How to Make Cold-Pressed Juice Without a Juicer (And with One!)

If you want fresh, nutrient-packed juice at home, you’re on the right page. 

We’ll teach you all our secrets on how to make cold-pressed juice. 

We’ll talk about all of this in a second, but cold-pressed juice keeps all the good stuff intact—vitamins, minerals, natural flavor—without the added heat that traditional juicers use. 

Basically, we’ll go over everything from choosing the right ingredients to storing your juice so it lasts (because, let’s be real, fresh juice doesn’t stay fresh forever). 

And whether you’re new to juicing or a longtime fan, we’ll share a few tips and recipes to make the process even easier.

Is Cold-Pressed Juice Good for You?

Cold-pressed juice is packed with natural health benefits because you’re basically adding more nutrients to your diet. 

We love the entire cold pressing process because it keeps out excess heat, which damages essential nutrients. And that’s a massive problem with high-speed juicing. 

The point is to get the right nutrient content with all the good stuff, like vitamins and minerals. These healthy fruits and veggies will give you:

• More energy for your day-to-day life or before a workout
• A quick source of vitamins and minerals that’s easy to digest
• Better immunity because you’re getting undamaged antioxidants
• Healthier digestive system thanks to all that soluble fiber
• Better eye health
• Shinier, stronger hair and nails
• Improved skin health

Besides, you get a delicious juice that looks more vibrant, tastes fresher, and lasts longer.

Like so:

And yes, it’s cold-pressed juice in the right-hand glass – that color and nutrients are exactly what you want for you and your family.

The Right Ingredients for Cold-Pressed Juice

We always say that the best cold-pressed juices start with fresh, high-quality ingredients. 

We advise you to test a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens and root vegetables. The point (as always) is to create a nutrient-dense juice that’s rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Pro tip: Tropical fruits like mango and pineapple add natural sweetness, while softer fruits like berries make the juice smoother. And, of course, more flavorful.

So, if you want to get that balanced mix of flavors and nutrients, combine fresh fruit, root vegetables, and tough stems like kale or spinach in your juice. 

Mixing up your ingredients: 

• Adds more variety to your diet, which is important because that ensures digestive health. Besides, the digestive system is basically the home of 70-80% of your immunity.
• Different types of juices offer different health benefits. For example, green juices are great for detoxifying, while fruit blends give you a lot of energy before a workout.

That brings us to the next question (and trust us, we get asked this A LOT):

How Many Fruits and Veggies Go into a Cup of Juice?

We’d love to give you one clear-cut number, but things are a little bit more complicated.

The amount of produce you need for a single cup of juice varies a lot depending on what you’re juicing. To break it down:

• Juicy produce (like grapes, berries, cucumbers, or apples): About one pound makes a cup.
• Leafy greens (like spinach, lettuce, or wheatgrass): You need nearly two pounds per cup.
• Herbs (like parsley): Four to eight bunches per cup—talk about concentrated flavor!
• Roots (like carrots, beets, and ginger): These tougher veggies require closer to 1.5 to  2 pounds per cup of juice, as they have a lower water content.

How to Make Cold-Pressed Juice Without a Juicer

Even if you don’t have the best cold-press juicer at home, you can still make cold-pressed juice with a few simple tools.

You can try these options:

Option 1 (with a blender):

1. Gather your ingredients: Start with your favorite fruits and veggies. For leafy greens or tougher ingredients like stalks of celery, chop them up with a sharp knife, so they’re easier to blend.
2. Blend with a bit of water: Put everything into a food processor or blender, adding a splash of plain water to help the juicing process. Blend until it’s as smooth as possible.
3. Strain the juice: Pour the mixture through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into a bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the pulp, squeezing out every bit of nutrient-dense juice.
4. Pour and store: Transfer the juice into a mason jar or glass bottle. Cold-pressed juice doesn’t have preservatives, so try to drink it within 72 hours to keep it fresh and full of flavor. Keep it in the fridge in the meantime!

Option 2 (no machine):

1. Gather and prep Your Ingredients: Choose your favorite fruits, veggies, and leafy greens. Chop everything as finely as possible using a sharp knife—this will help you release more juice. For leafy greens or tough ingredients like celery, chop them extra small.
2. Mash the ingredients by hand: Place your chopped ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Use a pestle, a sturdy potato masher, or the back of a spoon to crush and mash the ingredients thoroughly. Keep mashing until you see juice starting to form.
3. Press Through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer: Take a large piece of cheesecloth or a fine strainer and place it over another bowl. Pour the mashed mixture into the cheesecloth, then twist and squeeze it tightly to extract the juice. Use your hands to press down and squeeze out every drop of juice from the pulp.

As you can see, this option needs a bit more elbow grease and more ingredients.

But here’s a simpler way to do it:

How to Make Cold Pressed Juice with a Juicer

If you’ve got a slow juicer on hand, making cold-pressed juice is as easy as it gets. Just a few simple steps, and you’ll have fresh juice that’s nutrient-dense and full of flavor. Here’s how we do it:

1. Gather and wash your ingredients: No need for chopping with most Hurom juicers because they have wide feed chutes that handle whole fruits and veggies. Yes, even leafy greens and root vegetables. Just wash everything thoroughly to remove any dirt or residues.
2. Add ingredients to the juicer: Place your fruits and vegetables directly into the feed chute. Start with softer produce like soft fruits, then add tougher ingredients like carrots or beets for a balanced juice. Your juicer will handle the rest, separating the juice from the pulp, which goes straight into the pulp container.
3. Collect and store: Pour the juice into a glass. You’ll want to drink it right away to enjoy peak flavor and nutrients, but if you’re saving it for later, store it in the fridge and aim to drink it within 48–72 hours.
4. Quick clean-up: A lot of our Hurom juicers are built with the patented Easy-Clean Technology, so rinsing is a breeze. Just disassemble the parts and rinse them under a stream of cold water. No scrubbing, no hassle—just a quick rinse, and your juicer is ready for the next batch.

