Here’s a vibrant green juice recipe to refresh your system after a season of indulgence — and you don’t need a juicer. Give your digestion a break and sip this cleansing, alkalizing drink to help your body feel lighter and healthier. (skip to recipe)
If you overdid it over the holidays, you’re not alone. Between holiday dinners, parties, sweet treats and drinks, many of us feel the need to reset. Rather than drastic measures, adding more fresh fruits and vegetables—and including a daily green juice—can be a gentle and effective way to restore balance.
Fresh produce tends to create a slightly alkaline environment in the body, which supports reduced inflammation and overall wellbeing. In contrast, diets heavy in processed foods, sugars and rich animal products can push the body toward acidity. A simple way to nudge things back is to increase raw greens and vegetables. Drinking green juice makes it easier to get concentrated vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and antioxidants that support liver detoxification and daily health.
This post includes two versions of a Super Green Juice. The “Hard Core” version is savory and completely vegetable-focused: tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, celery, sprouts and lemon, boosted with a pinch of mineral salt and turmeric (paired with black pepper for absorption). The “Soft Core” version is milder and slightly sweeter with ripe pears and a touch of stevia; it omits turmeric but still delivers plenty of nutrients. If you’re new to green juices, start with the soft version. If you prefer savory, cleansing juices, try the hard core version.
Either version supports your body’s recovery, and you can alternate between them for variety.
How to Make your Super Green Juice Without a Juicer
A juicer works well, especially for hard produce like carrots or beets. For softer vegetables and greens, a high-speed blender (for example a Vitamix) is ideal. A regular blender will also work but may need longer blending and definitely needs straining.
Clean and add all the vegetables to the blender.
Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve or a nut milk bag. Scrape and press the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible.
Voilà — Super Green Juice: a refreshing, nutrient-dense drink to sip throughout the day, by itself as a brief juice fast or alongside small, balanced meals.
Your body will thank you.
Helpful notes:
- Different sprouts and microgreens vary in flavor. Mustard microgreens add peppery heat; bean sprouts are more neutral.
- When using turmeric, include a pinch of black pepper to greatly improve absorption.
- Choose organic produce when possible to reduce pesticide exposure and ease the liver’s burden.
Super Green Juice Recipe
Hard Core Version:
- 2 tomatoes
- a 6-inch piece of English cucumber or 2 mini cucumbers
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 cups (90 g) lightly packed spinach
- 1 cup bean sprouts (or a mix of bean sprouts and microgreens)
- ½ lemon, including the white pith
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric (or ½-inch/1 cm fresh turmeric)
- ⅛ teaspoon Celtic or Himalayan salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups filtered water
- 6–7 drops liquid stevia (optional)
Soft Core Version:
- 2 ripe pears or 1 Asian pear
- a 6-inch piece of English cucumber or 2 mini cucumbers
- 2 stalks of celery
- 2 cups (90 g) lightly packed spinach
- 1 cup bean sprouts or packed romaine lettuce
- ½ lemon, including the white pith
- 3 cups filtered water
- 6–7 drops liquid stevia
Procedure for both versions:
Wash all produce thoroughly. Scrub the cucumber and rinse sprouts well. Cut ingredients into large chunks. If using pears, core but do not peel. Remove yellow zest from the lemon but leave as much white pith as possible; the pith contains concentrated vitamins and flavonoids.
Place all ingredients except stevia in a high-speed blender. If your blender jar is small, leave out about half the water and add it when straining.
Blend on high for about one minute (longer for a standard blender) until smooth. You can drink the mixture as a smoothie, but straining produces a lighter, more drinkable juice for sipping throughout the day.
Pour the blended mixture a little at a time through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher. Use a silicone spatula to press and scrape the pulp so the juice drains through; continue until about ¾ cup (180 ml) of pulp remains. Alternatively, strain through a nut milk bag and squeeze until about ¾ cup of pulp remains. Discard the pulp or incorporate it into soups, stews or meatloaf, or freeze it for later use.
Add stevia if desired. Refrigerate the juice and consume within 24 hours, shaking before pouring. Makes about 5 cups (1.2 liters).
Guten Appetit!
You might also like:
The Great Green Smoothie
Dieter’s Wonder Water
Apple Cranberry Detox Water
Healing Turmeric Broth
