Best Antioxidant Drinks — Recipes for Juices, Smoothies, and Shots

Oxidative stress, caused by free radicals, speeds up diseases and aging. Antioxidant drinks offer a practical way to combat them. They deliver essential compounds derived from fruits, vegetables, and herbs. 

While juices, smoothies, and concentrated shots contribute to antioxidant intake, their efficacy depends on ingredient selection and preparation. You can take a targeted approach with your antioxidant intake to improve health and fight medical conditions. 

At Hurom, we're dedicated to empowering everyone to maximize their nutritional intake. We’ll share some easy and delicious recipes for antioxidant-rich drinks, so keep reading below!

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are substances (specifically molecules) that fight free radicals in the body and prevent cellular damage. 

Free radicals are unstable molecules in your body, which are produced naturally or as a result of environmental factors like smoke or radiation. These free radicals stabilize themselves by reacting with healthy cells in your body and damaging them. This is called oxidation. That’s why they’re associated with illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. 

However, antioxidants prevent free radicals from doing what they do, i.e., oxidation—hence the name. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are naturally antioxidant-rich foods. Even some vitamins like C and E have antioxidant properties. 

There are many types of antioxidants, and they work in different ways on the body. Some may have specific benefits like protecting particular systems and organs. 

That brings us to the next point:

Benefits of Antioxidants

A well-balanced diet with fruits and vegetables can give you enough antioxidants daily. While their main job is preventing cell damage, that work translates into many health benefits:

• Lower the risk of disease: Antioxidants can lower the risk of certain life-threatening diseases caused by oxidative stress. Some people are more prone to such illnesses than others, due to genetics or lifestyle choices. As such, making better lifestyle choices can help. 

• Anti-aging effect: Cellular damage from oxidative stress is often responsible for cognitive and physical aging in humans—poor memory, loose skin, hair loss, etc. Antioxidants slow down the effects of aging by balancing the free radicals. 

• Improve eye health: Certain compounds, like lutein and zeaxanthin, are crucial for maintaining healthy vision and may help prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Slows cognitive decline: These chemicals can protect brain cells from oxidative damage, potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

Do Juices Preserve the Natural Antioxidants?

Juices can preserve the antioxidants in the ingredients, depending on the process of juicing and storage temperature. 

Juicing provides a quick and easy way to get beneficial antioxidants. If you mix different fruits and veggies with a high antioxidant power, you can benefit from more different compounds. However, the content and activity of the substances may decrease due to the juicing process and environmental factors. 

There’s strong evidence that heat impacts the antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Traditional juicers that use the centrifugal method tend to produce heat, which can destroy some nutrients, particularly flavonoids and polyphenols. 

Slow or masticating juicers, on the other hand, don’t involve any heating, so they’re able to preserve the antioxidants in each glass of juice. 

Storage also affects the activity and quality of the antioxidants. If you don’t consume the juice when it’s made, refrigerate it to ensure the nutrients aren’t damaged. Cold-pressed juice can last up to three days in the fridge. After this time, the antioxidant activity may start to reduce and the juice will begin to go bad. Basically, you should not consume the juice after 72 hours if it hasn't been pasteurized.  

Hurom’s slow juicers help preserve all the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, so you get all the antioxidants they contain. The slow-moving auger in our juicers doesn’t produce any heat, which helps preserve the temperature-sensitive antioxidants like vitamins and polyphenols. 

As such, you can notice the effects faster.

But what are the best antioxidant drinks? That leads us to the following section.

Best Antioxidant Drinks

The good news is that there are many antioxidant drinks to choose from, mainly juices, that can provide you with various health benefits. Here are all the antioxidant-rich juices, smoothies, teas, and other drinks you should try to incorporate in your diet. 

Antioxidant Juice Recipes

Juices are your best option if you want to get a fast influx of antioxidants because they’re easy to digest. Of course, you’ll need a high-quality juicer to keep all the nutrients intact.

1. Super Antioxidant Juice (Booster for Health)

This juice uses beetroot, orange, carrots, and apples, with ginger (which has been used for medical and health benefits for centuries). 

