This article was reviewed by Ollie George Cigliano and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.
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Fresh beetroots (known simply as "beets" in North America) are loaded with nitrates that lower your blood pressure, along with antioxidants and other important nutrients. Don't want to eat beets every day? Try juicing them! Keep reading to learn how to prep this root vegetable for juicing, then try out some tasty recipes that will almost make you forget you're drinking something healthy.
Juicing Beets in Blenders or Juicers
Cut the roots and shoots off of your beets, then peel and dice them. Slowly add the beet chunks to a juicer. If you’re using a blender or food processor, add in 1/4 cup (60 ml) water or apple juice, as well. Add extra ingredients to change the flavor.
Steps
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Cut the top greens and root end off the beets with a sharp, serrated knife. Toss the roots. You can keep the greens for your juice if you want—they taste similar to spinach and are loaded with calcium and other nutrients.[1]
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Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush and cool water. Since beets are root vegetables, the skin is going to be pretty dirty. Hold the beets under running water as you scrub the dirt off.[2]
- You can also try soaking the beets in cool water for a few minutes, then scrubbing them. Soaking can help loosen up the dirt so it comes off more easily.
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Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler if you want. You can juice beets with the peel intact for higher nutritional content. But the peel also increases the earthy taste. If you don't like that, go ahead and remove the peel.[3]
- If you're not sure what you prefer, make 2 batches, one with and one without the peel—then do a taste test.
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Feed the chunks of beet into the feed chute. Set up your juicer, then drop the chunks one at a time into the feed chute. Wait until the juicer has completely processed one chunk before introducing another.[5]
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Use the juicer's plunger to gently push the chunks through. Go slowly here to give the juicer time to work. Beets are pretty hard, so it can take your juicer a little time to work through them.[6]
- The pulp you're left with will be pretty dry—which is a good thing! It's great for your compost pile if you want to make sure you get as much out of your produce as possible.
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Cut your beets into quarters. This size is typically small enough for a blender or food processor to handle. Just keep in mind that the smaller the chunks, the less your appliance will have to work.[7]
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Put your beets in the blender or food processor with 1/3 cup (79 ml) water. The water helps your appliance run more smoothly to break down the beets. It also dilutes your beet juice a little so the taste isn't as strong.[8]
- You can use any liquid in place of water—try a fruit juice to balance out the earthy flavor of the beets.
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Puree the beets on high speed until they're smooth. This usually takes 30-60 seconds. You'll know it's done when you no longer see any large chunks. Go for a consistent texture, even though it'll still be pretty thick and pulpy.[9]
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Strain the puree through a cheesecloth to separate the juice and pulp. Cut two 24-inch (61-cm) long pieces of cheesecloth. Stack the two on top of one another, then fold them in half to create four layers. Place the layered cheesecloth inside a large bowl, then pour the puree through the cheesecloth.[10]
- Gather the edges of the cheesecloth together and twist them closed to make a sack. Twist the edges together, then squeeze down to further extract the juice into the bowl.
- You can also use a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer, which might not be as messy.
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Juice apples and carrots for a naturally sweet beetroot juice. If you're using a juicer, juice the beets first, then the apples, then the carrots. You can also add in about a tablespoon (15 grams) of chia seeds to replace some of the fiber you lost during the juicing process.[11]
- If you're using a blender or food processor, throw all of your vegetables in together with about 1/3 cup (79 ml) of water or apple juice.
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Mix in cucumber, lemon, and ginger for zingy beetroot juice. Lemon and ginger are a classic combination and the cucumber adds a hint of freshness. If you're using a blender or food processor, add about 1/3 cup (79 ml) water.[12]
- While you can leave the peel on your cucumbers and beets, you definitely want to peel your lemons—lemon peel can be bitter—and remove as many seeds as possible.
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Add oranges, kale, apples, and carrots to ginger beet juice. Prefer a hint of spice? This variation might just be for you. The ginger gives this juice a bit of a kick while the apples and oranges balance out the earthiness of the carrots and beets.[13]
- If you're using a juicer, put your oranges in first, kale second, apples third, carrots fourth, beets fifth, and ginger last. Give your juice a quick stir to thoroughly mix the flavors.
- With a blender or food processor, pour in about 1/3 cup (79 ml) of apple juice.
