Juicers have become more affordable and accessible over the years, making them a great choice for fresh high-quality beverages that can be made at home for a fraction of the price of the health store. However, many people don’t have a budget of several hundred (or even thousands) of dollars to spend on a new kitchen appliance.
It can get confusing to determine which juicer is the best value for your lifestyle and will save you the most money in the long run. In this article, we will look for the best juicer under $100 and provide a few different options for you to consider.
We’ll consider and examine the level of maintenance, ease of use, durability, and value of each kit in the reviews below. Here is a quick link to each product before we get started:
- Mueller Austria Juicer Best Centrifugal Juicer
- Homevolts Slow Juicer Best Vertical Juicer
- Breville Compact Juice Fountain Best Name Brand Juicer
- FAMTOP Slow Masticating Juicer Best Cold Press Juicer
- Black + Decker Vegetable Juice Extractor Best Juicer Under $50
*If you’re in a hurry, I’d recommend the Mueller Austria Juicer as the best one. This juicer is high-powered and incredibly durable for a cost-efficient unit. It also has a large feeding chute and comes with a 2-year warranty.
How To Pick The Right Juicer
When choosing a juicer for your home, you will want to make sure it is a good fit for your lifestyle and juicing needs. There are many options in this popular category, and here are some of the main considerations when deciding which one is best for you.
What is your budget?
This is likely the first consideration you will have since you’re reading an article looking for cost-effective juicers. Now that juicing technology has become mainstream, there are options for all price ranges! A juicer can cost anywhere from $40 to $2000. More affordable models are great for creating small amounts of a specific juice, such as a citrus juicer. High-end machines can juice, make pasta, double as a food processor, and much more. A good range for a reliable personal juicer is between $60 to $200.
How easy is it to clean?
With lots of liquid and plant matter involved in the juicing process, having a manageable cleaning routine is an important part of the juicing process. You will want to carefully read product reviews, where honest consumers will tell you if the machine has small holes or impossible to reach spots that often get clogged with material.
It’s also a good idea to make sure your juicer comes with a cleaning brush, and if it doesn’t, consider getting one separately. Not only does this help you to more easily clean your machine, but keeps you safer and away from areas containing blades.
How much juice can it extract?
The efficiency of your juicer can make a big difference. If your juicer cannot extract a lot of liquid, you will need to add more produce, which makes the process more expensive and wasteful.
Masticating juicers are usually more efficient than their centrifugal counterparts, since they move slower, allowing more time for a better extraction.
Read manufacturer and consumer reviews to decide which machines are more effective at extracting juice. If people comment that their leftover pulp is bone-dry, then you know that juicer is really good at pulling out all of the liquid.
What size juicer?
When deciding on the size of your juicer, you’ll need to decide how much juice you want to make, and how frequently. If you are just making juice for yourself, or only using the machine once every week or month, you will probably want a model that you will store in a pantry when out of use.
If you plan on juicing every day, you may want to consider a vertical juicer that can live on your kitchen counter without taking up lots of space.
If you’re juicing for several people, you may want to consider a larger model that can hold lots of produce and also stand up to frequent usage. For those using the juicer several times a day or more, or making juices for friends as well as family, you may want to consider a commercial juicer.
Different Types Of Juicers
Centrifugal juicers are a common and affordable machine. They work similarly to a food processor or blender by using blades to break up your fruits and vegetables. This releases the juices in the plant, which moves through a filter that separates the liquid from the pulp.
This is a fast juicer, however, the speed of the blade creates heat. Heat will oxidize the plants in your juicer, which means that they will “expire” more quickly and should be consumed within an hour of extraction.
Masticating juicers are also known as slow juicers and produce a cold-pressed juice. These machines do not use blades to quickly dice fruits and vegetables. Instead, they crush and grind produce slowly, much like the process of chewing food.
Although this is a much slower method of juicing, it creates very little heat, which leaves you with a fresher and oxidant-rich juice that you can store up to three days after processing.
Health Benefits Of Juicing
Juicing is a great way to extract all of a plant’s nutrients, excluding its fiber. In short, it makes it easier to enjoy vitamins, enzymes, and minerals.
Juicing can save time, especially if you can prepare your juice the day before and grab as needed. It makes it easy to add variety to your diet. One of the easiest ways to maintain a healthy diet is by consuming a variety of plants. Juicers make it easy to try different fruits and vegetables without being limited by the grocery store’s selection.
It’s a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. Parents or caretakers can easily “mask” the flavor of vegetables by making clever tasty juice blends.
