How to make fresh orange juice with a blender

If you have an excess of oranges that you are not sure what to do with, then making fresh orange juice is an excellent and easy solution. I’m going to show you how make fresh orange juice with a blender and make use of the whole orange minus the sour parts.

A few different ways to make fresh orange juice

• The quickest way to make any fruit juice is by using a juicing machine. All you need to do is peel the orange and pop it into the juicer and in no time you have orange juice. 2-4 medium sized oranges should make enough juice for one glass. The biggest drawback about these juicing machines is that they are a pain in the neck to clean after use.
• The next way (and the way I will be demonstrating) is by using a blender. In the video below i’ll be showing you how to process the orange by cutting away the sour bits. Leaving behind only the sweet flesh we will be using to make delicious fresh orange juice. My personal favorite blender out there is the Vitamix. I use it all the time and is the perfect machine for the task at hand.
• The next and most laborious way is by hand squeezing oranges. The process is simple but unfortunately a great deal of the orange goes to waste. Sometimes it doesn’t seem worth it.

Check out the video below for a simple tutorial on how to make fresh orange juice with a blender. I will be using a sharp knife in this video so I ask that if you are trying this at home to use caution when handling dangerous equipment.

How to make fresh orange juice with a blender

1. Using a sharp knife top and tail the oranges and cut off the peel. Then cut out the pith and remove the seeds. Cut them into segments as shown in the video.
2. Place the orange segments into your blender and blend it on high speed for about 2 minutes. If the consistency is too thick then just add water a little at a time until you are happy with the consistency.
3. Place a fine meshed strainer over a bowl or a large jug and strain the pulp from the liquid. If you like pulp in your orange juice then just add a little into the jug and mix it in.
4. With a spoon stir the strainer until all of the liquid has passed through and your orange juice is smooth.

How to make fresh orange juice taste better without sugar

1. The best way to make sure your orange juice will taste delicious is to make sure that the oranges taste delicious when you eat them. This may seem obvious but is a great indicator of the final product. Sour oranges make sour orange juice.
2. The parts of the orange that affect the flavor of your juice are the rind, pith and seeds. So make sure you cut those parts out and only use the juicy flesh for your fresh OJ.
3. Adding a pinch of salt to your orange juice while blending can help highlight the orange juice sweetness.
4. If you are going to use a sweetener of some sort then use some honey. It’s delicious and nutrient rich and is a great replacement for sugar.
5. Blend sweet fruits such as dates into your orange juice.
6. Sometimes adding a little water helps improve the taste of your orange juice by diluting it.
7. If you are still not getting the desired flavor you are looking for add some sugar free apple juice to it. Add it slowly and taste as you go. This will make it more of an apple and orange cocktail but is still tasty and refreshing.

What can you do with the orange’s leftover waste

Once you have processed your oranges and blended them up you are going to be left with some waste products such as peels, seeds, pith and even some pulp. Most will just throw it in the trash but there are more eco friendly ways to deal with these waste products, for example:

• You can use the peels in a few ways. For instants you can add them to a compost heap or perhaps make some orange zest powder. To make the powder all you need to do is dehydrate the peels in an oven at a low temperature (150 °F) or by leaving them out in the sun. Once they have dried out entirely, it’s time to break out that handy blender again to pulverize them into a fine powder. The powder can later be used on desserts or on the rim of cocktail glasses.
• There’s not too much that can be done with the rind. It should just be mixed in with the compost. It can also be dehydrated but there is no flavor so I wouldn’t use it as a powder.
• The seeds can be planted. Pop those seeds into a pot of soil and in 10-14 days (if you are lucky) you should see a few sprouts popping their heads out of the ground. I’ll be honest with you, you probably won’t see any fruit from that tree for at least a decade but hey, you’ve got yourself beautiful plant that may one day bear fruit. Take good care of it because one day it may take care of you.

If you would like to find out more about food sustainability practices then click the link for a great deal more information on the topic.

The products I used in the video

If you are curious about the products I’ve used in the video and you would like to know more about them then check out the links down below for further information:

Vitamix

In my personal experience as a chef this has been one of the best blenders I have used. It is pretty much indestructible and is up to just about any challenge I throw at it. However it is rather pricey but is worth it in terms of its quality.

Zwilling Pro 5.5″ Santoku Knife

This little knife is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. It’s German engineered and is relatively inexpensive. I use it for almost anything, I highly recommend this knife if you are looking for good value for money.

A healthy way to start your day

Drinking Fresh Orange juice is a great way to start the day as it contains important anti-oxidants such as vitamin C. Oranges are known for their ability to improve skin health, cognitive function, respitory health, kidney health and more…

It’s refreshing and nourishing and most importantly homemade. It takes a little effort to make your own OJ but is definitely worth the time. The great thing about making it at home is that you are in control of what goes into it thus being in control of what goes into your body.