What you eat has a direct effect on how clearly you think, how well you focus and how your mood holds up. These juices combine leafy greens, berries, beetroot, citrus, kiwifruit, turmeric and herbs like rosemary, sage, basil, mint, lemon balm and lemongrass to feed your brain the nutrients it actually uses. Sleep is part of that picture too, which is why the kiwifruit, cucumber and apple juice earns its place on this page, and the lemon balm, apple and cucumber juice sits here because lemon balm is the one herb on this list with human trials behind it for how people feel under pressure.
All our brain juices
Strawberry Lemon Apple Spinach and Carrot Juice
A bright, kid-friendly juice that sneaks a big handful of spinach in under a strawberry and apple flavour.
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Grapefruit Orange and Carrot Juice
A tangy citrus and carrot juice with a ginger kick, packed with vitamin C and beta-carotene.
Check out this recipe
Blueberry Beet Apple Juice
Blueberries and beetroot, two of the best foods for memory and blood flow to the brain.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Beetroot Apple Juice
Blackberries, beetroot and apple in one dark, seasonal juice. Beetroot's nitrates support blood flow to the brain, which is why I reach for it when I need to focus.
Check out this recipe
Cherry Beet Focus Juice
A deep red juice of cherries, beetroot and apple, made to keep blood moving to your brain and give you a proper hit of antioxidants.
Check out this recipe
Pomegranate Blueberry Juice
A tart-sweet purple juice that's my go-to on days my concentration keeps slipping. Blueberries and pomegranate are both loaded with the plant compounds linked to better memory, and it takes ten minutes from fruit to glass.
Check out this recipe
Black Grape Juice
I started juicing black grapes when a bag went soft in the fruit bowl, and it turned out better than anything from a bottle: deep, sweet and properly grapey, with no added sugar. The dark skins carry polyphenols, the same compounds behind the small studies on grape juice and memory. Ten minutes from bunch to glass, and it keeps a couple of days in the fridge.
Check out this recipe
Blueberry, Apple and Mint Juice
Blueberries are one of the few fruits with real research behind them for memory and thinking, and that is why I keep a bag of them in the freezer. Green apple keeps the glass drinkable rather than worthy, and mint stops it tasting flat. This is what I make on a morning when I have a lot of thinking to get through. It takes ten minutes and the colour alone is worth it.
Check out this recipe
Tart Cherry and Grape Juice
Tart cherry juice is the one juice I actually drink at night. The sour cherries are the variety with the sleep research behind them, so I buy them frozen and defrost them rather than paying for a punnet of sweet ones in July. Grapes give it body and soften the sharpness, half a lemon keeps it from tasting like syrup, and you end up with a deep ruby glass in about ten minutes with nothing to cook. It is deliberately a small glass, not a pint.
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Beetroot and Blueberry Juice
Beetroot and blueberry is not a pairing you see very often, which is a shame, because between them they do most of the work on their own. The beetroot gives it body and that deep purple-red colour, the blueberries cut through the earthiness with something sharp and fruity. I make this on the days my head feels foggy and I have a long afternoon of writing ahead of me. It is not a gentle juice. It is thick, it stains, and it tastes like it means something.
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Apple, Lemon and Rosemary Juice
Apple juice with a piney lift from fresh rosemary and a squeeze of lemon. The rosemary is the whole point and it is a strong flavour, so three sprigs is where I stop. Apple and rosemary have been paired in juices and cordials for a long time and the combination works because the apple's sweetness carries the herb instead of fighting it.
Check out this recipe
Sage, Apple and Cucumber Juice
Apple and cucumber juice with a small handful of fresh sage. Sage has more human trial evidence behind it for memory than any other kitchen herb, and it makes a genuinely good drink rather than a medicinal one: the apple carries the herb so it tastes green and herbal instead of bitter, and the cucumber keeps it light. Use the leaves while they are fresh and bendy, the dried stuff tastes dusty in a glass.
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Basil, Orange and Apple Juice
Basil is the herb I never manage to use up. A pinch goes over tomatoes and the rest of the bunch slowly goes black in the fridge door, so this is what I do with the end of it. A big handful of leaves goes through the juicer with two apples, two oranges and half a lemon, and it comes out a proper fresh green: perfumed and herby underneath, citrusy and sweet on top, because the oranges do most of the talking. It carries far more vitamin K than you would expect from a glass of juice, which is worth knowing about before you drink a pint of it.
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Kiwi Juice for Sleep: Cucumber, Apple and Lemon
A light, tart green glass built around kiwifruit, the one fruit with a small published study behind it for sleep. Cucumber keeps it gentle, one apple softens the tartness and the lemon lifts it, so it drinks like a fresh juice rather than a sweet smoothie.
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Mint, Orange and Apple Juice
Fresh mint is the reason this glass exists. It is the herb with the best published evidence behind it for attention and alertness, and it sits beautifully with sweet apple and a whole orange, with half a lemon to keep it bright. The result is a clean golden-green juice that is easy to drink on a working afternoon.