Beetroot contains betalains, powerful antioxidants that help detoxify the liver and reduce inflammation. Oranges are rich in vitamin C, which boosts the immune function. Apples provide quercetin, a flavonoid that supports cardiovascular health and reduces inflammation. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, which promotes eye health and protects against cellular damage. 

Put simply, this juice is an antioxidant booster everyone needs in their life!

Here’s how you make it using your Hurom juicer:

Ingredients: 

• 1 beetroot, trimmed and cut

• 1 orange, peeled

• 2 carrots, peeled

• 2 green apples, cored

• Small piece of ginger, peeled

• ½ cup cold water (optional, if you like your juice more watery)

Instructions:

1. Clean and prepare all the ingredients. 

2. Add them to the Hurom juicer hopper.

3. Press the button and extract the juice. 

2. Antioxidant Green Juice (Great for Disease Prevention)

Green juices may be popular for detox and weight loss, but are also chock full of antioxidants. This green juice uses kale, which is rich in beta carotene, and broccoli, which contains sulforaphane (anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties). And don’t worry, it will taste nice and sweet, as it includes pineapple and pears (rich in vitamin C). If you want lower sugar content, skip one of the fruits.

Here’s the easy recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets

• 1 cup kale

• 1 cup pineapple, fresh or canned

• 1 cup pears

Instructions:

1. Chop broccoli and kale into smaller pieces.

2. Slice pears in half with the skin intact, 

3. Prepare the pineapple by cutting it into smaller slices or pieces. 

4. Add all the ingredients into your Hurom Slow Juicer.

5. Press the button and extract the juice in the container. 

Here’s another great green juice recipe:

3. Carrot and Orange Juice (Best for Skin and Eye Health)

If you’re looking for antioxidant drinks that give your skin the glow it deserves, carrots and oranges have your back. Carrots provide beta-carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A. This precious vitamin has an anti-aging effect on the skin and supports vision. The orange juice adds to the vitamin C content, another vital antioxidant compound for preventing cell damage. Besides, turmeric and ginger add more phenolic compounds to the mix. 

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots

• 1 orange, peeled

• ½ inch turmeric root

• 1-inch ginger

Instructions:

1. Prepare the ingredients

2. Add them to the hopper of your Hurom juicer.

3. Juice the ingredients and serve chilled. 

4. Pomegranate Power Juice (Best for Cognitive Health)

Pomegranates are rich in punicalagins and anthocyanins. These compounds give these fruits their intense red color, but they also have lots of health benefits. For example, they may help improve memory and cognitive function. Many nutritionists recommend to folks at risk of cognitive conditions to drink pomegranate juice regularly. 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups pomegranate seeds

Instructions:

1. Add the pomegranate seeds into the hopper.

2. Run the juicer and extract. 

5. Beetroot Revitalizer (Great for Liver and Heart)

The betalains in beets help detoxify the liver and improve circulation. Research confirms the betalains are health powerhouses. These support liver detoxification and improve blood flow, besides being anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic. While beets are the hero of this juice recipe, there’s also apple for sweetness and ginger for more antioxidants. 

Ingredients:

• 1 beetroot

• 1 apple, pitted

• ½ lemon juice (optional)

• 1-inch ginger piece

Instructions:

1. Prepare and add all the ingredients to the juicer. 

2. Extract the juice. 

3. Stir in lemon juice (optional)

6. Watermelon Hydration Juice (Protects from UV Damage)

Watermelon is an excellent source of lycopene, which reduces the risk of heart diseases and regulates blood pressure. But there’s another notable benefit, which may come in handy in sunny, hot summers. It protects against UV damage, specifically from UV-B rays. It can also play a corrective role for already induced damage. Drink this juice plenty if you go out in the sun frequently. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups watermelon

• ½ lime

• 4 mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to your Hurom juicer or blender. 

2. Strain if using a blender. 

3. Sprinkle in some mint leaves. 

7. Cranberry Juice (Prevents and Treats Urinary Infections)

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, which help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially for those more susceptible to it, as studies show. In general, cranberries can improve urinary tract health. Women, in particular, should consume cranberry juice, considering their risk of UTIs is 30 times higher than men’s. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh cranberries

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients.

