It’s always a little annoying when you’ve made a glass of juice and it comes out a little bit warm.
It’s just not the same as a cool, crisp, fresh juice that’s come out of the fridge.
So you might start to wonder, can I put ice in a juicer?
You can put ice in your juicer, but you’ll likely break it. If it’s a centrifugal juicer with a spinning blade, the ice will cause the blades to become blunt and soon enough it just won’t work properly. And in a masticating juicer, the hard ice could cause it to jam and the auger to wear out, because it will have to work much harder than it needs to.
Some juicers recommend putting ice through them to cool the motor but I’d prefer to stop juicing for 5-10 minutes while I prep other ingredients and let it cool that way.
You’re much better off making your juice and then adding ice cubes if you want to cool it down.
In This Article
What About Frozen Fruit?
I talked about this more in a different article, but the gist of it is that you have to let the fruit fully defrost before you put it in your juicer. If you don’t this will cause the same damage as if you put ice in it. So if you want to crush ice into your drink, you’re going to need a blender, which brings me to…
What About Juicing Ice In A Blender?
If you’ve got the right blender – one that can handle frozen fruit and ice like these ones I’ve reviewed – then you’re absolutely fine putting ice in your blender.
If it’s a cheap blender, you’ll have the same problem as a juicer, with the blades starting to wear out and the consistency of your blends getting worse over time. Nobody wants a lumpy smoothie!
But if you have one like a Vitamix, which already has blunt blades, then you can blend all the ice you want to.
If you’ve got a blender you could use that to crush your ice and then add it to your juice to make it more of a slushie texture which can be fun though a little time-consuming.
How To Cool Down Juice Without Using Ice
The problem, of course, is that ice melts if you don’t drink it fast enough, which leaves you with a watery drink. So you’ve got a few different options for cooling down your juice without diluting it. You can juice frozen fruit as an alternative.
1. Freeze The Glass First
One way is to put the glass you’re going to use in the freezer for a few hours before you make your juice.
However, don’t leave it in there too long, otherwise your glass will end up covered in ice, which will melt into your fresh juice.
After a couple of hours the glass will be chill and will nicely cool the juice you’ve poured into it.
2. Try Reusable Ice Cubes
I actually know these as whisky stones, but they’ve got a few different names.
These are small hard cubes that you put in the freezer and then put in your drink and it will cool it down. The benefit of these is that they don’t melt and dilute your drink down.
There are several different types (here are my favorites on Amazon) and are a space-saver compared to regular ice cubes.
3. Put Your Glass In The Refrigerator
This one will seem obvious but it’s a good one to remember!
Pop your glass into the fridge once you’ve poured out your juice. As little as 30 minutes can be enough to cool down your fresh juice but it won’t compromise on its nutritional value.
Is Putting Ice In A Juicer Good For The Motor?
While doing research for this article I saw someone mention that they like to put ice in their juicer because it stops the motor getting too hot and prevents overheating. While it seems like there’s sense in that, the limited time the ice is whole and cold will do very little to the temperature of the juicer.
Putting ice in your juicer will achieve even less when you end up having to replace the blades or the main auger of your juicer after about a month.
If you’re worried about overheating, then try turning off your juicer for about 15 minutes or so before using it again. If this is impractical for you, then another option would be going for a high-end or commercial juicer. Masticating juicers, otherwise known as slow juicers or cold-press juicers, grind up your fruits and veggies slowly, so they don’t generate as much heat as a centrifugal one. However, they do tend to be more expensive, so they are more of an investment.
Conclusion
To sum up, I wouldn’t recommend putting ice in your juicer. If you do, you’ll be buying a new one very soon.
But what I would recommend is cooling down your juice another way because it can make it taste nicer and feel fresher while you drink it.
I like putting a glass in the freezer to help cool the juice but experiment to find the method you like. I’m sure there are other ways apart from the ones I mentioned above. Google might be your friend here!
If you have any ideas about the best way to cool your green juice and orange juice, then please leave a comment below and let me know. I want these articles to be the best you can find, so if I get other good ideas, I’ll add them!
Other juicing questions:
Can You Juice Strawberries? Everything You Need To Know
Can You Juice Kale? Sure Can! Here’s Why You Should
Can You Juice A Sweet Potato? How To And Recipes…
Can You Juice Broccoli? Everything You Need To Know
Leave a Reply