Fresh Wheatgrass Shot with Lemon
A bright, grassy wellness shot made from freshly juiced wheatgrass, sharpened with lemon juice and a touch of ginger and honey so it goes down smoothly.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- —
- Total
- 12 min
- Makes
- 2 shots (about 1¾ fl oz / 50 ml each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use fresh, vividly green wheatgrass 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) tall with no sour smell, slime, or mold at the roots.
- Chill the wheatgrass and lemon in the fridge for 30 minutes if you can; cold juice tastes milder.
- You need a masticating (slow) juicer or a manual wheatgrass press; most centrifugal juicers do not extract wheatgrass well.
- If you are new to wheatgrass, start with one shot; it can cause nausea on an empty stomach in some people.
Prepare the grass
- Using kitchen scissors, cut 4 oz (113 g) of wheatgrass about ½ inch (1 cm) above the soil or root mat.
- Rinse under cold running water for 15 seconds, then shake off excess water and pat lightly with a clean towel.
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Ready when: Blades are clean, bright green, and mostly dry with no soil or brown tips.
Tip: Discard any blades that look slimy or smell musty; they make the juice taste sour.
Juice the lemon
- Roll the lemon firmly on the counter, cut it in half, and squeeze one half into a small bowl to get about 1 tbsp (15 ml) juice.
- Pick out any seeds.
- Stir in the grated ginger if using.
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Ready when: You have about 1 tbsp of seed-free lemon juice in the bowl.
Tip: Wrap the other lemon half and refrigerate for another use.
Juice the wheatgrass
- Feed the wheatgrass into the juicer in small handfuls, pushing gently with the pusher.
- Run the pulp through a second time to extract more juice.
- Collect the juice in a measuring cup.
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Ready when: You have about 1½ fl oz (45 ml) of dark green juice and the pulp looks dry and fibrous.
Tip: Feed slowly; cramming grass in can clog the screw or make a press squeeze unevenly.
Combine and strain
- Pour the wheatgrass juice through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl with the lemon juice.
- Add the cold water and honey if using, and stir for 10 seconds until the honey dissolves.
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Ready when: The mixture is uniformly green with no honey streaks.
Tip: Taste before pouring; add a few drops more lemon if it tastes too earthy.
Pour and serve
- Divide the mixture evenly between two 2-oz (60 ml) shot glasses, about 1¾ fl oz (50 ml) each.
- Drink right away, in two or three swallows.
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Ready when: Glasses are filled with bright green, lightly frothy juice.
Tip: Wheatgrass juice loses flavor and nutrients quickly; drink within 15 minutes of juicing.
Good to know
Tips
- Follow the shot with a sip of water to clear the grassy aftertaste.
- Clean the juicer right after use; wheatgrass fibers dry hard and are difficult to remove.
- Have it with a small snack if it upsets your stomach on its own.
- Wheatgrass yields little juice, roughly 1 fl oz (30 ml) per 2½–3 oz (70–85 g) of grass, so weigh the blades for consistent shots.
Storage & reheating
Best drunk immediately. Room temperature: no longer than 15 minutes. Fridge: keep in a sealed glass jar filled to the top for up to 24 hours; shake before drinking. Freezer: pour into ice cube trays, freeze for up to 1 month, and thaw in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Substitutions
- fresh wheatgrass → 1 tsp (3 g) wheatgrass powder stirred into 1½ fl oz (45 ml) cold water. Milder and less fresh-tasting, but convenient if you can't find fresh grass.
- lemon → lime juice. Use the same amount; the flavor is slightly more bitter.
- honey → maple syrup. Use 1 tsp (5 ml) for similar sweetness.
- cold filtered water → fresh apple juice. Adds sweetness that masks the grassy taste; use the same amount.