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Turmeric, Orange and Apple Juice
Fresh turmeric is earthy and a bit bitter on its own, so the orange and the apple are here to carry it and the ginger keeps it lively. It presses out to a bright golden orange that is thin and clear rather than syrupy, with around 470 mg of potassium and 85 mg of vitamin C a glass. I stir a pinch of black pepper in at the end, which is not a garnish but the one thing that genuinely helps your body use the curcumin in the turmeric, and I would rather tell you the honest dose story than pretend a glass is a supplement.
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Lemon Balm, Apple and Cucumber Juice
Lemon balm is the herb that made me start keeping a pot of it on the windowsill. It is in the mint family but it tastes of lemon rather than toothpaste, so it is a genuinely nice thing to drink rather than a shot to force down. Two green apples and half a cucumber carry it, half a lemon lifts it, and the only bit to get right is the order, because soft leaves just spin around against a dry basket.
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Lemongrass, Apple and Cucumber Juice
A sharp, clean green drink built around lemongrass rather than tea. Most lemongrass drinks are simmered with sugar, which cooks off the citral that makes the stalk smell of lemon, so this one keeps it raw and lets the apple and cucumber carry the volume.
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Strawberry Lemon Apple Spinach and Carrot Juice
A bright, kid-friendly juice that sneaks a big handful of spinach in under a strawberry and apple flavour.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer or blender and sieve
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 cup strawberries hulled
- 1/2 lemon peeled
- 2 apples cored
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 carrots scrubbed
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash the strawberries, spinach, apples and carrots. Hull the strawberries and core the apples.
- Feed the spinach and carrots through first, then the apples, strawberries and lemon.
- Stir, pour and enjoy immediately.
Blender method
- Chop everything roughly and add to a blender with a splash of water.
- Blend until completely smooth, then strain through a fine sieve or nut milk bag.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
Spinach is the quiet hero here: folate, iron and a stack of antioxidants for your brain, all hidden behind the strawberries. Frozen strawberries work fine too. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSodium: 80mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 8gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 9000IUVitamin C: 110mg
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Grapefruit Orange and Carrot Juice
A tangy citrus and carrot juice with a ginger kick, packed with vitamin C and beta-carotene.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer or blender and sieve
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 grapefruit peeled
- 2 oranges peeled
- 2 carrots scrubbed
- 1 inch ginger peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Peel the grapefruit and oranges and scrub the carrots.
- Juice the carrots and ginger first, then the citrus.
- Stir and serve immediately over ice.
Blender method
- Roughly chop everything and blend with a little water.
- Strain through a fine sieve to remove the pulp.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
Grapefruit can interact with some medications, so check with your pharmacist if you're on anything regular. The ginger adds warmth and a natural anti-inflammatory kick. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSodium: 60mgPotassium: 750mgFiber: 7gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 9000IUVitamin C: 150mg
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Blueberry Beet Apple Juice
Blueberries and beetroot, two of the best foods for memory and blood flow to the brain.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer or blender and sieve
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 beetroot scrubbed
- 1 apple cored
- 1/2 lemon peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Scrub the beetroot and core the apple.
- Juice the beetroot first, then the blueberries, apple and lemon.
- Stir and serve straight away.
Blender method
- Blend everything with a splash of water until smooth.
- Strain through a fine sieve and serve.
Notes
Blueberries are packed with anthocyanins, the compounds linked to better memory, and beetroot's nitrates help with blood flow to the brain. A genuinely good juice for focus. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gSodium: 70mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 6gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 1500IUVitamin C: 25mg
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Blackberry Beetroot Apple Juice
Blackberries, beetroot and apple in one dark, seasonal juice. Beetroot's nitrates support blood flow to the brain, which is why I reach for it when I need to focus.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer or blender and sieve
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 beetroot scrubbed and quartered
- 1 apple cored and quartered
- 1/2 lemon peeled
Optional
- 1 inch ginger peeled, optional for a bit of warmth
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash the blackberries and quarter the beetroot and apple so they fit the chute.
- Juice the beetroot first, then the apple, blackberries and lemon. Finish with the ginger if you're using it.
- Stir, pour over ice and serve straight away.
Blender method
- Quarter the beetroot and apple, then blend everything with 120ml of water until smooth.
- Strain through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to get every drop.
- Serve over ice.
Notes
Blackberries are in season from late summer and are free if you're near a hedgerow. Beetroot's nitrates are the point here, they help blood flow to the brain. Nutrition is an estimate per glass.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 1gSodium: 60mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 30mg
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Cherry Beet Focus Juice
A deep red juice of cherries, beetroot and apple, made to keep blood moving to your brain and give you a proper hit of antioxidants.
