Fresh Pineapple Orange Juice (With or Without Juicer)
How to make fresh pineapple orange juice with just two ingredients and a juicer or blender. This fresh pineapple orange juice is a refreshing combination of sweet and tangy for a delicious and nutritious summer drink, perfect for enjoying in the morning or setting out at potlucks, BBQs, and other gatherings.
Use a sharp knife to peel the skin from the pineapple and then chop it into pieces that will fit your juicer chute.
Feed the segments into your juicer, allowing the pineapple juice to flow into a large jug.For a juicer-free method, add the pineapple chunks to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. If your blender needs a little "help," add around 1/3-1/2 cup water to the machine when blending. You can then either use the juice as-is (pulpy) or strain it through a fine-mesh sieve or nut milk bag (manually squeezing).
While you can technically peel and add orange segments to your juicer, I prefer to use a citrus squeezer to extract the orange juice. To do so, slice the oranges in half, then manually extract the juice with the citrus squeezer.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients
Transfer the orange juice to the pitcher with the pineapple juice and mix. If you plan to drink it all immediately, you can add some ice, mint, and basil leaves. Alternatively, I recommend adding these items to individual glasses so the main pitcher with pineapple orange juice doesn't become watered down or require fishing out herbs later.
Optionally you can decorate the rim of each glass with tajin (a chili-lime salt). To do so, place a little honey (or other "sticky" syrup, possibly vegan honey) on a small dish and some tajin in another. Then, dip each glass first into the honey, then the tajin, rolling lightly, so it's coated well.
How to Store
Store: I recommend drinking this juice within 2 days for the freshest, best flavor. However, any leftover juice will store in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days. Don't leave the juice at room temperature for more than two hours.Freeze: If you've ended up with too much juice, I recommend freezing the extra immediately to maintain the nutrients in the freshly squeezed juice. Freeze in one large container (with headspace) or in L/XL ice-cube tray for "individual portions" that will defrost quicker.When you want to use them, you can either add the ice cubes directly to your drink or allow the juice to thaw in the fridge before enjoying it. You could even blend the ice cubes with a little additional juice or coconut water for a quick summer orange-pineapple slushy!
Notes
If the juice is a little bitter: this can happen based on the exact oranges/pineapple you've used. If it does, feel free to add a little of your unrefined sugar of choice - maple, agave, honey, etc. For a sugar-free option, you could use liquid stevia drops or erythritol.
For a pulpy orange pineapple juice: make sure to peel the orange sections and remove any seeds that add the orange and pineapple to a blender with a bit of water – don't strain.
No need to buy organic: when it comes to fruits with a thick peel like pineapple and oranges, there's no need to buy organic since the peel isn't used in the recipe. You can then use the orange peel to make an all-purpose cleaner. I recommend buying organic if you want to use the peels.
Save the pulp and zest: following on from the above, there's no need to waste the fruit peels. Instead, zest the oranges before juicing them and save the zest in the freezer for up to 6 months. Likewise, pineapple can be saved in the freezer for several months or used for pineapple skin tea. If you're making the juice in a blender, you could also save the pulp to add to smoothies and baked goods.
Be aware of natural sugars: while this pineapple orange juice doesn't contain any added sugars, the natural fruit sugars are still there (both pineapple and orange are high in fructose), so drink this fresh juice in moderation. My favorite way to reduce my sugar consumption is to dilute this fresh pineapple juice with coconut water. Alternatively, you can dilute it with water, soda/carbonated water, or ice cubes.
For instant "chilled" juice: store the oranges and pineapple in the fridge until just before juicing.
Make popsicles: you can also pour this pineapple orange juice into popsicle molds for a 100% natural fruity treat.
Check the blog post for more tips and serving suggestions.