The 7 Best Masticating Juicers, Tested and Reviewed
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These top-performing masticating juicers will help you crush your juice game.
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Reviewed by Dietitian Brierley Horton, M.S., RD
If you rely on fresh fruit juice for a daily pick-me-up, investing in a quality juicer is a smart idea for both your budget and your health goals. And masticating juicers are the crème de la crème.
Masticating juicers, also known as slow juicers or cold-press juicers, use a crush-and-press method to extract juice from fruits and vegetables. "They provide a higher yield than [centrifugal] juicers and [produce] less waste," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It—Taking You from Label to Table.
Overall, we believe a good juicer should be easy to assemble, use and clean, as well as (arguably, most importantly) make tasty juice you'll look forward to drinking. To help you find the perfect one to fit your needs, we tested 19 popular juicer models and spoke to a registered dietitian for insights. Here are our top picks.
Our Masticating Juicer Recommendations
Best Overall: Omega 43 RPM Vertical Square Low-Speed Juicer
Also Great: Hamilton Beach Masticating Slow Juicer
Best Budget: Dash Compact Cold Press Power Juicer
Best Splurge: Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer
Best for Small Spaces: Nutribullet Slow Juicer
Easiest to Clean: Cuisinart Easy Clean Slow Juicer
Best for Big Batches: Breville Juice Fountain Cold Plus Juicer
Masticating Juicers vs. Centrifugal Juicers
There are two main types of juicers: masticating juicers and centrifugal juicers. Masticating juicers are often considered "better" because they can handle different types of produce (think: leafy greens, wheatgrass, and apples) more efficiently than a centrifugal juicer. The main difference between the two styles lies in how they extract the juice from produce.
A centrifugal juicer uses a blade to shred and cut produce, spinning it at high speed to separate the juice from the pulp. The benefit of this process is it's fast—you'll get a serving of juice in less than a minute. The drawbacks of centrifugal juicers are that they can be loud and won't produce as much juice, as some liquid remains in the pulp.
In contrast, a masticating juicer masticates, or chews, the produce by slowly grinding it and pressing it through a metal mesh strainer or filter to extract the juice from the pulp.
The Benefits of Masticating Juicers
One of the top benefits of masticating juicers (as we mentioned earlier) is you get more juice from the same amount of produce—aka more bang for your buck in the produce section to make one glass of green juice. That's because masticating juicers' slow grinding mechanism makes them more thorough and efficient at extracting juice from fresh produce.
Another benefit of masticating juicers is they run quieter (their motors don't need to spin a cutting disc at high speed).
The drawbacks? "Masticating juicers might take a little more work to clean," says Taub-Dix. Because of the delicate parts and the tendency for the filter and strainer components to clog, masticating juicer manufacturers recommend hand-washing immediately after making juice (though some models may be dishwasher-safe). Still, cleaning your masticating juicer shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
They're also not quite as fast as a centrifugal juicer—the slow juicing process took anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes (depending on the type of produce we juiced) when we tested them. Masticating juicers are also usually more expensive than centrifugal juicers (there are plenty of centrifugal juicers that cost less than $100).
Best Overall: Omega 43 RPM Vertical Square Low-Speed Juicer
Amazon
What we like: This sturdy, user-friendly juicer pulverized all of our produce with ease, with next to no pulp leftover.
What to know: It's on the heavier side.
If you’re looking for a slow juicer that can handle practically any task you throw its way, this Omega model is the one you want. This user-friendly juicer features a dual-edged auger that spins at 43 RPM, and the motor is powerful enough to break down tough, fibrous ingredients like ginger. To operate the machine, there’s a single switch for “on,” “off” and “reverse”—no complicated control panels to contend with. It also has an automatic pulp ejection function for easy cleanup.
When we put the Omega juicer to the test, it processed everything from apples to carrots to kale in under 5 minutes each. When we observed the leftover pulp, it was incredibly dry—a sign that this juicer squeezed every last bit of liquid out of each item. Additionally, there was very little pulp left floating in our juice afterward.