2. Strain if needed.

3. Serve immediately.

8. Cherry Juice (Best for Muscle Recovery)

Cherries contain quercetin, an antioxidant that helps reduce muscle soreness and supports recovery. According to a review, supplementation with tart cherries can help with recovery after an intense workout. Of course, that benefit can also be achieved by juicing them. 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cherries without seeds

• ½ cup coconut water (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add cherries to the hopper of your Hurom Juicer. 

2. Add in coconut water if you prefer. 

3. Juice the cherries and drink chilled. 

9. Cucumber-Aloe Refresh Juice (Great for Digestion and Hydration)

It’s hardly a secret that cucumbers are super hydrating. But if you add aloe vera to them, you can take the hydration to the next level. But there’s more—both ingredients contain flavonoids that soothe digestion. 

Ingredients:

• 3 cucumbers

• ½ cup aloe vera or its juice

• ½ lemon

Instructions:

1. Add ingredients to the hopper.

2. Turn on the juicer and extract.

10. Apple-Ginger Vitality Juice (Anti-Inflammatory)

This invigorating juice combines apples and ginger, delivering a potent dose of quercetin and gingerol. These ingredients do wonders against inflammation and support immune health. Plus, they’re great for your overall immunity, especially in winters and flu season. So, try to get these essential antioxidants when the season changes. 

Ingredients:

• 4 apples (any variety)

• 2-inch ginger piece

Instructions:

1. Chop apples and ginger into smaller pieces.

2. Add to your Hurom juicer. 

3. Extract the juice and drink at room temperature or chilled (whatever you prefer).

Antioxidant Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies can also be rich in antioxidants, but, unlike juices, they take longer to digest and absorb in your bloodstream. Luckily, if you get a Hurom juicer, you can make both delicious juices and smoothies with it – just change the strainers. The massive advantage is that you save kitchen space because you’re not purchasing two separate appliances.

So, let’s look at some of the recipes you can try.

1. Spinach and Kale (Green) Smoothie (Best for Vision)

This green powerhouse smoothie is packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that protect vision and vascular function. Although the greens are the showstoppers, the recipe also includes banana, milk, and chia seeds—all containing some more beneficial compounds. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup spinach

• ½ cup kale

• 1 banana

• 1 cup almond milk (or any milk of choice)

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

• ½ teaspoon honey (optional)

Instructions:

1. Assemble your Hurom juicer with a coarse strainer (if your model has one)

2. Add all the ingredients to the hopper.

3. Press the button and extract. 

4. Add some cold or hot water for more fluidity if needed.

2. Avocado Smoothie (Good for Skin)

Avocados offer good fats and vitamin E—that vitamin found in moisturizers. It can detoxify the body and protect skin from aging. Avocados also have the highest concentration of glutathione, an antioxidant responsible for tissue repair and many other bodily functions. Needless to say, this creamy smoothie can do wonders for your health inside out.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or any milk of choice)

• 1 banana

• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Set up your Hurom juicers with a coarse strainer (if applicable).

2. Add all the ingredients to the hopper. 

3. Extract the smoothie in the container. 

3. Acai Berry Smoothie (Good for Nervous System)

Acai berries are loaded with anthocyanins and polyphenols, which support brain health and fight oxidative damage. Research indicates that these berries are neuroprotective (they can prevent or reverse damage to the nervous system). 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups acai berries

• ½ cup milk (or any milk of choice)

• 1 banana

• 1 tablespoon flaxseeds

Instructions:

1. Use the coarse strainer in your Hurom juicer

2. Add all the ingredients to the hopper of your Hurom juicer. 

3. Run the juicer and extract the smoothie. 

4. Berry Smoothie (Great for Heart Health and Immune System)

This delicious berry blend is packed with resveratrol, which provides a slew of health benefits, particularly for your immune system. It may protect you from various chronic diseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, liver disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries

• 1 cup raspberries

• 1 cup blackberries

• 1 cup Greek yogurt

• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions:

1. Assemble a Hurom juicer that can also make smoothies. 

2. Add all the ingredients (fresh or frozen).

3. Run the juicer and extract the smoothie. 

Antioxidant Shots Recipes

Shots are like juices, but they’re stronger. Needless to say, you can make yours using a Hurom juicer.