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 cups sweet cherries, pitted
- 1 medium beetroot, scrubbed and chopped
- 2 medium apples, cored
- 1/2 lemon, peeled
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled optional
Optional extras
- 1/2 cup blueberries optional, extra flavonoids
- 1 tbsp chia seeds optional, omega-3s
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash everything, then pit the cherries and peel the lemon.
- Feed the cherries, beetroot, apples, lemon and ginger through your juicer.
- Stir in the blueberries and chia seeds if you're using them.
- Pour into a chilled glass and drink straight away.
Blender method
- Roughly chop the beetroot and apples, then add everything to a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup of cold water.
- Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Strain through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve.
- Stir in the chia seeds if using, then serve.
Notes
Sweet cherries carry most of the flavour here and give the juice its deep red colour.
Beetroot and ginger can both be strong. Start with a smaller beetroot and a thin slice of ginger the first time, then add more to taste.
Nutrition figures are an estimate per glass and will vary with your exact ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 190kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 35mgPotassium: 600mgFiber: 7gSugar: 38gVitamin C: 26mg
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Pomegranate Blueberry Juice
A tart-sweet purple juice that's my go-to on days my concentration keeps slipping. Blueberries and pomegranate are both loaded with the plant compounds linked to better memory, and it takes 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 pomegranates, arils only about 3 cups of arils; pick out any white pith
- 250 g blueberries fresh or frozen, thawed first
- 1 large apple, cored a sweet variety keeps the juice from turning too tart
- 1/2 lemon, peeled the pith is what makes it bitter
- 100 ml cold water only if using the blender method
Instructions
Juicer method
- Cut the pomegranates in half and hold each half cut-side down over a bowl, knocking the skin firmly with a wooden spoon until the arils drop out. Pick out any white pith, it turns the juice bitter.
- Core the apple and peel the lemon half.
- Feed the apple through the juicer first, then the blueberries, then the pomegranate arils. The apple helps push the softer fruit through.
- Stir, pour into two glasses and drink straight away, over ice if you like it colder.
Blender method
- Prepare the fruit the same way: arils picked over, apple cored, lemon peeled.
- Tip everything into a high-speed blender with the cold water and blend on high for 60 seconds, until completely smooth.
- Pour through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve and squeeze out as much juice as you can.
- Taste, thin with a splash more water if you need to, and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 305mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 85IUVitamin C: 24mg
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Black Grape Juice
I started juicing black grapes when a bag went soft in the fruit bowl, and it turned out better than anything from a bottle: deep, sweet and properly grapey, with no added sugar. The dark skins carry polyphenols, the same compounds behind the small studies on grape juice and memory. Ten minutes from bunch to glass, and it keeps a couple of days in the fridge.
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
For the juice
- 700 g black seedless grapes washed and pulled from the stems; one generous bunch. Seeded black grapes juice fine too, but pick the pips out if you're using the blender method
- 1/2 lemon halved and juiced, pips out. It lifts a very sweet juice and stops it browning, but it's a background note, not a main flavour
- 100 ml cold water only for the blender method, to help the blades get going
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash the grapes and pull them off the stems. It's the fiddly bit, but big stalks can clog a juicer, so take a minute over the bowl.
- Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice into a jug, fishing out any pips.
- Feed the grapes through the juicer a handful at a time. The juice comes out deep purple, and the foam on top settles within a minute or two.
- Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and pour into glasses or an airtight bottle. It's best properly cold, so add ice or give it an hour in the fridge.
Blender method
- Prep the grapes the same way: washed, off the stems and into the blender jug. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
- Add the cold water and blend on high for 30 to 45 seconds until the grapes are completely broken down.
- Pour through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve and squeeze firmly to get every last drop. The pulp left behind goes straight on the compost.
- Taste and serve. The blender version has a little more body to it, which some people prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 210mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin C: 6mg
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Blueberry, Apple and Mint Juice
Blueberries are one of the few fruits with real research behind them for memory and thinking, and that is why I keep a bag of them in the freezer. Green apple keeps the glass drinkable rather than worthy, and mint stops it tasting flat. This is what I make on a morning when I have a lot of thinking to get through. It takes ten minutes and the colour alone is worth 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 if you are just starting out
Ingredients
- 200 g fresh blueberries frozen is fine too, no need to thaw
- 2 green apples cored and quartered
- 10 fresh mint leaves plus a sprig to serve
- 1/2 lemon peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the blueberries and pick out any stalks. Core and quarter the apples, then peel the lemon and cut it in half.
- Feed the apple through the juicer first, then the blueberries, then the mint and lemon. Berries are soft, so sandwiching them between the firmer apple keeps the pulp moving through the chute.
- Stir the juice, then pour it into two glasses over ice. Drink it the same day.
Blender method
- Put the blueberries, apple, mint and peeled lemon in a blender with 100ml cold water.
- Blend on high for 45 seconds until there are no lumps left.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon to get the last of the juice out.
