Is it cheaper to make your own cold-pressed juice?
Cold-pressed juice has become increasingly popular in recent years, with many touting its health benefits. Making your own cold-pressed juice at home can save you money compared to buying pre-made juices. However, the upfront investment in a juicer can be expensive. In this article, we’ll break down the costs and considerations to help you decide if DIY cold-pressed juice is cheaper.
The Costs of Buying Pre-Made Cold-Pressed Juice
First, let’s look at what it costs to buy cold-pressed juice. Prices can vary widely based on brand, size, and where you purchase. Here are some average costs:
| Juice Size | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|
| 8 oz | $5 – $12 |
| 16 oz | $7 – $15 |
| 1 liter | $10 – $20 |
As you can see, a single 8 oz bottle can cost $5 to $12. For a daily juice habit of 16 oz, you may spend $10 to $30 per day, or $300 to $900 per month.
Buying in bulk or shopping sales can lower the per-bottle cost. But pre-made juice is still an expensive proposition over time.
Startup Costs for DIY Cold-Pressed Juice
The biggest upfront investment for making your own cold-pressed juice is a juicer. You’ll also need supplies like produce, bottles, and storage containers.
Here are typical startup costs:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cold press juicer | $200 – $400 |
| Produce for first 1-2 weeks | $50 – $100 |
| Bottles and storage containers | $20 – $50 |
| Total startup costs | $270 – $550 |
A quality cold press juicer can cost anywhere from $200 for a manual press to $400+ for an electric model. The Omega J8006 is a popular mid-range pick at around $300.
Buying produce for your first few weeks of juicing may run you $50 to $100 until you determine your juice recipes. And you’ll need containers and bottles to store your juice, adding $20 to $50 to costs.
In total, expect to spend $270 to $550 upfront as a cold-pressed juice beginner.
Ongoing Costs of DIY Juice
Once your juicer and supplies are purchased, you’ll need to factor in:
- Produce
- Electricity or effort to operate your juicer
- Packaging like bottles and bags
- Storage containers and freezer bags
- Cleaning equipment and supplies
Let’s break these down:
Produce Costs
Produce can vary based on season, sales, and where you buy. Here are typical costs for common juicing ingredients:
| Item | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Apples | $1.50 – $3 per pound |
| Carrots | $1 – $2 per pound |
| Celery | $1.50 – $2 per head |
| Ginger | $0.50 – $1 per ounce |
| Kale | $0.50 – $2 per bunch |
| Lemons | $0.50 – $1 per lemon |
A 16 oz juice may contain around:
- 2 apples
- 3 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 1 lemon
- 1⁄2 bunch kale
- 1 Tbsp ginger
At typical costs, this could be around $4 to $6 of produce per 16 oz juice. Making a daily 16 oz juice would cost roughly $28 to $42 per week, or $120 to $180 per month in ingredients.
Electricity and Effort
A manual juicer requires physical effort to operate, while an electric model uses electricity. A typical electric juicer may use 0.1 to 0.2 kWh per 16 oz juice. At an electricity rate of $0.12 per kWh, this would cost around $0.01 to $0.02 per juice, or less than $1 per month.
Packaging and Storage
Reusable bottles and containers are economical for juicing storage. Allow around $10 to $20 per month for replacement bottles and bags. Freezer storage bags cost roughly $0.10 to $0.25 each.
Cleaning Costs
You’ll need to thoroughly clean your juicer to avoid mold and bacterial growth. Allow $5 to $10 per month for brushes, cleaning solutions, etc.
Adding Up the DIY Juicing Costs
Adding the ongoing expenses for a daily 16 oz juice habit:
| Item | Typical Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Produce | $120 – $180 |
| Electricity | $1 or less |
| Packaging & storage | $10 – $20 |
| Cleaning supplies | $5 – $10 |
| Total monthly costs | $135 – $210 |
For a daily habit, you may spend $135 to $210 per month making your own juice. Compared to $300 to $900 buying pre-made juice, DIY juicing can provide major savings.
Factors That Impact Cost Savings
How much money you’ll save with homemade juice depends on:
- Your juicing frequency – Occasional juicing saves less than a daily habit.
- Juice yield from produce – Getting the most juice per pound lowers costs.
- Produce selection – Organic, exotic, or out-of-season adds cost.
- Juicer efficiency – More juice yield means better value.
Getting in the habit of juicing cheaper produce like carrots and apples instead of pricier items like berries or pineapple can drastically lower costs. And an efficient juicer that yields more juice per pound of produce will give you better value from the ingredients.
Conclusion
Making your own cold-pressed juice requires an upfront investment in equipment. But over time, you can save significantly over buying pre-made juice. For a frequent juicing habit, you may spend around $135 to $210 per month. That’s just 15% to 30% of the cost of store-bought juice. With some experimentation to maximize juice yields and control produce costs, DIY juicing can be much cheaper long-term.