Throughout our testing, this juicer never overheated or sounded like it was struggling or straining. We also appreciated its low sound volume, which means you can most likely use this juicer in the mornings without waking anyone up (unless, of course, you’ve got some super light sleepers in the house).
Assembling the Omega juicer was easy, although we’ll note that there are several moving parts that require separate assembly before putting the whole thing together. And, while it’s not particularly bulky, this juicer is a bit heavy, so those with strength limitations may want to keep this machine on the countertop where it won’t need to be moved around.
Wattage: 150 watts | RPM: 43 RPM | Dimensions: 8.5”D × 7”W × 15.5”H | Warranty: 15-year for US and Canada; 1-year internationally
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Also Great: Hamilton Beach Masticating Slow Juicer
Amazon
What we like: This sleek and compact juicer packs the same power as the Omega, but for less than half the price.
What to know: It didn’t do the best job juicing our carrots.
Hamilton Beach has a decades-long history of making affordable yet functional kitchen appliances, and this masticating slow juicer is a perfect example of that. This machine did an excellent job juicing produce of different textures, and our juices all turned out velvety smooth. While it did struggle a little bit when we juiced our carrots, we had no issues with any of our ingredients clogging or jamming the juicer.
This machine is easy to assemble and disassemble, and the comprehensive instruction manual includes step-by-step instructions (with visuals!) as well as troubleshooting info for various scenarios. This juicer is also easy to clean, with multiple parts being dishwasher safe, and Hamilton Beach even throws in a complimentary cleaning brush to help remove any leftover bits.
We’ll note that the chute for this juicer is on the smaller side, so you’ll want to cut your produce up into pieces before feeding it through the machine. You’ll also need to remove any pits or large seeds from the produce before juicing it, and if you’re juicing something like lemons or oranges, be sure to peel them first.
Wattage: 150 watts | RPM: Not listed | Dimensions: 7.44"D x 12.6"W x 13.46"H | Warranty: Limited 3-year
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Best Budget: Dash Compact Cold Press Power Juicer
Amazon
What we like: This is a petite but powerful appliance at an approachable price point.
What to know: Not ideal for kale juice.
Good juicers don’t have to cost a fortune, and this Dash Compact Cold Press Power Juicer is proof. This sturdy little machine boasts 130 watts of power, and its small size means it’s easy to move and store. It’s also available in three colors—black, silver and a light aqua blue—so you can pick one that matches your kitchen decor.
When we tested the Dash juicer, we found it incredibly intuitive and easy to use. Despite its diminutive size, this machine powered through almost every batch of juice just as successfully as larger models. We were particularly impressed with the ginger, which took less than 4 minutes to process completely and yielded lots of juice and extremely dry pulp. The kale, however, didn’t fare so well; it took nearly 15 minutes to process in the juicer, and we were left with more pulp than juice.
Another thing to note: The chute on this juicer is quite narrow, so we had to chop our ingredients into very small pieces before feeding them through. Overall, we think the Dash juicer makes a great budget pick, but if you love kale juice or you’re not a huge fan of food prep, you may want to skip this one.
Wattage: 130 watts | RPM: Not listed | Dimensions: 4.9"D x 3.9"W x 14.2"H | Warranty: 1-year manufacturer’s warranty; 2-year warranty available with registration
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Best Splurge: Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer
Williams Sonoma
What we like: This machine has a powerful motor and an auto-cut function that gave us a virtually hands-off juicing experience.
What to know: Quite a bit of assembly required.
In the mood for a “treat yourself” moment? Consider investing in this splurge-worthy Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer. It’s equipped with numerous bells and whistles, including an auto-cut function for produce and strainers for smoothies and sorbets, and it comes in three colors: silver, white and matte black. And, despite its powerful 240-watt motor, this was one of the quietest masticating juicers we tested.