- Serve over ice. If your apples are sharp, a teaspoon of honey takes the edge off.
Notes
Frozen blueberries work as well as fresh and are cheaper out of season. If you are using frozen, there is no need to thaw them first for the juicer, though the blender method is easier with them softened for a few minutes.
Do not skip the lemon. Blueberries are low in acid, and without it the juice tastes muddy.
It will separate as it sits. Give the glass a stir before you drink it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 250mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25gVitamin C: 22mg
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Tart Cherry and Grape Juice
Tart cherry juice is the one juice I actually drink at night. The sour cherries are the variety with the sleep research behind them, so I buy them frozen and defrost them rather than paying for a punnet of sweet ones in July. Grapes give it body and soften the sharpness, half a lemon keeps it from tasting like syrup, and you end up with a deep ruby glass in about ten minutes with nothing to cook. It is deliberately a small glass, not a pint.
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
- 250 g tart cherries frozen and defrosted sour cherries, or fresh Montmorency-style ones, pitted. Keep the juice that comes off them as they thaw
- 150 g red grapes about a small handful on the stalk, washed
- 0.5 lemon peeled down to the flesh, pith removed
- 100 ml cold water for the blender method only
Optional extras
- 10 g fresh ginger peeled, if you want a bit of warmth in it
- ground cinnamon a small pinch over the top before you drink it
Instructions
Juicer method
- Defrost the cherries if they are frozen and keep the liquid that comes off them. Pull the grapes off the stalk and wash them, and peel the lemon down to the flesh.
- Feed the cherries through the juicer first, then the grapes, then the lemon. Cherries are soft and give up their juice quickly, and the grapes push the last of the cherry pulp through behind them. Pour the cherry liquid you saved into the jug at the end.
- Stir it, pour it into two small glasses and drink it. If it is for bedtime, have it about an hour before you go up rather than as you are getting into bed.
Blender method
- Defrost the cherries, de-stalk and wash the grapes, peel the lemon, and cut everything into rough chunks. Put it all in the blender with 100ml of cold water.
- Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until you cannot see any flecks of grape skin. Grape skin is the slowest thing to break down, so give it another 15 seconds if you are unsure.
- Pour through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve and press the pulp with the back of a spoon to get the last of it out. Pour into two small glasses and drink it fresh.
Notes
Keeps for up to 24 hours in an airtight bottle in the fridge, though the colour dulls as it sits. Stir or shake it before you pour.
Worth knowing: this is not a low sugar drink. One glass carries roughly 22g of sugar, about the same as a small glass of orange juice, so keep it to one glass a night rather than topping up. Tart cherries contain a small amount of melatonin and the tryptophan your body uses to make more, which is where the sleep interest comes from, and trials on cherry juice and sleep have been small with modest results. Treat it as a wind-down drink, not a sleeping tablet, and if your sleep has been poor for months, that is worth a chat with your GP.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 370mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
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Beetroot and Blueberry Juice
Beetroot and blueberry is not a pairing you see very often, which is a shame, because between them they do most of the work on their own. The beetroot gives it body and that deep purple-red colour, the blueberries cut through the earthiness with something sharp and fruity. I make this on the days my head feels foggy and I have a long afternoon of writing ahead of me. It is not a gentle juice. It is thick, it stains, and it tastes like it means something.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer a slow juicer takes the dense beetroot more easily
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or a fine sieve
- 1 Airtight glass bottles if you must store it, but fresh is much better
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a cheaper slow juicer copes with beetroot fine
- 1 Budget blender works as long as you strain it well
Ingredients
- 3 medium beetroot about 400g, scrubbed, topped and tailed
- 200 g blueberries fresh, or frozen and thawed
- 100 ml cold water for the blender method, and to loosen the glass if you like
Instructions
Juicer method
- Scrub the beetroot under cold water rather than peeling it. Trim the leafy top off an inch above the root and cut away the tail, then cut each beetroot into wedges that fit your feed chute.
- Rinse the blueberries and pick out any stalks or soft ones. There is no need to hull or chop them.
- Switch the juicer on and feed the beetroot through first, one wedge at a time. Let each one clear before you add the next, because beetroot is heavy and it backs up quickly if you rush it.
- Follow with the blueberries. They go through fast and they help flush the last of the beetroot pulp out of the machine.
- Stir the juice, pour it into two glasses and drink it while it is fresh. It is a thick juice, so top it up with a splash of cold water if you would rather have it lighter.
Blender method
- Peel the beetroot this time, then cut it into rough 2cm chunks. The skin goes gritty in a blender in a way it does not in a juicer.
- Tip the beetroot and blueberries into the blender jug and add the 100ml of cold water. The water is not optional here, the mixture is too dry to move without it.
- Blend on high for 60 to 90 seconds, until there are no solid pieces of beetroot left and the colour is even.
