Amla Ginger Juice with Maple Syrup
A bright, tangy-sharp Indian-style wellness juice made from fresh amla (Indian gooseberry) and spicy ginger, softened with a little maple syrup and cool water. Made with a blender and strainer, so no juicer is needed.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Makes
- About 2 cups (480 ml), 2 servings of 1 cup each
Steps
Before you start
- Choose firm, pale green, unblemished amla. Soft or brown-spotted fruit tastes bitter and flat.
- Chill the water, or have ice ready, so the juice is cold when served.
- Amla is very sour and astringent. Start with the maple syrup amount given, then adjust at the end.
- Drink the juice within 24 hours of making it, since amla's vitamin C and fresh flavor fade quickly.
Wash and sort amla
- Rinse the amla under cool running water, rubbing gently to remove any dust.
- Pat dry with a clean towel.
- Discard any fruit that is soft, brown, or shriveled.
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Ready when: Fruit is clean, firm, and pale green to yellow-green with no dark soft spots.
Tip: Bruised amla tastes noticeably more bitter, so be strict when sorting.
Cut and de-seed amla
- Place each amla on the cutting board and cut it into quarters, following the natural segment lines.
- Pull or pry out the hard central stone from each piece.
- Discard the stones and keep the flesh.
- You should have about 1¾ cups (250 g) of segments.
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Ready when: All pieces are free of the hard, woody stone.
Tip: If segments cling to the stone, make a deeper cut along the line, then twist the pieces apart.
Prep the ginger
- Scrape the skin off the ginger with the edge of a spoon or a peeler.
- Slice the ginger into thin coins, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick, so the blender can break it down fully.
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Ready when: Ginger is peeled, with no brown skin left, and sliced into thin coins.
Blend everything
- Add the amla, ginger, 1 cup (240 ml) of the cold water, the maple syrup, and the salt to the blender.
- Blend on high for 60 to 90 seconds.
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Ready when: The mixture is a thick, pale green-beige purée with no visible chunks of amla or ginger.
Tip: If your blender is not high-speed, blend for a full 2 minutes and scrape down the sides halfway.
Strain the juice
- Set the fine-mesh strainer (or a nut milk bag) over the bowl or jug.
- Pour in the purée.
- Press and stir the pulp firmly with a spoon, or squeeze the bag, to extract as much liquid as possible, about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: The pulp left in the strainer looks dry and crumbly, and the juice has stopped dripping.
Tip: For extra juice, stir the pulp with 2 tablespoons of the remaining water and press again.
Dilute and balance
- Stir the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) cold water into the strained juice.
- Taste it.
- If it is too sharp for you, stir in up to 1 more teaspoon of maple syrup.
- Stir until fully combined.
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Ready when: The juice tastes tangy and gingery with a mild sweetness, and is no longer harshly astringent.
Tip: Add the maple syrup in small amounts. Cold juice tastes less sweet than room temperature juice.
Settle and chill
- Let the juice sit in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
- This lets the fine sediment settle and the flavors blend.
- Stir gently before serving.
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Ready when: Juice is noticeably cold to the touch.
Serve
- Fill two glasses with ice, if using.
- Pour about 1 cup (240 ml) of juice into each glass and serve right away.
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Ready when: Juice is cold and pale green-gold, with a light foam on top.
Tip: Drink it fresh. Amla juice darkens and turns more bitter as it sits.
Good to know
Tips
- Removing every bit of the amla stone prevents hard fragments and a bitter taste in the juice.
- For a spicier kick, increase the ginger to 2 inches (about 40 g). For a milder juice, reduce it to 1 inch (about 20 g).
- Drink the juice on its own or before a meal. Rinse your mouth afterwards, since the acidity can be hard on tooth enamel.
- For a clearer juice, strain a second time through a clean muslin cloth.
Make ahead
You can wash, de-seed, and cut the amla, and peel the ginger, up to 1 day ahead. Store them together in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Blend and strain just before serving for the best flavor.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: serve within 30 minutes. Refrigerator: store in a sealed glass jar for up to 24 hours, and stir or shake before drinking. Freezer: pour into ice cube trays and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge or add the cubes to cold water. Do not reheat, since heat reduces the fresh flavor.
Substitutions
- pure maple syrup → honey or jaggery syrup. Use the same amount. Honey is sweeter, so start with 1½ tablespoons. Jaggery gives a deeper, earthier flavor.
- fresh amla (Indian gooseberries) → frozen amla, thawed. Use the same weight. Pat dry before cutting. The flavor is slightly milder than fresh.
- black salt (kala namak) or fine sea salt → a pinch of ground cumin plus regular salt. Gives a similar savory, Indian-style depth if you don't have black salt.
- cold water → coconut water. Replace the water 1:1 for a naturally sweeter, more mellow juice. You may need less maple syrup.