Juicing may lead to high sugar intake and also lessens the amount of fiber in your diet if you’re replacing whole plants with juice. Make sure to limit your sugar intake and make sure you’re getting a good source of fiber for digestion.
Mueller Austria Juicer
The Mueller Austria Juicer is an excellent value and its 1,100 watts of power combined with its large 3” feeding chute makes it easy to juice a large amount of produce quickly and easily. This choice is probably the most powerful for the price, making it a great choice for someone who wants a heavy-duty unit at an affordable cost.
Many juicers require you to cut your fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces, however, this machine can handle larger pieces, and even thin skins. Minimal produce prep drastically saves time when using a juicer so this is a big benefit. It is also dishwasher safe which can help minimize your cleanup. Make sure to soak all of the parts after use to further eliminate a long and messy clean up.
Because this is a centrifugal juicer, you’ll have to drink the juice immediately so it doesn’t oxidize. It also may be a bit louder than some other models because of its motor power.
Customers report that the company is highly responsive and will offer a full replacement if a piece breaks off. If you don’t take their word for it, this unit comes with a 2-year warranty to protect your purchase.
Homevolts Slow Juicer
This juicer is an excellent deal. It is a simple system with 5 pieces total and a vertical shape that is perfect for smaller kitchens or a permanent setup that takes up minimal space. It is also a masticating juicer, which means it can produce cold pressed juice that will stay fresh for up to 3 days after extraction.
Usually extra features are reserved for higher-end machines. However, this juicer comes with a couple of additional components that will allow you to experiment with making more than just juice. It comes with a small mesh juice strainer, a large mesh strainer that can be used for making fresh jam, and a sorbet strainer that can be used with frozen fruit.
It also includes a small cleaning brush that is custom-designed to reach into hard to get areas for easy fast cleaning. It’s feeding chute is rather narrow but can easily fit in thin produce such as stalks of celery.
Breville Compact Juice Fountain
Breville is a trusted name in the kitchen appliance industry and this juicer single-handedly has gathered over 7,000 reviews raving about its benefits. People find it very easy to use, clean, and good at producing a pulp-free juice, making it an excellent choice for beginner juicers.
The Juice Fountain is also highly efficient, and several users describe the pulp as being pasty and dry. This means that most of the juice is being pulled out of the produce, so you aren’t wasting a lot of liquid, which is common with lower priced juicers.
The juicer is also relatively clean and some report that cleanup takes only 5 to 10 minutes when done right after use. It also comes with an extra wide feeding chute and a juice jug that reduces bubbles and froth and leaves more room for liquid.
FAMTOP Slow Masticating Juicer
The FAMTOP Slow Masticating Juicer is an excellent value and great choice for a personal juicing machine. This juicer extracts juice at a speed of 80RPM and minimizes heat, foam, and oxidation in your beverage. This means that your juice will be completely cold pressed, well filtered, and can be stored for up to 72 hours in the fridge.
This juicer is easy to clean, assemble, and take apart. It’s also relatively sturdy for it’s price, and also comes with four stable feet that help make sure it stays put on your counter. It is BPA-free as well. All parts are dishwasher safe, excluding the motor. A convenient manual will instruct you on specific care.
It’s perfect for both soft and hard ingredients which is important if you want to make vegetable and fruit juices of all kinds. Just make sure to cut your produce into very small pieces if they are hard to avoid a clog. Speaking of clogging, there is a “reverse” feature on the machine that allows you to safely unclog it if it ever gets stuck.
Black + Decker Vegetable Juice Extractor
This juicer is an amazing deal, considering most machines can’t be purchased for under $50. It’s 400-watt motor may be half as much power as most other options on this list, but it’s still strong enough to handle a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
When pushing leafy greens or softer produce through the machine, its recommended to add a hard item such as a carrot or sweet potato added alongside to increase extraction. You may want to avoid using small wet fruits such as blueberries, grapes, and pomegranates with this juicer.
The pulp is a bit moist, and you can push it through the machine another time or two for a full extraction of liquid. The juice itself is clean and well filtered with minimal pulp. The feed tube is fairly small, so you may need to prep your produce before use.
The unit is fairly manageable and is easy to assemble. It is dishwasher safe but you will want to make sure you clean the mesh strainer carefully by hand. Some people report that cleaning the juicer takes a while, from 10 to 15 minutes.
Summary
As you can see, there are several affordable options for cold-pressed juice in the home. Make sure to consider what is best for your lifestyle, the goals you have with juicing, your budget, and your counter space when picking the best cold press juicer for your home.
