How to Make Ginger Juice (Blender or Juicer)

Use a blender or juicer to make fresh ginger juice - no peeling necessary! Enjoy it as a wellness shot by itself, add it to smoothies, teas or other drinks (hello homemade ginger ale!), or even use it in dressings and sauces.

Using a Juicer vs. a Blender

The only decision that needs to be made is whether to use a juicer or blender. A juicer is the easier of the two (and my preferred method) because it does all the work, whereas a blender requires you to strain the juice afterwards through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag. Both are easy though!

Juicer

In terms of results, a juicer will give you pure ginger juice that is SUPER concentrated because no water is added. The juice will be thick and much more potent than the watered down blender version. One pound of ginger root yields 15 ounces of pure ginger juice in the juicer.

Another benefit of using a juicer, especially a high-quality cold-press juicer, is that it maximizes the extraction of the juice and preserves enzymes and nutrients as close as possible to their natural form.

Blender

On the other hand, a blender will give you ginger juice that is a bit thinner. Water is necessary to submerge the ginger root in the blender to allow for blending, which dilutes the ginger juice somewhat. It will still have roughly the same intense ginger flavor though!

Use a high-speed blender ideally to maximize smoothness and make the straining process easier. Cutting the ginger root into even smaller pieces will help the blender along if needed. See my review of Blenders at Every Budget if you're in the market for a blender upgrade!

How to Make Ginger Juice

The prep work for making your own ginger juice is super easy, and is exactly the same whether using a juicer or blender. All you need is ginger root. I usually buy organic ginger from Costco in bulk.

Step 1: Brush off any dirt and rinse with water (ginger root grows underground and therefore often still has dirt when bought from grocery stores). Then cut the unpeeled ginger into roughly 2-inch pieces.

Step 2: Juice the ginger root using a juicer or blender.

Using a Blender

1. Use a ratio of 3 cups of water for every 1 pound of ginger root (scale down depending on the size of your blender). Use as much water as you can to get the juice as smooth as possible before straining. Blend for 1 minute.

2. Strain the blended juice in one of two ways:

a. Fine mesh strainer: Pour the blender contents into a glass through a fine mesh strainer. Then use the back of a spoon to press more juice out of the pulp.

b. Nut milk bag: Pour the blender contents into a nut milk bag inside a large bowl or glass. Then squeeze the pulp several times until all of the juice has been extracted. Using a nut milk bag will leave you with drier pulp (and more ginger juice) than a fine mesh strainer.

Ways to Use Ginger Juice

Take a wellness shot. One swig of straight ginger juice will definitely wake you up! If the flavor is too intense, feel free to combine it with something sweet like pineapple or green apple to balance out the spiciness.

Make ginger drinks or smoothies. Just a splash of ginger juice will add some zing to any drink, including tea. I also love making homemade ginger ale by mixing with fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and sparkling water. See my recipe below for homemade ginger simple syrup which works amazing in homemade ginger ale too.

Form ginger juice ice cubes. Pour the fresh juice into an ice cube mold and freeze for later use! Popping one of these into a glass of water is a fun way to infuse it with ginger flavor. Or, pour boiling water overtop to make homemade ginger tea.

Add to dressings or sauces. Ginger juice is the perfect way to add a little spice to salad dressings. I've also used it in this tahini ginger dressing which is an amazing dipping sauce as well!

Cook with it. Add some spice to soups or stir fries with a dash of ginger juice!

Storage

Store leftover ginger juice in an airtight glass container for 2-3 days for optimal freshness. Fill the container as close to the top as you can to avoid exposure to air.

What to Do with the Ginger Pulp: 3 Easy, No-Waste Recipes

Don't throw out the ginger pulp! Leftover ginger pulp can be repurposed in several different ways:

Freeze into ice cubes. Just like ginger juice, frozen pulp can be used for cooking and stir fries. Place ginger pulp into ice cube trays and store in the freezer.

Steep it for ginger tea. Add 2 tablespoons of dry ginger pulp to a tea strainer with 1-1.5 cups of boiling water. Optional: add fresh lemon and liquid sweetener of choice.

Make ginger simple syrup. Using a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of pulp, 1 cup of water and ½ cup of maple syrup to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes and then strain through a mesh strainer. This makes approximately 1.5 cups of ginger simple syrup. This is delicious served over ice with fresh lemon juice and sparkling water!

Health Benefits of Ginger

Ginger has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries in the east and is a widely popular dietary supplement. There are many different claims about ginger regarding anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant properties and its impact on the digestive system (i.e., upset stomach). But what data-driven health benefits do they actually provide?

• Nausea relief: Clinical data supports that ginger is at least as effective, and may be better, than vitamin B6 in treating vomiting and nausea associated with pregnancy, chemotherapy and some types of surgery (source).
• Cancer prevention: Ginger has been shown to be effective as a possible colon cancer-preventing compound (source).
• Anti-aging: Research indicates that ginger possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and significant antiviral properties, highlighting its potential role in preventing aging (source).
• Pain relief: As a result of anti-inflammatory effects of ginger, it can reduce muscle pain after intense physical activity (source).

Many people believe that ginger helps with motion sickness, but research has shown this not to be the case (source).

More Ginger Recipes

Enjoy the spicy warm flavor of ginger in these delicious recipes:

• Carrot Ginger Soup - uses freshly grated ginger
• Apple Beetroot Carrot Juice (ABC Juice) - uses 1 inch of ginger root
• Vegan Apple Pie Smoothie - uses 1 inch of ginger root
• 5-Minute Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shots - uses 2 inches of ginger root
• The Best Homemade Curry Powder - uses ground ginger