Drinking a cup of green juice before any meal first thing in the morning is a great way to start your day.
We’ll be looking at some of the healthiest green juice recipes you’ll ever try.
The best part is you can do it at the comfort of your own home.
Doing this fills your body with nutrients, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that give you a natural energy boost minus the side effects.
You can say that drinking a cup of green juice a day will keep the doctor away.
Why add green leafy vegetables?
Green juice isn’t only green in appearance, but it contains vegetables that have loads of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, chlorophyll, and all the other good stuff that you want in your body. Dr. Mercola calls this a “living broth” filled with micronutrients.
The key here is adding a different type of green vegetable in your juices every day. You do this so that your body will absorb as many nutrients as possible without overloading it with any of the toxins (yes certain vegetables have toxins).
I cover this extensively in the juicing mistakes article.
Take note that these vegetables should take up at least a third of the recipe. The other parts should include a wet ingredient like cucumber or zucchini and a sweetener like an apple, lemon, orange, or carrot.
Check out this little chart I’ve prepared on how to make green juice.
You’ll also notice that I use cucumber and lemon in a lot of the recipes that’s because cucumber works excellent to add to the content to the juice and its flavor is neutral so that it won’t affect the taste in any way plus it is a diuretic which helps flush away toxins from the body.
Lemon adds a little sourness to the juice, and if you mix it with apple, it adds a nice contrast to the tarty sweetness of the apple.
It does not have a lot of sugar content, so no need to worry about your sugar level spiking up.
The 15 green juice recipes
Here are just some of the methods you can try if you don’t know where to start.
If you apply the principles in the infographic above, this is what you’ll get.
You can start with any of these recipes then start experimenting when you get the hang of it.
1. Sweet and Sour
- Two large celery ribs
- One romaine lettuce head
- one medium-sized cucumber
- a medium sized Fuji apple
- Half a lemon
This recipe is delicious because it has an apple in it and sour because of the lemon. The romaine lettuce and cucumber pretty much have a neutral flavor. Celery adds a bit of bitterness to this drink.
What’s the best time to drink this?
The best time would be after a long and stressful day or early in the morning.
Celery is rich in minerals like magnesium that help in relieving stress, which makes this a great drink after a long day in the office.
Also, since this is a diuretic, it helps to flush out toxins from the body. If you’re looking to start your day right, a cup of this juice before breakfast will do wonders in terms of helping your body get rid of toxins.
Yield: 525 ml
2. Blood sugar busting diuretic
- Two medium to large bitter melons
- One romaine lettuce head
- large Fuji apple
- Half a lemon
- One medium cucumber
I wouldn’t recommend this drink for people who don’t have any problems with elevated blood sugar levels (type-2 diabetics or pre-diabetics) because this tastes bad. Even with the apple and lemon, you’ll still get a strong bitter melon taste.
Best time to drink this?
Best would be first thing in the morning before breakfast. Bitter melon (or gourd) has been used for years by people as a natural alternative to lower down blood sugar.
It is potent, and doctors have warned against taking this when taking diabetic medication because it could lead to a condition called hypoglycemia.
Yield: 600ml
3. The Bitter Anti Diabetic
- Two large bitter melons
- A bunch of parsley
- One medium-sized zucchini
- One delicious red apple
- Half a lemon
It is an alternative to the other bitter melon recipe I shared above.
The taste will be roughly the same, but I want to show you the possibilities of juice in terms of adding ingredients to fit your nutritional needs.
Again only drink this if they are at risk of having diabetes or have type-2 diabetes.
Best time to drink this?
Best time again would be in the morning before you have breakfast.
In addition to bitter gourd, parsley also can help lower blood sugar levels because it has the chemicalCoumadin.
Yield: 700ml
4. Sweet Diuretic
- A bunch of celery (I included the leaves)
- one medium-sized cucumber
- green pepper (one should do)
- One delicious red apple
- an orange (peeled)
- Half a lemon (optional)
Not a lot of people add green pepper into their juices but you should because this little shiny vegetable is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, carotenoids, and Hydroxycinnamic acids.
It is also a rich source of vitamin C, B6, A, and folate.
Don’t worry about the taste because this vegetable isn’t spicy at all. It has a slightly bitter flavor, but that’s it.
Best time to drink this?
This recipe would make for a great pre-breakfast or an in-between-meal drink to dial down the hunger pangs. Make sure to drink lots of water throughout the day.
Yield: 1.2 liters
5. Popeye’s Secret Sauce
- A large handful of spinach
- Two medium sweet potatoes
- One small green apple
If you grew up in the ’80s as I did, you’d probably remember Popeye.
His favorite found was spinach and with good reason.
Spinach is a rich source of iron which affects the way our body uses energy. A lack of it can lead to feelings of sluggishness.
Best time to drink this?
An appropriate time would be in the morning before breakfast. The shot of iron will help you in terms of energy for the day. It is also a rich source of calcium, which makes this an excellent replacement for milk (if you are lactose intolerant).
Yield: 500 ml
6. The Green Delight
- A large handful of spinach
- A small handful of parsley
- Four medium carrots (peeled)
- 1 Fuji apple
- a clove of garlic
- One small chunk of ginger (peeled)
The garlic and ginger spices this drink up and adds that contrast to this otherwise sweet drink. If you can’t stand the flavor of bitter melon, try this recipe to lower down your blood sugar naturally, but you’ll have to remove (or lessen) the carrots because it also is a source of sugar.
