The best blender for making smoothies and juices depends on what you want to accomplish, how much time you have, and how easy you want it to be. When it comes to the blender vs juicer argument, everyone has their own preference.
Blending and juicing are not the same, although you can make smoothies and juices using both methods. Consumers are often confused by the terms, though, and think it doesn’t matter whether they choose a juicer or blender, or food processor. If you already know the juicer that is best for you, look at the best centrifugal juicer.
The Difference
Both machines make a delicious and nutritious drink out of fruits and vegetables. It uses leafy greens, vitamins and minerals, is excellent for weight loss, and can include insoluble fiber easily. They do it in different ways, however, and the result is different for each.
The juicing process separates the pulp and fiber from the juice. So, the juicer masticating fresh ingredients leaves behind a thin liquid. The pros and cons of juicing are also influenced by the type of juicer available and their final products.
A blender chops up the fiber and the pulp into a thick smoothie. It is full of all the nutrients that the skin, texture, and flesh of the fruit or vegetable. You can better understand how blenders work by reading our Aicok Smoothie blender vs NutriBullet RX.
Fresh juices are easier to absorb, while smoothies fill you up more and take longer to digest. You get a lot of nutrients either way, but your taste buds may tell you that you prefer one over another.
Health
Both methods have many health benefits. Blending your fruits and veggies produces very little waste. Plus, there are so many types of blenders to fit various consumers’ needs and desires. And, blenders create a drink that fills you up and helps to release energy slowly and evenly. It can aid in digestion and remove toxins from your system.
Juices absorb quickly into your system, so you get a quick boost of energy and all the vitamins you need now. You can add more ingredients to a glass of the same size because there’s not a lot of bulk. It’s easy to digest juice, giving your body a break while still absorbing nutrients.
Types
Jug blenders are great for large families or making smoothies in bulk. They’re heavy-duty, so a good quality appliance can blend even hard vegetables and smooth out crunchy seeds. They feature a large capacity for more yummy ingredients.
Single-serving blenders are perfect for your morning smoothie on the run. Some even have a detachable cup so you can blend and go without transferring to a separate container. They don’t hold as much, but they’re great for one person or one drink at a time. For a look at single-serve machines, check out our comparison of the Bella Rocket blender vs NutriBullet.
A centrifugal juicer uses a spinning metal blade to press your fruits and vegetables against a strainer to extract the juice. They are the most popular kind of juicer because they are affordable, but the spinning blade can produce enough heat to eliminate some of the nutrients in the juice.
The best masticating juicer presses the ingredients to remove the juice. It takes longer, but it’s more efficient at maintaining nutrients. They’re a bit more expensive, but if you plan to juice primarily for health reasons, this is the better choice.
If you want some of the benefits of both, you could try triturating juicers or a twin-gear juicer to extract the juice and grind pulp into a fine powder. You get all the nutrients in an easy-to-digest format.
This debate will never diminish because personal preference will largely dictate what each person chooses. However, you can decide for yourself because after evaluating your needs, one will stand out more than the other.