The Best Citrus Juicer

Buying Guide for Citrus Juicers

Why buy a citrus juicer?

Citrus juice is a fundamental ingredient in sweet and savory recipes we enjoy year-round. It makes sense to buy a citrus juicer whether you need just a few ounces for a cocktail or a few cups to make lemonade. All citrus juice contains citric acid, which stings, especially if you have a hangnail or similar wound. A good juicer also saves you time and effort and gets a lot more juice out than just squeezing it with your hands.

What should you look for in a citrus juicer?

• Design: If you make large batches of juice regularly, an electric juicer will save your hands and your sanity. Check out a heavy-duty squeezer, just in case that will suffice. But if you like to make a drink now and again, or enjoy a hint of fresh lime in a glass of ice water, browse the manual juicers. Some juicers are pitchers with a citrus reamer and filter on top, a convenient design for making citrus-flavored beverages.
• Look: Oh, let’s be honest—style matters to us all! If you prefer color to conventional black kitchen appliances, you’ll be pleased to find that some models come in an array of colors. You’ll also find vintage manual squeezers, novelty margarita juicers, and cute transportable juicers.
• Material: Are you a stainless steel enthusiast? It’s known for its corrosion resistance, durability, and ease of cleaning. If plastic is more your style, there are plenty of BPA-free options. Plastic juicers that comprise several parts like a pitcher, lid, reamer, and pulp control basket are easy to take apart for easy dishwasher-safe cleaning.

How do you decide between a handheld and a machine juicer?

A machine juicer is best if you have arthritis or a similar condition that causes hand weakness. You’ll have to hold the fruit down as the juicer processes it, but you won’t need to squeeze. Machine juicers are also faster, so if time is of the essence or if you have a lot of fruit to juice, they make a lot of sense. Handheld squeezers have advantages, too, though. They store away easily for one. Also, because hand juicers have fewer parts, they’re generally easier to clean, less likely to malfunction, and less expensive. If you love your lime drop martini, a handheld juicer is your best bet.

Our Picks for the Best Citrus Juicers

Pros: This juicer is made with food-grade, non-corrosive stainless steel and is designed to give you perfect leverage when squeezing limes or lemons. The strong riveted joint and ergonomic handles make sure of that. The two-in-one design features two bowls; use the larger bowl for lemons and the smaller one for limes. The Zulay lime and lemon squeezer plays a huge role in making the perfect limeade or mojitos with no seeds!

 

Cons: Not every lime and lemon will fit perfectly inside the bowls. You may have to trim the edges of the fruit or cut it in quarters.

 

Bottom Line: The Zulay citrus squeezer has a durable and sensible design of quality parts. Your desire for fresh squeezed lemons and limes might dwindle before this squeezer begins to fail.

 

Pros: Cuisinart retains its good reputation with this electric citrus juicer. The 6.75- x 7.88- x 12.25-inch appliance features an adjustable reamer, low, medium, and high pulp settings, auto-reversing for extra efficiency, and more. If you’re a huge fresh-squeezed orange juice fan and want the speed only an electrical juicer can provide, the Pulp Control Citrus Juicer is worth a look.

 

Cons: You supply the pressure to hold the fruit down on top of the reamer while juicing. This may be difficult for some folks with weak hand muscles.

 

Bottom Line: The simple design of this electric juicer makes the operation and cleanup easy. The Cuisinart juicer doesn’t take up much counter space either, as it’s taller than it is wide. 

 

Pros: This large electric juicer pitcher accommodates juicing needs on multiple levels. It’s a bright, cheerful yellow appliance that comes with two sizes of nesting reamers for small to large fruit. Use the auto-reverse function to get all you can from whatever citrus you’re squeezing, and adjust the pulp dial to one of five settings. The detachable pitcher has easy-to-read measurement marks for recipe-following success. The built-in cord wrap makes for tidy storage.

 

Cons: If you’re looking for a sophisticated-looking juicer that pairs well with your bar cart, you may want to look elsewhere.

 

Bottom Line: This electric citrus juicer combined with a 34-ounce pitcher is a super functional kitchen gadget for making fresh lemonade, limeade, orange juice, or grapefruit juice. You can even customize the pulp level.

 

Pros: This lightweight and compact lime juicer is quite cute and perfect for the transitory life of a student, traveler, or small apartment dweller. The Dash Citrus Juicer features adjustable pulp control, an auto-reversing electric reamer, and two reamer cones. With just a button press, you’ll have 32 ounces of your favorite fresh-squeezed juice. And it doesn’t have to stop there. Get creative with other produce like vegetables for sauces and dressings too.

 

Cons: The 25-watt motor is not as powerful compared to similar products.

 

Bottom Line: This dishwasher-safe, compact citrus juicer comes in aqua, red, orange, and white colors. Add some pizzazz to your kitchen and your favorite beverages. 

 

Pros: This juicer will live up to your margarita-making dreams. The pitcher holds up to 32 ounces and displays handy liquid measurement markings. This product comes with two interchangeable cones, one large and one small. Simply position the juicing cone, set half a lime or other fruit on top, and press and grind. Add the remaining ingredients and mix! The Taco Tuesday kit comes with eight margarita glasses for all your friends. All you need now are some tacos.

 

Cons: The juicer is lime green with a colorful “Taco Tuesday” emblem on the base. The fun-loving design may not be for everyone.

 

Bottom Line: Taco Tuesday celebrations require a batch of margaritas. And while the dinner event typically involves going out, this electric juicer offers the opportunity to turn any supper at home into taco and margarita night.

Final Thoughts

Yes, there is something satisfying about squeezing your own glass of orange juice. But it’s even better to have a citrus squeezer that does the job in half the amount of time, gets lots of juice out, and filters the seeds! That’s what these juicers can do for you time and time again.