In our previous juicer tests, we tried an older version of this juicer (the EVO830), which earned the rank of our favorite high-end option. However, this revamped model (the REVO830) includes an auto-cut feature, which allowed us to put whole fruits and veggies through the chute without having to chop them into pieces beforehand. In fact, one of our favorite things about this juicer was dropping apples into the chute and watching them get broken down bit by bit.
We’ll admit that this juicer was a little intimidating at first, as there were eight different parts that needed to be assembled before we could use it. Luckily, though, the instruction manual laid out the instructions clearly and thoroughly, and it helped us better understand how the juicer works.
When we tested the Kuvings, it juiced all of our produce seamlessly and efficiently. The only thing we had minor issues with was the ginger, as it got stuck in the juicer for a brief moment, but after reversing the motor for about three seconds, we were good to go. While the $700 price tag of this juicer may cause a bit of sticker shock, Kuvings offers a generous 15-year warranty to sweeten the deal.
Wattage: 240 watts | RPM: 50 RPM | Dimensions: 10"D x 8"W x 19"H | Warranty: 15-year
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Best for Small Spaces: Nutribullet Slow Juicer
Amazon
What we like: This compact model gave us delicious juice with minimal prep involved.
What to know: We noticed quite a bit of pulp in some of the juice.
If you live in a small apartment or have a kitchen with limited storage space, this Nutribullet Slow Juicer is a great option. Measuring roughly 7 inches wide and 17 inches tall, this sleek juicer packs plenty of power without taking up too much space.
One thing we loved about this Nutribullet juicer is the fact that we barely had to prep our produce before feeding it into the machine. Despite its smaller footprint, the chute on this juicer is surprisingly wide, allowing us to put whole carrots and apples through the juicer without even using our tamper.
During our testing, this Nutribullet did a fantastic job of breaking down our produce, and the leftover pulp was impressively dry—even after juicing the apples. Our juices were bright in flavor and vibrant in color, although we did notice a lot of pulp lingering around in the juice, which makes us think the strainer on this machine may need some improvement. We also noticed that the quality of our juice degraded quite a bit after 24 hours, so we recommend using your juice as quickly as possible after using the Nutribullet.
Wattage: 150 watts | RPM: Not listed | Dimensions: 7"L x 6.25"W x 17"H | Warranty: Limited 1-year
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Best for Big Batches: Breville Juice Fountain Cold Plus Juicer
Amazon
What we like: The 70-ounce jug and extra-wide chute make juicing for a crowd easy.
What to know: It's a bit bulky and tall.
Whether you're making breakfast beverages for the family or crafting cocktail mixers for a dinner party, the Breville Juice Fountain Cold Plus Juicer is large enough to get the job done. Its jug fits nearly 9 cups of fresh juice and has a sealing lid that comes in handy when you need to store leftovers, and its 3.5-inch feed chute means you can stuff whole fruits into the juicer without worrying about chopping them up in advance (and that's a major bonus when you're making big batches of juice).
For an XL juicer, you'd expect this appliance to come with a multitude of parts and require hours to put together, but that was far from fact. During testing we found that there were very few pieces to this juicer, and all the parts smoothly clicked together for a no-fuss assembly.
While cleaning the Breville Juice Fountain Cold Plus Juicer was easy, it's worth noting that the machine was a bit difficult to dry as water pooled at the bottom of the juicer. (We noticed the same minor inconvenience when we tested the previous version, the Breville Juice Fountain Cold Juicer.) There weren't any major differences between these two Breville models, except the Plus model has a clear pulp container and its controls seem more intuitive than those of its predecessor.
Wattage: 1,000 watts | RPM: Not listed | Dimensions: 8.6" W x 13.1" D x 17.6" H | Warranty: Limited 1-year
Easiest to Clean: Cuisinart Easy Clean Slow Juicer
Amazon
What we like: It lives up to its name–it's very easy to wash by hand but is also dishwasher-safe.
What to know: You may have to disassemble the juicer to get it to fit on the base, and the instruction manual isn't very clear.
