Choosing the best juicer can transform your home health game, whether you’re making a ginger shot or a tall glass of celery juice to boost your five-a-day. Even if you’re not fussed about the health benefits and just want to cut down on the cost of buying fresh cartons of juice, the best juicer will extract every last drop of orange, apple, and mango juice from your fresh fruit to deliver a tasty drink for a weekend treat.
There are two main types of juicers: masticating, and centrifugal. A centrifugal juicer is often cheaper, and mimics the best blender in shredding fruits and vegetables using blades. The is then strained away from the pulp, and poured directly into your glass. A masticating juicer, also known as a cold press juicer, will slowly remove the juice from fruits by replicating a hand-juicing motion. This can be more expensive, but it will leave the fibres in your drink intact, which means they are often seen as a healthier choice.
We have also included a citrus juicer in our guide to the best juicers. A citrus juicer is only suitable for those who want fresh-squeezed oranges, grapefruit, and lemons, but they have a spinning reamer that will take all of the hard work out of making fresh juice. When testing the best juicers we checked for key indicators of a good juicer. The main one is how dry the pulp is, because this means that the maximum amount of juice has been extracted from your ingredients. Juicers are known to be quite hard to clean, so we also considered the cleaning process and the setup process.
Best juicer overall
Type: Centrifugal
Reasons to buy:
• Reasonably priced
• Two speeds
• Excellent recipe book
Reasons to avoid:
• The pulp chamber is a little small
Nutribullet is making home juicing easy with its original juicer. Simply named the Nutribullet Juicer, it comes with a central column for extraction and an external pulp container. The recipe book is glorious, with plenty of inspiring suggestions for health shots and even recipes to use up the pulp once you’re done, which is a fantastic touch for those who hate waste.
We found that our juice was mostly froth-free and packed with delicious flavour when testing. There are two speeds, high and low, and the instruction book guides you through which setting to use on which fruits and vegetables to help you improvise your own recipes. As with all centrifugal models, it’s quite noisy, and when juicing apples whole we had to push quite firmly to get the process going. When it begins juicing though, fresh produce is done in seconds.
Juice output was reasonably high, but because it juices so fast we did find that softer ingredients like celery and mango had a higher moisture content when testing the pulp. The outer pulp container fills up a little fast if you’re doing juice for a crowd, but it’s easy enough to clean thanks to the angled brush that is designed to scrape all the excess away and scrub the centrifugal mesh. Most parts are dishwasher-safe, which is a real relief when it comes to home juicing. Oh, and did we mention that this juicer is under £100?
Ideal Home’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Read our full Nutribullet Juicer review
Best slow juicer
Type: Masticating
Reasons to buy:
• Reasonably priced
• For a masticating it’s easy to use
• Storage-friendly
Reasons to avoid:
• Chute could be wider
There are probably three things that can stop juicing from becoming a habit – extensive food prep, more hassle than juice and cleaning up afterwards. Fortunately, these are all points that the Philips Viva Cold Press Masticating Slow Juicer can help with. All detachable parts are dishwasher safe, and the machine is designed to be cleaned in 90 seconds for repeat usage. The feeding chute is wide enough to fit a whole apple, although we found it was still better to cut up large apples as the 70mm feeding chute is not wide enough for everything.
As with most masticating juicers we found that it performed much better when we chopped up the ingredients before juicing, because it would struggle to get through apple skin or orange pips. However, it’s a sturdy choice that impressed us with how quiet it was during operation. Our juice had a higher pulp content than most, but it was low in froth because of the slow speeds when juicing.
This juicer isn’t too expensive given that it’s a masticating juicer with a sturdy design. The footprint is also not too expansive, which is great news for smaller kitchens. The Philips Viva Cold Press Masticating Slow Juicer also comes with a container that can fit up to a litre of juice, but the pulp collector is a little on the small side. We found that the pulp was a little damp on testing, but the 80% extraction claim generally holds true.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Read our full Philips Viva Collection Masticating Juicer review
Best juicer for serious juicing fans
Type: Cold press
Reasons to buy:
• Superior quality
• Separate citrus module
• High juice yield
Reasons to avoid:
• Struggled with more fibrous ingredients
Getting the most out of your fruit and veg isn’t always easy but this is the cold press juicing machine to solve all your yield issues. It’s ideal for tackling the trickiest ingredients, such as green leafy veg, as well as being able to make dairy-free milks from nuts and purées for baby food and sauces.
