over sweet mango, juice or blitz it, and you get a thick golden glass that tastes like a holiday. No added sugar and nothing strained away unless you want it that way, and it carries more vitamin C than a glass of orange juice.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
-
1 High-speed blender for the blender method
-
1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
-
2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
-
1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
Juice base
- 2 ripe mangoes peeled and stoned, about 400g of flesh; squeeze the stones over the bowl first, they hold more juice than you’d think
- 4 passion fruits halved, with the pulp and seeds scooped out, about 70g of pulp
- 100 ml cold water only if using the blender method
Instructions
Juicer method
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Peel the mangoes and slice the flesh off the stone in big chunks. Squeeze the stones over the bowl, then pick out any stringy bits.
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Halve the passion fruits and scoop the pulp and seeds into a small bowl.
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Feed the mango chunks through the juicer a few at a time. Mango is soft, so if it stalls, push it through with a spoonful of passion fruit pulp rather than ramping the plunger.
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Stir the passion fruit pulp through the mango juice, seeds and all. Taste, add a splash of cold water if you want it thinner, and pour into two glasses over ice.
Blender method
-
Prep the fruit the same way: mango flesh in chunks, passion fruit pulp scooped out.
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Tip the mango, passion fruit pulp and cold water into a high-speed blender and blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until smooth.
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Pour through a nut milk bag or fine sieve if you want it seed-free, squeezing out as much as you can. Leave it unstrained if you like the seeds, they’re edible.
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Taste, thin with a splash more water if you need to, and serve over ice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 6gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 2500IUVitamin C: 80mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Guava Pineapple Juice
Guava is the quiet one in the fruit bowl, and I think that’s why it took me so long to actually juice one. Cut it open and the kitchen smells like the inside of a tropical greenhouse, and the flesh is thick enough that the juicer fights you for it. Pineapple sorts that out. It brings enough water to loosen the guava and just enough sharpness to stop the glass tasting flat. Two guavas and a quarter of a pineapple is all it takes, and you end up with around 250mg of vitamin C a glass, which is well past what you need in a day.
Equipment
-
Juicer the quickest route if you already have one
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Budget cold press juicer worth it if guava is going to become a regular thing
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High-speed blender for the blender method
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Budget blender works fine, just blend a little longer
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Nut milk bag for catching the hard guava seeds
Ingredients
Fruit
- 2 ripe guavas about 170g of flesh. Pink-fleshed ones give the softer, sweeter juice
- 0.25 pineapple about 230g peeled flesh
- 60 ml cold water blender method only
- ice cubes to serve
Instructions
Juicer method
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Rinse the guavas, cut off the stalk ends and quarter them. Leave the skin on and keep the seeds in.
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Top and tail the pineapple, cut away the skin and the eyes, then cut the flesh into strips that fit your feed chute.
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Feed the guava and pineapple through the juicer, alternating pieces so the pineapple’s moisture helps push the dense guava through.
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Stir the juice, then strain it through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag. Guava seeds are hard and they will slip through a wide-mesh machine.
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Pour into two glasses over ice and drink it straight away.
Blender method
-
Scoop the guava flesh away from the skin into the blender, seeds and all. Cut the pineapple into chunks and add it too.
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Pour in 60ml of cold water. Guava pulp is dense and the blades need the liquid to get it moving.
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Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until it is completely smooth.
-
Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon to get all the juice out.
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Pour into two glasses over ice.
Notes
Pink guavas give you the prettiest glass, but white-fleshed ones taste just as good. If your guavas are still firm, leave them on the counter for a day or two until they give slightly when pressed. Ripe guava smells sweet and floral before you cut into it.
Nutrition
Calories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2.6gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 465mgFiber: 6.5gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 250mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Pumpkin, Apple and Orange Juice
Raw pumpkin is not something most people think to juice, and I only tried it because I had a small one going spare. It turns out to be mild, faintly sweet and much lighter than the colour suggests. On its own it is a bit flat and starchy, so two red apples and two oranges do the sweetening and the ginger sits at the back to keep it out of dessert territory. Ten minutes, two glasses, no cooking, and it suits the weeks from late September when the small pumpkins turn up cheap in the shops.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer a slow juicer gets more out of raw pumpkin than a fast one
-
1 Budget cold press juicer a cheaper slow juicer handles pumpkin and apple without complaint
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1 High-speed blender for the blender method
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1 Nut milk bag or a fine sieve, for straining the blended version
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1 Airtight glass bottles only if you are bottling it for the next morning
Ingredients
- 250 g pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut into strips, about a quarter of a small pumpkin
- 2 red apples cored but not peeled
- 2 oranges peeled, pith removed
- 2 cm fresh ginger peeled
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 100 ml cold water for the blender method only
Instructions
Juicer method
-
Cut the top off the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and peel the skin away with a knife or a peeler. You want 250g of firm orange flesh. Cut it into strips narrow enough to fit your feed chute, because a thick block of raw pumpkin will stall a slow juicer.
