How to Make Apple Juice -Everything you need to know

An ultimate guide on how to make apple juice. Including answers to all your FAQ.

No juicer? No blender? No problem! I cover three easy but different techniques to make apple juice. Leaving no topic unanswered when it comes to all things apple juice. 

Table of Contents

1. Best apples for juicing
2. How to make apple juice with a blender
3. Juicing apples
4. Making apple juice without a juicer or blender
5. Can you freeze apple juice?
6. Apple juice recipe
7. Apple juicing benefits
8. Apple pulp recipes
9. Difference between apple juice and Apple cider
10. How to make apple cider vinegar
11. How many apples do you need to make juice?
12. How to serve your refreshing apple juice

I wanted this to be an article for a wide range of people. From Moms wanting to make juice with their kids as a fun activity with no special equipment, to families wanting to juice for health benefits, and others who are looking for ways to process apples they harvested and don’t want to waste them also. 

For me, my interest in juicing was two fold. I was interested in the health benefits of juicing, but I also liked the idea of this as something I can make with my kids.

We don’t love the ingredients in store bought juice. I didn’t realize that most juice I’ve looked at has natural flavors as an ingredient.

Even the organic juice made with organic apples. When you make your own fruit juices, you can also control the amount of added sugar you want (if any).

This is what got me going down the rabbit hole of making homemade apple juice. I’ve compiled a comprehensive guide below of what I’ve learned along the way. 

Store bought juice is highly processed. You will notice your homemade juice doesn’t look like store bought juice. It will be cloudy and not as clear, but it will taste so much better! 

Best apples for juicing

First things first, the main ingredient – apples! As you probably know, there’s a wide variety of apples that are used from baking to juicing to apple sauce.

The type of apple you choose for your juice will depend on what level of sweetness and what type of flavor you want.

It will also depend on if you are planning on juicing apples in a recipe with other fruits and vegetables or if you’re going for a simple apple juice.

The most common apple type used for a simple apple juice is the Red Delicious because it’s one of the sweetest apple varieties. See my in depth article for my other top choices and which apples are the best apples for juicing. Find out which apples to avoid for juicing too!

Your personal preference is also something to consider when choosing different varieties for the best tasting apple juice.  

How to make apple juice with a blender

You can enjoy delicious homemade apple juice even without a juicer. No need to purchase any additional appliance or expensive equipment.

In fact, this is one of my favorite ways to make fresh apple juice in the afternoon with my kids for a quick afternoon snack in the Summer.

A blender is a great way to get started making your own juice. Simply blend cored apples (peeled or not) with water, add sweetener (optional) and then strain apple puree with a fine mesh strainer or I recommend buying inexpensive mesh bags like a nut milk bag for straining.

See my step-by-step instruction on how to make apple juice with a blender here. 

Juicing Apples

For years I used my blender for juicing because I didn’t want to buy an extra appliance. Although the blender worked well, I finally got my very own juicer.

Now, when apple season comes around I’ll head out to our local orchard, or stop by and pick some apples from my Grandparents land to pick fresh apples to make our very own apple juice with our juicer.

Using a juicer is just as simple as a blender. If you are juicing in a juicer, you will want apples that aren’t sprayed with wax.

Or remove the wax from store bought apples. This can clog up your juicer. You also don’t want to juice whole apples but first remove the stems and cores. I leave the peels on for the health benefits. See my Juicing Apples detailed tutorial. 

Making juice without blender or juicer 

A little known secret is you can make apple juice without a juicer or blender. You can even make it with apple “scraps” to essentially have no waste.

This will produce a less robust apple flavor and less sweet (you can add a sweetener if you prefer).

With this technique, you can use the apple cores (apple seeds removed) and peels of the apples. Simply boil then strain.

Here is my easy to follow tutorial on this unique way to make apple juice without any equipment! 

Can you freeze apple juice

If you have extra apple juice left over, you may be wondering – can you freeze apple juice? Maybe you have access to an apple tree producing more apples than you know what to do with, or you visited your favorite apple orchard recently and want to make apple juice to keep for later.

You can absolutely freeze your apple juice to enjoy later. See my recommendations on the best and easiest ways to freeze your apple juice in glass jars or a plastic container. 

Apple juice recipe

Starting with this basic apple juice recipe, you can create never ending combinations. From veggie packed green juice, to a berry apple blend, here are my top recipe combinations to try. 

Apple juicing benefits

For our family, we mostly make and drink apple juice inconsistently and don’t always have it around. We never drank straight apple juice for health benefits.

I do include them in other juicing recipes for sweetness and flavor however (like my favorite green juice recipe). But I was curious to learn what, if any, health benefits apple juice has.

I was pleasantly surprised at what I found when I really dug into the research. I learned there is a health difference in cloudy apple juice versus clear apple juice and so many more things.

If you’re wanting to learn more about apple juicing benefits, I compiled it all down in a quick and easy read. 

Apple pulp recipes

Please don’t throw out your juicing pulp! Here are my top 5 apple pulp uses. You really can have nearly zero waste of your juicing pulp. My kids favorite is making fruit leather in our dehydrator, especially with a little strawberry pulp mixed in! 

Difference between apple juice and apple cider 

Did you know there is a difference between apple juice and apple cider? I used to think cider was what apple juice was called when it was warmed up! I’m here to tell you, it’s not! Who knew they’re actually quite different! 

Now that you know there’s a difference you can use this completely from scratch apple cider recipe the next time you want a hot drink on a chilly Fall day.

I take you through the journey from whole apples to apple cider. It’s easier than you think and tastes so much better from scratch. This is a great activity to do with your kids too! Put this on your Fall Bucket List

How to make apple cider vinegar

Because I promised every last detail about juicing apples, I had to include how to make apple cider vinegar. It’s become quite popular recently for health benefits. It really is super simple to make too.

A creative way to use your apple scraps or apple pulp, you essentially cover the scraps in a water and sugar mixture and leave them to ferment. This step-by-step tutorial will cover all your questions. 

How many apples do you need to make juice?

The amount of apples needed will depend on how much juice you want. About 3 apples will make one cup of juice.

Different varieties will be juicier than others. See my article linked above regarding which apples are the juiciest. 

How to serve your refreshing apple juice

​You honestly can’t go wrong with how you serve your fresh apple juice. I like to drink it cold with ice cubes.

But it truly is great at room temperature or even served as a hot juice. Add a little bit of lemon to slow down the oxidation process and keep your juice fresher longer. 

Last year we planted apple trees on our land and maybe in the next few years I’ll be able to harvest enough apples to make more fresh juice and cider to freeze a little extra over the Winter from them.

Right now we have several apple trees on my Grandparents land that produce some apples for us. Homemade apple juice tastes so much better than store bought.

You really have to experience it for yourself at least once. Once you start making homemade juice, you won’t be able to go back! It really is the best way to get the best flavor.

Did I cover everything there is to know about how to make apple juice? I would love to hear your favorite way to make apple juice and what you like to make with your pulp. 

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