Bolt on the separate citrus module and it’ll also function as a reamer so you can juice limes, lemons and oranges without peeling. The secret to its success is in the clever design. Where it differs from many slow juicers is that it has an 82mm feed chute equipped with a flip gate rather than a fin to protect your fingers.
No fin means it can handle the larger chunks of fruit and veg (including small whole apples) most slow models can’t – so there’s less food prep and waiting around for your morning juice medley.
Other features we found useful include the drip-stop spout (so you can mix juice in the machine as well as protect your worktop from mess) and wrap-around brush for the filter, so clean up was straightforward (although it’s not dishwasher-safe).
In tests, we found it performed well with hard fruit, such as apples, as only dry pulp was ejected, while one piece of fruit produced a good 100ml of juice, and the same with oranges – three fruit yielded 250ml. Pineapple also processed efficiently, although mango and ginger root were trickier and tended to leave pulp wrapped around the inside.
It also made smooth almond milk – thinner than pre-made but with the bonus of being able to use the waste pulp in recipes. The only elements to be aware of is that it’s heavy, so best as a permanent worktop resident, and it’s pricey, so a more suitable choice for juice devotees rather than those who enjoy an occasional glass.
Ideal Home’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best budget juicer
Type: Centrifugal
Reasons to buy:
• Great value for money
• Good extraction
• Comes with a useful jug
Reasons to avoid:
• A tricky machine to clean
Budget-friendly and surprisingly high quality, the Stellar Electricals Juice Extractor is a great centrifugal juicer. It has two speeds, which is great for different types of fruit and veg, and there’s a handy guide that breaks down which foods to juice at which speed. The lid locks tightly into place using the panels at the front and back, and when plugged in the switch glows blue, indicating that it’s ready to juice.
This juicer comes with a handy jug that’s marked with measurements at the side. We used it to make a mix of smooth and more frothy drinks, from celery juice (not a favourite) to apple and ginger. When we encountered a lot of foam this wasn’t a concern, because the clever central panel in the 1.25 litre jug catches any froth as you pour, meaning you’re left with a smooth fresh drink. This is a noisy option and we found that it juices incredibly fast, even with solid veggies such as carrot.
As with most juicers, it’s a nightmare to clean. All the attachments can be placed in a dishwasher but because the lid of the jug can’t be removed we found that it’s easier to clean this part by hand. Another plus is that you can place apples and oranges in this juicer completely whole, which cuts back on prep time significantly.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Best citrus juicer
Type: Citrus
Reasons to buy:
• It’s a beautiful machine
• Easy to use and clean
• Drip-free spout
Reasons to avoid:
• Not so versatile
The Smeg CJF01 Citrus Juicer is no multi-tasker, but it is a beautiful appliance that we would never want to take off the kitchen counter. It’s larger than most citrus juicers (about the size of a small kettle) but immensely easy to use and set up. The electric juicer starts to spin as soon as you apply the pressure of lemon or orange, and this is strained by a removable pulp filter.
Simply click down the side spout to fill a cup with fresh OJ or lemonade, and enjoy. As the name suggests, you can’t juice anything other than citrus in this option, but it’s a fantastic brunch companion that comes in a massive range of colours. We were really impressed with the yield, and it feels intuitive to press down on when you’re holding your halved orange or grapefruit. Another great feature is the spout, which is drip-free and clicks down to release your juice when you’re ready to pour.
The body is made of die-cast aluminum which feels classy and high-quality, and the attachments are all dishwasher safe. We found that rinsing everything straight after use was an adequate way of keeping the juicer clean, though.
Ideal Home’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Best juicer for beginners
Type: Centrifugal
Reasons to buy:
• Wide feeding chute
• Not too noisy
• Can take whole apples
Reasons to avoid:
• No anti-drip spout
The centrifugal Nutri Juicer Cold XL is easy to assemble, feels reassuringly robust, cuts down on chopping with its 88mm chute (which can accommodate whole apples) and everything can go in the dishwasher, with the exception of the pusher, or be rinsed in seconds.
All of which means you can make juice quickly and with minimum mess. There’s also a quiet option for processing soft fruit, so you don’t have to let everyone for miles around know that you’re juicing, and a boost option for tackling hard veg.
