In principle, you should only need a firm grip, some fruits and vegetables, and patience to make juice at home. In practice, a mechanical juicer makes much shorter, easier work of extracting the liquid from produce, particularly difficult greens like kale (as well as harsher vegetables like ginger and beets). The best juicers should not only extract the most juice from any produce you put into them but also operate quietly, clean up easily, require minimal pre-chopping and other associated prep, and be generally easy to use.
The greatest juicers should extract juice, run quietly, and easily clean up… [+] and require very little pre-chopping.
I can confidently claim that the Hurom H200 Easy Clean Slow Juicer is the best juicer on the market—the ideal to which all other juicers should aspire—after spending over a month putting seven models through their paces. It excelled in all categories mentioned above, and its massive hopper significantly reduces prep time. The Hurom model is not cheap. If you’re searching for a more affordable solution, consider the Tribest Shine SJX Easy Juicer, my best value pick. It’s a little louder and requires more preparation, but it still produces superb juice—all for less than half the price of my top pick. Finally, I recommend the Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer if you want to splurge. Although it offers several cool added features, it is more expensive than my top recommendations.
Move over, electric kettles, blenders, and coffee makers—a new beverage magician has arrived.
All of the winners from my testing process are listed below:
- Best Juicer Overall: Hurom H200 Easy Clean Slow Juicer
- Best Value Juicer: Tribest Shine SJX Easy Juicer
- Best Upgrade Juicer: Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer
1. Hurom H-200 Easy Clean Electronic Juicer Machine
$499$559Save $60 (11%)
Decibel level: 60 to 65 dB | Warranty: 10 years on motor, 2 years on parts | Weight: 9.5 pounds
Best for:
- Those intrigued by an astonishingly quiet operation
- Bigger families—this juicer has a very high yield
- Anyone who appreciates less prep work beforehand and less cleanup after the fact
Skip if:
- You’re on a budget or prefer a lighter, more maneuverable machine
The Hurom H200 Easy Clean Slow Juicer was hands down the most enjoyable to operate of all the juicers I tested. It has a large hopper, meaning users must do very little prep work for any fruits and vegetables they want to juice. Given the entrance size, you could easily fit a full apple, core and all, inside. (And I did.) That was a significant victory over the other juicers I tried; also, many models don’t have a place to keep the pulp and juice containers, so you’re left managing them outside of the machine. That’s not a big deal, but things may rapidly get messy if you’re in a hurry and misplace any of them. Meanwhile, Hurom’s pulp container is part of the machine, eliminating that problem and allowing for a far more delightful, smooth overall experience.
I appreciated that this device was very quiet—it was easily one of the quietest juicers I tried. And, lest you imagine that a quiet operation means less power, note that this machine produced the most juice of any juicer I tested. Mind you, this is with the same quantity of components. The same types of vegetables and fruits differ in size and amount of juice they contain, so this isn’t necessarily a meaningful success metric. Having said that, while it’s not necessarily a knock on the other juicers, I still found myself blown away by the quantity of juice here. Finally, the taste of the juice was similarly delicious. It was flavorful and smooth, with no grit or pulp.
Of course, as every juicer owner knows, a large part of the attractiveness of a juicer is how easily it cleans up after the juice. Although only the auger was dishwasher-safe, I appreciated how simple it was to clean the Hurom. I washed the Hurom by hand and found it surprisingly simple to get a sponge or brush into its nooks, especially the larger hopper. Regarding cleaning equipment, I found the handy nylon brush with the juicer quite useful; it easily washed away any remaining vegetable pulp. While this machine is significantly heavier than my best-value pick, it was easy to maneuver. However, this fact may be important if you frequently move it in and out of cabinets.
The Hurom also comes with a significant 10-year warranty on the motor—the part of a juicer that most juicers frequently fail—and a 2-year warranty on all other parts of the machine. I think this juicer works, the cleanup isn’t all that unbearable, and its juice is plentiful and excellent. It’s a definite winner in my book.
My conclusion: The Hurom H-200 works, the cleanup isn’t too unbearable, and the juice it produces is… [+] produces a plentiful and excellent harvest. It’s a definite winner in my book.
2. Tribest Shine SJX-1 Easy Cold Press Juicer
$200
Decibel level: 80 to 85 dB | Warranty: 3 years | Weight: 5.3 pounds
Best for:
- Those on a budget
- Anyone who plans on frequently moving the machine around (it’s far lighter than some of the other machines I tested)
- Less-experienced home juicers looking for an inexpensive entry point
Skip if:
- A slightly longer prep time or higher noise level is a concern for you
This Tribest model is a good pick if you just juice infrequently or doesn’t want to spend your entire paycheck on a juicer. I’d recommend it. This machine, which costs less than $200, produces wonderful, smooth juice at a fraction of the price of my top overall pick. It also offers a 3-year warranty and a smaller footprint than the Hurom; it weighs several pounds less. That’s great news for anyone who needs more counter space to leave the juicer out all the time. Getting in and out of a cabinet or pantry is much easier, making it an excellent choice for smaller areas or vacation homes.