This juicer is for everyone who dubs dishwashing their least favorite chore. It has a mesh-free filter system (which means no scrubbing at woven fibers) and all the parts are dishwasher-safe. In case you do end up washing the juicer by hand, we found that hand-washing was quick and easy, and the cleaning tool is helpful (and sometimes necessary) in removing stuck pulp. Also good to know: This machine is fairly light—under 12 pounds.
What's more, the Cuisinart Easy Clean Slow Juicer has a large chute, so you can dump in big chunks of your favorite fruits and veggies. But you might have to use the plunger with it: Apples got stuck in the chute and other sturdy fruits like pineapple also had to be plunged down. There was some noticeable pulp left in the final juice product in our tests, but the taste and overall consistency were still on par.
We also love this juicer's streamlined design: It's sleek, has a tall motor base without looking too bulky, and (a major bonus) doesn't hold fingerprints. However, the short plug cable was only slightly annoying in comparison to the user-friendliness of the instruction manual. While the juicer was easy to take apart and put together, the manual itself caused some anxiety when we did need to reference it.
Wattage: 200 watts | RPM: Not listed | Dimensions: 10.24" L x 6.97" W x 18.27" H | Warranty: Limited 3-year
The Bottom Line: The Best Masticating Juicers
If you're on the hunt for the best masticating juicer, we recommend the Omega 43 RPM Vertical Square Low-Speed Juicer (view at Amazon). It boasts a powerful motor that can easily break down tough produce, producing fantastic juice with very little pulp. For a more affordable option, the Dash Compact Cold Press Power Juicer (view at Amazon) is a great choice. Its petite size means it's easy to store either on the counter or in the cabinet, and it did an impressively good job juicing our ginger—especially for such a small machine.
Choosing a Masticating Juicer
Juicers come in many sizes and styles, and with many features and functions. Before investing in a juicer, keep these main points in mind:
Ease of Use and Cleaning
Juicers are usually made up of a multitude of parts that can make the appliance difficult to take apart and clean. Ideally, consider a model that's intuitive to you and rinses easily or has dishwasher-safe parts. We recommend choosing a juicer with clear markings on the parts to help make assembling and disassembling it easier. Also, look for a juicer with a big chute to fit big chunks of produce (so that you don't have to spend too much time chopping).
EatingWell / Will Dickey
Quantity and Quality of Juice Extracted
At the end of the day, if your appliance doesn't produce fresh-tasting juice, you'll probably be less likely to use it. So you'll want to choose a juicer that makes consistently delicious juice with a smooth texture and minimal foam. In our tests, we found that juicers with lower RPMs and lower wattage yielded higher-quality juice. More specifically, in our tests, the best performers were between 43 and 50 RPMs.
Also, opt for a high-yielding juicer that will extract the most juice from your produce and leave a dry pulp. Juicers that leave wet pulp aren't as economical in the long run because you'll need more produce to make a full glass of juice, since the appliance isn't extracting the liquid as efficiently. Masticating juicers inherently produce a higher juice yield (compared to centrifugal juicers), but the quality of the produce you're juicing (e.g., ripe and juicy) plays a role in yield too.
Design and Durability
"Some machines may be made of more plastic than metal, which could play a role in the way in which the machines function and how long [they] will last," Taub-Dix says. Higher-end models are usually made with steel or a very durable plastic.
Size and Number of Juice Servings
"Ask yourself whether you're making the juice for one person or a family. This may dictate the size you need to purchase and the space you need to allow for the machine," Taub-Dix says.
Our Masticating Juicer Tests
EatingWell / Russell Kilgore
To find the best masticating juicers, we rounded up some of the most popular models on the market and put each one through a series of tests. We assembled and disassembled each juicer according to the manufacturer’s instructions, taking note of how easy or difficult the process was. We then ran carrots, ginger, kale and apples through the juicer to evaluate its performance with produce of different textures.
We also ran a stopwatch to see how long it took for the machine to juice each item, and we recorded the volume of the juice and the weight of the pulp afterward. We even recorded the sound volume in decibels to gauge the loudness of each juicer.