Besides its speeds, there are smart design features, such as its large pulp container and two-litre juice jug with an airtight lid, meaning that you can juice a batch and it’ll keep for up to three days in the fridge, and a flexible nozzle that allows you to juice straight into a glass.
However, it’s worth noting a few downsides, such as the lack of recipes included and the fact that there’s no anti-drip spout, so it’s wise to keep a glass in place after you’ve finished or face cleaning up splashes. In our tests we used the quiet speed to juice citrus fruit, which worked fairly well, although there was more moisture left in the pulp than we would have liked. Two oranges made about 100ml of juice, which was quite foamy and would have benefited from a separator within the jug. Spinach leaves produced a lot of waste with not much juice.
However, we had more success with apples on boost, which created a clear, sweet juice with no visible residue, and pears using the fast speed. Both produced minimal dry pulp and a good amount of juice for the fruit used. As long as you’re not juicing wheatgrass, this is a great all-rounder of a machine, though you may need to experiment with the speeds to get the best results.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best for value juicer for money
Type: Centrifugal
Reasons to buy:
• Fast to use
• Impressive yield
• Low-maintenace
Reasons to avoid:
• Noisy
Efficient, easy to assemble and packed with features, the Identity Spin juicer delivers plenty of bang for your buck. Not only will it whizz through large pieces of fruit and vegetables in seconds, with even whole apples fitting down its 7.5cm chute, but the anti-drip and anti-splash spout also ensures your worktop stays spotless throughout.
A 900W motor and two speeds help it adapt to hard and soft fruit, while a 1.25-litre lidded jug with a foam separator allows you to store juice. The machine is especially noisy in operation. In testing, it produced a glass of juice in around 15 seconds, a good yield that was only slightly less than more expensive machines.
Where the Identity Spin may not appeal to everyone is in its equally efficient design – it’s rather chunky, and at a weighty 6.2kg, not as suitable for lifting in and out of a cupboard. However, clean-up is a big win for fans of low-maintenance kit – all the parts are dishwasher-safe and there’s a cleaning brush for whisking away stubborn fibres from the micro-mesh filter.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best juicer for small kitchens
Type: Masticating
Reasons to buy:
• Easy to store
• Can take heavy use
Reasons to avoid:
• Prone to surges
• Could use better guidance in recipes
If the idea of yet another appliance cluttering your kitchen fills you with horror, you’ll love this clever compact juicer. Measuring a mere 11cm wide, it’s skinny, stylish and a doodle to stash away thanks to dedicated cable storage and parts that fit inside the pulp container. It’s simple to assemble and afterwards, can be cleaned by hand in less than a minute.
The Avance has a few quirks, however. One is a narrow feed tube, so while you might save time on cleaning up, you’ll spend some of that chopping beforehand. It’s also prone to surges when food needs a firm push through, so it may splash the worktop. The recipe book would benefit from some extra guidance amongst the ideas, too.
Those things aside, the juicing yield is high, it’s near-impossible to clog as there’s no sieve, and it’s quiet enough to maintain a conversation while it’s in use. Pricey for a machine that only produces juice, the Avance’s diminutive size and minimal maintenance makes up for this.
Ideal Home’s rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Best juicer for style
Type: Masticating
Reasons to buy:
• Gorgeous design
• Two strainer options
• Comes with cleaning brushes
Reasons to avoid:
• That price tag
Start saving up now for this gorgeous, design-led masticating juicer. In contrast to all the contemporary versions on the market, this machine combines retro curves with modern technology – but it comes with a premium price tag.
Available in four colours, it’s not only impressive to look at on the kitchen worktop, it’s also fantastically functional. Inside it boasts a 43rpm squeezing system with a choice of two strainers – fine and coarse – for creating silky smooth or thicker juice with pulp.
These were more difficult to clean than some but the included brushes were invaluable. Another notable feature is its density regulator lever that helps to get the last few drops out at the end. The slow juicer performed well in testing, producing a high yield quickly from both hard and soft fruit and vegetables, but that’s not the only good reason to buy.
What’s just as convincing is its impressive construction: combining an auger made from durable material Ultem, a 150W induction motor and a sturdy base, this feels every inch a machine that’ll be happily juicing for years to come.
