Whole-food juicing is gaining in popularity as more Americans try to maximize their intake of fiber and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables. In order to liquefy the ingredients found in a typical juice recipe, you need to use a blender. Juicing with a reamer-style citrus juicer or a juice extractor wastes much of the pulp and skin, limiting the apparent health benefits.
We tried out a whole-food juice recipe using the Vitamix 5200, $450, one of the top scorers in our Ratings of more than 60 blenders. In just a minute, the Vitamix turned the apple, carrot, orange, pineapple, ice and water into a creamy concoction with a smooth consistency.
Whole-food juicing isn't part of our standard blender testing, and we tried only with the Vitamix 5200. But you'll likely see similar results in other blenders on our recommended list. Lesser models may not be up to the task.
But give it a try with our other top-rated blender, the Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004, $60, which matched the Vitamix task-for-task in our blender tests and is a CR Best Buy. Our top blender picks include two more from Ninja and another Vitamix model, the pricey Vitamix Professional Series 750, which costs $650.
Appliance makers are hoping to reap some benefits from whole-food juicing. Vitamix, for one, is spending $10 million to add 51,000 square feet to its Ohio headquarters, partly in response to the trend, according to The Wall Street Journal.