The Tribest Shine is significantly less premium than the Hurom in two ways: it was noticeably louder, averaging between 80 and 85 decibels while in use, and it had a narrower funnel through which to feed produce. In other words, you’ll need to spend extra time before cutting up fruit. This machine produced a decent amount of juice (not much less than the Hurom) and was flavorful and grit-free. I couldn’t tell the difference between this glass and one from the Hurom device, save for quantity—and that’s a high compliment.
Regarding the cleaning process, of all the juicers I tested, the Tribest Shine could be more finicky and easier to clean. Yes, it requires some effort, but that’s to be anticipated from a conventional juicer, and you won’t be stuck soaking and scouring the machine for hours. However, none of the parts are dishwasher-safe, so you’ll have to do everything by hand. The machine did come with a useful nylon brush that resembles a giant toothbrush, which made removing any stuck bits of fruit and pulp much easier. Overall, this is a solid model at a very low price point, and you will not be disappointed.
Overall, the Tribest Shine is a quality model at a very low price, and you may… [+] will be satisfied. It’s something I’d recommend to anyone on a tight budget.
Margaret Eby
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3. Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer
$550
Decibel level: 60 to 65 dB | Warranty: 15 years on motor, 2 years on parts | Weight: 12.1 pounds
Best for:
- Anyone who appreciates less prep at the outset of the process
- More discerning users who prefer dials over switches for maximum control
- Design lovers interested in an aesthetic upgrade
Skip if:
- You’re on a budget or simply don’t see a need for the added features here
The Nama J2 Cold Press Juicer is a “hands-free” juicer, like my top pick from Hurom. Put another way: toss your produce into the hopper and (almost) walk away. There’s no need to use a plunger to force the produce through the machine; it produces great, smooth juice. Furthermore, it’s simple to clean and runs relatively quietly for a juicer, peaking at about 65 decibels in my tests. It, too, comes with a substantial motor warranty, just like the Hurom model. And, while it does require hand washing, I found it to be one of the easiest to clean off all the juicers I tested.
There are only two reasons I chose the Hurom model over the Nama: in my testing, I found that the Nama is several pounds heavier (and the Hurom was already rather heavy); it costs more than $50 more than my already pricey top pick. There’s a lot of deliciousness packed into that added weight and price. Unlike the Hurom, the Nama is controlled by a dial rather than a switch, giving consumers significantly more flexibility and control over the thickness and overall taste of the produced juice. It’s a big juice machine, granted, but if you’re a serious juicer and plan to leave the device out all year, you might not mind that fact—it’s certainly aesthetically beautiful. I particularly appreciated that the Nama has a helpful guide that offers suggestions on how to layer your produce of choice within the hopper for maximum convenience.
It’s worth noting that the Nama lacks a built-in pulp container. Instead, you’ll need to place the supplied one beneath the machine throughout the juicing process to catch the pulp while it’s processed. The removable canister allows users to discharge pulp more easily after a long juicing session, which I prefer the built-in convenience the Hurom offers.
Other Juicers I Tested
In addition to the three winners mentioned above, I tested four other juicers that ultimately did not cut:
Omega VSJ43QS: The Omega is dishwasher-friendly, a significant benefit many home users would appreciate. However, a handful of the parts became briefly stuck together when I attempted to disassemble them for the cleaning process. Aside from my disassembly troubles, this model offers an incredibly extended warranty of 15 years. Nonetheless, for the price, I’d go with one of my other top selections over this model.
Ninja NeverClog Cold Press Juicer: While the Ninja was appealing at its sub-$150 price range, I found it somewhat slower and more difficult to use than the other models. Bits of kale became stuck in the mechanism, and this model also struggled with larger, tougher slices of ginger.
Cuisinart Easy Clean Slow Juicer: I appreciated that this juicer cost roughly $150, a reasonable price and that all the pieces could be washed in the dishwasher. That’s a significant advantage, particularly if you use it frequently. However, I found it difficult to assemble and disassemble, and the produce chute became blocked when I used it, making it difficult to scrub off properly.
Though the juice made by this machine was incredibly excellent, the device itself was difficult to use. It’s heavy, relatively loud, and has created quite a mess. Finally, compared to the other juicers I tested, I found that they extracted the least amount of juice from the same amount of produce. Nonetheless, professional juicer Pat Crocker relies on — and ultimately loves — her Breville Juice Fountain Plus. “I used it to test all of the recipes in The Juicing Bible, and it is still working perfectly after 23 years,” she explains.
How I Tested The Best Juicers
Juicers are finicky machines—they can get stuck trying to process produce that is too hard or soft, and pulling them apart to scrub them after each usage can be, in a word, irritating. According to Pat Crocker, author of The Juicing Bible, “A juicing machine must be simple to use and clean because it will become an effort to use otherwise.” Crocker considers various factors when determining if a juicer is good or great: the warranty, the size of the motor, the juice yield, and the size of the opening, which can limit the size of the bits of fruits and vegetables that can be added. Ultimately, she acknowledges, “the best way to test a new juicer is to just juice,” which is exactly what I did.