-
Quarter the apples and cut out the core, leaving the peel on. Peel the oranges properly with a knife so no pith is left, then cut them in half. Peel the ginger.
-
Feed the pumpkin through first, then the apple, then the orange and the ginger. The apple and orange are wet enough to push the pumpkin pulp out of the machine, so you get more of the juice out of it.
-
Squeeze the half lemon into the jug and stir it through. Pour into two glasses and drink it straight away, or bottle it and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Blender method
-
Peel and deseed the pumpkin and cut the flesh into rough 2cm cubes. Core and chop the apples, peel the oranges, and peel the ginger.
-
Blend the pumpkin on its own first with the 100ml of cold water for about 30 seconds. Pumpkin is dense and it will not break down if you tip everything in at once.
-
Add the apple, orange and ginger and blend on high for a full minute, until there is nothing left that looks like a piece of fruit.
-
Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug, then press the pulp gently with the back of a spoon. Pressing hard pulls a starchy taste through, so stop when it stops giving easily.
-
Stir in the lemon juice, pour into two glasses and drink it cold. It settles as it stands, so give the glass a stir before the last mouthful.
Notes
Use a small culinary pumpkin, or a squash such as kabocha or butternut. A big carving pumpkin is grown for size rather than flavour and the flesh is watery and stringy, so it makes a thin, disappointing glass. Cut the flesh into strips no wider than your feed chute before you start, because raw pumpkin is dense.
If a slice of raw pumpkin tastes bitter, throw the whole thing out and start again with another one. A squash carrying a high level of cucurbitacin, the compound behind that bitterness, can cause stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhoea, and neither cooking nor juicing removes it. It is rare in shop-bought pumpkin and more common in homegrown ones grown near ornamental gourds. Bitterness is the warning sign, so trust your tongue.
Drink it the day you make it. It is at its best within an hour of pressing, keeps for 24 hours in a sealed bottle in the fridge, and it separates as it sits, so stir it before you drink.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 850mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 9000IUVitamin C: 92mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1.3mg
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Cantaloupe and Orange Juice
Melon and orange, pressed cold and drunk straight away. Two ingredients, five minutes, and a glass of juice that tastes like the last warm week of September. Nothing else goes in and it does not need it.
Equipment
-
Budget cold press juicer or a high-speed blender
-
Nut milk bag if you are using the blender method
-
Airtight glass bottles for any you do not drink right away
Ingredients
For the juice
- 1/2 Cantaloupe melon about 350 g of flesh, rind and seeds removed
- 2 Oranges large, peeled and broken into segments
To serve
- Ice cubes optional
- Orange slices optional, to garnish
Instructions
Juicer method
-
Halve the melon and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the rind away, then slice the flesh into pieces that will fit your juicer’s feed chute.
-
Peel the oranges and pull them apart into segments. Leave the white pith on if it is easier. Orange pith is nowhere near as bitter as grapefruit pith.
-
Feed the melon and the orange through the juicer, alternating between the two so the pulp does not clog.
-
Give it a stir and pour it straight into glasses. Drink it within the hour.
Blender method
-
Chop the melon flesh into rough chunks and peel and segment the oranges.
-
Put both in the blender with 60 ml of cold water. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, until no lumps of melon are left.
-
Tip the lot into a nut milk bag set over a jug and squeeze the juice through. It takes a couple of minutes and your hands will get sticky.
-
Serve cold, over ice if you want it.
Notes
Melon juice separates quickly, so stir it with a spoon before you drink it. If you cannot find a ripe cantaloupe, any orange-fleshed melon works, but a hard, underripe one will taste of almost nothing.
