Can You Make Smoothies With A Juicer?

Anyone who has purchased a really good juicer is likely to want to know if you can make smooties with it as well. And it’s a decent question. After all, many of the top of the line juicers are expensive and do a heck of a lot more than juice make juice.

But can you make smoothies with a juicer? Or is that taking it a bit too far. Well, that’s what we’re here to find out.

Can You Make Fruit Smoothies With A Juicer?

The answer really depends upon what type of smoothies you are looking to make. In general, the answer is yes. But it is important that you realize that you are not going to get the same sort of smoothie that you get with a blender.

Let’s dig a bit deeper and see what sort of smoothie you can make.

As I wrote at the top of this section, you can make fruit smoothies with a juicer.  And I wanted that to be clear. It’s only fruit smoothies that I endorse you making, or trying to make with your juicer. Green smoothies are just not something I endorse.

And you can only make fruit smoothies with your juicer if you have a certain type of juicer. You can make a nice fruit smoothie with berries in your masticating juicer, but not in your regular juicer.

I covered this in my article on the differences between juicers and blenders and tried to answer the question can a juicer be used as a blender. 

The reason that you can make a smoothie with a cold press juicer is that most of them come with attachments that allow you to puree fruit. This means you’ll get something like a mushy fruit puree which you can then add to water or almond milk and mix up. Wala…you’ve got a pretty good smoothie.

But you can’t do this with leafy greens. Stick to juicing your leafy greens if you’ve only got a juicer.

You Can’t Make Green Smoothies With A Juicer– Let’s Clear That Up

(except with very particular juicer blender combos–discussed below)

I want to take the time here to dispell a bit of a rumor about green smootheis and juicers.

You can’t make a green juice with a blender and you can’t make a green smoothie with a juicer.

If you’re looking to make green smoothies, then you need a good blender. Here’s a write up on the best blender for green smoothies.

The reason that your cold press juicer can’t make smoothies with greens is because greens are super tough when compared to things like berries and other soft fruit. So it doesn’t make sense to try and puree them and shake them up with water.

Green smoothies require a blender, and in most cases, they require a special blender, not just your average supermarket shelf brand blender.

(UPDATE) Since I initially wrote this I’ve come across a juicer that can make smoothies! 

This model of juicer is the only one that you can make smoothies with.

I have updated this section to include more material at the bottom of the page, but the great news is that there is now a juicer that can make smoothies. This juicer is made by Hurom and it has a unique design function that mixes in the pulp after the fruits and greens are juicer. This way, you are basically getting a smoothie, juice one made by a juicer.

 

Why Would You Use A Juicer To Make Smoothies?

The obvious question that one needs to ask is why exactly would you use a juicer to make a smootie. Why would you want to use a juicer, which is designed to make juices, to instead make a smoothie.

Well, some people don’t own a blender. And if you don’t own a blender, then your options for making smoothies are limited.

That said, I would suggest that if you are looking to make smoothies, particularly green smoothies, then you invest in one. Here’s a good review of the best blender for green smoothies.

However, if you don’t own a blender and are not about to get one anytime soon, you can still make a smoothie. It’s a bit tricky and not what I would recommend that you do all of the time, but for the rare occasion that you don’t have access to a blender…it can be done.

But those are the only reasons you would ever want to make a smoothie without a blender. Point blank the single reason to ever make a smoothie with a juicer is if you don’t have a blender handy.

 

Is It Worth Buying A Blender To Make Smoothies?

That all depends on how often you want to make a smoothie. Are you someone who is going to make smoothies once a week? Or even a few times a month?

If so, then yes, I would suggest that you buy a blender. It’s worth the price of buying a blender just to avoid the hassle of using your juicer as a blender.

The average blender isn’t that expensive. You can find small blenders that are really not very expensive at all.

What I would say is to create a spreedsheet that tracks how much you spend on smoothies for month. If you buy them at health food stores or places like whole foods, just keep track. Then calculate how long it would take to re-coup the cost if you owned your own blender.

But before you go out and buy a blender just to make smoothies, first it is a good idea to make sure that you like smoothies.  That is something that you can do using a juicer. Specifically using a cold press juicer.

I cover a lot of this information in other articles such as:

• Can A Juicer Be Used As A Blender
• Best Blender for Juicing Greens
• Juicing VS Blending

Basically, to rehash the concept here in brief, you will take the attachment that is designed to make fruit puree and then use this to create a berry or fruit mash. This mash will then be put into a shaker bottle or some other container, and then add water in order to make a type of smoothie.

 

What is the Difference Between a Smoothie and a Juice

Even if you are planning on buying a juicer and not a blender, it is a good idea to know what the exact difference is between the two.

A smoothie is made with fruits or vegetables and a liquid. It is processed in a blender or in a juicer blender combo. None of the fiber is removed. It’s more like a shake.

A juice is made only in a juicer. There are no blenders that can make a juicer. The fiber is removed, which makes it easier to digest.

Smoothies are great for people looking to lose weight as it fills you up.

Juices are great for people going on fasts, or anyone who wants to get more natural vitamins and minerals into their diet from whole foods.
You can get more nurtients by drinking fresh juices than you can then by drinking smoothies or eating raw fruits and vegetabls.

 

 

The Only Suitable Option- There Is A Juicer That Can Make Smoothies!

As much as I like to tell folks that you should keep things separated and have a blender for smoothies, and a juicer for juice, there is in fact something that combines them both into one outstanding unit.

 

The Hurom juicer has long been one of my favoraites. It’s actually come a long way in challenging the Omega for the title of the best jucier overall. And with this unique design, it is certainly the only juicer that I would say has the ability to make a smoothie.

If you’re looking for a juicer that can dual as a smoothie maker, then this is it.