Can you use the NutriBullet as a juicer?
The NutriBullet is one of the most popular personal blenders on the market. Its powerful motor and bullet-shaped blades make it easy to pulverize fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients into smoothies and shakes.
Some people wonder if the NutriBullet can also be used as a juicer to separate juice from pulp. While the NutriBullet is great for making smoothies, there are a few reasons why it isn’t the best choice for juicing.
How the NutriBullet Works
The NutriBullet operates by using high-speed blades to finely grind ingredients into a smooth texture. The blades pulverize everything placed inside the cup, including seeds, skins, stems, and pulp.
This complete breakdown of the ingredients is what makes the NutriBullet excellent for smoothies. All of the nutrients from the whole fruits and veggies are efficiently extracted and blended into the drink.
How Juicers Work
Juicers are designed to extract the liquid parts of fruits and vegetables while separating out the fibers and pulp. This is achieved through several methods:
- Centrifugal juicers grind ingredients into pulp using a high-speed spinning metal basket. The pulp is pressed against the basket walls to squeeze out the juice.
- Masticating juicers crush fruits and vegetables into a pulp using augers or gears. The pulp is squeezed through a mesh screen to filter out the juice.
- Citrus juicers apply direct pressure to halved citrus fruits in order to extract the juice.
The key difference is that juicers isolate the liquid portions of produce from the solids. The NutriBullet does not separate pulp from juice.
NutriBullet Has No Juice Separation
The biggest barrier to using the NutriBullet as a juicer is that it lacks a straining mechanism. Juicers use screens or filters to separate the extracted juice from the pulp after produce has been crushed.
The NutriBullet simply obliterates ingredients into tiny particles without any kind of filtration. So the juice remains mixed with the pulp, seeds, peels, and other solids.
While the NutriBullet excels at making smoothies and nut milks, the lack of straining means you’ll end up with more of a thick sludge rather than a clear, pulp-free juice.
NutriBullet Juice Has Very Short Shelf Life
True juices made with a juicer can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This is because the separation process removes the pulp that could cause spoilage.
The blended juice and pulp created by the NutriBullet has a much shorter shelf life. It should be consumed right away for food safety and to retain the most nutrients.
Leaving blended produce at room temperature for hours allows mold and bacteria to grow quickly. NutriBullet juice really isn’t suitable for making in batches ahead of time.
NutriBullet Juice Isn’t Very Palatable
Drinking a thick, pulpy juice made with the NutriBullet may not be very palatable or enjoyable. The texture is closer to a smoothie than a juice.
Some people don’t mind the added fiber and nutrients from keeping the pulp. But others really prefer the smooth, light mouthfeel of strained juices.
Using the NutriBullet also incorporates more bitterness from seeds, stems, and peels into the juice. Juicers allow you to strain out some of these harsher elements.
NutriBullet May Struggle With Juicing Leafy Greens
The NutriBullet can handle juicing soft fruits like oranges, pineapple, berries, and tomatoes. But when it comes to leafy greens like kale, spinach, chard, or wheatgrass, the results can be hit or miss.
These vegetables are low in moisture and high in fiber. Juicers use tremendous crushing force to properly extract liquid from the leaves. But the NutriBullet may simply spin greens around without fully juicing them.
You may end up with a thick, fibrous slurry rather than a nutritious green juice.
NutriBullet Has a Weaker Motor
The maximum wattage of the NutriBullet motor is only 600 watts. This gives the blades enough spinning power to liquefy soft ingredients.
However, most dedicated juicers have 1000 watt motors or higher. The additional torque helps thoroughly crush produce for higher juice yields.
Trying to juice dense, tough ingredients may cause the NutriBullet motor to overheat or burn out prematurely.
Small NutriBullet Cups Aren’t Ideal for Juicing
The standard NutriBullet comes with small individual serving cups, normally 12-24 ounces. While convenient for smoothies, this isn’t ideal when juicing larger batches of produce.
You’ll constantly need to stop and empty the tiny cup, which disrupts the juicing process. Juicers typically have large pitchers that allow uninterrupted juicing.
NutriBullet does sell larger cups, but they still pale in comparison to a juicer’s pitcher capacity.
NutriBullet May Leak Pulpy Juice
Centrifugal and masticating juicers are designed to handle wet, pulpy produce without leaking. They contain the mess and allow easy pouring of juice.
