Ginger Juice

Make ginger juice at home with fresh ginger and lemon juice! This delicious twist on ginger lemonade is refreshing, mildly spicy, and can be made with just two ingredients!

I probably don't need to remind you that it's cold and flu season. You already know.

If you've been obsessively washing your hands, using antibacterial wipes on your grocery store carts, and looking suspiciously at anyone who sneezes, you aren't alone.

We're all trying to stay healthy.

For me, that means that my obsession with gut-healthy and immune-boosting foods continues.

I've been eating fermented foods (like homemade sauerkraut, yogurt, milk kefir, and kombucha), but I've also been including lots of ginger in my diet.

Why?

Because ginger is a superfood that's packed with health benefits. And those benefits (probably) include boosting the immune system and fighting infections. During flu season I'll take all the help I can get!

I love using fresh ginger to make ginger tea or these lemon ginger wellness shots, but recently I tried something different. Something quicker and easier than either the tea or the shots.

Raw ginger juice.

This easy drink uses fresh ginger and lemon juice, and is a thirst-quenching, refreshing drink. It tastes like ginger lemonade!

What Is Ginger Juice?

Ginger juice is made by extracting the liquid from fresh ginger, and then mixing it with water, lemon juice, and (optionally) a sweetener.

If it sounds a lot like ginger tea, it's similar, but there are two big differences.

First, ginger tea is cooked, and ginger juice is raw. To make ginger tea, you simmer fresh ginger in water. To make ginger juice, you blend, grate, or juice fresh ginger, and then strain it through cheesecloth.

Second, ginger tea has a much stronger flavor (with bitter afternotes) compared to ginger juice. This juice is light, slightly spicy, and refreshing.

Again, it reminds me of lemonade.

If you want to taste it before you try making it, The Ginger People make a delicious ginger juice.

Where Can I Buy Fresh Ginger?

Look for it in the refrigerated produce section at your regular grocery store. It should be easy to find.

Do I Need a Blender to Make This Juice?

This recipe does use a blender, but if you don't have one, it's okay!

You can also a food processor or a juicer, or grate the ginger by hand. Obviously, grating the ginger by hand will be more work than using a machine.

Do I Have to Peel the Ginger?

Yes.

For ginger tea, I leave the peel on, because simmering the ginger in water will pull out the juice even with the peel.

When you make raw juice, though, you really do need to peel it. Sorry.

How to Peel Ginger

The good news is, it's actually pretty easy to peel ginger. And you don't need a vegetable peeler or a knife!

Simply hold a spoon sideways (thin-side down), and scrape the peel off the ginger.

How to Make Raw Ginger Juice

Once you've peeled the ginger, roughly chop it. Next, add the ginger to a blender or food processor along with a little water.

Blend the ginger until it's puréed.

Line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth, and then set the sieve on a larger bowl. I set my mesh sieve on a large 8-cup measuring cup.

Pour the ginger mixture through the cheesecloth. Forgot to grab cheesecloth at the store? You can buy cheesecloth online.

Pull the cheesecloth together and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Next, add lemon juice and more water.

If you've got fresh herbs (like mint), you can crush the herbs in your hands and then add them to the ginger juice.

Taste the juice at this point.

If it's too strong, add a little more water.

How Can I Sweeten Ginger Juice?

First of all, make sure you taste the juice before you add sweetener.

I always add honey to ginger tea because the cooked ginger tends to become bitter, but raw ginger juice isn't bitter at all, and I like it without sweetener. If you don't normally sweeten your drinks, you might love this juice unsweetened.

To make it sweeter, add honey, agave syrup, or your favorite sweetener.

If you want to sweeten it with sugar, I recommend making a simple syrup, because sugar doesn't easily dissolve in cold liquid.

To make a simple syrup, mix equal parts sugar and water, and then heat until the sugar dissolves.

You could also try adding a flavored simple syrup, like this ginger simple syrup (for even more ginger!), mint simple syrup, citronella simple syrup, or honeysuckle simple syrup.