Do you struggle to get the greens you need into your diet? If you’re like me, you know you should be eating more greens, but the idea of eating 3 salads a day just doesn’t seem too fun.
A great way to get more leafy greens into your diet without having to eat spinach by the handful is to turn your greens into juice. By using one of the best juicers for greens, you can take those handfuls of spinach and turn them into a refreshing juice!
Juicing allows you to get more leafy greens into your diet without having to fill up on them. You can also experiment with juicing leafy greens that you wouldn’t eat otherwise. For me, I’m not a big fan of the flavor of kale. By juicing it along with some other vegetables, I can get all the nutrients from kale without having to actually eat it! That’s a win-win for me.
We did extensive research for leafy greens juicers and found 4 picks to help you find the best fit for you. Here is a shortlist of our picks. If you want to read our review of each of these juicers, keep reading!
The Best Juicers for Leafy Greens
Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center – Best Overall Pick
Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer – Best Beginner Pick
Omega VSJ743QS Vertical Masticating Juicer – Space Saver Pick
Tribest Greenstar Elite – Pro’s Pick
Best Leafy Green Juicer Reviews
Omega J8006HDS Nutrition Center – Best Overall Pick
This juicer from Omega is one of the best juicers for greens. Rotating at a slow 80 RPM, this masticating juicer will be able to squeeze out all of the nutrients from your greens and create a refreshing tasty juice. While this is one of the best juicers for kale, it can also juice quite a few other things. Known as a “nutrition center,” this juicer can also make pasta, grind coffee beans, and make nut butters.
With an adjustable cap with 5 settings, you can adjust the juice output based on what it is you are juicing. This feature makes this juicer ideal for juicing all different kinds of greens, other vegetables, and fruits.
What we liked:
- 80 RPMs allow this juicer to get the most out of your greens without damaging the nutrients
- Adjustable end cap allows you to adjust the juicer to the ideal juice consistency
- All the components are food grade and dishwasher safe
- There is a 15-year warranty included
What we didn’t like:
- The feeding chute on this juicer is fairly narrow, which is typical of masticating juicers
Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer – Best Beginner Pick
Are you just starting out on your juicing journey? If so, the Aicok Slow Masticating Juicer may be a great option for you. It’s not the most sophisticated juicer on the list, but it’s one of the best beginner juicers for leafy greens. Your yield might not be absolute highest compared to some other juicers on the list, but it’s also about half the price.
This juicer rotates at 80 RPM and only has one speed. It has BPA free components and is easy to clean, with or without the dishwasher. As far as ability, it can juice most fruits and vegetables with ease. The chute size is similar to other masticating juicers so food will likely need to be prepped beforehand.
What we liked:
- Easy to use design makes juicing unintimidating
- Beginner friendly price point
- 80 RPMs keeps your juice full of nutrients
- BPA free plastics and dishwasher safe components
What we didn’t like:
- Yield is not as high as some of the other juicers on our list
- There are no adjustable settings on this juicer
Omega VSJ743QS Vertical Masticating Juicer – Space Saver Pick
Within the world of masticating juicers, there are 2 main designs: vertical and horizontal. Horizontal masticating juicers are a bit more common and make up every other pick on our list. If you are looking for a horizontal masticating juicer, this may be a better option for you.
A vertical masticating juicer may be a better pick for you if you have a smaller kitchen as they tend to take up less space. They operate very similar to the horizontal juicers and will produce similar results. This juicer from Omega rotates at a very slow 43 RPM to make sure you are getting all the nutrients out of your leafy greens.
This juicer is easy to clean thanks to all the components being dishwasher safe. As with other Omega juicers, this juicer has a 15-year warranty should anything go wrong.
What we liked:
- The compact design is great for smaller kitchens
- 43 RPM speed ensures your juice is made with the nutrients kept intact
- Dishwasher safe components make clean up easy
- A 15-year warranty protects your purchase
What we didn’t like:
- The slower RPM mean the juice may take longer to make
Tribest Greenstar Elite – Pro’s Pick
The Tribest Geenstar Elite takes the cake for most sophisticated juicer on our list. Our Pro’s Pick has 2 stainless steel augers to turn your leafy greens into juice in the most efficient way possible. This juicer also allows you to adjust the pressure based on what it is you’re juicing.
This juicer does have a few more components than simpler juicers, but the parts can go in the dishwasher for easy clean up. As far as versatility goes, this juicer is at the top of the list. It can handle leafy greens with no problem, and can also made nut butters, sorbets, and sauces. With the included homogenizing accessories, you can get even more creative in the kitchen.
This juicer is probably not the best for beginners or those without a ton of space. It’s quite heavy at 17.2 pounds and is the highest priced juicer on our list.
What we liked:
- Very high construction allows you to make leafy green juice with a high yield
- 110 RPM make this juicer the fastest on the list, without sacrificing juice quality
- This juicer is very versatile and includes homogenizing accessories
- Dishwasher safe components make this juicer easy to clean
What we didn’t like:
- This is the most complex juicer on the list, making it not ideal for beginners
- It’s quite large and has the highest price point on our list
What Makes a Good Leafy Greens Juicer?
