Vitamix blenders do a great job, and their popularity is well-deserved. If you own a Vitamix and want to use it for juicing, the most crucial question is however, Can a Vitamix Juice?
Making the choice between investing in a juicing machine or using your Vitamix for juicing really comes down to how thin you like your juice.
Can You Juice With a Vitamix?
Yes, you can. In fact, it might even end up doing a better job than your juicing machine, particularly if you have a centrifugal juicer.
Whether or not you prefer a juicer over a Vitamix blender depends entirely on the output you want.
If you want a smoother texture in the final product, in this case, just the juice, a juicer will achieve this better, as it separates the pulp from the juice.
If you like like pulp in your juice, using a Vitamix as a juicer would be just fine. You can also strain the juice after you have blended it in your Vitamix to separate the pulp from the juice.
Juicer vs Vitamix Blender
Blenders are much faster and more precise when it comes to pulverising food. They have a more reliable motor, sharper blades to blend more efficiently, and work at much higher speeds than masticating juicers.
The manufacturers of Vitamix design it to work on the hardest of ingredients and blend them into powders. You can only imagine what the appliance will do to the fruits and vegetables out of which you want to make juice.
This reason is why experts recommend using a blender for juicing when you are in a hurry, when you want more pulp in your juice, or to make smoothies.
Other differences include the factors of time and cleanliness.
Using a juicer sometimes takes more time and can also be messy. Food preparation takes longer for masticating juicers, and individual parts of the juicer need to be washed separately.
Depending on how smooth you like your juice, removing excess pulp from freshly made juices takes even more time to filter, either by using a strainer or a cheesecloth. Not to forget that removing this pulp also lowers the fiber content of the juice.
In these aspects, a Vitamix is faster and doesn’t require all of this extra effort. By blending your ingredients, you can make sure that the dietary fiber stays in the juice, and you can get the maximum digestive benefits.
Another essential reason why blending is a better idea is that it reduces food waste. Removing and throwing out the pulp (if you don’t use it in cooking, or composting) creates a lot of edible waste. Using a Vitamix can reduce this disadvantage.
So, if you don’t want to invest in two different appliances, owning a Vitamix can give you the advantages of both a blender and a juicer.
The tool will act as two-in-one and will save you money and space in your kitchen.
How to Juice With a Vitamix
If you want to use a blender such as Vitamix to make juice, it is simpler than you may think.
A Vitamix, fruits, and vegetables of your choice and a container of your liking are all the three things that you’ll need.
Take your Vitamix jug or container and then add your desired fruits, vegetables, or other ingredients.
Tip: It is best to add your ingredients into the blender in the order they are listed in the recipe
Turn on the motor and slowly and gradually increase the speed. Stop at a particular level and maintain the rate depending on the juice’s smoothness and the quantity of pulp that you like.
Keep on juicing until you feel that the texture of the liquid is how you want it. Stop the motor and remove the jug from the Vitamix.
If you feel like the juice is still a little thick for you or has a little pulp that you would like to remove, take a bowl and a strainer.
Put the strainer inside the bowl, ensure it is secured, and slowly and gradually pour the juice into it. Let the juice pass through, and the thicker pulp automatically separates.
To make the process faster and to make sure all the juice is extracted from the pulp, use a big spoon to push and press the pulp down. Squeeze it thoroughly until it becomes solid, and all the liquid is removed from it.
Another smart way of doing this would be to pour the juice in a cheesecloth or a mesh bag. These materials have weaving wide enough to let liquid pass through efficiently but small enough to hold back all the pulp.
Squeeze the bag and make all the juice pour down into the bowl underneath. Voila! Your pulpless juice is ready.
How to Juice Celery With a Vitamix
If you want an example, let’s talk about making celery juice in a Vitamix. The whole process is straightforward and will not take long.
I will break down the steps into points so that it is easier to understand and to remember:
- Wash the celery, and chop off the base. It is up to you if you want to juice the leaves or not. Our article on how to juice celery may help you decide.
- Chop the celery into 2 inch pieces. This makes it easier to blend.
- You can blend the celery on its own for maximum nutrition, or add some water into the blender jug for a thinner juice.
- Turn on the motor and blend, blend, blend!
- Take a bowl or any other container and line it with a mesh bag or a nut milk bag. Cheesecloth will work here too. See the image above for an example.
- Pour all the juice through this bag and squeeze out any remaining liquid until just the solid pulp is left.
- Add ice or chill the juice in the freezer for a few minutes before enjoying it. Colder celery juice is much nicer than room temperature!
NB: You don’t need to separate the pulp from the celery juice if you don’t want to. There are many benefits to drinking the pulp and far less wastage.
Leaving the pulp in does create a thicker juice, a little more like a smoothie. You may feel like you are “chewing” your juice.
If you don’t like this kind of texture and prefer smooth drinks, you will definitely want to strain your celery juice through a cheesecloth. The image on this page shows the pulp left in the juice after blending.
Which Vitamix to Buy for Juicing?
According to consumer reviews and the brand’s own recommendation, Vitamix standard blender 5200 is the best Vitamix for juicing.
It comes at a reasonably affordable price, comparable to a mid to high end juicer, gives excellent performance on a 2.2 HP motor, and has a smart, convenient shape. Plus, it is easy to clean with a drop of dish soap, water and the on button!
This model of Vitamix has been around for 10 years. It’s not the latest model, but is a solid, basic Vitamix that can be used for so many other functions than just juicing.
But if you like to stay modernized, even in the kitchen, consider looking at Vitamix A2500.
This model gives you performance, fast results, and several additional features to make your choosing life easier. These features include auto sensing programs, three preset modes, and modern design.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you understand how to make juice with a Vitamix. If you’re still tossing up between purchasing a Vitamix or a juicing machine, take a look at our masticating juicer reviews first.
Some juicers have very similar functions to blenders, such as the Omega NC900HDC which also grinds coffee, makes nut butters, baby food and sorbets.
Buying an Omega juicer is more cost effective than a Vitamix Blender, but the trade off is more prep time required, longer to clean and not suitable for soups, dough or batter mixing or crushing ice.