Serve it well chilled. Melon juice goes flat and dull once it warms up, so it is not a juice I make in a big batch to keep in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2.5gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 0.6gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 6200IUVitamin C: 133mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 0.5mg
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Clementine, Apple and Ginger Juice
Clementines get lumped in with oranges, but they are their own fruit: sweeter, easier to peel, and still carrying close to an orange’s worth of vitamin C. Through a juicer with two apples for body and a knuckle of ginger for warmth you get a bright saturated orange glass that tastes like the middle of winter. It is the one I make in December, when the fruit bowl is full of them and half the house is sniffing.
Equipment
-
Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the juice
- 6 clementines about 450 g, peeled and pulled into segments
- 2 sweet apples such as Gala or Braeburn, about 300 g, cored and quartered, skin left on
- 1 thumb of fresh ginger about 15 g
Instructions
Juicer method
-
Peel the clementines and pull the segments apart. Take off the thick white pith where it comes away easily, but do not fuss over the thin bits, they are only bitter in quantity.
-
Juice the apples and the ginger first, skin and all. Running the apples through ahead of the citrus coats the machine and helps the clementine segments travel.
-
Now juice the clementine segments. If you are using a centrifugal juicer, feed them a few at a time so the pulp basket does not clog, or press them with a citrus press and stir that juice into the apple juice instead. Same drink either way.
-
Stir it together, pour into two glasses and drink it straight away while the vitamin C is still intact.
Blender method
-
Peel the clementines, remove the pith and flick out any pips. Core the apples and cut them into chunks, skin on. Peel the ginger.
-
Blend everything with 100 ml of cold water on high for about a minute, until there is no solid left.
-
Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve, pressing the pulp so you get every drop out, then bin the pulp.
-
Pour over ice and drink straight away.
Nutrition
Calories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 440mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 1200IUVitamin C: 85mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 0.4mg
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Thyme, Apple and Lemon Juice
Thyme and lemon is the old stay-home-with-a-cold pairing, and this is the fresh juicer version of it, softened with two green apples so the herb leads without taking the glass over. It takes about ten minutes, and it is the sort of thing to make when your throat is starting to scratch and you want something better for you than a can of pop.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer A masticating or cold press juicer handles the herb and the lemon better than a centrifugal one.
-
1 Budget cold press juicer The cheapest sensible way in if you are not sure you will stick at it.
-
1 High-speed blender Use this route if you already own a blender and no juicer.
-
1 Nut milk bag Only needed for the blender method, to strain the pulp out.
-
2 Airtight glass bottles For keeping a batch in the fridge, though this one is best drunk the day it is made.
Ingredients
- 2 green apples crisp eating apples such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, cored but not peeled
- 1 unwaxed lemon rinsed if unwaxed, peeled if waxed, then cut into halves
- 1 large handful fresh thyme sprigs about 10 g, leaves stripped from the woody stems
Instructions
Juicer method
-
Rinse the lemon. If it is not unwaxed, give it a scrub in warm water to take the wax off, then dry it. Cut it into halves.
-
Cut the apples into quarters and take out the cores. There is no need to peel them, the skin is where a lot of the colour and flavour sits.
-
Strip the thyme leaves off the woody stems. You want a good handful, about 10 g of leaves, and it does no harm if a few small soft stems go through with them.
-
Feed the apples through the juicer first so the machine is running wet, then drop the thyme leaves in, then finish with the lemon. The apple juice carries the tiny thyme leaves through with it.
-
Stir it well, then pour into two glasses or into a sealed bottle if you are making it ahead. Drink it the same day.
Blender method
-
Core and quarter the apples and peel the lemon if it is waxed. Strip the thyme leaves from the stems.
-
Put everything in a high-speed blender with a splash of cold water, about 100 ml, and blend for 45 to 60 seconds until it is completely broken down.
-
Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug, then squeeze the pulp hard to get all the liquid out.
-
Chill it and drink it the same day. Blending leaves more of the thyme’s texture in, so strain it properly if you want it clear.
Notes
Per glass, based on two servings. Thyme is a strong herb, so start with one handful and adjust once you know how you like it.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 1gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 300mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 350IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1.4mg
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Rosehip, Apple and Orange Juice
This is the British hedgerow in a glass. Wild rosehips are one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C going, far ahead of an orange weight for weight, and that is exactly what the wartime rosehip syrup handed out to children was built on. The difference here is that nothing is boiled and nothing is sweetened: two green apples and two oranges carry the liquid and the sweetness, and the rosehips bring the colour and the punch. It takes about ten minutes, and it is a good one to make in October when the hips are fat in the hedges.