Greens can be tricky to juice because of how little moisture they have in them. When looking for a good juicer for leafy greens, there are a few things you want to look for.
What is the Best Kind of Juicer for Leafy Greens?
The first to consider is the type of juicer it is. Due to the low moisture and how delicate leafy greens can be, a masticating juicer is the best kind of juicer for leafy greens.
The other option would be a centrifugal juicer, which are usually not great at making juice from leafy greens. A centrifugal juicer operates by spinning really fast, sometimes upwards of 10,000 RPMs. A masticating juicer on the other hand is much gentler on the greens as it rotates only around 80 times per minute.
What is the Juicer Made From?
If you are looking to start a new juice habit, your will be using your new juicer a lot. Because of the frequent use, it’s important to consider the materials your juice is made of. For one, you want to make sure it will last a long time! Juicers aren’t cheap, so making sure to pick a quality juicer will keep you juicing for years to come. Many juicers also come with a warranty which can provide some peace of mind.
Secondly, your juicer will be turning your greens into juice which you’ll be consuming quite a bit of. Given that you’ll be drinking this juice quite a bit, you want to be comfortable with the materials that come into contact with your greens.
To make sure you have nothing to worry about, make sure to only get a juice with food grade plastics. Higher end juicers will also have stainless steel components, so just make sure those materials are food grade as well. All of the juicers we recommend pass these requirements.
How Easy is the Juicer to Clean?
Many people who are new to juicing are typically apprehensive of the juicer cleaning process. Masticating juicers can be relatively easy to clean depending on the machine. If you are worried about how much effort will be required to clean your juicer, look around for a juicer that was built with cleaning in mind. Most options on the market today have dishwasher safe components. By picking a juicer that’s easy to take care of, you’ll be more likely to stick to your juicing habit!
Is the Juicer Adjustable?
Many juicers will allow for some adjustments based on what you are juicing. Even if you want to focus on juicing leafy greens, you will likely want to juice other vegetables too. By choosing a juicer that can adjust pressure or juice flow, you can make sure to get high juice yield no matter what you are juicing.
This is typically included only on higher end models and definitely isn’t a “must have,” but more of a “nice to have.”
How to Juice Leafy Greens with a Masticating Juicer
When it comes to foods, leafy greens can be a bit challenging in a masticating juicer. Not to worry though, it’s still a very manageable task! Leafy greens don’t have much of a solid form so it can be difficult to get the juicer gears to catch onto them initially. Compare this to items like carrots or celery which can pretty much just be dropped right in.
BUT with a little bit of preparation and some help along the way, you’ll be able to make sure your juicer catches your leafy greens.
Step 1: Get Your Greens!
Arguably the most important part of the process, you’ll need to make sure you have some greens to juice. Try to use organic greens if possible, as they will make for a purer juice.
Step 2: Pick Your Base
Leafy greens don’t have a ton of water in them, so they don’t make a lot of juice on their own. Most typical “green juices” use something with a bit more moisture as the base. The 2 most common bases are cucumber and celery. You could also use fruit such as an apple, but keep in mind this will have a higher sugar content. Again, organic is better here!
Step 2.1: Pick Your Extras! (Optional)
This step certainly isn’t necessary, but if you are so inclined you could add other items to your leafy greens juice too. I suggest starting with a bit of lemon and taking it from there! Ginger and herbs also make a great addition to any green juice.
Step 3: Wash Your Greens, Base, and Extras
If you got greens that were not prepackaged, you will want to give them a wash before prepping them to be juiced. If you got greens that are in a sealed bag, you will probably not need to worry about this. Just make sure the bag says they have been washed!
Make sure to give your base items and any “extras” a wash beforehand too!
Step 4: Prep Your Items
This step will vary quite a bit based on what you’ve decided your leafy greens juice creation will be made of! For larger items, you will want to make sure they are chopped up a bit so you can easily feed them through your juicers feeding chute.
As for leafy greens, a bit of prep will go a long way here. If you have loose leafy greens like spinach, try taking a handful and rolling it into a ball before feeding it into the juicer. This may help the juicer catch on to softer leafy items. The main thing you want to avoid is stuffing a ton of greens down the juicer chute while nothing is making it’s way through. If that happens, you will need to get the juicer unclogged before continuing.
By going a little bit at a time and using your juicer’s pusher, you can make sure everything is making its way right on through!
Step 5: Enjoy!
Once you’ve gotten all your items through the juicer, it’s time to enjoy the vegetables of your labor! If I’m in a hurry sometimes I’ll drink my leafy green juice right out of the juicer’s container. Other times, I like to pour it into a glass and add a few ice cubes. How you drink your juice is totally up to you!
Wrapping Up
Juicing leafy greens can be one of the best ways to get more greens into your diet. By turning greens into juice, you can get the nutrients into your diet without having to start your day with fistfuls of greens. I don’t know about you, but I would rather wake up to a cold refreshing green juice and not a whole plate of kale! By getting on of our top picks for leafy greens juicers, you can count on having a great juicer that will get the job done.
Still unsure about which juicer will set you on the right path? Our best overall pick surely won’t disappoint, click here to check it out on Amazon!
