Our kale juice recipe will turn out a tasty beverage full of nutrients.
There’s nothing like treating yourself with vitamin boosts that come in handy bottles and different flavors. But at the same time, nothing ruins it quicker than knowing it packs sugar and contains additives.
If you want the nutrients without preservatives and little to no added sugar, a green juice might be just what you need. Our kale juice is a green elixir that’s made from organic fruits and vegetables, free of artificial nonsense, and can be tailored to your liking.
Health Benefits
1. For Skin
If glowing, young skin is what you’re after, green juices may be just what you need.
Green juices are often made using a variety of vegetables and fruits like kale, spinach, apples, celery, ginger, and many others. Together, they provide plenty of nutrients like vitamins C, A, and E, and tons of antioxidants, which slow aging.
It’s also worth mentioning that a similar effect can be achieved if your diet heavily favors fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet results in a healthy body, and everyone looks best when their body is in its finest condition.
2. For Weight Loss
Is weight loss one of your top priorities? You might want green juice in your life for that purpose too.
Most of the time, if we reach for a bottle of peach juice it’s not just for thirst, but also for joy. It tastes better than plain water, and the label says it’s organic, nutritious, and good for the body.
What the label also mentions in smaller text is the sugar content, which we can all see but often neglect. It is this load of added sugar that promotes unhealthy weight gain.
By switching from packaged fruit juices to a homemade green juice, you’re consuming less sugar and more nutrients. It also comes with a little soluble fiber, which keeps those cravings under control.
The switch can be tough at first, not because healthy drinks don’t taste good, but because processed ones are tailored to taste better. However, once you get used to green juices (like many others have), you wouldn’t even miss the artificial flavors.
For this kale juice recipe, we added a tiny bit of sugar so it’s more enjoyable. Once you’re familiar with the taste, you can add less sugar for an even better health boost that’s low in calories.
Side Effects
Our kale juice may bring plenty of benefits to your body, but it should not be drunk in large quantities.
Here are a few downsides of green juices in general, and this kale juice in particular:
- Although they promote weight loss, they still have calories (our kale juice has 62). Consuming green juices with abandon might promote weight gain instead.
- They have very little fiber, which is what helps our body to digest sugar slowly. Without fiber, you’re more likely to experience blood sugar spikes when drinking sweet beverages.
- They are high in oxalate, a substance that all fruits and vegetables have. Ordinary rates of veggie consumption keeps it at a healthy level. Getting too much oxalate at high concentrations, however, is linked to kidney stones and kidney failure.
As we’re all well aware, we should consume a variety of foods in moderation like the USDA recommends, and kale juice is no exception. It’s better to treat it just like any other type of beverage, and have only 2-3 servings a day.
If you want to introduce more “green” drinks to your diet, here are a few others from our site:
- Green Machine Juice: kale, cucumber, celery, apple, ginger, lemon, coconut water, and grapes.
- Kale Smoothie: kale, apple, pineapple, milk, and honey.
- Green Smoothie: spinach, banana, mangoes, blueberry, and yogurt.
How to Prepare Kale for Juicing
While kale stems are tough eats in a salad, they do add a good amount of fluid to juices. In this kale juice recipe, we’re leaving the stem on and giving our kale a rough chop.
In other words, all you need to do is wash your kale well to make sure it’s free of bacteria, dirt, and pesticides.
Normally, we place our kale in a large washing bowl, then add water and a handful of salt to it. Then we rub the leaves to remove residual dirt and pesticides, and allow it all to sit for 5 minutes to kill bacteria.
After that, simply rinse it again to get clean kale. This is also our go-to method for all leafy greens.
How to Store Kale Juice
After juicing, you can either drink it right away or store it in the fridge — it can last up to 2 days.
To store the drink for longer, fill individual Ziploc bags and throw them in the freezer. When you need to drink, simply thaw a bag either on your counter or add the juice to a bowl and microwave.
Kale vs Spinach
Kale and spinach are both vibrant green foods that pack lots of healthy nutrients. However, there are a few key differences between the two.
First, they give you different textures. We noticed that smoothies made using kale have tiny bits of leaves while those made with spinach are smoother and creamier.
Second, the difference in nutrients: kale offers more vitamin C while spinach provides more vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate. (See this spinach juice recipe for more details on spinach.)
To get the best of both worlds, we often make our green juices and green smoothies with both kale and spinach. Their flavors are often masked by fruits and aromatics, so you can get those nutrients without tasting the greens.
If you love the idea of fruit and veggie drinks, wait till you see this cabbage juice recipe. It makes a nutrient-dense beverage ready to be savored!
Kale Juice Recipe
This kale juice recipe makes a powerful elixir to boost your immune system. It's quick, easy, and tasty.
- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2021-04-16
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 5 mins
- COURSE Beverage
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 62 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz kale (chopped)
- 16 oz cucumber (cut into sticks)
- 0.5 oz ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 2 fl oz celery juice (from 3-4 oz celery)
- 2 cups ice
INSTRUCTIONS
Turn on your juicer and add your vegetables to it: 16 oz cucumber, 4 oz kale, 0.5 oz ginger. If you don’t have 2 fl oz celery juice on hand like we do, feed about 3-4 oz cut-up celery through the machine along with other vegetables. Collect the juice in the container your juicer came with.
Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and sugar to your taste but no more than 2 tbsp.
Stir well to incorporate.
Serve with ice, refrigerate, or freeze.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- EricDelicious, nutrient-packed kale juice for a healthy and refreshing drink!
- Jennifer HartLoved it, I’ve made it many times.