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Experiment with other ingredients to make your own favorite blend. You can play around with beetroot juice just like any other veggie juice to create your own concoction. Here are some ingredients that work well with beets:[14]
- Sweeteners: honey, agave, stevia, maple syrup
- Fruits: watermelon, apple, lemon, lime
- Vegetables: cucumber, carrots, leafy greens
- Supplements: ginger, turmeric, chia seeds
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan you cook the beets first?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYou can, but it's neither necessary nor advisable. If you cook them, you'll just cook out all the nutrients that you would be getting in the juice. You'll also get less juice out of them. -
QuestionCan I add pink salt to it?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerSure! You can add virtually anything you want that you think would improve the flavor. Play around with different ingredients until you find the blend that you like the best. -
QuestionWhy do I need to strain it? Wouldn't I be missing out on some very beneficial fiber?wikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Staff AnswerwikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYou need to strain the puree to get actual juice. You can eat the puree if you want, but that wouldn't be the same as drinking juice. It's true that juices don't have as much fiber as the actual vegetables, but that's just part of the juicing process.
Ingredients
Basic Beetroot Juice
Makes 1 serving
- 4 small beets or 2 large beets
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water (if using a blender or food processor)
Naturally Sweet Beetroot Juice
Makes 1 serving
- 2 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
- 3 medium carrots, peeled
Zingy Beetroot Juice
Makes 1 serving
- 1 small beet
- 1/2 of a seedless cucumber
- 1/4 of a medium pineapple
- 1/4 cup of pineapple juice (optional)
Ginger Beet Juice
Makes 2 servings
- 1 medium orange, peeled and quartered
- 3 kale leaves
- 1 medium apple, cut into wedges
- 1 medium carrot, peeled
- 1 large beet, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1-inch (2.5-cm) piece of fresh ginger
Video
Tips
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Drinking beet juice can cause your urine or stool to become red or pinkish. It's not anything to worry about and it'll go away on its own, but it can be startling if you're not expecting it.[15]Thanks
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Beet juice is best served immediately, but you can also keep it refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 days.[16]Thanks
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Beet juice can stain your skin. If you don't want to walk around with pink or purple fingers, wear disposable gloves while you're prepping your beets or working with pureed beets.Thanks
Warnings
Things You'll Need
Prepping Beets
- Sharp serrated knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable brush
- Vegetable peeler or paring knife (optional)
Using a Juicer
Using a Blender
- Blender or food processor
- Large bowl
- Cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or fine mesh strainer
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHbMhcd4Eg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHbMhcd4Eg
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHbMhcd4Eg
- ↑ https://www.justbeetit.com/beet-blog-index/how-to-juice-beets-and-why-you-want-to
- ↑ https://www.inspiredtaste.net/34221/lemon-ginger-beet-juice-recipe/
- ↑ https://www.inspiredtaste.net/34221/lemon-ginger-beet-juice-recipe/
- ↑ https://www.justbeetit.com/beet-blog-index/how-to-juice-beets-and-why-you-want-to
- ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beet-juice-recipe
- ↑ https://www.justbeetit.com/beet-blog-index/how-to-juice-beets-and-why-you-want-to
- ↑ https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beetroot-juice
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/beet-carrot-apple-juice-3362438
- ↑ https://www.inspiredtaste.net/34221/lemon-ginger-beet-juice-recipe/
- ↑ https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beetroot-juice
- ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beet-juice-recipe
- ↑ https://www.justbeetit.com/beet-blog-index/how-to-juice-beets-and-why-you-want-to
- ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beet-juice-recipe
- ↑ https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/calcium-oxalate-stone
- ↑ https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2015/january/beetroot-and-blood-pressure
About This Article
To make your own beetroot juice, trim the ends off of the beets, then rinse them under cool, running water. Cut the beetroots into quarters so they don’t overpower the juicer or blender. If you’re using a juicer, feed the chunks of beet into the juicer one at a time. Beetroots are very hard, so it may take some time for the motor to process. If you’re using a blender, place the beets and some water into the blender and puree them on high speed until they are smooth. You may need to strain the juice from the pulp before you can drink it. Keep reading to learn about other juices you can mix with beetroot juice to make it taste better!
Reader Success Stories
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"Today for the first time in my life I drink a glass of beetroot juice. It's pleasant and good. I enjoyed. Thanks."..." more