- Pour the mixture through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug. Let it drain first, then press the pulp gently with the back of a spoon. Do not squeeze it hard.
- Give the jug a stir, pour into two glasses and drink straight away.
Notes
Beetroot is dense, and that is the only real difficulty here. Feed it through the juicer in wedges rather than whole chunks, and if your machine has a narrow chute, alternate the beetroot with a handful of blueberries so the pulp keeps moving instead of packing the basket. Empty the pulp container halfway through if it fills up, or your yield drops.
Do not press the pulp hard through the nut milk bag on the blender method. Gentle pressure gives you a clean juice. Lean on it and you push fine solids through, and the drink turns gritty within a minute.
Two things worth knowing. It separates fast, so stir it before every sip. And beetroot can turn your urine or stools pink for a day or so afterwards. That is harmless and it has a name, beeturia, but it catches people out the first time.
Nutrition
Calories: 140kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3.5gFat: 0.6gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1.9mg
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Apple, Lemon and Rosemary Juice
Apple juice with a piney lift from fresh rosemary and a squeeze of lemon. The rosemary is the whole point and it is a strong flavour, so three sprigs is where I stop. Apple and rosemary have been paired in juices and cordials for a long time and the combination works because the apple's sweetness carries the herb instead of fighting it.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
- 2 sweet apples Braeburn or Gala, roughly 300 g, cored and cut to fit your juicer
- 1 lemon unwaxed, peeled, as much of the white pith taken off as you can
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs leaves only, roughly 3 g
- 1 thumb of fresh ginger about 5 g, peeled. Optional, but it rounds the rosemary off nicely
Instructions
Juicer method
- Strip the rosemary leaves off the woody stems and throw the stems away. You want the needles only, about a tablespoon of them.
- Quarter the apples and peel the lemon, taking off as much of the white pith as you can.
- Feed the rosemary and the ginger through the juicer first, then the apples, then the lemon. Putting the apple through behind the herbs helps carry the rosemary oils out with the juice.
- Stir it, pour it into two glasses and drink it fresh. It keeps about 24 hours in a sealed bottle in the fridge, though the rosemary gets bolder the longer it stands.
Blender method
- Strip the rosemary leaves off the stems, chop the apples roughly, and peel the lemon and the ginger.
- Blend everything with 150 ml cold water for about 60 seconds until it is completely smooth.
- Tip the lot into a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug and squeeze the liquid through. Rosemary needles are tough so do not skip this step, the point is the clear juice, not the puree.
- Serve as is, or over ice if you want it cold.
Notes
Rosemary is a strong herb, so start with two sprigs if it is new to you and build up. In normal food amounts it is fine for most people, but if you are pregnant or you take warfarin or another blood thinner, keep to cooking-sized amounts and check with your GP before making a habit of it. Use the rosemary while it is fresh and bendy. The dry stuff tastes dusty in a juice and the difference is obvious.
Nutrition
Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 1gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.3mg
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Sage, Apple and Cucumber Juice
Apple and cucumber juice with a small handful of fresh sage. Sage has more human trial evidence behind it for memory than any other kitchen herb, and it makes a genuinely good drink rather than a medicinal one: the apple carries the herb so it tastes green and herbal instead of bitter, and the cucumber keeps it light. Use the leaves while they are fresh and bendy, the dried stuff tastes dusty in a glass.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch of fresh sage leaves about 15 g, picked off the woody stalks
- 2 crisp green apples Granny Smith or similar, roughly 300 g, cored and cut to fit your juicer
- 1/2 cucumber about 150 g, roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon unwaxed, peel left on
Instructions
Juicer method
- Pick the sage leaves off the woody stalks and rinse them. You want a small handful, about 15 g, which is roughly a loosely packed cup.
- Quarter the apples and cut out the cores. Chop the cucumber into chunks and cut the lemon in half, leaving the peel on.
- Juice the apples and the cucumber first, then put the sage through sandwiched between two pieces of apple, which stops the leaves clogging the machine. Finish with the lemon.
- Stir it, pour it into two glasses and drink it straight away. It keeps about 24 hours in a sealed bottle in the fridge, though the sage gets bolder the longer it stands.
Blender method
- Pick the sage leaves off the stalks, core the apples, and roughly chop the cucumber and the lemon, leaving the peel on.
- Blend everything with 150 ml of cold water for about 60 seconds, until there are no large pieces of apple left.
- Tip the lot into a nut milk bag or a fine sieve set over a jug and squeeze the liquid through, then throw the pulp away. Skipping this step leaves you with a thick green puree rather than a drink.
- Serve as it is, or over ice if you want it cold. Give it a stir first because it settles as it stands.
Notes
Sage is a strong herb, so a small handful is plenty and any more turns the glass bitter. In the amounts you would cook with it is fine for most people, but three things are worth knowing. Sage has a long traditional use for drying up breast milk, so if you are breastfeeding keep to culinary amounts or leave it out. If you take warfarin or another blood thinner, the vitamin K in the leaves matters and you should speak to your GP before making a habit of this. And the concentrated sage essential oil is a completely different product that is not meant to be swallowed, so keep it out of the juice. Fresh leaves only, they go dull in the fridge within a few days.
