Juicing has become a popular element of a healthy lifestyle because of the endless fruit and vegetable combinations that you can choose from. Juicers have made it more convenient to try out tasty recipes at home and have juice with the highest level of nutrients because it is the freshest.  While juicers are primarily used to make fruit and vegetable juice, they can also be used to make:

• Homemade crackers
• Vegetable burger patties
• Nicecream
• Nut Butter

After pushing fruits and vegetables down a chute, juicers chop and grind these ingredients to extract the juice. The fruit and vegetable pulp is discarded by juicers into another compartment because this is considered waste. However, there are some juicers that will let you choose whether or not to let the pulp mix into the extracted liquid because of the dietary fiber that pulp offers. 

Different juicers are designed to extract juice differently but will all get the job done. Juicer prices will range anywhere from $50 to $1000 depending on its size, yield, and how much dry pulp is produced after juicing. Additionally, centrifugal and twin gear juicers will produce juice that contains 30% of fruit and vegetable skin, seed, or fiber while a juice press will be 99% pure juice.

This kitchen appliance can also be used to make your own version of the popular V8 fruit and vegetable juice where you can add other ingredients to your liking. Also, a juicer can be used to extract the pulp from potatoes so that you can make and fry up hash browns for breakfast. You can also choose to juice only vegetables to make a hearty soup. Here is other food that a juicer can be used for:

Baby Food

The juicer can be used to make baby food at home. This way, you can choose exactly what nutritious fruits and vegetables to introduce to your baby and be assured that what you are feeding your baby is fresh. Prepare your chosen fruits and vegetables by washing them thoroughly and removing stems, skin, and seeds. You can steam your ingredients for 10 minutes and prepare the juicer while waiting.

To prepare the juicer, attach the homogenizing piece which will eliminate the use of the juicer’s screen holder, this way, the pulp of the fruits and vegetables will not be discarded and will make the baby food more solid. If you do not have a separate homogenizing body, you can use the blank plate your juicer comes with or add the extracted pulp after juicing. 

Add the ingredients into the juicer one at a time then transfer to a food jar. You can also store your homemade baby food in the freezer by pouring it into ice cube trays and using it within 3 months.

Cocktails

The juicer can also be used to make cocktails. You can use frozen fruit as long as you use the Frozen Food attachment and push them through your juicer. Pour the juice into a cocktail shaker with your alcohol of choice, shake, and enjoy your cocktail.

If you want to use fresh fruit, you can juice the ingredients after chopping them up into smaller sizes. Add your vegetables, salt, pepper, and refrigerate the juice for an hour. Stir in the alcohol afterwards and then serve.

Dip

An alternative way to use a freezer is as a dip maker. You can use fresh tomatoes when they are in season to make salsa. Wash your tomatoes and put them through the juicer and do not discard the pulp so that you can make a tomato sauce. You will need to transfer the tomato sauce into a pan and cook it on medium heat until it reduces to about half of its original volume. You can add your onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and other spices after it has been reduced.

As for hummus, add a whole can of drained chickpeas into the juicer. Combine the pulp and the extracted juice from the chickpeas with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. 

Hash Browns

A juicer can also be used to make hash browns. Instead of grating the potatoes by hand, wash a handful of potatoes, peel them, and slice them. Run them through the chute and push them down making sure that you are separating the pulp. 

Toss the potato pulp in a bowl with salt and pepper and heat your pan. Add your oil of choice into the hot pan and spoon your potato into a small pancake that is about ½ an inch thick. Flip when you see the edges brown.

Homemade Crackers

The juicer can also be used to make healthy vegetable crackers. After juicing your vegetables for a green juice, take the pulp and move it into a mixing bowl. You can add flax meal, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, and spices for your cracker mix. Place this mixture on a baking sheet and make sure that it is flat before you bake it in the oven or use a dehydrator. 

Nice Cream

Before using your juicer as a nice cream maker, you will need to make sure that the ingredients are prepared. This non-dairy alternative to traditional ice cream will need peeled and frozen bananas that have been in the freezer overnight. Use the blank plate or homogenizing function of your juicer to make sure that the frozen banana will come out of the pulp tube with a smooth texture. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Non-Dairy Milk

Another use that a juicer has is as a nut milk maker. For plant-based milk like almond milk, you will need to make sure that you soak almonds overnight or for 6 hours to 8 hours in a bowl of water. This will make the almonds soft enough for juicing.