Ideal Home’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Best budget slow juicer
Type: Centrifugal
Reasons to buy:
• An entry-level option
• Handles soft ingredients well
• Easy to clean
Reasons to avoid:
• A fussier choice
If you’re thinking of starting a fresh juice habit and aren’t willing to budge from a cold press model, this is a good pick. For starters, there are two filters, so you can choose from a variety of different pulp levels. The whole thing slots together very easily, and it’s certainly appealing for its compact dimensions. The feeding chute is small though, so it’s best to chop up fruit in advance.
Because it’s a cold press juicer this machine works very slowly. It also has a sensitivity to seeds and skin, so we found that there was a lot of prep needed to get a quality glass of juice.On the plus side though, it’s a very quiet machine, and most of the parts can go in the dishwasher. The price is also very reasonable for a cold press juicer.
When we juiced apples the machine definitely struggled on the finest pulp setting, and we had our best results when using the most easygoing filter. It also helped to peel the apples in advance, otherwise the skin clogged up as it left the machine and made our lives a bit trickier.
Ideal Home’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
NutriBullet juicer
This guide was first written by Rachel Ogden, a very experienced homes and interiors journalist who has reviewed hundreds of kitchen appliances over the years both on Ideal Home and at Trusted Reviews. When she first wrote the guide, Rachel reviewed all of the juicers hands-on and included her thoughts when writing the guide, so every product we feature here has been tried and tested by the Ideal Home team.
The best juicer guide is now managed by Millie Fender, our in-house small appliance expert who tests all the top juicers and new releases on a rolling basis. When testing Millie takes into account the ease of assembly and general use, the amount of froth and pulp in the finished juice, and the speed at which a juicer can produce juice. Of course, different types of juicers can produce fresh juice at different speeds, so if you’re someone who wants a speedy apple juice in the morning, it will be useful for you to know what to expect with your potential purchase.
Millie has also written a few standalone reviews of some of the top juicers in this guide, so you can click through and read about her experiences juicing everything from apples to celery, and hear how easy the juicer was to clean.
It might not be as essential as the best kettle or toaster but add a juicer to your worktop and you’ll find yourself using it almost as much as blenders out there. As well as creating exciting drinks to boost your breakfast, the same machine may be able to make frozen desserts, smoothies and even dairy alternatives, such as almond or rice milk.
Many of the best juicers come from brands you’ll recognise for other kitchen must-haves. Smeg, Philips, Nina, and Nutribullet all feature in our guide. There are also top picks from Kuvings and Braun, with a price range of £100 to well over £500. A basic model can be bought for as little as £30, but for reliable operation and better build quality, it’s advisable to spend more. Budget from £70-£180 for a centrifugal model and at least £125 for an entry level masticating design, with more advanced models costing £200 upwards.
A machine that suits your daily routine is the best way to encourage you to make juicing a habit, so it’s a good idea not to buy on price alone. Instead, consider how much value different features will add to your new juicing regime.
There are two types of juicer, which are known as centrifugal and masticating. They use different methods to extract the juice and are sometimes referred to as fast and slow juicers.
Centrifugal juicers are high-speed machines that extract by shredding the fruit or vegetables with spinning blades, before straining it against metal mesh to separate seeds and pith from juice. As well as being speedy, centrifugal juicers are well suited to handling hard fruit and vegetables, such as ginger, apples and carrots. They’re also good for cutting down on food prep time as many have large feed chutes that can accommodate whole apples and veggies.
However, as the process adds more air into the juice, you may find that it doesn’t store for more than a day or two and discolours quickly. Centrifugal juicers can also be quite noisy although it won’t be for long. If you plan to use your juicer mostly for OJ, you may want to consider a straightforward citrus press instead.
Masticating juicers are also called slow juicers or cold press juicers, and work by ‘chewing’ fruit and vegetables before crushing or squeezing out the juice at a gentle rate. This provides a high yield and maximum nutritional content plus the juice may have a longer shelf life. Many ‘slow’ juicers have almost caught up with centrifugal juicers in terms of speed and they’ll also be quieter while in use.
Masticating juicers can tackle a variety of vegetables, soft fruit and nuts, so they’re worth spending a bit extra on if you plan to juice every day. Most have a smaller chute than a centrifugal machine, so food requires a bit more chopping and prep to prevent clogs. You’ll find horizontal machines, which are perfect for tucking at the back of worktops below wall cabinets, and upright vertical models, which take up less space on a worktop.
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