How Much Does it Cost to Juice?
I bought a juicer a couple of years ago and while I don’t juice every day, I try to pull it out regularly. I’m not going to debate whether or not juicing is the right thing for you (you can read all about that in this post) because I just want to focus on how much it costs to juice. Juicing is trendy but love it or hate it, let’s see what it does to your bank account.
How much do pre-made juices cost?
Store bought juice can run you upwards of $9 a bottle, depending on the brand.
I’ve tried Daily Greens, Suja, Lumi, and a couple of local brands from here in Richmond. Here’s a quick run down of prices for 16oz of a “green” juice based on what I’ve seen here in Richmond. Typically these are the most expensive because they have the most costly ingredients in them. You can get cheaper juices if you’re just getting orange juice, apple juice, or a smaller bottle.
- Lumi– 7.99
- Suja– 7.99
- Daily Greens– 7.99
- Whole Foods Juice Bar– $7.00
- Blueprint– $7.99
They’re all great for convenience but it’s hard for me to justify spending more on a bottle of juice than I do on a whole meal. So for me, I usually juice at home. I bought the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juicer (<–affiliate link) from Amazon a few months ago so I’ve been testing it out. I really like it because it wasn’t super expensive and it works well for me. You can get it for around $50. So the juicer itself is an initial investment but what about the ingredients?
How much does it take to make juice at home?
Here’s an example juice recipe with the average prices:
- 1 cucumber- $1.00
- 1/2 bunch of kale- $1.00
- 1 lemon $0.50
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger $0.25
- 3 whole carrots $0.50
Total for a 16oz glass of juice: $3.25.
Here’s another combo that I make regularly:
- 1 cucumber- $1.00
- 5 stalks celery $1.25
- 1 small apple $0.50
- 1/2 bunch of kale – $1.00
- 1 lime- $.50
Total for a 16oz glass of juice: $4.25
The trick is to combine ingredients that will give you lots of health benefits and still fill up your glass. For example, Kale is great for you, but it’ll take an entire bunch of kale to get a couple ounces of juice whereas a cucumber might be a little less “potent” but will give you about 1/2 cup of juice. I try to combine juicy ingredients with less juicy ingredients in order to fill my glass without breaking the bank. Fruits and veggies that will give you lots of juice are things like cucumbers, celery, apples, lemons, and oranges. Things like kale, spinach, or broccoli won’t give you as much, so it’s best to combine those with juicier ingredients. For me, I know the combinations of fruits and vegetables that I like will cost around $3-$4 in order to make a large glass. That might still sound like a lot but I typically use produce that I know I won’t necessarily be able to use before it goes bad. I love having kale in the fridge to make salads but sometimes I can’t use up a whole bunch in time. For me, juicing has become pretty cost effective because I rarely load up on produce for the sake of juicing. That said, on busy days, if I’m craving a little juice, I’ll usually just grab one on the go! Lately, my life has been a little bit busier and juicing at home definitely takes a lot more time.
If you’re still on the fence about juicing check out this post: Should you Juice?:
Love that you broke this down! I had a juicer that my mom commandeered and still has, but I need to yank it back from her and try out some new combos. I had a lot of fun with it a few years ago!
we have a juicer, but we use it more for fun than anything else. at the farmer’s market, for instance, we’ll rummage around and find unique things for making juice when we get home <3
Such a great analysis…we buy a lot of store bought juices (it’s one of the ways my picky eater will eat some veggies) and I’ve always wondered if a juicer would be the better route to go….thank you for sharing!
I am pretty sure that is the exact juicer I won many years ago! I love it, but I do not juice very often. I really should. I do not care much about the price as much as I know that it is homemade with nothing extra added to the drinks (aka, sugar!)
Exactly! So much store bought juice is so sugary!
I have an HB juicer too and I love it! I think if you’re buying everything organic it adds up more, but I don’t always do that. I buy the bulk bags of carrots and green apples for just a few bucks each and they last a couple weeks. I haven’t juiced in a few weeks, though, so now I’m all inspired to get back to it!
I LOVE fresh juice, especially fresh Orange Juice – it’s like crack but I became uber lazy during the winter season so I didn’t juice squat. Time to get back on it. I’m not good with consistency so it’s always short-lived. 🙂 Thanks for the low-down on cost-effectiveness though! Have a great weekend Liz! -Iva
My Mom got a juicer a few years ago and I don’t think she’s touched it in a year! I tried to warn her that it would end up costing a lot. Especially since she was mostly juicing just fruits.
My juicer has been put away for way too long! I think it’s worth it – especially to buy your own juicer. Going to juice bars can get really pricey, and buying your own is a great may to make it more worth it.
Plus, it’s fresher when you make it yourself (vs. bottled juice). It seems like those bottled juices would start to oxidize and lose nutrients.
I bought a juicer a few months ago and ended up taking it back. For us the cost was just too prohibitive. We were juicing all organic veggies and fruits and trying to juice too many greens with little return. I do love a good juice though!
I don’t know a lot about juicing so this was really helpful. I never even thought about the type of vegetables, etc that you use. So interesting!