Green Juice with Apple and Cucumber
Cucumber's high water content and green apple's natural sugar dilute the grassy bitterness of raw kale and spinach, while a squeeze of lemon brightens the whole glass instead of letting it taste like straight vegetables.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Servings
- 2
Ingredients
- 1 large (about 10 inches) cucumber, ends trimmed
- 2 medium green apple, cored and quartered
- 2 cups, packed kale leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 medium, juiced lemon, halved
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/4 cup filtered water (only if needed to thin)
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 164
- Protein
- 5g
- Carbs
- 40g
- Fat
- 1g
Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.
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Instructions
- 1Wash the cucumber, apples, kale, and spinach thoroughly. Cut the cucumber and apples into pieces that will fit through your juicer's chute; there's no need to peel either one.
- 2Set the juicer up over a large measuring cup or pitcher.
- 3Feed the ingredients through in this order: cucumber first, then kale and spinach a handful at a time, then the apple, then the ginger. Alternating soft leafy greens with firmer produce helps push the leaves through instead of letting them clog the chute.
- 4Squeeze the lemon half directly into the collected juice and stir.
- 5Taste, and stir in the filtered water only if the juice seems overly concentrated or the apples were very small.
- 6Pour into glasses over ice and drink right away, or transfer to an airtight jar for later.
Tips & variations
- No juicer? Blend everything with 3/4 cup water until smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Swap half the kale for romaine or celery if the flavor is too bitter or grassy for your taste.
- A few mint leaves added with the spinach give the juice a cleaner, more refreshing finish.
- Freeze leftover juice in ice cube trays, then blend the cubes into a smoothie instead of letting juice go to waste.
Storage & reheating
Pour into an airtight jar, filled as close to the top as possible to limit the juice's contact with air, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; the color and flavor hold up better within the first 12 hours. Freeze in an ice cube tray for up to 3 months if it won't be drunk within a day.
Tips from the Tulo kitchen
- Chilling the cucumber and apples in the fridge before juicing makes for a colder finished glass without needing to add ice, which would otherwise dilute the flavor.
- Running a small piece of apple through the juicer last helps flush out any greens stuck in the mesh, so less juice gets left behind in the machine.
FAQ
Do I need a juicer to make this?
No. Blend the ingredients with about 3/4 cup water until smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer, pressing firmly to push the liquid through and leave the fiber behind.
Why does my green juice separate in the fridge?
That's normal; the fiber and pulp settle to the bottom over a few hours. Give it a good shake or stir before drinking.
How do I make it less bitter?
Cut back on kale and add an extra apple or a squeeze more lemon. Bitterness in raw kale and spinach mellows out quickly with more sweetness or acid.
Can I use frozen spinach or kale?
Fresh works much better for juicing since frozen greens release most of their water when they thaw, leaving less to extract. If using a blender-and-strain method, frozen greens are fine.
