Juicer vs Blender: What's the difference?

I'm here to share a love for eating plants with as many people across the globe as I can. In a world that is increasingly turning to food forms that lack nutrients, I want to instill the healthy habit of 1 green smoothie a day into as many people as I possibly can. Yet, there is more than 1 way to drink your greens, right? That's why I did a juicer vs blender test; to find out which is better.

Both options give you the freshest produce in an easy-to-drink form, so is one actually better than the other? Well, let's find out!

Why use a Juicer or Blender?

Whether you choose to blend or juice, you are gifting your body improved health by using these nutrient packed drinks. Regularly drinking smoothies or fresh, veggie-based juice will:

• Increase your veggie intake dramatically
• Make it easier as well as quicker for your body to absorb nutrients. Blending and juicing allows the food to become somewhat “pre-digested”
• Curb appetite + reduce cravings for sugar and processed foods because you're nourishing your cells with micronutrients. Your body no longer craves the “carbs” or macronutrients

Now, let's put the juicer vs blender debate to the test!

Blending smoothies

Spoiler Alert! Blending is obviously my preferred method of drinking plants, yet have you ever asked, why? In the juicer vs blender debate, here's the blending side:

Pros for blending smoothies

• Blend more than just veggies - add fruits, diff types of milk, ice, nuts, seeds, nut butters, oils, protein powders, supplements - you name it
• Fiber helps fill you up – When blending the whole veggie and fruit, the fiber from peels and flesh help fill up space
• Cost of the blender is minimal – most people already have a blender in their kitchen
• Smoothies are much more kid-friendly – In my experience, kids love smoothies more than veggie-based juice because you can thicken them up to look and taste like a frozen dessert.

Cons of blending vs juicing

• Less quantity of nutrients per serving than juicing - Because the fiber remains, you need to drink more smoothies than juice to get the same amount of vitamins, minerals and phytotnutrients per glass
• Some produce is not good for blending - Root veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets are packed full of nutrition, but don’t taste so good in smoothies. They often come off chalky as well as bitter. They are more suitable for juicing.

But that's not all... juicers have a lot of great features too. So let's talk about the flip side of the juicer vs blender debate.

Juicing fruits and vegetables

While the blender is my go-to kitchen appliance, a fresh-squeezed juice from a juicer is fun. It feels like a luxurious drink that can be equally delicious. So what are the benefits and drawbacks of juicing?

Pros of juicing

• More veggies per serving – Since the fiber is removed, more veggie juice fits in the glass versus a smoothie
• Easier to digest nutrients – Unlike blending, juicing extracts nutrients + water from veggies and fruits leaving behind plant fibers. This allows the body to absorb the nutrients quicker without having to expend energy to digest the fiber too.
• Quicker energy boost – Juice has a higher concentration of veggies (and therefore nutrients) per glass versus a smoothie, and is in an even more pre-digested format than smoothies for quicker nutrient absorption.
• Less heat damage - Blades run at high speed on blenders that can slightly heat the smoothie which could kill off some of the beneficial enzymes.

Cons of using a juicer vs blender

• Juicing machines are sometimes more difficult to clean – Juicers usually have more parts to clean and take a little longer to clean than blenders
• More refrigerator space required - Juicing requires more veggies and fruits per serving than blending, so you need to have more refrigerator space to store them
• Veggie costs are more than blending – because you are using more veggies per serving, you need to buy more
• Whole leafy greens are more beneficial to health - juicing removes the skin + insoluble fiber of fruits and veggies, making them less nutritious.

As you can see, both juicers and blenders have some great positives. No matter which appliance you're in the market for, I've got my personal recommendations to share.

Best juicers

Lots of people shy away from juicers because of the price. They can def be expensive, yet the one I recommend the most to people is actually a lower price point! The Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus Centrifugal Juicer is one of the top rated juicers on the market, and recommended for juicing leafy greens.

My second juicer recommendation is the Omega Vertical Slow Speed Juicer, 150-Watt. The Omega brand is known for its long-lasting machines, plus this juicer has fewer parts to clean #bonus.

Best blenders

One of the top questions I get is what kind of blender is the best blender for smoothies? If you've decided smoothies win in the juicer vs blender debate, then check out my handy Blender Guide.

While I'm constantly on the lookout for new, great blenders to try, Vitamix is my go-to for the best blender out there. Whether its the trusty Vitamix 7500 that I started out on, or my current A3500, you can't go wrong with this brand.

Guess what, though?! You don't need a high-end blender to get started with green smoothies. Our community uses blenders of every shape and size to make their daily creations. If you're looking for a blender on a budget, then definitely check out Nutribullet. They have a great range of blenders at a variety of price points. Lots of smoothie lovers swear by Nutribullet, and I love them too!

Do you juice or blend?

Share in the comments below which team you're on in the juicer vs blender debate. Also, let me know which machine you use!