Equipment
-
1 Juicer A masticating or cold press juicer handles the rosehips far better than a centrifugal one.
-
1 Budget cold press juicer The cheapest sensible way in if you are not sure you will stick at it.
-
1 High-speed blender Use this route if you already own a blender and no juicer.
-
1 Nut milk bag Essential here, to strain out the fine hairs from the rosehips.
-
2 Airtight glass bottles For keeping a batch in the fridge, though this one is best drunk the day it is made.
Ingredients
- 2 green apples crisp eating apples such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, cored and quartered but not peeled
- 2 oranges peeled and pulled into segments
- 60 g fresh rosehips about a large handful, topped and tailed and rinsed
Instructions
Juicer method
-
Top and tail the rosehips with a small knife and rinse them well. There is no need to try to de-seed them, the juicer does that work for you.
-
Quarter and core the apples. Do not peel them, the skin is where a lot of the colour sits. Peel the oranges and pull them into segments.
-
Feed the apples through the juicer first so the machine is running wet, then the orange segments, then the rosehips, and finish with any apple you have left. The juicy apple and orange carry the rosehips through.
-
Strain the juice through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag. This step really matters with rosehips, because the fine hairs inside the hips are a throat irritant and you want them out of the glass.
-
Pour into two glasses and drink it the same day. It loses its colour and its vitamin C quickly once it is pressed.
Blender method
-
Top and tail and rinse the rosehips. Core and quarter the apples and peel the oranges.
-
Blitz the rosehips with about 100 ml of water, then pass that through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag and throw the solids away. Never put raw rosehip pulp straight into the glass, blending releases the fine hairs.
-
Blend the strained rosehip liquid with the apple and the orange until smooth.
-
Strain the blend through the sieve or the bag again, then pour into two glasses. The blender version comes out a little thicker than the juicer one.
Notes
Rosehips vary a lot in how much juice they give. Some are soft and generous, some are dry and tight, so lean on the apple and the orange for the volume and treat the hips as the flavour and the colour. Picked hips are best used within a couple of days of picking, and do not pick from a busy roadside where they will have caught exhaust.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 380mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 260IUVitamin C: 85mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 0.4mg
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Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shot
Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shot
A fiery little shot of turmeric, ginger and lemon to fire up your immune system.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
- 4 Small glass bottles for storing the shots
Ingredients
For the shots
- 60 g fresh ginger, scrubbed about a 6cm knob
- 40 g fresh turmeric, scrubbed about a 4cm piece, or 1/2 tsp ground
- 2 lemons, peeled
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1/4 tsp black pepper helps absorb the curcumin
- 1 tsp olive oil helps the body absorb the curcumin
- 2 tbsp water for the blender method only
Instructions
Juicer method
- Scrub the ginger and turmeric (no need to peel), then peel the orange and lemons.
- Feed everything through the juicer.
- Stir in the black pepper and olive oil.
- Pour into small bottles or a jar and keep in the fridge.
Blender method
- Roughly chop the ginger and turmeric, peel the orange and lemons, and add everything to a blender with the water.
- Blend on high until completely smooth, about a minute.
- Pour through a fine sieve or nut milk bag and squeeze out every drop.
- Stir in the black pepper and olive oil, then bottle.
Notes
Turmeric stains everything it touches, so rinse the blender, juicer and any worktop straight away.
Nutrition
Serving: 1shotCalories: 35kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 60mgSugar: 5gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 25mg
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Amla, Apple and Orange Juice
Amla, Apple and Orange Juice
Amla, the Indian gooseberry, is the sourest thing most people will ever put through a juicer, and it also happens to be one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C there is. So this glass is built around balance rather than shock value: two sweet apples and a whole orange carry the sharp little berries, and a thumb of ginger keeps it clean. What you get is a pale golden-green juice that tastes like a grown-up apple and orange with a sour edge, carrying somewhere around 185 mg of vitamin C per glass, more than four times the UK daily reference intake. It is a genuinely nice drink, not an endurance test.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 fresh amla (Indian gooseberries), about 50 g, stalks pulled off
- 2 sweet apples, about 300 g, cored and quartered
- 1 large orange, about 200 g, peeled and quartered
- 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled optional
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash the amla and pull off the little stalks. Leave the berries whole, the juicer deals with the stone inside them.