Side note: That’s why we like to say Hurom makes healthy living easy!

Best Cold-Pressed Juice Recipes

Here are some tried-and-true recipes to help you make delicious, nutrient-dense juice at home. Each recipe yields about one to two servings and brings out the best flavors and benefits from your ingredients.

Green Power Fusion

• 1 Bunch Celery
• 2 Bunches Kale
• 1 Cucumber
• 2 Limes
• 1 Apples
• ¼ Cup Parsley

Pro tip: This is one of Nick Bosa’s favorite recipes. In fact, Nick uses Hurom juicers to power up his workout routine and diet.

Tropical Refresh

• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1/2 mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 cup leafy greens (kale or spinach work well)

Root Revival

• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium beet, peeled and chopped
• 1-inch piece of ginger
• 1 apple, cored and chopped

Berry Blast

• 1 cup strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 handful of mint leaves

CCA Juice

• 1 Head Cabbage
• 2 Large Carrots
• 2 Apples

This is also one of Nick Bosa’s favorite recipes.

How to Make Cold Pressed Juice Last Longer

Fresh, cold-pressed juice is best enjoyed right away. 

But we know life is never that easy. So, we’ll share a few tricks to make sure each batch of juice lasts longer. 

As a side note, we have this awesome article on best batch juicing tips.

1. Use glass bottles or jars: Tightly sealed glass containers like mason jars prevent oxidation and keep the juice fresh longer.
2. Fill to the top: Minimize air exposure by filling the container to the very top before sealing it. Less air means less oxidation, which is what degrades the nutritional content.
3. Keep it cold: Store the juice at a steady temperature in the coldest part of your fridge. For best results, aim to keep it at 34-38°F.
4. Add a splash of lemon: Adding a bit of lemon juice makes the juice tastier but also provides natural antioxidants that keep the juice fresh for longer.
5. Freeze for longer storage: If you need juice to last beyond a few days, freezing it is a great option. Just remember to leave a little room at the top of your container for expansion.

How to Store Cold-Press Juice

Storing your cold-pressed juice properly can make all the difference in preserving its nutritional benefits and flavor. Here’s how to keep your juice fresh for as long as possible:

1. Choose glass over plastic: Glass bottles help retain the juice’s taste and nutrient density better than plastic containers. They’re also easy to clean and won’t hold onto flavors or odors.
2. Refrigerate immediately: As soon as you make your juice, store it in the fridge to prevent any loss of essential nutrients. Cold temperatures slow down oxidation, keeping the juice fresh and flavorful.
3. Limit sun exposure: Keep juice away from direct sunlight, as exposure to UV rays can degrade the nutrient content over time.
4. Label and date each bottle: To keep track, label each container with the date it was made. Cold-pressed juice is best within 48–72 hours, so you’ll know when it’s time for a fresh batch.

Pro tip: We like to store juice in glass containers because it keeps that “just-made” taste for longer and is better for the environment, too.

Make Homemade Cold-Press Juice with Hurom

As you can see, using a Hurom juicer makes it easy to enjoy cold-pressed juice at home.

Plus, we made sure each glass of juice you enjoy is as healthy as can be. 

Hurom’s Slow Squeeze Technology keeps the nutritional content of your fruits and veggies intact, which means you get a dense juice that’s full of flavor. Plus, Hurom juicers are designed to handle everything from soft fruits to tough stems, so you can create a variety of juices to fit your taste and health goals.

And we keep the process simple and easy to clean up. 

Not sure what to pick? Browse our collection and compare juicers at your own pace!

FAQ

How do they make cold-pressed juice?
Cold-pressed juice is made using a slow pressing method of 40-100 rotations per minute, which extracts juice without creating excess heat. Avoiding high speeds is what keeps nutrients intact.

How do you cold press juice without a machine?
If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a food processor to blend fruits and veggies, then strain the pulp through a fine cloth or cheesecloth to get a batch of juice that’s close to cold-pressed. Alternatively, you can mash the ingredients yourself by hand, but it will take much longer. Besides, you won’t get dry pulp as you would with a juicer, which means you’re losing lots of nutrients and healthy, soluble fiber.

What is the difference between cold press and juicing?
Cold pressing is a type of juicing that avoids heat and high speeds, preserving more nutrients. Regular juicing typically means using a centrifugal juicer that creates more oxidation and may lose nutrients faster.

What is the 80/20 rule for juicing?
The 80/20 rule suggests using 80% vegetables and 20% fruits in your juice. This helps keep the juice low in sugar but full of nutritional benefits.

What vegetables should not be juiced?
Some vegetables, like raw potatoes, are best avoided in juices. Others, like beet greens and large amounts of cruciferous veggies, are best used in moderation due to their strong flavor or impact on digestion. Plus, you can’t even juice some fruits in the first place, like bananas.

Is it okay to drink cold-pressed juice every day?
Yes, daily cold-pressed juice can be a great source of vitamins and minerals. Just remember to include a variety of fruits and veggies to get a wide range of nutrients and health benefits.