Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Recipe

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Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice to start your day. Find out what the best oranges are for making homemade orange juice and even learn how to make our easy orange recipe.

Fresh homemade orange juice is not only refreshing, but it tastes incredible. Freshly squeezed orange juice won’t taste like the orange juice you find in the store unless you’re buying their fresh squeezed offerings.

When it comes to store bought orange juice there can be a lot of variations.

Orange juice is typically processed and stored so it will lose those natural orange juice flavors and they have to add flavorings to make it taste like orange juice.

pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice with oranges in the background.

Some orange juice is made from concentrates as well so that will also change the taste and even texture.

We love to enjoy orange juice in a glass, in orangeade or even for recipes.

oranges in a pitcher, one cut in half and a small jar filled with sugar.

Benefits of orange juice

Orange juice contains antioxidants and vitamin C making it a healthy and delicious beverage. Antioxidants help maintain our overall health and vitamin C benefits our immune system and more. Source

Like with anything that can be good for us, orange juice is also loaded with sugar. Pair that with removing the pulp and fiber from the orange, it’s best to enjoy it in moderation.

close u of a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice with an orange wedge in it. So close you can see the pulp.

Best oranges for orange juice

These are the most readily available oranges that are best for making orange juice, especially during citrus season.

Navel Oranges
Valencia Oranges
Blood Oranges
Cara Cara Oranges
Satsuma Oranges
also, Tangerines

Tip: Get the most juice out of your oranges or any other citrus by first rolling your palm over the fruit on a counter to break up the membranes and loosen the juice.

hand rolling orange to loosen orange membranes inside for juicing.

Once you’ve rolled it on the counter a bit you can then juice it and get the most juice out of the orange.

making orange juice on a glass citrus juicer with half an orange.

How to juice oranges

There are many ways to juice oranges and there are lots of citrus juicer options on the market.

Electric Citrus Juicer – This will make your orange juicing journey effortless. This one also controls the amount of pulp so you can have a pulp free/less pulp juice.
Citrus Press – This works by placing the orange in the holder and then pressing a lever down to “press” the orange. It works really well, but does take up a bit of space and it’s actually more expensive than an electric citrus juicer. We love this for the fun and WOW factor.
Manual Citrus Juicer – These are another great option and don’t take a ton of space. The only issue we have is that they are often made of all plastic parts.
Manual Citrus Press – We love the manual citrus press for lemons and limes! They also make it for oranges. They can be a little cumbersome and awkward to use for smaller hands though.
High Speed Blender – If you’re using an orange without seeds or remove the seeds you can easily place it into the blender after peeling and blend it up. A highspeed blender will pulverize the pulp leaving a smooth and creamy orange juice.
Juicer – Any small or large kitchen appliance is an investment so we recommend investing in a slow juicer (masticating juicer – we love our Nama J2) to get the most out of your produce. Peel the orange, remove any seeds, and you’ll have a fresh juice with dry pulp removed.

Recipe Tips and Alterations:

You can control the amount of pulp by adding some that is removed or further removing it with a nutmilk bag or fine mesh sieve.
Always use juicy and flavorful oranges, it will taste just like the oranges. If they don’t taste good neither will the orange juice.
If your orange juice is too tart you can add a bit of simple syrup, sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
You can also do this with grapefruit to make grapefruit juice.
Use the orange peels to make Orange zest before juicing.
Save the orange peels to make a simmer pot or potpourri.

How to store, reheat, or freeze:

Refrigerate: We recommend enjoying fresh squeezed orange juice as soon as possible and refrigerating for only 2-3 days.
Freeze: Freeze for up to 4 months in an airtight container with some expanding room. You can also use souper cubes or an ice cube tray.

glass pitcher of fresh orange juice pouring into a glass.

How to serve:

We love serving fresh orange juice with breakfast. Nothing beats a stack of homemade dairy free pancakes with orange juice!

You can also use orange juice to make homemade orangade.

glass pitcher pouring orangeade into glass.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you remove the pulp from orange juice?

Most juicers will remove some of the pulp, but you can remove most of it with a nutmilk bag or fine mesh sieve.

Can I freeze this recipe into popsicles?

It gets a bit crystalized when freezing due to the little to no fat content, so we don’t recommend making it into popsicles. You can use a higher fat content ingredient or add simple syrup to help avoid the crystallization.

Why does my orange juice taste watery?

Like with any recipe that has produce, you need to start with something that has flavor. If the oranges taste watery, the juice will. If the oranges taste sour or overripe, the juice will taste the same.

Can I add sugar?

Yes, we recommend adding some sugar or your preferred sweetener if your oranges are too tart.

More orange recipes

Orange Carrot Juice

Orange Honey Butter

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Orange Glaze