- Core and quarter the apples, peel and quarter the orange, and peel the ginger.
- Feed the amla through first, on their own, so you can taste exactly how sour they are before they disappear into the glass. Then the apple, then the orange, then the ginger last. Alternate a firm piece with a wet one so the pulp keeps moving and does not clog the basket.
- Stir and taste. If it is sharper than you want, add another apple rather than sugar. Drink it straight away, or seal it in a bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to two days.
Blender method
- Cut the amla in half and flick out the stones with the tip of a knife, then chop the flesh roughly. Core and chop the apples, peel and segment the orange, and peel the ginger. Amla are very fibrous, so keep the pieces small and add a splash of cold water to get the blades moving.
- Blend on high for about a minute, until the pulp is as fine as you can get it.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a very fine sieve over a jug and squeeze hard. Amla pulp holds on to a lot of juice, so take your time and press it properly rather than binning the good stuff.
- Serve over ice or straight from the fridge. It will settle a little as it sits, just stir it back together.
Notes
Amla is properly sour and astringent, so start with three berries and build up. That astringency comes from tannins, and tannins hold back iron absorption, so if you are anaemic keep this away from your main iron-rich meal and speak to your GP or dietitian. It can also be hard on an empty stomach if you are prone to acid, so have it with or after food. Because it is acidic, rinse your mouth with water rather than brushing your teeth straight afterwards. Vitamin C does not stop healthy adults catching colds, the Cochrane reviews are clear on that, it can only shorten one slightly, so treat this as a good daily habit rather than a shield. Amla has a long Ayurvedic history as a tonic for hair and digestion, but the human trial evidence is thin, so do not expect a glass of juice to do the work of any medicine. If you take warfarin, keep your vitamin K intake steady, though the amount here is low. Fresh amla turn up in Asian grocers and some supermarkets from late autumn through winter, and frozen berries work out of season, just thaw them first.
Nutrition
Calories: 136kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 2gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 390mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 220IUVitamin C: 185mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 0.6mg
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Pomelo, Apple and Lemon Juice
Pomelo, Apple and Lemon Juice
Pomelo is the big, mild ancestor of the grapefruit, and on its own it takes a bit of work: the pith is thick and properly bitter, so you have to peel it right back to the segments. Once it is in the glass it is softer and sweeter than grapefruit, and two apples plus half a lemon turn it into something you would happily drink every morning. Makes two glasses.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the juice
- 1 large pomelo about 450 g whole, roughly 300 g of peeled flesh. Sold as shaddock or Chinese grapefruit in some shops.
- 2 sweet apples about 300 g. Gala, Braeburn or a Cox all work.
- 1/2 unwaxed lemon unwaxed matters here because the half goes into the juicer peel and all.
Instructions
Juicer method
- Top and tail the pomelo, score the skin into quarters down through to the pith, then peel it away with your hands. Pull the segments apart, then strip the membrane and any remaining white pith off each one and flick out the pips. Take your time here, this is the difference between a nice glass and a harsh one.
- Juice the apples first so the basket is already wet, then the pomelo segments, then the lemon half. Apples first keeps the drier pomelo from sitting in the basket on its own.
- Give it a stir, pour it over ice and drink it cold. It keeps a day in a sealed bottle in the fridge, though it is at its best straight away.
Blender method
- Prepare the pomelo the same way, getting rid of every scrap of pith and membrane.
- Core and roughly chop the apples, leaving the skin on, then put them in the blender with the pomelo segments, the juice of the lemon half and 150 ml of cold water.
- Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon to get all the liquid out. Serve cold.
Notes
Pomelo is the fruit grapefruit was bred from, a pomelo crossed with a sweet orange, and it inherits more than its looks. It carries the same furanocoumarins that make grapefruit a problem with certain medicines, so if you take a statin such as simvastatin or atorvastatin, or a blood pressure tablet from the calcium channel blocker group, or certain other drugs, ask your pharmacist before you drink this regularly. That is the one point on this page worth more than all the others. Second, the vitamin C figure is genuinely good, around 61 mg per 100 g of fresh flesh against about 31 mg for pink grapefruit, but regular vitamin C does not stop healthy adults catching colds, it can only shorten one slightly. Third, straining the pulp takes the fibre out with it, so a glass is not as filling as eating the fruit. Fourth, the thick white pith is where the bitterness lives, so peel the fruit right back to the segments. Eat or drink it with a meal and rinse with water afterwards rather than brushing straight away, because citrus is acidic.
