Learn how to make fresh orange juice without a fancy juicer! In this post I go over 7 ways to accomplish it, both manually and with appliances you probably already own!
One of the simple pleasures in life is sipping on a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
But if you don’t own a fancy electric juicer, is it just an unrealistic dream?
Absolutely not.
Today I’m going to show you 7 ways you can extract that delectable golden juice from an orange, including manual options or using electric kitchen appliances you probably already own!
Let’s dive in.
Video Tutorial
If you’d like a quick video overview, just click play above! The full written tutorial is below.
Table of contents
Types of Oranges
There are so many varieties of oranges that you can use for fresh juice, and their flavors can vary greatly depending on freshness. But let’s go over some common oranges that you can find in the grocery store:
- Navel: Navel oranges are readily available at most grocery stores, so they’re a great option. They’re also seedless, which makes them easy to process.
- Valencia (not shown): I wasn’t able to get my hands on any Valencia oranges to taste test, probably because they were a bit out of season. But these are another good juicing option. They can contain seeds, so pay attention to that when purchasing and processing.
- Cara Cara: This orange variety is a cross between a Washington Navel and a Brazilian Bahia Navel. On the outside you might mistake it for a regular navel orange, but when you slice into it you’ll see its beautiful pink interior color. When sliced you might mistake it for a grapefruit! It gets its color from lycopene, the same antioxidant found in tomatoes.
- Blood Oranges: This variety of orange gets its name from the dark red color. It really does look a bit like blood when you juice it! The color comes from antioxidant-rich pigments, AKA anthocyanins. They tend to be smaller than Navel or Cara Cara oranges, and the outside peel can be tinged with red as well. Their flavor can vary as the season progresses, but they tend to have a more tart flavor than other sweet orange varieties, which is lovely. Watch out for stains, though!
- Mandarin Oranges: There are several varieties of Mandarin oranges on the market: Tangerines, Clementine, Satsumas, etc. These mini oranges are delicious and so fun to eat. Some varieties contain seeds, so be on the lookout if you’re trying to avoid those. They can be nice and juicy, but you’ll obviously need to juice more of them to get a full glass.
Important Note: Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you begin, and wash and dry the outside of the fresh oranges thoroughly as well.
Manual Options:
First, let’s go over some manual juicer options since these tend to be the most affordable and take up the least space in your kitchen.
Your Hands:
This one seems super obvious, but I’m including it since it’s the simplest and you can literally do it anywhere.
Instructions:
- Start by rolling your orange across your work surface. This can help make the orange easier to peel and juice.
- Slice the orange in half and squeeze it over your glass until you’ve extracted as much of the juice as you can.
- If your orange contains seeds or you prefer a no pulp juice, make sure to place a small fine mesh strainer over your glass before juicing the orange.
Pros:
- As mentioned above, this method can be done just about anywhere with only a knife and a glass.
- If you’re patient and dedicated, you can extract most of the juice.
Cons:
- This method can take more time if you’re juicing a lot of oranges at once.
- As is true of all the manual options, if you suffer from arthritis or other hand mobility issues, this could get uncomfortable after a few oranges.
- It’s difficult to control how much pulp gets into the cup without filtering the juice.
Citrus Reamer with Bowl:
Instructions:
- Begin by rolling your orange across your work surface.
- Slice the orange in half and place it over the ridges of the reamer part of the juicer, pushing down and twisting the orange.
- Pour the juice into your cup, straining out the pulp with a fine mesh sieve if desired.
Pros:
- It’s a bit easier and faster to juice the orange than with just your hands.
- You can extract almost all of the juice.
Cons:
- Along with the juice, this method also tends to extract a lot of the pulp, which can be undesirable for some.
- The peel of some oranges can break while twisting over the ridges or the juicer, which can make it harder to extract all of the juice.
- This is more of a single use item than some of the other manual tools.
Hand Held Citrus Reamer:
Instructions:
- Begin by rolling your orange across your work surface.
- Slice the orange in half, and insert the point of the citrus reamer into the center of the orange half.
- Hold the orange over your glass, and twist the reamer back and forth while also squeezing on the orange.
Pros:
- You can actually get quite a bit of the juice from the orange.
- It’s a fairly small tool, and it can be used to juice other citrus fruits as well.
Cons:
- The reamer tends to tear up the flesh, so you can get a lot of pulp in the juice.
- It’s a bit messier than the reamer with a bowl attached.