Best time to drink this?
The best time would be the morning because the small chunk of ginger adds that spiciness that will help wake you up.
Yield: 850ml
7. Brown Celery Juice
- A bunch of celery (I used a whole batch and yes I included the leaves)
- One medium-sized carrot (peeled)
- a whole broccoli
- one Fuji apple
- Half a lemon (optional)
Thiscelery juice recipe is another drink that can replace milk in the morning because Broccoli is a rich source of vitamin K, which is an ingredient that improves the body’s ability to absorb calcium. It also a good source of calcium on its own – around 43 milligrams per cup.
Best time to drink this?
The best time would be in the morning before breakfast or a snack time juice that replaces coffee.
Yield: 800ml
8. Green Strawberry Juice
- 18 strawberries
- Ten celery ribs
- a Fuji apple
- One medium cucumber
The first time I drank this, I said wow, it tastes like strawberry juice, and the great thing about this is it doesn’t have any artificial flavoring.
Since strawberries don’t juice well in a slow juicer, you may want to consider blending it instead of running it through a slow juicer (just in case you own one).
You will still get the same strawberry flavor plus all the other benefits because the fiber is intact.
Best time to drink this?
This delicious recipe would make for a great afternoon pre-snack drink served chilled. It tastes so good that your kids will love it.
Yield: 800ml
9. Wonderful Broccoli
- large Fuji apple
- One whole broccoli (including the stem)
- One medium cucumber
- Half a lemon
- A small bunch of peppermint (to add a little minty flavor to the juice)
I added mint to this recipe to add a little bit of minty flavor to contrast the sweet and tart flavor. But more than that, mint is loaded with antioxidants that help fight allergies, colds, and indigestion.
The best time to drink this?
This antioxidant loaded drink would be best consumed in the morning before eating any meals because it allows the body to absorb all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Yield: 575ml
10. Heart Juice
- Two red lettuce heads
- Two medium-sized pears or apple (depending on your preference)
- Half a lemon
- One medium cucumber
I call this the heart juice because of the high vitamin C content found in lettuce as well as lemon.
The high vitamin C and beta-carotene content in lemon work well together to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol and to cause high cholesterol.
Pears don’t add too much sweetness to this drink so it will have a strong flavor, an alternative would be using apples instead of pear if you can’t take the intense flavor.
The best time to drink this?
This heart drink would be best served in the morning or the evening before dinner.
Yield: 1 liter
11. The Sleep Juice
- Four celery stalks
- 3 to 4 romaine lettuce heads
- Half a lemon
- one Fuji apple
Romaine lettuce is a staple of most salads and one of the most nutritious in the lettuce family.
Aside from being rich in calcium, vitamin K, iron, and vitamin C, it also helps with insomnia because it has lactucarium – this is the white fluid that comes out when you break the lettuce.
Best time to drink this?
During the evening as a pre-dinner drink to help you sleep better.
Yield: 800ml
12. Pine-stard Delight
- One small pineapple
- 3 to 4 mustard leaves
- Five small carrots (peeled)
This dark leafy green is rich in phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Regular consumption of mustard greens helps control cholesterol and will improve bone health because it is rich in vitamin K.
It is tough to juice mustard greens because of the flavor – it has a specific type of spice that not all people may like.
Combining this with the wrong ingredient may produce disastrous results (e.g., orange).
What’s the best time to drink this?
The best time would be in the morning before breakfast.
Yield: 700 to 800ml
13. Chlorophyll-Rich Beet Juice
- A handful of parsley (.94 kg to be exact)
- Handful of wheatgrass
- Half a lemon
- one Fuji apple
- One beet
This juice features wheatgrass and beet, two of the most nutrient-rich vegetables.
Wheatgrass is considered a “superfood” by nutritionists and doctors.
It is rich in vitamin A, B-complex, C, Ethat helps heal and slow down the aging process.
The best time to drink this?
Drink this first thing in the morning before breakfast to get the maximum benefit.
Yield: 400ml
14. Chard Green Juice
- 4 to 5 chard leaves
- Two cucumbers
- Half a lemon
- 1 to 2 Fuji apples
Chard is another nutrition powerhouse from the cruciferous family and like Kale is a rich source of vitamin K, A, and C. This is great for our bone health and helps with our immunity because of the antioxidant content.
It’s slightly bitter so if you’re not used to it start with 2 or 3 leaves until your taste buds get acclimated to it.
The best time to drink this?
The best time would be in the morning before breakfast.
Yield: 850ml
15. Popeye’s strawberry juice + smoothie combo
- 14 to 20 strawberries
- A bunch of spinach (a handful or two)
- A handful of parsley
- 1 Orange or Apple
If you’re using a slow or masticating juicer, you’ll be better off blending strawberries because it does not juice well in a slow juicer. Using orange and apple will produce different results.
If you use orange, the drink will be sour while apple gives it a sweeter, strawberry-juice like flavor.
The best time to drink this?
This strawberry-infused green juice recipe is a great snack time drink for kids and adults.
Yield: 750ml
The verdict
These are just 15 recipes; if you look closely at the “How to Make Green Juice” chart, the possibilities are endless.
You can even add stuff like chia seeds or flax seeds for some added protein in your green juice.
Do you like to work out?
Try adding protein powder to a combination of beet and cucumber.
For brave souls, try adding some jalapeno or a tiny pinch of cayenne powder to bring up the heat.
If you have your green juice recipe you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you. Share it in the comments section below.
