Can a Juicer be used as a Blender?

Can A Juicer Be Used As A Blender?

Not everyone is able to afford (or have the extra kitchen space) for both a blender and a juicer. So, it’s a logical question to ask. If you only have a juicer, is there any way you can use it as a blender?

Probally not. That’s the quick answer. I’ll go into more detail below about some of the specifics, but as a rule you really can’t use a juicer as a blender.

That said, there are some hacks you can use if you have the right juicer. Note I said right juicer.

This is an important fact to keep in mind. If you don’t have the right juicer to begin with, you simply can’t use the juicer as a blender.

Cold press juicers are sometimes able to blend, regular centrifigaul juicers can never blend.

What is the Difference Between Juicing and Blending?

Before we get into the nitty gritty about how to use a juicer to blend, let’s discuss just what exactly it is that is happening when you are juicing or blending.

Juicing extracts juice from fiber. It seperates the fiber by means of a crushing/pressing design in the case of a cold press juicer or by a cutting wheel in the case of a regular juicer.

Blending “blends” everything up into a smoothie. It doesn’t seperate fiber from liquid.

There are pros and cons to each design. Some people perfer the taste of a smoothie. It’s more like a shake. Also, if you like berries, then you’re going to want to go the smoothie / blender route. A juicer can’t handle berries.

There are some advocates who point out that juicing is particuarly good for things like celery, which is true.

So, now that you know the difference between juicing and blending, let’s dig a little deeper.

Does It Matter What You Juice or Blend?

As I briefly mentioned above, it does slightly matter what you juice or blend.  If you have a blender, then you’d be wise to make sure you know what you can and can’t blend.

The good thing about a blender is that it’s acutally able to handle and blend more things than a juicer can juice.  For instance, you really can’t juice berries or mangos.

If you have a blender, you can simply toss them into the blender and make a nice and delicios smoothie. But this won’t be something you can acomplish quite as easily in a juicer.

Berries, for instance, can be used with a juicer (only a cold press juice). But you’r not going to be making berry juice. Instead, you’re going to be makeing a sorbet of sorts. It’s actually quite nice, but it’s not a juice.

In fact, that’s how you are going to be using your juicer as a blender.

The Omega juicer, for instance, is a cold press juicer with an auger press. It crushes. If you swap out the filter, and prevent the pulp from being strained out during the press, then you will get all of the fruit of veggies pressed out, which is similar to using a blender.

But you can only use a juicer as a blender with certain fruits and vegetables. These would be:

• Mango
• Berries
• Kiwi
• Bananas
• Apples/Pears/Peaches
• Nuts: Almonds/Peanuts/Cashews

It’s my opinon that once you get to the tough, fiberous vegetables such as cabbage or leafy greens, it’s best to use a blender to make a smoothie or else to stick to making a juice.

Are All Juicers Able To Blend?

No. As I mentioned above, not all juciers are capable of being used as a bledner. You can really only use the cold press juicer designs to work in a similar way to a juicer.

The extrusion press function that you find with most auger press juicers is capable of basically turning fruit and some vegetables into a smoohthie like consistency.

The Omega, for instance, comes with an attachment that can make almond butter, pasta, and also create a “puree” that’s essentially similar to what you get with a blender.

So, if I didn’t have access to a blender and had a lot of frozen berries, what I would do is this:

• Slightly thaw the berries.
• Make sure the nut butter attachment is in place, not the juicer attachment (which has a filter)
• Proceed to run the berries though the juicer.
• Add water/coconut water/almond milk or water at the end.

It’s not going to be the same as a smoothie made with a blender, but it’s not bad.

Vice Versa: Can You Juice with a Blender?

I really advise against this. If you are someone who doesn’t own a juicer, and you want to make fresh juice, then I would advise that you buy a juicer.

The main method that people use to try and make juice with a blender involves mixing everything for a long time (this destroys nutrients to some degree because of the excess heat). Then the contents of the blender are pressed through a strainer. In most cases the strainer is not sufficent, so you need to squeeze it out using a cheese cloth.

The resulting mess is going to not be somthing you’d want to drink. So, all things considered, I would strongly advise against trying to use a blender to make juice.

Tips on Blending with your Juicer?

If you are going  to use a juicer to try and blend items, then it is important that you follow the following protocal.

First, make sure you are using the right juicer. If you are using a breville juicer or any other juicer that is not a cold press auger juicer, then it won’t work.

Second, once you’ve set up your cold press masticating juicer, make sure to use the nut butter attachment. These are the cones that are designed to be fitted onto the juicer for making nut butter, pasta, and in our case, a smoothie.

Third, make sure you have a proper container. Remember, you are not dealing with a blender which can hold the smoothie until you are ready with a glass. When you are using a juicer, you will need to have the glass ready as the juicer outputs the smoothie while making it.

What Are The Best Things To Blend with Your Juicer?

When it comes to making a smoothie in a juicer, you’re going to want to use the right ingredinents. You can use your juicer as a blender, but only with particular ingredients.

I reccomend that you use berries, bananas, mango, and other soft flesh fruit. You can also use apples, but these are honestly better done in a blender.

Onc e you have the fruit puree (which is what it will be, it won’t turn into a smoothie until you finish do the second process) then it’s time to finish making the smoothie.

What I reccomend is using a blender bottle (like the ones shown below) and then putting the juice puree into the blender bottle with coconut water, water, or almond milk. You can add some yogurt if you like.

Then you shake up the fruit puree that you’ve juiced and it turns into a smoothie. If you are going to add something like yogurt, then add it with the almond milk/liquid and shake first. This helps to emulsify the drink.

Updated info:

I actually wrote an updated article which covers some intersing new details. You can read it and see my current thoughts on if you can make smoothies with a juicer.