Turn on the juicer and pour out the old water and rinse your almonds 1 or 2 times. Add equal parts of fresh water back into your bowl of almonds. For a juicer, 1 cup of almonds will make 1 cup of almond milk. Your fresh water to almond ratio should be 2:1 and you can use a ladle to scoop almonds and water into the juicer for unsweetened and fresh almond milk. Consume homemade nut milk within 2 to 3 days and make sure it is refrigerated.

Nut Butter

The juicer can also be used to make almond, hazelnut, peanut, and cashew butter. Use the blank screen or attach your homogenizing piece to the juicer if you want to make nut butter. Using roasted nuts, feed them into the juicer’s chute and push them through. Add about ½ a cup of nuts at a time and push the nuts through more slowly if you want a creamier consistency. The nut butter will be plain so you can add a sweetener of your choice or a pinch of salt. Refrigerate the nut butter and consume it within the week. 

Salad Topping

Use your juicer to make nutritious and fresh salad toppings. After juicing your fruits and vegetables, save the pulp for your salads. You can either use the pulp as is or mix it into a vinaigrette for a salad dressing with texture. This is a great way to give your salad a boost of nutrients and color. 

Sauce

Also, the juicer is a great kitchen tool for making sauces. To make a tomato sauce for your pasta and pizza, you will want to use the blank screen or homogenizing piece to make sure that the liquid and pulp are not separated. Of course, if your juicer does not have either, you can recombine the pulp and liquid after juicing. 

Make sure to wash your tomatoes, other vegetables, and aromatics before pushing them through the juicer. You can use the juicer to puree the onions and garlic right into the juiced tomato to save time and add texture. Simmer the ingredients in a pot until combined well and add seasoning of choice. 

Smoothie Booster

A juicer is great for making and saving the pulp for your smoothies. The fiber content that fruit and vegetable pulp is a great booster for your smoothies which will help you absorb nutrients better. You can add the pulp right into your smoothies or freeze them in a freezer-safe bag for other days that you are planning to whip up a smoothie.

Soup

The juicer can also be used as a soup maker. If you’re on a raw food diet, juicing your ingredients is a quick and easy way to make soup. However, the ingredients can also be heated and cooked after juicing.

For a simple tomato and basil soup, wash the tomatoes, carrots, and basil beforehand. Chop up the tomatoes and carrots before pushing them through the juicer’s chute. You can roll up the basil before pushing it through the juicer. Add salt, pepper, and parsley for taste and consume raw. You can also simmer the juice in a pan for 10 minutes on low or medium heat to cook the ingredients. 

V8

Use the juicer to make your own version of the popular vegetable juice drink, V8, instead of buying it at your local grocery. Homemade V8 will not be pasteurized because you will not heat it and remove beneficial nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes. You will also be able to add in the pulp if you want to take advantage of the benefits of dietary fiber.

Wash your tomatoes, carrots, beets, celery, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and watercress before slowly feeding the ingredients into your juicer. You can add in some pulp afterwards but overall, homemade V8 is healthier than the one you will find on the shelf because it is fresh and you can control your sodium intake by not adding salt into the vegetable juice. 

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   Vegetable Burger Patties

Finally, use your juicer to make vegetable burger patties. You can use beet, carrot, celery, or spinach pulp as the base for your veggie patties. Take about 2 cups of vegetable pulp and combine into a bowl with 1 egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. You can also add ½ cup of black beans for extra protein. Then, shape your mixture into patties before putting them in a pan on medium heat. Cook each pattie for about 4 minutes on each side before putting it on a bun and adding your burger toppings. 

Why It’s Great

• Simple to use
• Vintage-inspired design
• Can use hard candy

Grain of Salt

• Takes a while to heat up
• Not suitable for large crowds

Nostalgia’s Vintage Countertop Cotton Candy Maker checks all the boxes for Allrecipes Allstar thanks to its ease of use and authentic taste, which she called “super simple and just like what you’d get at a carnival.” Plus, who could resist the nostalgic aesthetic?

This cotton candy maker creates great cotton candy with practice, but make sure you allow time for it to heat up (at least 10 minutes) before adding any ingredients. We love the versatility of this machine, as it lets you use hard candy, like jolly ranchers or starlight mints, or a scoop of flossing sugar. The clear rim guard allows you to see the cotton candy being made and protects your hands from any sugar shrapnel. Although the machine includes two reusable cones, we recommend grabbing a few disposable ones to serve larger groups. The unit disassembles for easy cleaning.

Because of its longer heat time and smaller capacity compared to some other machines, this cotton candy machine is not ideal for very large groups. It’s the best option for families and small gatherings.

The Details: Measures 12.5 x 12.5 x 9.5 inches; weighs 5.2 pounds; makes one serving per minute