Wooden Spoon:
Instructions:
- Prepare your orange as with the previous methods.
- Slice it in half, and push a wooden spoon into the center of the orange.
- As with the citrus reamer, twist the spoon back and forth while also squeezing on the orange.
Pros:
- Most people already own a wooden spoon, so this is a very versatile tool.
- It’s a bit more efficient than just squeezing with your hands.
Cons:
- It isn’t as efficient as the citrus reamer. But I was surprised by how well it worked!
- Like with the hand held citrus reamer, it can get a bit messy.
Manual Citrus Press:
Instructions:
- Start by cutting your orange into halves or quarters.
- Place flesh side down in the press, and squeeze to extract the juice. Tilt the press to pour out more of the juice.
Pros:
- The press filters out more of the pulp than with the previous methods. If you don’t mind a little pulp in your juice, you don’t need to strain it.
- If your orange has seeds, the press will also filter those out.
- This method is faster than the other manual options.
Cons:
- In my experience, it’s more difficult to extract all of the juice from the orange.
- It’s a specialized, single use gadget.
- It can be a bit annoying to clean.
I only own a lemon sized squeeze juicer, so I have to cut my oranges into quarters to fit properly.
Even though this option doesn’t extract as much juice, it’s one of my favorites since it’s pretty quick and easy.
Electric Options:
Now let’s go over some electric appliances that you probably already own.
Blender:
Instructions:
- Peel your oranges. Remove as much of the white pithy stuff as you easily can. The more you remove, the less bitter the juice will be.
- Place the orange segments into your blender pitcher.
- Blend until the orange is broken up, but not completely smooth. You can add a little water to get things moving if needed.
Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth. You could also use a nut milk bag, which would probably work better.
Squeeze to extract the juice from the pulp.
I should have blended the oranges a little less, and then it would have been easier to extract the juice. It can be difficult to not over blend the oranges with a high speed blender, though!
I will say that the orange juice made with this method is thicker than any of the manual methods. It’s more similar to the orange juice that you get from the grocery store. The texture was one of my favorites.
Pros:
- You can quickly chop up a lot of oranges in the blender.
- The juice is a wonderful texture. One of my favorites.
Cons:
- You have to be careful not to blend until the oranges are completely smooth, which can be finicky if you have a high powered blender.
- Squeezing the juice through cheesecloth can be tedious and messy.
Food Processor:
And for the final method, we have a surprise favorite: the food processor!
Instructions:
- Peel your oranges and remove any large pieces of white pith.
- Fit your food processor with the grater attachment.
- Grate the orange segments through the feed tube. You should have large-ish chunks of orange with a good amount of juice.
Strain everything through a fine mesh sieve.
You can push on the pulp with the back of a spoon to extract more juice.
Pros:
- This is a great, quick way to juice a bunch of oranges.
- It’s easier to strain than the blender method since the food processor grates the oranges to just the right consistency.
- This method also makes a rich, smooth juice.
Cons:
- Depending on the type of food processor you have, you have to be careful to not overfill the container or the juice could start leaking out.
- You have to strain the juice separately, which slows down the process.
Overall, my favorite methods are the manual press and the food processor.
Serving:
If your oranges were already chilled, you can simply pour the juice into a glass and enjoy!
But if your oranges were room temperature, you may want to add some ice cubes or place the juice in the refrigerator to chill first. Icy cold orange juice on hot summer days is excellent.
By the way, if you like a little pulp in your orange juice, you can always stir a little of the leftover pulp back in if you strained it all out.
If you like your orange juice on the tart side, you can add a little lemon juice to the mix. You could also experiment with adding pineapple juice, mango juice, etc. to make your own juice blend!
Storing:
Place any extra orange juice in a mason jar with a lid or another airtight container. Put it in the refrigerator immediately.
Homemade orange juice will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Store-bought juices are usually pasteurized, which is why they last longer in the fridge.
You could also pour the juice into ice cube trays, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer safe container for longer term storage.
Health Benefits of Orange Juice:
While eating the entire orange will give you the greatest nutrient boost, fresh orange juice still boasts some great health benefits.
- Orange juice contains a good amount of Vitamin C, which is important for immune system function. (Source).
- It also contains other nutrients such as folate, potassium, and magnesium, as well as antioxidants (especially the pink or red varieties).
- If you choose to keep some of the pulp in the juice, you’ll also be getting a small amount of fiber.
So that’s how to make your own orange juice at home without a juicer! Make sure to check out my other orange recipes below:
