Choosing the best masticating juicer
If you're looking to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, juicing is a great place to start and masticating juicers are your best bet for making high-quality cold-pressed juice at home. When shopping for a masticating juicer, there are a few important factors to consider. Namely, you'll want one that's versatile, durable and easy to clean. Keep reading for six of the best masticating juicers on the market.
What is a masticating juicer?
Masticating juicers, also called "slow juicers" or "cold-press" juicers, use an auger mechanism to crush fruits and vegetables and slowly extract their juice. This process differs from centrifugal or "extracting" juicers, which rapidly shred produce with a spinning steel blade.
Masticating juicers take longer to produce a cup of juice, but the cold-press process retains more of the nutrients and produces more juice overall, especially when it comes to juicing leafy greens. They also have much quieter motors compared to centrifugal juicers. And some models are capable of other tasks like grinding nuts and coffee.
What to look for in a masticating juicer
Vertical vs. horizontal design
You'll find masticating juicers in two body styles, vertical and horizontal, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
- Horizontal juicers: These are the classic option. They tend to be more efficient, especially when juicing greens, but they take up significantly more counter space than vertical juicers.
- Vertical juicers: These produce juice more quickly, but they lack some of the versatility and efficiency of horizontal models. Some vertical masticating juicers also may be too tall to fit under low kitchen cabinets.
Chute size
Masticating juicers have feed chutes of varying sizes. A wider chute lets you add larger chunks of fruits and vegetables into the juicer, which minimizes your prep. However, smaller chutes are safer for young children who might try to stick their hands into the juicer. Vertical models typically have larger chutes than horizontal ones.
Versatility
You can get the most bang for your buck by purchasing a masticating juicer that serves multiple purposes in your kitchen. Some models can do anything from grinding coffee and spices to making baby food, nut milk and sorbet.
Dishwasher-safe parts
For easy cleaning, choose a masticating juicer with dishwasher-safe parts. You'll also want to look for a model that comes apart easily so you can clean all the nooks and crannies of the auger.
The 6 best masticating juicers
Hurom H-100 Vertical Juice Extractor
What you need to know: This high-quality vertical juicer offers a sleek design and a host of innovative features.
What you'll love: The sleek vertical design takes up very little space on the countertop. It includes an innovative squeezing apparatus to minimize waste and increase yield. The mesh filter comes apart easily for a thorough clean. It comes in three stylish colors, including black, red and chrome. Plus, it's free of any harmful BPAs.
What you should consider: If cost is a concern, this is one of the priciest masticating juicers on the market. At 350 milliliters, the juice container is also on the small side.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
AMZCHEF Slow Masticating Juicer
What you need to know: This efficient juicer with advanced masticating technology offers great bang for your buck.
What you'll love: It includes a reverse function to remove clogs. The small feeding chute prevents injury during juicing. A low-speed 80rpm motor prevents oxidation and maximizes nutrition. The machine is easy to assemble and disassemble, and all detachable parts are BPA-free and dishwasher safe. At just over $100, it's significantly less expensive than many other juicers on this list.
What you should consider: You'll need to prep your fruit and vegetables into small pieces to fit through the narrow feed chute.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Ninja Cold-Press Juicer
What you need to know: This midrange masticating juicer has a particularly powerful motor and a pulp control feature to customize your juice.
What you'll love: It includes three pulp control filters so you can customize the amount of pulp in your juice. The 500-milliliter juicing jug lets you make more juice at once than other models on this list. The machine is made with BPA-free polymers, and all removable parts are dishwasher safe. It also includes convenient accessories like a pulp collector, tamper, cleaning brush and recipe booklet.
What you should consider: Some users found difficulty juicing harder produce items like carrots, beets and ginger.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Jocuu Masticating Juicer
What you need to know: This user-friendly juicer has an ultra-quiet motor and two speeds for hard and soft produce items.
What you'll love: Multiple speeds ensures efficient extraction for different types of produce. The motor operates at less than 60 decibels for a quiet juicing experience. It includes a reverse function to avoid jamming. Plus, it comes with a 10-year warranty for the motor, a three-year warranty on accessories and lifelong technical support.
What you should consider: Some of the parts are fragile and need to be handled with care.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Aucma Juicer Machine
What you need to know: This option is powerful, has a quiet motor and is easy to disassemble for cleaning.
What you'll love: This company offers life-long technical support if you have any issues, and it's equipped with protection chips that cause it to shut off automatically for safety after 20 seconds of continuous use.
What you should consider: The chute is not incredibly wide, which means you'll have to chop up what you're juicing ahead of time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
AMZCHEF Cold Press Juicer with LED Display
What you need to know: This well-designed juicer has a sleek LED control panel to move between speeds.
What you'll love: The two-speed control offers settings for both hard and soft produce. It includes a reverse function to avoid clogs. The compact design takes up little space in the kitchen. Plus, it comes with convenient accessories, including two 500ml travel bottles to take your fresh juice on the go.
What you should consider: The motor sometimes struggles with large loads of fruits and vegetables.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Katy Severson writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