Nutrition
Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 2gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 510mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 100mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.4mg
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Kumquat, Apple and Orange Juice
Kumquat, Apple and Orange Juice
Kumquats are the odd one out in the citrus bowl: you eat them whole, peel and all, because the peel is the sweet part and the flesh inside is genuinely sour. Squeezing the juice out and binning the peel is the one thing you should not do, which is why almost every other kumquat drink out there starts with a spoonful of sugar. Put them through the juicer whole instead and one sweet apple and an orange turn them into a bright, sharp glass with nothing added. Makes two glasses.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
- 150 g kumquats about 15 small ones, roughly the size of an olive. Rinse them and leave the peel on, that is where the sweet part is. Quarter them if your juicer feed tube is narrow, otherwise put them through whole.
- 1 large sweet apple about 200 g. Gala, Braeburn or a Cox all work.
- 1 large orange about 180 g of peeled flesh, all the peel and pith taken off.
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the kumquats and leave the peel on, that is the whole point of this one. Put them through whole, or quarter them first if your juicer has a narrow feed tube.
- Juice the apple and the orange first so the basket is already wet, then add the kumquats a few at a time, alternating with any apple you have left. A big handful of kumquats through a dry basket throws a lot of rind oil at once and the glass turns sharp and faintly soapy, so keep something wet going through with them.
- Stir, pour over ice and drink it cold. It keeps a day in a sealed bottle in the fridge, but it is at its best within an hour or two of making it.
Blender method
- Peel the orange right down to the bare flesh and chop the apple into chunks that will fit your jug. Put both in the blender with the kumquats, peel and all, and 150 ml of cold water.
- Blitz for about a minute until there are no large pieces left, then strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon to get the last of the liquid out. The kumquat peel is fibrous so take your time over the pressing.
- Taste it and adjust. If it is sharper than you like, blend in half a peeled apple more rather than reaching for sugar. Serve cold over ice.
Notes
Kumquats are the one citrus you eat whole, peel and all, because the peel is the sweet part and the flesh inside is sour and seedy. Juicing them whole is what makes this glass work with no added sugar, so do not peel them. Two honest points. First, kumquats are not grapefruit: the furanocoumarin interaction that covers statins such as simvastatin and atorvastatin and some blood pressure tablets comes from grapefruit, pomelo and Seville orange, and kumquat is a different fruit. That said, there is very little research on kumquat specifically, so if you take anything with a grapefruit warning on the label, ask your pharmacist before making this a daily habit. Second, the vitamin C is real, about 85 mg a glass, but regular vitamin C does not stop healthy adults catching colds, it only shortens one slightly (Hemila and Chalker, Cochrane 2013, CD000980.pub4), so drink this as a much better habit than a fizzy drink rather than as a shield. The fibre stays in the pulp when you strain it, which matters more here than usual because a kumquat's peel is a big part of the fruit, so whole kumquats still beat the glass on fibre. Citrus is acidic, so have it with or after food and rinse with water rather than brushing straight afterwards.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 3gFat: 0.9gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 470mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 85mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 0.8mg
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Cranberry, Pear and Ginger Juice
Cranberry, Pear and Ginger Juice
A deep ruby cranberry juice that is sharp enough to wake you up, softened with ripe pear and finished with a thumb of ginger. No sugar, no water, no fuss, just three ingredients through the juicer.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer
- 1 Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the juice
- 250 g fresh cranberries rinsed, any soft or shrivelled ones picked out
- 2 ripe pears about 320 g, cores cut out, skin left on
- 20 g fresh root ginger a thumb-sized piece, peeled
For the blender method
- 100 ml cold water
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the cranberries in a colander and pick out any soft or shrivelled ones. There is no need to top and tail them.
- Cut the pears into quarters and slice the core out of each one. Leave the skin on, that is where a lot of the colour and flavour sits.
- Juice the pear first. A cranberry is small and firm and will bounce around a dry basket, so getting some pear juice in there first gives it something to land in.
- Add the ginger, then feed the cranberries through a handful at a time, alternating with the last of the pear.
- Stir the jug once and pour it straight into a glass. It keeps in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to three days, and it will settle a little as it stands, so give the bottle a shake before you pour.
