Once you begin to make your own I am sure you won’t like those store bought or even the juice bar versions of carrot juice.
Carrot Juice
Carrot is one of the most versatile root vegetables and is used in so many ways. It is used in stir fry dishes, curries, soups and is also eaten as a salad. Fresh carrots can be simply peeled and eaten raw or even grilled. But if you are trying to increase your consumption of carrots, especially in the raw form, this carrot juice is the best! No doubt juicing carrots is the best way to provide vital nutrients to our body. Research has proven that consuming carrots regularly or often help in improving the eye health, reduces stress, builds immunity & is great to keep away cold and flu. (Please use google search for more info) If you have never tasted fresh carrot juice, I am sure may be be wondering how this tastes like. Pure carrot juice tastes earthy and sometimes with strong pungent and mild bitter tones. But not every one likes the plain version. Carrot orange juice tastes delicious, naturally sweet & tangy with very mild earthy flavor. It is lighter on the tummy and won’t give you digestive issues. Fresh juice is alkaline and can help folks with digestive or acidity problems. This 3 ingredient juice is our family favorite for the past 6 years! We simply love it. Carrot and oranges make a perfect pair in both juice and smoothies, complementing each other’s flavors and taste. For more Fruit juice recipes, you may like to checkApple juiceOrange juicePomegranate juiceGrape juiceWatermelon juice
How to Make Carrot Juice (Stepwise photos)
Preparation
- Rinse carrots very well under running water. Scrub them with a vegetable scrub and rinse. Cut off both the ends. It is ideal to soak carrots for at least 30 minutes in clean water. This way extracting juice from carrots is easier and the quality is much better. However you may skip this if you have a high speed blender. To use a slow juicer, I highly recommend this. If making juice in a blender use 250 grams. If you want to use more carrots, you have to blend them in batches unless you have a very large blender.
- Optionally peel the carrots. I prefer to peel them.
- Chop them to 1 to 1½ inch pieces.
In a Blender
- Add them to a blender. If you want you may add a small piece of peeled ginger. If making for kids, leave out ginger they may not like it.
- My recipe uses 3 large oranges, about 1 cup (for 2 servings). You need to add some liquid to extract the juice from carrots. It is okay to add water but adds no nutrition. Also orange juice masks the strong flavor (pungent and bitter tones) of carrots. You can also add coconut water to replace orange juice.
- Add some ice cubes, about 4 to 6. Ice cubes prevents your carrot juice from turning warm or hot. Heat destroys nutrients so it is ideal to use ice cubes or fruit juice cubes.
- Blend until all the carrots are smooth.
- Place a strainer over a bowl. Strain the carrot juice and press down with a cup to extract most of the liquid. It is not a very easy task, you have to press down with some force. Alternately you may use a cheese cloth or a nut bag but somehow I feel this is easier and cleaner.
- This is how your blender carrot juice looks like. Pour to serving glasses. Carrot Orange Smoothie: Experts suggest consuming fruit juices in moderation as they are devoid of fibers. But we have no problem with this combo. On occasions we make the carrot orange smoothie with a banana and coconut water. For a change you may try that as well.
Carrot Juice in a Slow Juicer
- If using a slow juicer, I highly recommend chopping and soaking the carrots. You don’t want your juicer to jam and get clogged. The extraction is much better with soaked carrots.
- Add the carrots one after the other to the chute. Remember it is a slow juicer, you need to be slow and don’t add a lot of pieces at one time. I did not add anything else for this batch except lemon juice. If you want you may add some deseeded oranges, chopped celery or cucumbers. To deseed oranges easily check this Orange Juice post.
- Fill your juice in the jug or pitcher. You may dilute this with any other juices if you want. There is a change in the color due to different lighting sources. This keeps good in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Combinations
Carrot & Wheatgrass: My husband is a Juicing Enthusiast & keeps experimenting plenty of combos for himself. I often seen him enjoy wheatgrass carrot and orange juice. If you have been experimenting Wheatgrass Shots or Wheatgrass Juice, you may first try adding a bit of wheatgrass while you juice your carrots. The color won’t be appealing but you won’t smell the wheatgrass so strong. Cucumber and carrots make a wonderful combination. This combo works well for people with digestion problems as this is easier and lighter to digest. Carrots and celery is another common combination you will find in the juicer books. I prefer to go with 3 parts of carrots and 1 part celery.
Pro Tips
For the best carrot juice, make sure you use young carrots, baby carrots are even better. Avoid using carrots that have been harvested long time ago or that have been in the super market shelves for several days/weeks. These taste woody, have plenty of coarse fibres and less sweet flavour. Try buying the freshest produce from the farmers markets or the vegetable markets. Oranges like any other citrus fruits are high in vitamin C and help boost the immunity naturally. If you do not like tangy juice, use sweet oranges. Not all fruits go well with carrot, so we mostly make this with sweet oranges, Asian pears, lemons, Grapefruit, Tangerines & Calamansi. Citrus fruits, ginger, honey, fresh turmeric root and basil are some of the ingredients you can try to add to this drink. If you prefer chilled juice, always chill the ingredients first and then use. Do not chill after they are juiced as there will be loss of nutrients due to oxidization. The taste is not the same.
Slow Juicer Vs Blender
The taste of any juice made in a slow juicer is much superior than made in a blender. For this particular recipe, you can use any juicer or even a blender. But making this juice in a blender is much different, as carrots are fibrous veggie that have lesser moisture/ juice levels. So carrots are blended with water or some liquid and then the juice is extracted through a cheese cloth or a fine sieve. Add as much water as required. Related Recipes