To test each juicer, I created seven batches of a Tasting Table recipe—specifically, their Crisp and Gingery Green Juice. With a decent variety of produce types (spinach, kale, green apple, pineapple, ginger, celery, and lemon), I figured it was the perfect recipe to put each juicer to the test. Before testing, I made a mental note of how heavy the juicer was; this is an important consideration for people who don’t have a dedicated counter area or want to tuck the device away in a cabinet between usage.
I utilized the Decibel X app to evaluate how loud the machines were while running during each testing process; the software functions as a noise meter and delivers accurate, calibrated data. I also noted how much fruit and vegetable preparation each juicer required: did I need to slice my produce before placing it in each hopper? If so, how small did I have to make the chunks, and how long did I prepare before getting to the juicing part? Finally, I measured each machine’s real juice yield before drinking each cup of resulting juice to test its flavor and texture. After the primary testing process was finished, I used a soapy sponge and warm water to clean each juicer after usage carefully. If the juicer came with a cleaning brush, which most did, I used it to help loosen any pulp or fibers stuck in the machine, taking notes on how finicky or difficult it was to clean.
How To Pick A Juicer
It’s as easy as that: the best juicers should be able to turn whole or cut-up produce into juice quickly, efficiently, and with minimal mess. However, if you plan to use the machining process frequently or want to be more selective in your purchasing, you need to consider the following additional factors:
Masticating Juicers Vs. Centrifugal Juicers
In juicing, there are two types of machines: centrifugal and masticating. Centrifugal juicers work by slicing produce into tiny pieces using a spinning blade. They tend to be speedier and less expensive, although they run hotter. Meanwhile, masticating juicers use a drill to crush the produce and extract juice. These devices tend to extract more juice than their centrifugal counterparts and produce less waste, even though they are slower to operate. Furthermore, because centrifugal juicers introduce heat and oxygen to the produce, some experts feel they cannot extract as many nutrients from your chosen ingredients (for what it’s worth, this is a frequently contested assertion that has yet to be proven decisively).
Ease Of Cleanup
It’s really important to get a juicer that is simple to clean. No matter how effectively it works, if it’s a pain to clean between juicing sessions, you’ll be less likely to use it as frequently. For example, if dishwasher compatibility is important to you, look into it with each device you select. All juicers should have instructions on how to disassemble and reassemble the device, which is required to assist you in scrubbing out the residual fruit and vegetable matter that can become trapped in the machine. “Uncomplicated assembly, three or four moving parts, and stainless steel blades make use and cleanup simple,” Crocker notes.
Warranty
As I performed my preliminary research and searched through thousands of customer reviews and juice forums online, I found that many juicers’ motors burn out slowly or stop working. Sinking several hundred dollars into a machine that could break down at any time is inconvenient. These machines are relatively inexpensive pieces of machinery. The antidote: When shopping for a juicer, look for one with a strong warranty. This will ensure that you are not stuck with an expensive, damaged machine after a year of juicer ownership. Several of the models I’ve highlighted above tend to offer multiyear guarantees, and two of my top recommendations have extended warranties that cover the motor in part.
Cord Length
While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when purchasing a juicer, it is critical to consider your kitchen’s layout when comparing various chord lengths. It could be tricky to ensure that your juicer has a dedicated outlet depending on where the outlets are located, especially since cord lengths vary greatly. Before purchasing, plan out where you want to put your juicer and where you want to plug it in; this will give you a good idea of the chord length your kitchen requires. Of course, an extension cord may be purchased in a pinch, but it’s always wonderful not to need further accessories.
My Expertise
I’m a seasoned food writer, editor, and recipe creator with over seven years of experience in food journalism (bylines include Food52 and Food & Wine), and I’ve conducted several product testing. I’m currently the deputy food editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and graduated from the International Culinary Center (currently the Institute of Culinary Education) with honors. For this post, I spoke with several other food and juicing experts, including Pat Crocker, author of The Juicing Bible, and employees at the Clean Juice juice bar outside of Philadelphia, which is part of a juice chain with over 170 sites nationwide.
When Should You Use A Juicer Instead Of A Blender?
A juicer removes the liquid from fruits and vegetables while removing the fibrous pulp. A blender, on the other hand, is incapable of doing so. You can use a blender to crush produce effectively, but to separate the juice from the fibrous plant matter, you must strain it through cheesecloth or a fine screen. Finally, the device you select is a matter of textural preference. If you want a thicker drink, such as a smoothie, a blender will suffice—and some home users like to incorporate pulp and fiber in the resultant drink. A juicer, on the other hand, will always produce juice with a lower viscosity.
Is Buying A Juicer Worth It?
The answer to this question is dependent on how frequently you drink juice. Sinking several hundred dollars into a high-end juicer may not make sense, at least not right now if you pick up store-bought juice occasionally. However, if you want a glass of fresh juice every day or several times a week, it makes financial sense to purchase a home juicer, which can produce juice to your specifications at a fraction of the cost over time.
What Fruits Should You Not Juice?
Some fruits and vegetables do not contain enough liquid to make them suitable for juicing. Bananas, coconut, fig, rhubarb, and avocado are among them. Nonetheless, these ingredients work well in thicker smoothies and can add texture to those beverages.