Blender method
- Tip the cranberries into the blender with the 100 ml of cold water and blitz for about 30 seconds, until they have broken down into a rough red slush.
- Add the pear, cut into rough 2 cm chunks, and the peeled ginger, then blend for another 45 seconds until everything is smooth and loose.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug and press it through with the back of a spoon. Cranberry pulp is thick, so work in two batches rather than one big one, otherwise it just sits there.
- Strain it reasonably quickly rather than leaving it to stand. The skins carry tannin, and the longer the pulp sits in the juice the more drying and astringent the glass gets.
Notes
Fresh cranberries are one of the sourest fruits you can buy, around pH 2.4, which is why the cranberry juice drink on the shelf is usually about a quarter juice with water and sugar making up the rest. Here the pears do that job, and ripe ones at that, so there is no sugar in this at all. Cranberry is also unusually low in sugar for a fruit at roughly 4 g per 100 g, so nearly all of the 20 g in a glass comes from the pear. On the health side, the evidence is about prevention rather than cure. The Cochrane review updated in 2023 (Williams et al, CD001321) pooled 50 trials and around 8,900 people and found cranberry products reduced symptomatic, culture-confirmed urinary tract infections overall, with a relative risk of 0.70. In women with recurrent infections it was 0.74, so roughly a quarter fewer. The same review found no benefit in older people living in care homes, in pregnancy, or in people whose bladders do not empty properly, and it could not establish which dose of the active compounds actually matters. An infection that has already taken hold needs a GP, so do not try to drink your way out of one. If you take warfarin, the NHS advice is to avoid cranberry juice and cranberry products altogether, so leave this one alone and ask your anticoagulant clinic instead. Straining leaves most of the fibre in the pulp, so a glass is not the same as eating the fruit, and at about 24 mg of vitamin C it is not a vitamin C top-up either. Frozen cranberries work just as well, rinse them under the tap and they are good to go.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 333mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 0.6mg
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Elderberry, Apple and Ginger Juice
Elderberry, Apple and Ginger Juice
Deep purple, properly tart and nothing like the sugary elderberry cordial on the shelf. The berries get cooked first because raw elderberries are not safe to eat, then pressed through with apple, ginger and lemon. This is a late October glass, made for the first week the heating goes on.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the elderberry press
- 300 g ripe elderberries stripped from the stalks, fresh or frozen
- 200 ml water
For the apple and ginger base
- 2 sweet apples about 300 g, cored but not peeled
- 1 small knob fresh root ginger about 15 g
- 0.5 unwaxed lemon
Instructions
Stovetop and juicer method (the safe way)
- Strip the berries first. Hold each cluster by the stalk and rake the berries off with a fork into a bowl. Pick out and throw away every green or unripe berry, every bit of stalk and every leaf. Only fully dark purple-black berries go in the pan.
- Tip the berries into a small saucepan with the 200 ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, put a lid on and cook for 15 minutes, until the berries have collapsed and the liquid is deep purple. Do not skip this step and do not shortcut it. Raw elderberries contain cyanogenic glycosides and cooking is what breaks them down.
- While the berries cook, juice the apples, ginger and lemon. Run half an apple through the juicer last to push the ginger and lemon through with it, otherwise the ginger sits in the basket and half of it never reaches the glass.
- Spoon the cooked berries into a sieve set over a jug, or into a nut milk bag, and press them hard against the mesh until only skins and pips are left. You should end up with roughly 200 ml of dark juice.
- Stir the elderberry press into the apple juice. Taste it, add a squeeze more lemon if it needs lifting, then pour into bottles and chill.
Blender method (still cook the berries first)
- Strip and simmer the berries exactly as above, then leave them to cool for ten minutes with the lid off.
- Chop the apples, ginger and lemon and put them in the blender with the cooked berries and all of their cooking liquid.
- Blend on high for 60 seconds, until there are no lumps of apple left.
- Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon, then chill. The blender version is thicker and cloudier than the juicer one, which is fine, but sieve it properly so no pips end up in the glass.
Notes
Elderberries are in season in the UK from late August to October, and they freeze well, so bag some while they are around. The strained juice keeps four days in the fridge and freezes for three months. Never drink it raw and never eat the berries straight off the bush.
Nutrition
Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 25IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.9mg
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My go-to when I feel a cold coming on.
Tastes like a tropical punch. Favourite so far.
Strong but I feel the difference.