Best Kale Juice Recipe
Here is the best Kale Juice recipe that I’ve ever made. It is slightly sweet and fresh tasting, with some brightness from lemon and ginger. Make this healthy juicing recipe today!
Kale has a reputation for having a strong flavor, but it’s actually pretty mild when juiced. You can use curly kale, dinosaur kale, or lacinato kale for this green juice recipe.
Any bitterness from the leafy green gets masked well with the flavors from the cucumber, lemon, ginger, and apple. This is really the perfect nutrient-packed juice recipe.
Why You Need This Recipe
- It can be hard to eat enough vegetables in a day to get all the antioxidants you need. That’s why I love green smoothies and vegetable juices. When you blend or juice your vegetables, they transform into a drinkable beverage that is much easier to get down. Plus, you can mix the juice or smoothie with fruit to help sweeten it up. Read more about the Health Benefits of Green Smoothies.
- New to juicing? It’s pretty easy to get started. You don’t even need a dedicated juicer, believe it or not. See my full post on how to make juice in a blender or my list of the best juicers for cleanse.
- There are some other great recipes you can make using kale (see my Weight Loss Smoothie with Kale or my Air Fryer Kale Chips), but my favorite way to use it is in a juice.
Key Ingredients
Fresh kale leaves are perfect for juicing. You just need to wash them first to remove any dirt. Give the stems a rinse too as you will be using those as well. Kale is on my list of the best vegetables to juice.
Don’t have kale on hand? Try this recipe for Spinach Juice instead!
Cucumber adds more liquid to the juice and helps to dilute any bitterness from the kale.
Lemon or lime adds brightness and a nice amount of vitamin C. Peel the citrus before juicing or blending to prevent bitterness in the juice.
Ginger adds a nice tangy flavor.
Apple adds some nice natural sweetness. This recipe is very similar to my Green Apple Juice recipe!
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Wash and cut the cucumber and apple so they are small enough to fit through the feeding tube of your juicer.
Cut the skin off the lemon.
Step Two
Feed the slices into the juicer alternating between hard and soft pieces to help the juicer extract the most juice.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Three
Repeat until you’ve used up all the produce.
Step Four
Pour the juice from the juice collector into a glass and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a Vitamix to make the juice. Combine the ingredients with a little water in the base of a blender. Blend on high and then strain the juicer through a nut milk bag.
- Green juice is best served immediately. But, you can always store any leftover juice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Shake the container before drinking.
- You can use green or red apples for this recipe.
- You can use any type of cucumber for this recipe including English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. I do not peel them first.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can feed the entire kale leaf into your juicer, including the stems. Be sure to wash the kale leaves first.
I use an Omega masticating juicer. See all my juicer recommendations for all types of budgets.
Yes, you can just juice kale, but it will not taste good. Kale is best juiced with other ingredients to help balance the flavors.
More Vegetable Juice Recipes You Might Like
- Cabbage Juice
- Celery Juice
- Beet Juice
- Cucumber Juice
- Fennel Juice
- Parsley Juice
- Lemon & Ginger Green Juice
- Carrot Juice Recipe
Or, see my round-up of the best juice recipes for beginners!
Don’t Miss These Juicing Resources!
Kale Juice Recipe (Juicer or Blender)
Here is the best Kale Juice recipe that I’ve ever made. It is slightly sweet and fresh tasting, with some brightness from lemon and ginger. Make this healthy juicing recipe today!
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale (curly or lacinato)
- 1 lemon, peeled
- 1 cucumber
- 1 green apple
- 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry your kale leaves.
- Cut the cucumber and apple into pieces small enough to fit through your juicer’s feeding tube.
- Then, turn on your juicer. Feed the ingredients into the juicer, including the kale leaves and stems. Alternate hard and soft ingredients to help the juicer run the most efficiently.
- Turn off the juicer and serve your juice immediately.
Equipment
Buy Now →
Notes
- If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a Vitamix to make the juice. Combine the ingredients with a little water in the base of a blender. Blend on high and then strain the juicer through a nut milk bag.
- Green juice is best served immediately. But, you can always store any leftover juice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Shake the container before drinking.
- You can use green or red apples for this recipe.
- You can use any type of cucumber for this recipe including English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers. I do not peel them first.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Juice
- Method: Juicer
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: kale vegetable juice, how to juice kale, kale cucumber juice
About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
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I did not like this juice at all. Think I will stick to getting my kale goodness in salads because this kind of recipe is very astringent, more like a medicinal tonic than an enjoyable juice.
★★
did you include the apple?
Can you freeze this juice? If so, for how long?
Yes, you can! Up to several months.
My effort was undrinkably bitter. What has caused that? Is it my curly kale?
You probably needed more sweetness or citrus to balance the flavors. Or, you could just be sensitive to the kale flavor. You can also try adding ginger.
I completely agree with you about the bitterness!
Hi! Was wondering what other fruit could you use instead of an apple?
★★★★
You could leave it out and add carrot instead for a little sweetness. 🙂
Absolutely great 👍
★★★★★
I’m new to juicing and smoothies and I’m trying to get familiar with a set of ingredients to buy for a week of juicing or smoothies at least once a day. I’ve noticed that a lot of “green” options have the ingredient of ginger, just like this recipe. But this recipe doesn’t list how much ginger to add. I’m a little confused about ginger, I’ve read recipes that say to shave/shred it into your mix, and I’ve also read to cut off one inch pieces and add it into your mix. So how much ginger is supposed to be in this recipe and in what manner do you add it into the mix, since you talk about rotating your bulky greens with your softer fruit.
★★★★★
I’m afraid you didn’t scroll down far enough for the actual recipe. It states there a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger. Hope that helps!
I found your Energizing Parsley Juice Recipe on line. I loved it!! I made it using my teeny tiny blender, which inspired me to go out and buy a juicer so I could make it more easily and more often. I’m hooked! thank you so much!!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed, Camilla! Thanks for the review. 🙂
So refreshing and tasty for a green juice!
★★★★★