Juicer vs Blender: the pros and cons of both

When you're thinking about cultivating a healthy morning routine, a juicer or a blender (or possibly both) will be front-and-centre. They're both easy ways to boost your fruit, veg, vitamins, and fibre intake, but which is better, a juicer or a blender?

Every home has a different idea of what they want from their morning drink. The best blenders are an easy way to add fibre to your diet. I speak from experience when I say that you can whizz up a lot of less appetising ingredients into something really quite delicious if you have a good blender and recipe book.

Juicers on the other hand extract liquid from the fruits and vegetables that you give them, so you'll need to look for other ways to add fibre to your diet. These clever machines deliver crisp, nutrient-dense drinks that can give you a good boost or shot, especially when you're feeling run down.

To help you break down the differences between juicers and blenders, I've asked tech experts, health professionals and chefs for their guidance and top tips. By the time you've read through this, you'll know exactly which appliance you need (and I'll have given you a suggestion too).

Juicer vs blender: what is the difference?

Let's start with the fundamentals. Whilst both machines create drinks from fruits and vegetables, that's about all that they have in common. The processes that they use are actually vastly different.

How does a juicer work?

Juicers squeeze, crush or grind the pulp from the liquid in fruits and vegetables to produce a mostly clear liquid. People typically love a juicer for helping to quickly and easily get more healthy foods into their diet.

 With a juicer, you’re left with most of the vitamins and minerals, plus the plant chemicals found in the whole raw ingredients. Some people believe that it’s easier for your body to absorb the nutrients in this way, although the Mayo Clinic notes that this “usually isn’t so.” Marcus Lux from Gastroback adds that “juicers also tend to have different attachments to blenders to get the most out of the juice.”

Laura, our eCommerce Editor, is a daily juicer. "I didn't think I would ever switch out my morning smoothie for a juice, but I love having one in the kitchen. I use mine to make immunity-boosting ginger shots, which I drink daily, as well as my own almond and oat milks too." 

In her years as a product tester, Laura has tested some of the best juicers on the market. Here are the ones she recommends:

How does a blender work differently?

Blenders come in a few different shapes and sizes. I'll stick with the classic countertop blender for all of our comparisons here, but there are also stick blenders (the kind you'd use for soups) as well as bullet blenders and single-serve models (essentially Nutribullets) that you might consider. 

As their name suggests, blenders blend ingredients, typically using rotational blades at the bottom of a jug. This ability to crush whole fruits and vegetables means the fibre is kept intact, resulting in thicker smoothies and also more diversity in terms of achievable jobs, as you can use blenders to make hot soups, whizz up sauces, make ice creams and more. 

When pitted against a juicer to make drinks, Sandra Duncan, experience manager at Sage Appliances, says that “blenders create a thick mixture which offers versatility in the kitchen; a blender will retain fibre, creating a more substantial beverage.”

We asked Laura again for her recommendations on the best blenders of all time. Here's what she says:

What is better, juicing or blending?

“Juicing and blending both have their benefits so it’s not a one or another sort of situation," says Julia Harvey, director of operations at holistic wellness company Bodyism. "If you are looking to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables then juicing offers a good way to cram in a lot of ingredients in just one glass, as it removes the fibre and pulp from fruit and vegetables and so slims down their footprint, so to say."

"At Bodyism, we also add in our plant-based food supplement powders, which are great mixed into both juices and smoothies for an extra boost of minerals and antioxidants.”

Below we take you through the pros and cons of each, so you can make a decision based on your personal needs. 

Benefits of juicers

• They can assist in upping your produce intake: Juicers are specifically designed to strip the liquid from fruits and veggies - the part which contains most of the nutrients - and so can be helpful if you’re trying to include more fresh food in your diet. One juice can include multiple portions of your five-a-day, making it easy to hit an intake target. 
• They can help with a low-fibre diet: Juicing strips out fibre from fruits and vegetables, so is great if you’re on a low-fibre diet for one reason or another. Some people need a low-fibre approach if they have certain conditions like difficulty digesting food or are recovering from intestinal surgery. 
• They aid in getting a great source of vitamins and minerals: Juicing can bolster your vitamin and mineral intake if you’re adding juice to your diet regularly, alongside your usual five-a-day intake. Sandra Duncan says that “nutrients are highly concentrated and absorb faster when juicing.”

