Orange Juice Recipe

In this post I show you how to make refreshing Orange Juice in 4 easy ways. There is nothing quite refreshing like a glass of freshly squeezed homemade juice. Bright and sweet with just the perfect amount of acidity, a glass of homemade orange juice packs amazing flavor and so much more. Loaded with vitamins and minerals, it may help to improve immunity naturally.

Homemade fruit juices if consumed in moderation could be healthy as they are undiluted, fresh and made without any additives. Enjoyed after breakfast or at any time of the day, this is a delicious beverage that does more than just quench your thirst.

Regular consumption of oranges is believed to build immunity and improve the overall health. High vitamin C in orange juice has proved to be an immunity booster in kids and grownups alike. Homemade pure juice is delicious, fresh and cannot be compared with any bottled version.

Though eating the fruit on its own has a lot of health benefits, it is hard to get my kids to eat them regularly. So we prefer juicing them 3 times a week. On the other days we add the oranges to smoothies along with banana or apples & sometimes we make mixed fruit juices.

Best Oranges for Juicing

When deciding what type of oranges to use for making orange juice, you should select the fruit that will yield the most juice. I recommend Valencia oranges for the very best juice, followed closely behind by navel oranges.

Blood oranges are a nice option that will yield a lovely pinkish juice while clementines and tangerines will give you a sweeter beverage. You can certainly use whatever oranges that you happen to have on hand, but keep in mind that a fresh orange will be the juiciest.

More Fruit juice recipes
Apple juice
water melon juice
Grape juice
Pomegranate juice
Wheatgrass juice

Photo Guide

How to Make Orange Juice (stepwise photos)

There are a number of ways to juice oranges at home. Depending on your kitchen equipment, you can use a citrus juicer, blender, or a slow juicer. Each will work fine, but keep in mind that the end product will vary slightly.

Method 1 – Manual Juicing

This is by far the best in my opinion, juicing without any equipment or tool. But all kinds of oranges cannot be juiced this way. Oranges with thinner skin can be easily squeezed and juiced the way I have shown below. Note that it is hard to juice a lot of oranges this way and some amount of pulp remains in the fruit.

1. Rinse the fruit well under running water and pat dry with kitchen tissues. Cut the fruit to 2 parts.

2. Remove the seeds as much as possible with the help of a knife.

3. Squeeze the halved oranges over a glass, to extract the juice. Simply remove any seeds left in the juice. Please note this method works only with the freshest, thin skinned juicy oranges.

Method 2 – Orange Juice With a Citrus Juicer

This is probably the most obvious way to juice oranges. With either a handheld juicer or an electric model, this method is quite effective. Start by washing the fruit and cutting it in half, exposing the fruit.

Simple wooden citrus reamers work just fine, though probably aren’t the best for larger quantities.

There are countertop citrus squeezers that operate with a handle that presses the citrus with gravity and your own force to extract juice. This is a nice option for those who can dedicated counter space to a large kitchen tool.

Finally, you can use an electric citrus juicer that does a great deal of the work for you. By just pressing the cut oranges onto a circulating reamer, this juicer yields a good amount of juice with a bit less effort.

Whichever of these juicers it is best to strain your juice to eliminate the stray seed that may have made its way into your glass.

Method 3 – In a Blender

1. Another way to make this juice at home is with an electric blender. This is a great option because it utilizes the whole orange, minus the peel, providing more fiber that other methods that yield just the juice.

2. For this method, start by washing your oranges and removing the peel.

3. Remove the white pith or white membrane, as well. Orange pith is nutritious and is a rich source of fiber however it imparts a bitter taste so I try to remove as much as possible.

4. You will have to halve the oranges and then make a deep cut in the center as seen in the picture below.

5. You will see the seeds there.

6. Remove them gently with the knife. If you prefer cold juice, freeze your oranges for about an hour before juicing them.

7. Once your oranges are prepared simply add them to the jar of your electric blender. Pour water or any other juice just to cover them partially and blend until smooth and liquefied. Do not add a lot as it dilutes the taste.

8. When properly blended, optionally strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pith and enjoy!

Juice made in blender has slight bitter taste from the pith. Also note that pith is healthy and has many nutritional benefits. To cut down the bitter taste, you may add a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.

Method 4 – Using a Slow Juicer

If you happen to have a slow juicer in your arsenal of kitchen tools, making juice is quite simple. Start by washing the fruit and peeling. Remove any white pith.

Turn on the slow juicer and add the whole peeled fruit to the chute/feeding tube. Collect the juice and the pulp in the respective containers. You can also add a small piece of ginger if you live in a cold place. We always add little mineral salt and a small piece of ginger to the juice since the cold pressed juice is very cooling to the body.

Other ingredients you can try with are tulsi/ holy basil leaves or mint leaves which helps to improve the immunity. If you are into alkaline diet, you may also squeeze in a lemon.

Serve orange juice immediately before if begins to oxidize. If you have any excess you can also freeze it to popsicles. Pour it the moulds and freeze.

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This post is from the Archives and was first published in April 2017.