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.05gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 310mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 0.7mg
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Basil, Orange and Apple Juice
Basil is the herb I never manage to use up. A pinch goes over tomatoes and the rest of the bunch slowly goes black in the fridge door, so this is what I do with the end of it. A big handful of leaves goes through the juicer with two apples, two oranges and half a lemon, and it comes out a proper fresh green: perfumed and herby underneath, citrusy and sweet on top, because the oranges do most of the talking. It carries far more vitamin K than you would expect from a glass of juice, which is worth knowing about before you drink a pint of it.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the juice
- 2 sweet apples such as Gala or Braeburn, about 300 g, cored and quartered, skin left on
- 2 oranges about 400 g, peeled and pulled into segments
- 30 g fresh basil leaves a big handful, thick woody stems removed
- 1/2 unwaxed lemon juiced, to taste
Instructions
Juicer method
- Pick the basil leaves off the thick woody stems and rinse them. Keep the small tender stems, they juice perfectly well, but the thick ones just wrap themselves round the blades and stop the fruit travelling.
- Wash the apples and cut them into quarters, core and all, leaving the skin on. Feed one apple through the juicer, then half the basil, then the second apple, then the rest of the basil. Sandwiching soft herb between hard fruit is what pushes it through cleanly instead of clogging the screen.
- Peel the oranges and pull the segments apart. Juice them a few at a time, or press them with a citrus press and stir the juice in with the apple and basil if your machine struggles with citrus. Same drink either way.
- Squeeze in the lemon to taste, stir, and pour into two glasses. Drink it straight away, the basil goes a bit dull within an hour or two.
Blender method
- Pick the basil leaves from the thick stems. Peel the oranges and flick out any pips. Core the apples and chop them into chunks, skin on.
- 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.
- Squeeze in the lemon, stir, pour over ice and drink straight away.
Nutrition
Calories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 480mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 1200IUVitamin C: 95mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 0.8mg
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Kiwi Juice for Sleep: Cucumber, Apple and Lemon
A light, tart green glass built around kiwifruit, the one fruit with a small published study behind it for sleep. Cucumber keeps it gentle, one apple softens the tartness and the lemon lifts it, so it drinks like a fresh juice rather than a sweet smoothie.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
For the juice
- 3 ripe green kiwifruit peeled (about 225 g)
- 1 cucumber about 300 g
- 1 sweet apple about 150 g
- 1/2 unwaxed lemon peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Peel the kiwis and cut them into halves. Top and tail the cucumber and cut it into batons long enough to fit your feed chute. Quarter and core the apple, and peel the lemon.
- Feed everything through the juicer, alternating the soft kiwi with the firmer apple and cucumber so the pulp keeps moving.
- Stir, pour over ice if you like, and drink it fresh. It keeps for a few hours in the fridge, so make just what you need.
Blender method
- Peel the kiwis and the lemon, roughly chop the cucumber and apple, and put everything in a high-speed blender with 150 ml of cold water.
- Blitz for 45 to 60 seconds until completely smooth.
- Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp to get all the liquid out. Kiwi seeds and skin turn the drink gritty, so do not skip this step.
- Chill and drink within a day.
Notes
Peel the kiwis. The skin is safe to eat but it leaves the juice gritty, and fresh kiwi also contains actinidin, a protein-digesting enzyme, which is why some people find a lot of raw kiwi tingles or prickles on the lips. Sip it rather than gulp it if you are sensitive.
Nutrition
Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gFat: 0.9gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 672mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 120mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 0.9mg
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Mint, Orange and Apple Juice
Fresh mint is the reason this glass exists. It is the herb with the best published evidence behind it for attention and alertness, and it sits beautifully with sweet apple and a whole orange, with half a lemon to keep it bright. The result is a clean golden-green juice that is easy to drink on a working afternoon.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
Juice
- 1 large handful fresh mint leaves and tender stalks, about 25 g
- 2 sweet apples about 300 g, quartered and cored
- 1 orange large, peeled, about 180 g of flesh
- 1/2 unwaxed lemon peeled
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the mint well and pick the leaves away from the tougher lower stalks. Quarter and core the apples, peel the orange and the lemon, and cut the apple and orange into pieces that fit your feed chute.
- Feed the apple through first, then the orange, then the mint, alternating the mint with pieces of fruit so the soft leaves never sit alone in the basket. Finish with the lemon.
- Give the juice a stir, pour it into two glasses over ice if you like, and drink it the same day.
Blender method
- Put the mint, the peeled orange, the peeled lemon and 150 ml of cold water into the blender and blitz until the leaves are completely broken down.
