Difference Between a Juicer and a Blender: All You Need To Know

Sometimes I take it for granted that people know the difference between a juicer and a blender. Most people who are into making fresh juice will know that a juicer is used to make juices from fruits and vegetables and a blender is used to make smoothies and shakes.

But not everyone is familiar with this stuff. There are lots of people who want to get healthy, but they’re not really sure where to start.

They might hear that you need to make juice, but they also might hear that you need to have a blender to be healthy. And its perfectly sensible that you’d be confused with that sort of information.

The problem in the food world is that everyone is pushing their own brand. People who sell blenders want to tell you that you need a blender in order to get into shape.

And obviously people who like to use juicers are going to recommend that you get a juicer.

But really, what’s the difference between a juicer and a blender.

Well, lucky for you we’re going to review this below.

 

What Does a Juicer Do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, let’s take a look at what exactly a juicer does. While it sounds simple, it’s really somewhat involved once you get into the details.

A juicer is designed to do a single thing: extract the juice from fruits and vegetables. That’s it.

Now, there are some juicers that are able to do things like make nut butters, and make frozen “ice cream” made from frozen fruits like bannas…but those are special juicers.

The main use of a juicer is to take a bunch of vegetables or fruits, and remove the sold and leave you with the healthy juice liquid.

If you’re not familiar with why you want to remove fiber, then you can read my article on why you want to remove fiber from juicing. And you can also read up on why not all pulp is removed when juicing (which is a good thing) and why juicing does not destroy nutrients.

The basic principal behind juicing is as follows:

You buy a bunch of fruits of vegetables, such as head of celery. Now, it’s not easy to eat that  much celery, or kale or spinach. So, you take it and run it through a juicer.

That then extracts all of the healthy phytonutrients in the juice and leaves you without having to eat a lot of fiber which would fill you up, give you gas, and make it impossible to get the same amount of vitamins and antioxidants.

 

And What Does a Blender Do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, so you know what a juicer does. What does a blender do?

Simple, a blender blenders things.

Ok, so, what does that mean? Well, let’s look first at how a blender is designed. What is the method by which a blender takes sold fruits and vegetables and blends them up into a smoothie.

A smoothie is just a blender up fruit or vegetable drink. People who want to drink smoothies are interested in getting a few things that juices don’t have. Namely lots of fiber.

Also, while some people do mix protein powder in their juice, many people who hit the gym after a long day prefer to use a smoothie with protein powder as a post workout shake.

With a blender, you can add protein powder, frozen fruits, and a liquid. Then use that as a meal replacement.

Juices cause less bloating then smoothies, so many people with stomach issues prefer to use a juicer to make fresh juices than use something like a blender that will have fiber…which causes bloating.

You can use a blender to make smoothies with yogurt, nuts, nut butter like almond butter (but you can make nut butter in a juicer, funny enough). And if you are using vegetarian protein powders, then a smoothie would be a great way to have it daily.

 

Can A Juicer Blend and Vice Versa?

No you can’t use a juicer as a blender or vice versa. I’ve covered this before, but it helps to mention it again.

Unless you are really pressed for space in your kitchen, then there’s no reason to not get both a juicer and a blender if you want to make smoothies and juices.

The juicer that I use and that I recommend is the Omega juicer. It’s the best made juicer on the market (there are more expensive juicers, but the omega is the best).

For a blender, you’ve got a lot of options. I’m not going to cover them, but my suggestion would be to get a good bullet blender for personal use if you are also getting a blender.

If you’re looking for a good entry level blender, check out my article which covers the best jucier for beginners.

Can a Juicer Replace a Blender?

No, again a juicer can’t replace a blender. It’s not a similar type of machine. If you have a blender, then you can do a lot with it. You can make all sorts of stuff with a juicer, but you shouldn’t think that you can make smoothies.

A juicer can’t replace a blender and a blender certainly can’t replace a juicer. They are two unique devices that you will want for separate uses.

Do You Need A Juicer?

I can’t answer that question for you. Do you want to make juice? Are you someone who drinks fresh juice and wants to make it at home to either:

• Save money
• Choose Your Own Ingredients?
• Make Sure It’s Clean

 

If so, then sure I would suggest that you use a juice and get a good one. You don’t want to waste money on a cheap juicer because those are just going to break and disappoint you.

No, what I suggest that you do is to just get a decent mid range juicer. There’s no need to get a 500 dolar juicer unless you’re running a juicing store.

If you are only making jucies at home for your self and roomates or family, then an Omega, Hurom, or one of the other brands I have done reviews on will suffice.

As a rule, I suggest spending more than 100 bucks on a juicer.

Blenders you can get away with buying for 80 bucks. But a juicer is a more complicated machine.

But they last a long time If you choose the right one. Omega, for example, routinely last 10+years. Many people have used Omega juicers for daily juicing for years without isse.