Beetroot Apple Juice
A vivid ruby juice that balances earthy beetroot with crisp apple sweetness, a bright squeeze of lemon and a little fresh ginger. Made in a centrifugal or masticating juicer in about 15 minutes.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- —
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 22 min
- Makes
- About 2 glasses (approx. 480 ml / 16 fl oz total)
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the beets, apples and lemon in the fridge for at least 1 hour if you want a cold juice without ice.
- Wear an apron or old shirt and consider disposable gloves: beet juice stains hands, boards and clothing.
- Wash the juicer parts you'll use and have them assembled, with the pulp container and two glasses in place.
- Use a cutting board you don't mind staining, or line it with parchment.
Set up juicer
- Assemble the juicer according to its manual.
- Place a glass pitcher or jug under the spout and the pulp container in position.
- Lay out a cutting board and a damp cloth for wiping up drips.
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Ready when: Juicer is fully assembled, stable and ready with the container in place.
Tip: Make sure the lid is locked before turning the machine on.
Prep the beets
- Scrub the beetroots under cold running water.
- Trim off the tops and root tails, then peel with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut each beet into wedges about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, or smaller if your juicer chute is narrow.
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Ready when: All beet pieces are peeled, free of dirt and small enough to pass through the chute easily.
Tip: Wear gloves to avoid pink-stained hands.
Prep apples and lemon
- Wash the apples and cut each into 6 to 8 wedges, removing the cores and stems.
- Leave the peel on.
- Slice the lemon half, cut away the peel and white pith (the pith makes juice bitter), and cut the flesh into 2 pieces.
- Peel the ginger, if using.
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Ready when: Apples are cored, the lemon has no white pith or peel, and all pieces fit the chute.
Tip: Remove any lemon seeds; they can add bitterness.
Juice the ingredients
- Turn the juicer on.
- Feed in a few apple wedges first, then alternate with beet wedges, the lemon pieces and the ginger, finishing with apple wedges.
- Push gently with the pusher and let the machine work; do not force the food in.
- Juice all ingredients.
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Ready when: Pulp coming out is fairly dry and crumbly, and you have about 480 ml (16 fl oz) of deep ruby-red juice.
Tip: Alternating hard beets with juicy apple helps push everything through and gets more juice from the pulp.
Stir and skim
- Stir the juice well with a long spoon to blend it.
- Skim off the foam from the top with a spoon, or pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a second jug for a smoother texture.
- Taste and, if too earthy, add a little more apple or squeeze in extra lemon juice.
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Ready when: Juice looks uniformly deep red, with little to no foam on top, and tastes balanced between sweet, earthy and tangy.
Chill and serve
- If you didn't pre-chill the produce, refrigerate the juice for 10 minutes.
- Fill two glasses with ice, if using, and divide the juice between them.
- Serve immediately.
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Ready when: Juice feels cold to the touch on the outside of the glass.
Tip: Fresh juice tastes best within 30 minutes of juicing, before it oxidizes.
Good to know
Tips
- Choose firm, smooth beets with no soft spots; smaller beets are sweeter and less woody.
- Start with 1 beet if you're new to beet juice: it's strongly earthy, and you can add more next time.
- Rinse the juicer parts right after use, as beet pigment sets and stains if left to dry.
- Beet juice is potent; it can turn urine or stools pink or red, which is harmless.
Make ahead
Juice up to 24 hours ahead. Pour into an airtight glass jar filled to the very top to limit air contact, and refrigerate. Stir or shake before serving.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: serve within 30 minutes. Fridge: up to 24 hours in a full, tightly sealed glass jar (flavor and color fade over time). Freezer: up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace, or in ice cube trays; thaw overnight in the fridge and shake well. Serve cold; do not heat.
Substitutions
- sweet-crisp apples such as Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp → Pears or 2 medium carrots. Pears give a softer sweetness; carrots give a more earthy, vegetable-forward juice.
- lemon → Lime. Use the same amount for a slightly sharper, more floral tang.
- fresh ginger → Pinch of ground ginger or omit. Stir ground ginger in after juicing; skipping it gives a milder juice.
- medium raw beetroots → Golden beets. Milder and sweeter, with a golden-orange juice that stains less.