- Add the chopped apple and blitz again for about 30 seconds.
- Tip the lot through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon, then serve over ice.
Notes
Mint relaxes the valve at the top of the stomach, so for some people it makes reflux or heartburn worse. If that is you, keep this to a small glass or leave the mint out. Mint's strongest clinical evidence is actually for IBS, and that comes from concentrated peppermint oil capsules, which is nothing like the dose in a handful of leaves. If you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, remember that mint is high in vitamin K, so keep your intake steady.
Nutrition
Calories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 415mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 740IUVitamin C: 66mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 1mg
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Turmeric, Orange and Apple Juice
Fresh turmeric is earthy and a bit bitter on its own, so the orange and the apple are here to carry it and the ginger keeps it lively. It presses out to a bright golden orange that is thin and clear rather than syrupy, with around 470 mg of potassium and 85 mg of vitamin C a glass. I stir a pinch of black pepper in at the end, which is not a garnish but the one thing that genuinely helps your body use the curcumin in the turmeric, and I would rather tell you the honest dose story than pretend a glass is a supplement.
Equipment
- Nut milk bag
Ingredients
- 30 g fresh turmeric root about three thumbs. Scrub rather than peel, then slice thinly
- 15 g fresh ginger root a piece about the size of your thumb
- 2 large oranges peeled (about 300 g of flesh)
- 2 sweet apples cored (about 300 g)
- 0.5 unwaxed lemon peeled if you want it less bitter
- 1 small pinch freshly ground black pepper stirred in at the end. This is the bit that matters for the turmeric
Instructions
Juicer method
- Scrub the turmeric and the ginger under the tap rather than peeling them, then slice the turmeric thinly. Turmeric is dense and woody, so thin slices save your machine a job.
- Peel the oranges and quarter the apples. Run the orange and the apple through the juicer first so the basket is already wet when the roots arrive.
- Feed the turmeric, ginger and lemon through next, and alternate each piece of root with a piece of apple. Dry roots on their own will just spin around the basket.
- Stir in the pinch of black pepper and pour straight into glasses or a bottle. Turmeric settles as it stands, so give it a stir before you drink it.
Blender method
- Cut the turmeric and the ginger into small pieces and put them in the blender with the peeled oranges and 150 ml of cold water. Blend for a full minute.
- Pour that through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug and squeeze the pulp properly. Turmeric pulp holds on to a lot of liquid, so give it a good press.
- Blend the apples and the lemon with another 100 ml of water, then strain that through the same bag and stir the two lots together.
- Stir in the pinch of black pepper and drink it the same day.
Notes
Fresh turmeric root is worth buying rather than using the powder, but be realistic about the dose. The curcumin in turmeric is fat soluble and badly absorbed on its own, which is why the trial that showed a memory and mood benefit used a specially formulated high absorption curcumin at 90 mg twice a day for eighteen months (Small et al., 2018, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry), not a glass of juice. A glass of this is an ordinary food amount, so treat it as a bright daily habit rather than a memory pill. The black pepper is not folklore: piperine really does raise curcumin absorption substantially (Shoba et al., 1998, Planta Medica), though with no fat in the glass it only gets you so far. Two practical warnings. Turmeric stains everything, so rinse the juicer parts, the colander and the chopping board straight away and keep it away from pale worktops and pale shirts. And if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, keep your turmeric intake steady and mention it to your GP, because turmeric has a mild antiplatelet effect; anyone with gallstones should ask their GP first too, since turmeric makes the gallbladder work harder, and high doses are best avoided in pregnancy.
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 0.6gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 470mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 400IUVitamin C: 85mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 0.4mg
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Lemon Balm, Apple and Cucumber Juice
Lemon balm is the herb that made me start keeping a pot of it on the windowsill. It is in the mint family but it tastes of lemon rather than toothpaste, so it is a genuinely nice thing to drink rather than a shot to force down. Two green apples and half a cucumber carry it, half a lemon lifts it, and the only bit to get right is the order, because soft leaves just spin around against a dry basket.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer apple and cucumber first so the basket is wet
- 1 Nut milk bag
Ingredients
You'll need
- 15 g fresh lemon balm leaves a big handful, stalks and all
- 2 sweet apples about 300 g, cored and quartered
- 1/2 cucumber about 150 g, cut into chunks that fit your feed chute
- 1/2 unwaxed lemon rind left on if it is unwaxed, peeled if you would rather it was milder
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the lemon balm and pick out any thick woody stalks. Quarter the apples and cut out the cores, and cut the cucumber into chunks small enough for your feed chute.
- Juice the apple and the cucumber first, so the basket and the filter are already wet before any leaf goes in.
- Feed the lemon balm through a small handful at a time, alternating it with the last of the apple. Soft leaves against a dry basket simply spin, and you want them dragged through the blades rather than flung at the wall.
