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This wonderful spinach juice blend makes a friendly introduction to green juice. With slightly tropical vibes and just enough sweetness, it’s fresh, vibrant, and popular.
Why we love this recipe
There are so many beautiful ways to enjoy green juice. Whether you’re new to juicing or just looking to shake things up a bit, this spinach juice blend is easy to love. It’s got:
- A mellow tropical vibe
- A little bit of sweetness
- Complex (but friendly!) tanginess from the lime and green apple
- Micronutrients galore
I first published a version of this recipe here and in my Serious Eats column way back in 2014. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made some tweaks to the recipe itself.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You can use any spinach that you’ve got, including more mature leaves and stems, in this recipe. I prefer to use baby spinach for its milder, sweeter flavor and less-prominent tannins.
- Use nice, ripe pineapple for best flavor and yield. You’ll peel it, but feel free to juice the core as well as the softer flesh.
- Lime adds an element of tanginess and freshness. You’ll use a knife to cut off the peel and white pith and then put the rest of it through the juicer.
- A tart green apple (such as Granny Smith) is one of my favorite green juice ingredients. It adds a bit of complex sweetness and tartness that complements virtually all juices, while keeping things relatively low-glycemic. You don’t need to peel it. The rest of the prep depends on your juicer — see manufacturer’s instructions for best results.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a beautiful glass of spinach juice. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Add the pineapple to the juicer. You’ll need to peel it, but you can juice the core.
- Next, add the spinach. You may need to use the plunger to encourage it into the machine.
- Follow with the lime and, finally, the green apple. Their juiciness helps flush all the ingredients through.
- Strain into a glass and serve. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
For many years, I’ve used the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer. It’s a masticating juicer (which I will remind you means CHEWING, you perv), so named to my great chagrin because it kinda chews up your fruits and vegetables before sending the juice through a strainer. This method does a good job preserving nutrients for a longer period of time and minimizing oxidation.
Before that, I used an earlier version of the Breville Juice Fountain, which is an excellent centrifugal juicer. This method wins the award for least terrible name, but it causes more oxidation, so the nutrients in your juice won’t last as long.
Both kinds of juicers are totally great if you’d like to drink your fresh juice right away, but masticating juicers are better at preserving nutrients for up to a few days, in case you like to juice in batches.
As noted above, the nutrient retention in fresh juice has a lot to do with what kind of juicer you’re using. If you have a centrifugal juicer, it’s best to drink your juice fairly soon after you make it. With a masticating juicer, feel free to juice in larger batches. They’ll keep well in an airtight container in the fridge (such as a quart-sized mason jar) for two to three days.
Juice can be frozen for longer storage, but you’ll find that any remaining solid bits fall out of suspension and sink to the bottom after defrosting. I’m not personally a huge fan of the texture of defrosted juice, but if you’re okay with it, freezing can be a good bet.
More green juice resources
Whether you’re new to juicing or want to get next-level, I recommend reading my thorough post on Juicing for Beginners. It has all my best tips, tricks, and resources for your juicing regimen, whatever you’d like it to be.
Favorite spinach smoothies
Baby spinach also makes a highly amenable ingredient in smoothies. Here are my favorites:
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Spinach Juice
Ingredients
- 1 cup (170 grams) peeled, diced fresh pineapple
- 1 cup packed, (30 grams) baby spinach leaves
- 1 small green apple, about 6 ounces/(170 grams)
- 1 lime, peel and pith removed
Instructions
- Feed the ingredients through juicer in the order listed for maximum yield.
- Divide between two glasses and serve.
Notes
- You can use any spinach that you've got, including more mature leaves and stems, in this recipe. I prefer to use baby spinach for its milder, sweeter flavor and less-prominent tannins.
- Use nice, ripe pineapple for best flavor and yield. You'll peel it, but feel free to juice the core as well as the softer flesh.
- Lime adds an element of tanginess and freshness. You'll use a knife to cut off the peel and white pith and then put the rest of it through the juicer.
- A tart green apple (such as Granny Smith) is one of my favorite green juice ingredients. It adds a bit of complex sweetness and tartness that complements virtually all juices, while keeping things relatively low-glycemic. You don't need to peel it. The rest of the prep depends on your juicer — see manufacturer's instructions for best results.
- I use the Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer, a masticating juicer that juices pretty efficiently and preserves nutrients for a longer period than centrifugal juicers. You can make this recipe with any juicer.
- The nutrient retention in fresh juice has a lot to do with what kind of juicer you're using. If you have a centrifugal juicer, it's best to drink your juice fairly soon after you make it. With a masticating juicer, feel free to juice in larger batches. They'll keep well in an airtight container in the fridge (such as a quart-sized mason jar) for two to three days.
- Juice can be frozen for longer storage, but you'll find that any remaining solid bits fall out of suspension and sink to the bottom after defrosting. I'm not personally a huge fan of the texture of defrosted juice, but if you're okay with it, freezing can be a good bet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi Carolyn,
my name is Sylvia my husband and I are going to be juicing for weight loss. We believe you’re not supposed to do it for every meal, correct? However, we would like a variety of juices to make it taste good so we’lll stay disciplined, and consistent. We are beginners and I think we have the mastication blender. It’s easy to clean, but produces very little juice, and I still have to strain because it doesn’t take out all the pulp. Your help would be appreciated on this Journey . Thank you. Look forward to your reply
. Kind regards.