1. Ginger Citrus Shot (Anti-inflammatory)

In juices, normally very little ginger is used. But in ginger shots, it’s the main ingredient. So, you get a powerful punch of the flavor and, of course, even more antioxidant potential. Gingerol has an anti-inflammatory effect. This shot can be great for people with chronic conditions with inflammatory markers. 

Ingredients:

• Fresh ginger root (thumb-sized piece)

• ½ lemon 

• ½ orange 

• ½ teaspoon honey (optional)

• A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for an extra kick)

Instructions:

1. Juice the ginger, lemon, and orange in your Hurom juicer.

2. Stir in honey and cayenne pepper.

3. Take it as a quick shot immediately or freeze it for later use. 

2. Turmeric Ginger Shot (Perfect Immunity Booster)

Turmeric shots have been used to boost immunity since time immemorial. This strong anti-inflammatory shot combines turmeric with ginger, doubling the power to fight free radicals that weaken the immune system. They may be a bit strong in taste, but the benefits are worth it. The key antioxidant in turmeric is curcumin. 

Ingredients:

• Fresh turmeric root (thumb-sized piece)

• Fresh ginger root (thumb-sized part)

• Pinch of black pepper

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Add the turmeric and ginger to the hopper in your Hurom juicer. 

2. Juice the roots. 

3. Add in the black pepper and apple cider vinegar

4. Drink immediately or freeze for later use.  

3. Pineapple Mint Ginger Shot (Best for Improving Digestion)

One of our favorite shots is the pineapple mint ginger shot, which has long-term digestion and metabolism benefits. If you have a chronic digestive condition, this shot may be genuinely helpful. Pineapples are rich in both flavonoids and polyphenols. 

Ingredients:

• 1 oz pineapple slices or chunks

• ½ lemon or 2 tbsp lemon juice

• Fresh mint leaves

Instructions:

1. Add the pineapple and mint to the Hurom juicer and juice it. 

2. Add the lemon juice. 

3. Drink immediately or freeze. 

Get Your Antioxidant Fix with Hurom!

Antioxidant drinks give you an easy way to get those beneficial substances that prevent and fight disease so you can improve your overall well-being. When pressed for time, throw in the ingredients in your Hurom slow juicer and you’ll have a fresh, tasty, antioxidant-rich drink ready. 

All our juicers maximize nutrient preservation during the juicing process, but they have different qualities. 

So, find a Hurom juicer that’s right for you!

FAQs

Which drink is highest in antioxidants?

Drinks like pomegranate juice, acai berry juice, and dark berry smoothies are often cited as having high antioxidant content due to their rich polyphenol and vitamin concentrations. However, the exact levels can vary greatly depending on processing and specific ingredients.

What is the best antioxidant drink in the morning?

Green tea, fresh juice, or a smoothie can be a good choice to get antioxidants as you start your day. For juice or smoothies, go with berries, citrus fruits, and leafy greens, as these whole foods are rich in vitamins, flavonoids, and polyphenols. 

Green tea and some herbal teas offer antioxidant effects with catechins. These are anti-inflammatory and may help with chronic conditions. 

What juices are good for antioxidants?

Pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry, and grape juices are all rich in antioxidants, notably polyphenols. Citrus juices are rich in vitamins like C and E, also antioxidants. Root vegetables like ginger and turmeric can also be juiced to get their antioxidants. 

What is an antioxidant shot?

An antioxidant shot is a concentrated beverage with a high dose of antioxidants. These shots typically contain extracts from fruits, vegetables, or other antioxidant-rich sources and are intended for a quick boost.

Is it good to drink antioxidants every day?

Consuming antioxidants daily is generally beneficial for overall health. However, drinks shouldn’t be your only source of these valuable substances. A well-rounded diet with whole plant-based foods is highly recommended. Drinks can be convenient when you’re busy and can't get enough of them with meals.