- Juice the lemon half last, stir, then taste. Drink it straight away, or pour it into a sealed bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Blender method
- Put the lemon balm leaves in the blender with 150 ml cold water and blend for 30 seconds, until the water is properly green. Strain that through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve into a jug.
- Rinse the blender, then blend the apple, cucumber and lemon (peel it first if it is waxed) with 100 ml cold water until smooth.
- Strain the fruit through the same bag or sieve, then stir the two liquids together. Doing the leaves on their own is worth the extra jug, because it lets you press the flavour out of them instead of leaving it trapped in the fruit pulp.
Notes
Lemon balm is one of the easiest herbs to grow and it dies back completely with the first frost, so an early autumn cut is the last of it until spring. If the only lemon balm you can find is a dried tea bag, this is the recipe where that really matters: the lemony scent comes from volatile oils such as citral, and they are the first thing to disappear when the leaf is dried or heated, which is the whole reason a fresh glass is worth the effort. Two honest points on the evidence. The trials that get quoted used standardised extracts of dried leaf, usually 300 to 600 mg, and the one that used an actual lemon balm drink rather than capsules still worked from a measured dose, so a handful of fresh leaves is an ordinary food amount rather than a dose. Treat this as a calm glass at the end of the day, not as a treatment. Second, lemon balm is in the mint family and it can interfere with thyroid medicine: there is a published case of a man on levothyroxine whose TSH rose steadily while he was drinking lemon balm tea, so if you take thyroid tablets, ask your pharmacist before making this a daily habit. The vitamin C in the glass, around 25 mg, comes from the apple and the lemon rather than the herb. Straining takes the fibre out, so a glass is not the same as eating the fruit. Lemon balm leaf is also high in vitamin K by weight, so if you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, keep your intake steady and mention it to your clinic.
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 330mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 350IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 0.7mg
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Lemongrass, Apple and Cucumber Juice
A sharp, clean green drink built around lemongrass rather than tea. Most lemongrass drinks are simmered with sugar, which cooks off the citral that makes the stalk smell of lemon, so this one keeps it raw and lets the apple and cucumber carry the volume.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer a masticating juicer handles grass fibre better than a centrifugal one
- 1 Budget cold press juicer the cheaper option, just feed the lemongrass cores slowly
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Budget blender works fine here, blend a little longer
- 1 Nut milk bag for straining the blended version
- 2 Airtight glass bottles for taking it to work
Ingredients
- 4 lemongrass stalks tough outer leaves and woody tops removed, pale cores only, about 40 g
- 2 crisp green apples about 300 g, quartered, skin on
- 1 cucumber about 300 g, cut into lengths that fit your chute
- 0.5 lemon about 40 g, peel left on
Instructions
Juicer method
- Strip the lemongrass. Pull off the dry outer leaves, cut away the root end and the woody top two thirds, and keep only the pale core, roughly the bottom 10 cm of each stalk. Bruise each core once with the back of a knife so the oils start to open.
- Wash the apples and the cucumber. Quarter the apples and leave the skin on, because that is where most of the colour and a good deal of the flavour sits. Cut the cucumber into lengths that fit your feed chute and halve the lemon.
- Start with the cucumber. It is the wettest thing here and it coats the basket, which stops the grass fibres from clogging the mesh straight away.
- Feed the apple through, then alternate the lemongrass cores with the rest of the apple so the fibrous grass is always sandwiched between wet fruit.
- Push the lemon through last, peel and all. Stir once and drink it, or bottle it and chill it. It will separate after about ten minutes, which is normal, so give it a stir or a shake before pouring.
Blender method
- Prepare the lemongrass the same way, then slice the pale cores as finely as you can. Grass fibre is long and stringy and a blender will not break it down, it will only wrap it around the blades.
- Chop the apples and cucumber roughly and put everything into the blender with 150 ml of cold water. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, until there are no large pieces left.
- Squeeze the lemon in at the end rather than blending it, so the pith does not turn the drink bitter.
- Strain through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon. Go slowly on the first squeeze, because lemongrass fibre will blind a fine mesh if you rush it.
- Chill for ten minutes before drinking. The blended version comes out a little warmer and more grassy than the juiced one, so taste it before you decide it needs anything else.
Notes
Only the pale core of a lemongrass stalk is worth juicing. The outer leaves are tough and taste of very little, and the woody top third will wrap around a juicer's mesh and jam it. Strip each stalk down to about 10 cm of pale core before you start.
Drink it the day you make it. It separates within ten minutes of standing, which is normal for a juice with no pulp in it, so stir or shake before you pour. Keeps about 24 hours in a sealed bottle in the fridge.
If it tastes soapy or perfumed, you have used too much lemongrass. Four stalks is right for two glasses, and the flavour should sit behind the apple rather than in front of it.
Nutrition
Calories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 460mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 240IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1.3mg
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My kids actually drink this one. Result.
The ginger gives it a proper kick.
Love the colour, and it tastes great.