After tasting the juices, we stored them in the fridge overnight and took note of any oxidation or separation that may have occurred the following day. We also weighed in on the design, value, ease of use, ease of cleaning and overall quality of each masticating juicer before making our final picks for our list.
We Also Considered
Hurom H310 Easy Clean Slow Juicer ($399 at Amazon): An earlier version of this juicer, the H101, was one of the highest scorers in our previous juicer tests. However, we were less impressed with the H310, as it struggled with juicing our ginger and kale—and the process took over twice as long as most of the other juicers we tried.
Breville Juice Fountain Cold Juicer ($200 at Amazon): While this model performed well in our tests, we found the elevated Cold Plus version of this juicer to be more intuitive to use.
Ninja NeverClog Cold Press Juicer ($130 at Amazon): This juicer did a fantastic job juicing our apples, ginger and kale, but it struggled a bit with the carrots. We also thought the motor base felt a little flimsy, especially when we were applying pressure with the tamper.
Elite Gourmet Compact Slow Juicer ($50 at Amazon): While we love the compact size and budget-friendly price point of this juicer, it ultimately underperformed compared to our other smaller juicers, such as the Dash and the Nutribullet.
Tribest Shine Kitchen Co. Easy Cold Press Juicer with XL Feed Chute ($175 at Amazon): We appreciate the fact that this juicer includes multiple parts that are dishwasher safe, but we were unimpressed with its performance. It struggled to break down our produce, and we noticed quite a lot of pulp in our juice.
EatingWell/Will Dickey
Common Questions
Is cold-pressed juice really better for you?
Masticating juicers are more thorough at extracting juice from fresh produce—especially leafy greens—and don't use heat in the process (hence "cold-pressed" juice). As a result, the common claim is that juice from this type of juicer retains more nutrients and vitamins. Turns out, it's potentially just a claim: A 2019 study published in Heliyon tested the antioxidant and vitamin C values of juices made in masticating versus centrifugal juicers and didn't find any significant nutritional differences.
There was one potential flaw in the study, however. The researchers prepared the juice in 30 seconds in the centrifugal juicers and noted that if juice extraction takes longer than half a minute, the juicer will produce more heat—and that might end up affecting the nutritional value of the juice (e.g., levels of heat-sensitive nutrients like vitamin C might be lower). And most centrifugal juicers require 30 to 40 seconds to make juice.
Some masticating juicers do have the upper hand when it comes to nutrition. If yours makes juice with a thicker, pulpy mouthfeel, there will be a bit more fiber in your juice. "This is a good thing—less waste, more fiber and it might even make you feel a little fuller when you're done with it," Taub-Dix says.
What can you not put in a masticating juicer?
As with any juicer, avoid tossing in pits (like those from peaches or avocados), seeds (like from apples) and citrus fruit peels, Taub-Dix says. "It's also better to include watery produce and not drier produce like coconut unless you include the water from within the coconut," she says.
Can you eat the pulp from the juicer?
"You can eat the pulp, but I'm not sure how tasty that would be, and it might also cause some gastrointestinal distress unless you swallowed it with fluids," Taub-Dix says. If you're eating the pulp because fiber is what you're after, Taub-Dix recommends using your blender instead. "If you're going to [eat the pulp], you might as well throw your produce in a blender and blend it all up together!"
EatingWell / Russell Kilgore
Our Trusted Expertise
Our writer, April Benshosan, has more than six years of experience reporting on nutrition, health, and expert-recommended products. She also interviewed Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian, for additional expert insights. This piece was originally written by Casey Barber, and it still contains some of her research.
This article was updated by Kayleigh Drake, a former EatingWell commerce editor and contributor to publications such as Food & Wine, The Spruce Eats and Simply Recipes. It was reviewed by Brierley Horton, M.S., RD, senior commerce editor, who has 15 years of experience reporting, writing and editing nutrition and health content.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