Since the NutriBullet doesn’t separate pulp, trying to juice large amounts of wet produce can result in leakage. Extracting juice from fruits like oranges or lemons may overflow the blade assembly.
Also, the NutriBullet cups have narrow openings prone to clogging from pulp. Juicers have larger receptacles and openings.
Not Designed for Continuous Use
Personal blenders like the NutriBullet are intended for quick, intermittent use. The motors cannot continuously run for long periods of time without risk of overheating.
Juicing often involves running a machine non-stop for 20-30 minutes to process large amounts of produce. The NutriBullet isn’t built for this type of heavy, extended use.
No Pulp Control
Dedicated juicers allow you to control the amount of pulp in your juice. Centrifugal models have adjustable strainers, while masticating juicers feature pulp regulators.
Since the NutriBullet lacks any kind of filtration or separation, you have no control over pulp content. You’ll get the full pulp whether you want it or not.
Not Designed for Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass requires specialized juicers that can efficiently extract liquid from grass blades. Standard masticating juicers usually won’t cut it.
The NutriBullet definitely isn’t designed to juice wheatgrass. The blades lack the crushing power required to properly juice grass. You’ll mostly get shredded or pulverized grass.
May Damage NutriBullet Over Time
Continuously using the NutriBullet as an improvised juicer may reduce its lifespan. Juicing puts a lot of strain on the motor and blades as they struggle to crush hard, stringy produce.
This extra wear and tear could lead to early failure of the motor or dulled blades. The machine may no longer work properly especially when making smoothies.
Replacing the motor or blades can be expensive. It’s best not to regularly tax the NutriBullet with heavy juicing tasks it wasn’t built for.
NutriBullet Won’t Yield Much Juice
| Machine | Carrots Juiced | Juice Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Masticating Juicer | 3 lbs | 2 cups |
| Centrifugal Juicer | 3 lbs | 1.5 cups |
| NutriBullet | 1 lb | 0.5 cups |
Juicers are engineered to efficiently extract liquid from fruits and vegetables. As shown above, a masticating juicer will yield about 4 times more carrot juice compared to the NutriBullet when processing the same amount.
The NutriBullet lacks the power and separation ability to properly juice produce. You’ll get a much lower volume of juice for the amount of ingredients used.
Low Juice Yields Can Mean More Produce Waste
Since the NutriBullet doesn’t extract juice very efficiently, you may end up needing a lot more produce to make decent quantities of juice.
Having to constantly buy extra fruits and vegetables that ultimately get thrown out as unused pulp isn’t very economical or sustainable.
A proper juicer maximizes yields from the minimal amount of ingredients. This results in less produce waste and more value from what you buy.
NutriBullet Juice May Cause Digestive Issues
Drinking large amounts of blended produce containing pulp and fiber can lead to digestive upset like gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
The straining process of juicers removes most of the insoluble fiber. This makes juice easier to digest while delivering a concentrated serving of nutrients.
People with digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) usually tolerate strained juices better than thick, pulpy blends.
Purchase a Proper Juicer for Best Results
The NutriBullet can technically extract juice from fruits and veggies with its high-speed blades. But the lack of true juicing capability means you’ll get inferior results and enjoyment.
If you want nutrient-dense juices made from leafy greens, root vegetables, oranges, apples, etc., invest in a proper juicer. Here are some worth considering:
Masticating Juicers
- Omega J8006 – $200-300. Slow juicing preserves nutrients.
- Tribest Slowstar – $300-400. Duoblade auger is very efficient.
- SKG Wide Chute – $150-200. Large feed chute saves prep time.
Centrifugal Juicers
- Breville JE98XL – $100-150. Large pitcher minimizes stopping.
- Mueller Austria – $60-80. Affordable but lower juice yields.
- Hamilton Beach Big Mouth – $50-70. Extra wide chute.
Dedicated juicers will give you higher juice volume and quality, with less pulp and mess. Well-made models should last for years, making them a wise investment for juice enthusiasts.
Conclusion
While convenient for smoothies on-the-go, the NutriBullet isn’t the best tool when you really want to unlock the juicing potential of fresh produce.
Without screens or filters, you’ll end up with a pulpy puree full of solids rather than a refreshing glass of juice. Plus juicing frequently may damage the machine over time.
For flavorful, pulp-controlled juices that are easy to digest and store, a purpose-built juicer can’t be beaten. But the versatile NutriBullet still shines when it comes to crafting nutrient-packed smoothies and shakes.