Homemade Juice Blends That Taste Good

It seems that juicing has become a way of life for some… for others it’s an attempt at healthiness… then for some, it’s the devil reincarnated. If you want to continue spending $2.00-$4.00 for a 64oz container of juice that’s full of sugars and additives, be my guest. I’d rather spend that money on fruit and get a healthier alternative in my system. Will I pay more than that in fruit purchases alone? That’s probably true, however, every once in a while I think it’s good to step away from the items that are already made and make things yourself. You can’t go wrong with fruit mixed with fruit. Even if you add a touch of sugar yourself, at least you know it’s sugar and not some word or chemical you can’t pronounce.

Here are some fruit juice mixtures that are sure to be a hit with you and your family.

1. Apple and Carrot juice.

This is probably the traditional of all fruit juice blends. Whenever you buy a juicer the first recipe you usually find consists of blending apples and carrots together with perhaps a touch of sugar (or honey) and a little bit of lemon or lime juice. I love the taste, but am not that fond of the pulp, so what I do in that instance is strain the pulp and then add my sugar to the mix and it comes out great each time. Play around with the ratio of carrot to apple, and also you have options on which type of apples to use – McIntosh, Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious. All but Granny Smith apples will probably add a touch of sweetness to your juice as Granny Smith is somewhat of a tart apple. I actually like Granny Smiths to eat, but not necessarily in my juicing.

2. Watermelon and strawberry juice.

You’d think this would turn out red, but actually it’ll become a reddish-green color. You see, the watermelon when juiced (if you include the rind) actually comes out as a greenish color. If you don’t include the rind then you come out with more of a reddish-pink color. Strawberries you’re getting pure red, no question about it. You’ll definitely need to add some sugar for this one depending on how sweet your watermelon and/or strawberries are. Both of these fruits are heavily water-based and may not provide that much sweetness for you, but they’re a great combination together.

3. Apple and Pear juice.

You have a choice of Bartlett or Bosc pears for this juice combination. I’d recommend Fuji apples to mix with the pear as the pear is somewhat tarter than the apple (or it can be anyway). Apple and pear are a great combination together although I’m not that fond of pears by themselves. This one will work great with babies and children as well. If you’ve noticed most baby foods blend apple and/or pear with almost every fruit option available.

4. Honeydew, Cantaloupe, and Watermelon juice.

This is what I call my mixed-melon juice, and the color will be amazing. You get the orangish-brown color of the cantaloupe, with the green color of the honeydew, and the red-pink color of the watermelon together. It’ll be quite a sight when it’s done. If you want to really play around with it, add a touch of vanilla flavoring to it, make sure it’s pure though. I don’t believe in artificial vanilla extract. As usual, play around with the ratios to see what will work for you.

5. Mixed berry (blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and/or cranberry) juice.

Cranberry juice by itself is tart and potent. Blueberry will have a similar story. Be sure to add your favorite sweetener or nectar to this one. These may actually be better for smoothies than for a juicing beverage but I wanted to throw out the option for you berry lovers who may be looking for an alternative to a full-blown smoothie.

6. Orange and Peach juice.

When juicing with oranges you’ll need to juice them by hand. It’s usually not recommended to put citrus juices inside a juicer. So you can juice peaches (or perhaps nectarines if you have them) and then mix with your orange juice. If you want to go for a Dreamsicle effect, add a touch of half and half or milk with a little vanilla extract. Ok, so it won’t be pure juice after that, but who can resist a good Dreamsicle beverage?

7. Orange and Carrot juice.

Two different kinds of orange coloring take effect in this beverage. It’s somewhat hard for me to describe the flavor of this to you but I recommend you try it. You may taste more of the carrot than the orange but it’ll still be good.