The Best Way to Freeze Cold-Pressed Juice for Flavor and Enzymes

With Chef Becky Aronchick

One of the biggest challenges about juicing (and all healthy eating) is finding the time to do it. A few years ago, we met Conrad, who bought a PURE and told us his trick.

Twice a month, Conrad juices enough cold-pressed juice for 14 days using his PURE Juicer and freezes it into individual pint-sized servings. Then, the night before, he moves one juice jar from the freezer to the refrigerator for him and his partner. The following day, they have delicious silky smooth juice. We shared this concept with our community, and it was a game-changer.

We love freezing juice vs. drinking pasteurized juice for several reasons. You know your juice is cold-pressed, you know exactly what ingredients you’re drinking, and you control when it’s made. If you freeze your juice quickly after making it, you have a greater chance of retaining the enzymes and phytonutrients from the fruits and vegetables. Using an electron microscope, lab testing for enzymes confirms that freshly frozen juice retains up to 95 percent of the original enzyme count and nutritional value when measured after 30 days.* More on cold-press juicing. So we love having control over our juice and the option to make extra to freeze for future use.

We prefer freezing cold-pressed juice because the pasteurization process heats the juice to a level that destroys enzymes, and fresh flavor is a big part of why we juice in the first place. So, if you see a juice in the store with a long shelf life, it is likely pasteurized. More on enzyme activity and a comparison of home juicers.

Today, we wanted to show you a few more tricks we have learned from our in-house chef, Becky Aronchick, about how she freezes juices for her clients.

What you need:

Your PURE Juicer
Glass containers with a wide mouth.
Our demo uses 17oz jars.
A Freezer (and freezer space)

We froze a green juice that is delicious:
Pineapple, kiwi, lime, yellow beet, parsley juice

Steps to Freezing Cold-Pressed Juice:

Step 1: Make any juice you love using your PURE Juicer. We were always proud of the PURE Juicer’s yield because it made it easy to make a lot of juice. Enough to drink the day you make it and still some to freeze. And it is fast enough that bulk juicing requires very little additional time.

Step 2: Fill your clean glass jars 70 percent of the way full or less.

Please note that if you fill the juice above 70%, there is a good chance the juice will expand enough that the glass will break. Therefore, it is always better to underfill vs. fill to the top. This tip is the opposite of what we recommend when you store it in the refrigerator. In the case of refrigeration, fill your juice to the tippy top to prevent oxidation.

For juice you plan to drink within the week, our MVP pump pulls 80–85% of the oxygen out of a wide-mouth mason jar in about six seconds. Keep vacuum-sealed juice in the refrigerator.

Step 3: Put the juice jars in the freezer on a flat surface.

Freezing takes about 12-16 hours.

During that time, the juice will slowly expand. If you want to keep the lid off to ensure the juice does not expand too much, you can do this. Any excess juice can be shaved off with a knife.

When you are ready to drink frozen juice:

Take the juice out of the freezer the night before you plan to drink it. Move and store it in the refrigerator overnight to slowly thaw.

We show you the process in this Instagram Live.

Other great options for frozen juice:

Like we said, freezing juice opened our world to many ideas. From Conrad’s inspiration, we frequently press our lemons and limes to create cubes that we can use for juices, cooking, or tea. Another option is to add ginger and turmeric to these cubes for extra flavor and a little warming spice. Plant milk cubes are great for oatmeal and smoothies.

Elixirs like beet-ginger or red cabbage-apple are beautiful when dropped into happy hour drinks. And we have fully embraced popsicles which are a great way to get your juice in the summertime. Links to our favorite juice cube trays: Amazon mini ice ball molds, Peak ice everyday ice cube tray, Small BPA-free flexible mold

We hope this process looks as easy as it is, and we hope you give it a try. And leave us a comment below or post a question if we can help in any other way.

Happy Juicing,

The PURE Team

*Michael Donaldson did lab testing. Dr. Michael Donaldson, Ph.D. from Cornell University, is the Research Director of the Hallelujah Diet.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition or take medication.