Cons of juicers

• They're one-dimensional: Juicers only do one job, and that's juice. If you want a kitchen gadget that can make drinks and more, then a blender might be for you. 
• They're more admin: Juicers typically come apart into lots of small pieces, which can make cleaning and storing them a bit of a challenge, which is something to consider before you invest. 

Benefits of blenders

• Some can crush ice: “Some blender models can crush ice, but you’ll have to check the model you have or are buying to be sure it has a strong enough motor and in some cases an ice-specific setting,” explains w&h's food director Jen Bedloe. 
• Blenders offer differing speeds: You’ll find that most blenders have various settings, which means you can vary the speed of your machine depending on what you’re looking to whizz up. Blending more slowly might retain more texture, for instance, while a quick pulse is great for dips. Turning things up a notch will result in a lovely smooth consistency, perfect for things like smoothies or even quick recipes like pancake batter. 
• Blenders are easy to clean: When it comes to cleaning, we all want an easy life. Typically blenders are easier to clean than juicers, as they come apart into fewer sections. If you already own one, you might like our guide on how to clean a blender in just a few simple steps. Following our how-to each time will keep your machine well-maintained, helping to prolong its life.  
• They save you a lot of time: There’s nothing like a shortcut when it comes to kitchen tasks, and a blender will help you speedily get through jobs that might take a lot longer when done manually, like chopping. 
• They're able to mix dry ingredients: If you’re making something that requires you to mix a lot of dry ingredients, like homemade hot chocolate powder for instance, your blender will become your best friend. Simply tip everything in, give it a couple of pulses and you’ll have a perfectly blended dry mix. 
• They offer fibre retention in recipes: “Fibre retaining is a main pro of using a blender which is essential for digestive health” comments Sandra, adding that fibre “helps regulate blood sugar levels.” 
• Blenders are super versatile: Sandra goes on to say: “Blenders are also very versatile and can be used for a wide range of recipes including smoothies, soups and sauces - a very valuable kitchen tool.”

Cons of blenders

• They can be noisy: There’s no getting around the fact that blenders are noisy gadgets. They emit a buzz as they work, so it’s worth working out how much sound your chosen model will generate, and weighing up whether you can live with the trade-off (we’d be inclined to think it’s well worth it).
• You have limited control on speeds: Blenders typically don’t have as much control as a food processor, for jobs that require a level of texture. Think salsas or a sofrito base for a Bolognese. Instead, you tend to get a pretty smooth finished texture.
• Not everything can be blended: There are things you should never put in a blender, to avoid damaging the blades.

Juicer vs blender: what is healthier?

There isn’t a right or wrong answer when it comes to smoothies or juices being healthier for you. As mentioned above, juices allow you to pack in loads of nutrients in one glass, as they strip out the flesh and pulp of fruit and vegetables. On the other hand, smoothies allow you to keep all that good fibre in your diet, by blitzing everything together. 

Rose Fooks, w&h’s deputy food editor suggests a blender might be more helpful if you’re deciding between the two machines. “Blenders are multi-functional, so offer much more diversity in terms of kitchen practicality. You can make batters, blend soups and bring together smoothies in minutes in a blender, whereas a juicer is pretty much made to do one job, and that’s juice."

"You can make juice from a blender by passing the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, but it’s not a practical process if you’re looking to regularly drink juice. I’d suggest investing in a blender first and foremost - if you’re a keen cook and will use it for other jobs in the kitchen - and add a juicer at another time if you find yourself drinking lots of juice, a point where you know you’ll get good use out of it “