I love coffee like the rest of the Cool Mom team, but honestly, I’m fine with my homemade cold brew coffee. The problem is that all of the money I save by skipping Starbucks goes straight to my juice bar addiction, because if you ask me, nothing beats a fresh pressed grapefruit, carrot, and kale juice with a touch of lemon and fresh ginger. Or an apple, cucumber, spinach, celery, and lime juice. Or. . . you get the point. Sadly, so does my wallet.
If you’re super into coffee, save money with these Starbucks copycat recipes, but if you’re like me, I’ve got a guide to making juice bar drinks at home without a juicer, plus 5 juice bar drink combinations to get you started. Granted, mixing store-bought juices doesn’t offer quite the same nutrition (and can be high in sugar if you’re not careful), but if you use great brands and take advantage of the freshly squeezed juices at your market, you can get your juice bar taste fix at home without breaking the bank.
Related: What happened when I did a 3-day juice cleanse: 5 surprising results.
Juice bar drinks at home without a juicer: What you need
When you hit the market, these commonly found store-bought juices are the best for mixing up juice bar-style drinks.
Freshly squeezed orange juice: A great staple that can serve as the foundation of your juice drink.
Fresh apple cider: Another great staple, and much fresher tasting than standard apple juice.
Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice: A great way to lend fresh tart/sour flavor.
Pomegranate or cranberry juice: A great way to lend tart flavor; it doesn’t have the same freshness as freshly-squeezed grapefruit, lemon, or lime juice, but offers a bit more sweetness.
Mango, guava, passion fruit, or pineapple juice: These add a tropical sweetness that is great with tart grapefruit or lemon and also with earthy beet. Ceres brand is the most commonly available of the tropical juices; you can find these in the shelf stable juice aisle.
Carrot juice: One of the most commonly found store-bought vegetable juices, carrot juice is the foundation of many of my home juice drinks. It’s sweeter and, of course, less fresh tasting than freshly squeezed, but still works great, especially combined with some other fresh juice like orange or apple, lemons or limes.
Beet juice: Beet juice is popping up in more and more supermarkets thanks to the growing popularity of store-bought cooked beets. Love Beets brand even sells a beet juice with ginger, which as you’ll see below, is a great combo. I use beet juice as I do carrot juice.
Lemons or limes: Buy the whole fruit and squeeze in a touch of the fresh juice for brightness.
Ginger: This is the secret ingredient behind my best juice drinks. The key is to use a microplane to grate the ginger, which nearly juices it. Just a little goes such a long way to make store-bought juices taste super fresh.
Related: The 4 best green juices for kids that will have them asking for more spinach, please.
Juice bar drinks at home without a juicer: Some combinations to get you started
Beet, Orange, Carrot, and Ginger
This is one of my favorite combinations at the juice bar, and now that beet juice is easier to find at the market, making this at home is easier than ever. Mix bottled beet and carrot juices with freshly squeezed orange and freshly grated ginger for a healthy pick-me-up.
Carrot, Pineapple, Orange, Ginger, Beet, and Lemon
There’s a juice like this at one of my favorite juice bars called the Lucky Seven, but I skip the pear juice and call it the Sensational Six. Fresh orange, ginger, and lemon balance jarred carrot, pineapple, and beet juice to make the perfect blend of bright, sour, sweet, and earthy. The only downside is having this many juices on hand, so I only make it when I happen to find them all in my fridge, usually right as a few bottles of juice are ending and it’s time to open a couple of new ones.
Apple, Beet, Carrot, Lemon, and Ginger
Another take on my Beet, Orange, Carrot, and Ginger juice, this combination of apple cider, beet juice, carrot juice, freshly grated ginger, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is my kids’ favorite (uh, only) way to drink up beet juice. With a fresh, bright flavor thanks to lemon and a zingy finish thanks to ginger, this one is a great way to start the day.
Spicy Apple
If you’ve ever done a juice cleanse, you know that cayenne is supposed to be a digestive aid, help boost immunity, and generally do good things for your body. I’m happy if all that is true, but honestly just love the bite. When I’m craving a spicy juice cleanse-type drink, I combine apple cider, a touch of cayenne, a grate of fresh ginger, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Sometimes, if I want to sweeten it up, I’ll add just a little honey or maple syrup and shake the juice drink until it dissolves.
Coconut, Carrot, and Lemon
When I’m craving something simple and hydrating, I’ll combine carrot juice, coconut water, and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. It’s simple, sweet, and bright, and gives me an immediate burst of energy, especially when I haven’t been drinking enough water.
Awesome I need to try these out 🙂