I started juicing leeks out of curiosity, because everyone juices celery and nobody juices its bigger, milder cousin. Raw leek is sharper than it smells in a soup pot, and my first attempt was rough. Paired with sweet apples and cucumber it settles into something I actually make now, a savoury green glass with a warm onion note underneath. One honest thing to get out of the way first: a leek is not the low-calorie vegetable people assume it is, and I explain why below.
Why these ingredients work
A leek is the first allium on this site, and that matters more than the calorie count. Alliums are among the best studied vegetables for gut and heart health, and a leek carries the same organosulfur compounds as garlic and onion only milder, plus kaempferol and inulin-type fructans, the prebiotic fibre that feeds your gut bacteria. The honest caveat is that the “leek juice regulates digestion and lowers blood pressure” lines you see on juicing blogs are borrowed from research on the vegetable and on garlic and onion extracts, not from any trial of leek juice itself. The apples bring sweetness and pectin, the cucumber brings water and a clean base, and the lemon brings vitamin C, which also helps you absorb the iron the leek carries. Because juicing leaves the bulky fibre behind in the pulp, a glass is far lighter than eating the same leeks, so treat this as a pleasant drink rather than a fibre supplement. One safety note: leeks are high in vitamin K, so if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, keep your intake steady and tell your clinic.
FAQ
Does leek juice actually help digestion?
There is a reasonable case for it. Leeks contain inulin-type fructans, a prebiotic fibre, and unlike the tougher cellulose in a leek these partly dissolve, so a share of them survives the juicer and reaches your gut rather than the bin. The allium family in general has a strong evidence base for gut and heart health. The honest limits: nobody has run a trial on leek juice itself, the amount in one glass is modest, and if you want the full prebiotic effect you are better off eating leeks. One caution worth knowing: alliums, leeks included, are a common trigger for wind and bloating in IBS because of those same fructans, so start with a small glass if your gut is sensitive.
Is leek juice low in calories?
No, and it is worth saying plainly because celery juice has trained everyone to expect otherwise. A raw leek is around 61 kcal per 100 g, nearly double a cucumber, because it carries real carbohydrate. With the apple, cucumber and lemon, one of these glasses lands at roughly 145 kcal and about 20 g of sugar, so it is a proper drink to have with a meal rather than a cleansing tonic.
Can you juice leeks raw?
Yes. Raw leek is milder than onion or garlic, so the juice tastes savoury and gently sweet rather than hot, especially once the apple is in. Cooking softens it further but also destroys the vitamin C and much of the allium chemistry, which is the main reason to juice it in the first place. The one thing you cannot skip is washing: leeks grow in sandy soil and the grit hides deep between the layers, so split them lengthways and rinse properly.
More digestion recipes: see the full Digestion collection.
Leek Juice for Digestion: Apple, Cucumber and Lemon
Equipment
- 1 Juicer Any juicer works. A masticating or cold press juicer handles the soft leek best; on a centrifugal machine feed the leek in behind the apple so the fibres do not wrap around the basket.
- 1 Budget cold press juicer The cheapest sensible way in if you are not sure how often you will juice.
- 1 High-speed blender For the blender method, if you do not have a juicer.
- 1 Nut milk bag For straining the blended version.
- 1 Airtight glass bottles For keeping it in the fridge for a day.
Ingredients
- 1 leek a medium leek, about 150 g, white and pale green parts only, split lengthways and washed well to shift the grit
- 2 sweet apples crisp eating apples such as Gala or Pink Lady, about 300 g, cored and quartered but not peeled
- 1/2 cucumber about 150 g, roughly chopped
- 1 unwaxed lemon peeled, or just the juice if you want it milder
- 1 fresh ginger a small thumb-sized piece, about 10 g, peeled (optional)
Instructions
Juicer method
- Split the leek lengthways and rinse between the layers. Leeks grow in sandy soil and the grit hides right down inside, so this is the one step worth taking slowly.
- Trim off the dark green tops and the root end, keeping the white and pale green stalk. The dark leaves are tough and bitter and only dull the juice.
- Quarter and core the apples but leave the skins on, chop the cucumber roughly, and peel the lemon and the ginger.
- Feed everything through the juicer, alternating the leek with the apple so the softer leek does not clog the basket. Strain through a fine sieve if you want it completely clear.
- Drink straight away over ice, or pour into a sealed bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Blender method
- Chop the leek, apples, cucumber, peeled lemon and ginger into small pieces and put them in the blender with 150 ml of cold water.
- Blend on high for about a minute until there are no big pieces left.
- Tip the lot into a nut milk bag or a double layer of muslin over a jug and squeeze hard until only dry pulp is left.
- Serve over ice, or bottle and chill for up to 24 hours.