The 7 Best Oranges For Juicing
Freshly squeezed orange juice is one of life’s great pleasures, and being able to make your own orange juice at home means that you can enjoy it just about any time you want!
While juicing is becoming more popular, making orange juice at home has been around for quite some time, and through this time, we have learned which oranges are best to be juiced!
Which are the best oranges for juicing? The best oranges for juicing include Valencia oranges, blood oranges, navel oranges, tangerines, clementines, satsuma oranges, and tangelo oranges! All of these will produce delicious and fresh orange juice, all with slightly different tastes to them.
Knowing more about the best types of oranges for juicing will help you make beautiful freshly squeezed orange juice at home and enjoy the great benefits that orange juice has to offer!
The Benefits Of Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
Oranges are a great source of many vitamins and nutrients, and turning fresh oranges into juice gives you a better way to enjoy and consume these vitamins and nutrients.
You also get to save quite a bit of money making your own orange juice at home, as the price of oranges is considerably lower than the price of proper orange juice.
When making fresh orange juice at home, you are really drinking it straight from the source, without losing out on any of the health benefits.
Often, when orange juice is bottled and preserved to be sold, the nutrient content is lower than what you would get making your own, and the juice often contains more sugar too.
Oranges and freshly squeezed orange juice contain good amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants.
If you are not wanting to eat oranges sliced up, then juicing them is the perfect way to enjoy their nutrients and vitamins, and the great taste of freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning!
The Best Types Of Oranges For Juicing
There are 7 types of oranges that are best for juicing. These will all make delicious orange juice, but all have different tastes, such as some being slightly sweeter and some being a little sourer.
Depending on how you prefer your orange juice to taste, you will definitely be able to find the right orange for you to juice at home!
Below are the best 7 oranges for juicing, and why they are great options to use!
1. Valencia Oranges
Valencia oranges originate from Valencia in Spain, which is where the name comes from. These oranges are available for a fairly long period during the year, from April to December, so getting your hands on some isn’t too difficult!
Many commercial juicing companies choose to use Valencia oranges because of their wide availability and because these oranges are considerably sweet.
Along with being readily available and with a wonderfully sweet taste, Valencia oranges also contain very few seeds, which definitely makes the juicing process much easier, allowing for a clean juicing and for maximum juice yield too.
Valencia oranges are also high in fiber and potassium and are a great addition to your diet if you are looking to build up your immune system.
Not only are Valencia oranges great for juicing, but they are many people’s go-to when oranges are needed in a recipe.
Pros of Valencia oranges for juicing:
- Available for long periods in the year
- Sweet tasting
- Few seeds
- High in fiber and potassium
2. Blood Oranges
Many people consider blood oranges to be the healthiest option, as they contain the highest antioxidant content.
Blood oranges are only available from January to April, and while this is a fairly short period, it is a time of year when many other oranges are not available, so it all balances out quite well.
The name blood orange comes from the color of the inside of the orange, which is a darker red than orange. This means that your orange juice won’t be quite orange, and will have a more interesting color to it.
While you might be excited to include blood oranges in your diet because of their high antioxidant content, it is worth noting that they are considerably tart, and are not as sweet as some other options!
There are three different types of blood oranges which you could choose from. These include Tarocco, Moro and Sanguino.
These all have the red flesh and more tartness than other oranges, but can still make some delicious freshly squeezed orange juice with more color than normal!
Pros of blood oranges for juicing:
- High in antioxidants
- Red flesh adds color to the juice
- More tart if you prefer less sweetness in juice
3. Navel Oranges
Navel oranges are a popular choice when it comes to juicing, as they don’t have seeds which makes them super easy to juice a lot of the time.
Removing the peel from navel oranges is also really easy, so overall prepping this orange is pretty hassle-free.
Being the most commonly bought orange for eating, it would make sense that navel oranges are good for juicing too. They are readily available and are often more affordable than other types.
As navel oranges are fairly large in size, you get more juice out of one navel orange than you do from some other oranges.
They produce high yields, but navel oranges do contain limonene, which does tend to turn the juice bitter after some time, but freezing the orange juice can help prevent this.
Many people also choose to juice navel oranges because of their sweet flavor, with the oranges containing less tartness compared to some other choices.
It is a tamer-tasting orange that is wonderfully refreshing, and ticks all the boxes of what makes an orange good for juicing!
Pros of navel oranges for juicing:
- Seedless and easy to peel
- Large size allows for bigger juice yields
- Sweet taste
4. Tangerines
Tangerine oranges are slightly tart and are a lighter color than other varieties, but this can actually be quite beneficial.
Synephrine, found in tangerines, is what makes them more tart, but is also something that can be used to aid in weight loss. For this reason, those who are juicing to lose weight will choose to use tangerines in place of other oranges.
Most varieties of tangerines do not contain seeds, although some do.
Not containing seeds makes tangerines easy enough to juice, and you don’t have to worry about gulping down a seed or having to fiddle and remove seeds before juicing.
Being part of the mandarin family, tangerines are easy to peel as well, and the segments are often easy to separate.
If you are using a processor, you can simply peel and separate the tangerine and pop the segments into the processor to be turned into juice.
The issue with using tangerines is that they are only usually available from fall to spring, and buying them off-season can be quite pricey. However, when in season they are pretty abundant and fair in price compared to other oranges.
Pros of using tangerines for juicing:
- Synephrine can help with weight loss
- Easy to peel
- Some varieties have no seeds
5. Clementines
Clementines are a result of crossing oranges and mandarins, and are a wonderful option for juicing! Clementines are smaller than most oranges, but they have a great flavor to boot.
This type of orange is most commonly grown in South Africa, Morocco, Israel, California and Spain, and is fairly available through most seasons.
However, the availability in the USA is a little less dependent as production isn’t always as constant.
Clementines are beautifully juicy, and both the juice and the zest can be used to make juice and to add to different vinaigrettes, marinades and sauces.
Easy to peel and with some varieties not containing seeds, clementines are easy to juice, but their small size does mean that their juice yield is lower than what other oranges give.
You will need a few clementine oranges to produce enough juice, but it is worth it.
However, the sweet taste and easy-to-prepare benefits do make it a popular choice for juicing.
If you can find a good deal on clementines in season, you should definitely take some home to make some juice to freeze to enjoy year-round!
Pros of clementines for juicing:
- Easy to peel
- Seedless
- Sweet flavor
6. Satsuma Oranges
Satsuma oranges belong to the mandarin orange family and are grown mostly in California and the Gulf Coast.
These delicious oranges are only available for a short time each year, which does not make them ideal if you are looking for a consistently available orange to juice year-round, but they are delicious!
These oranges contain little to no seeds and are very easy to peel, so preparing them for juicing is very easy.
The high fiber content in satsuma oranges is beneficial to a daily diet, but once again only being available for a short period does not help with this.
Satsuma oranges are also considerably small in size, so you will need a few to make a decent yield of fruit juice. However, the resultant juice is sweet and only slightly tart and is worth the effort.
Pros of satsuma oranges for juicing:
- Easy to peel
- Seedless or nearly seedless
- Sweet
- High in fiber
7. Tangelo Oranges
Tangelo oranges were created when mandarins and pomelos were mixed together. This combination means that tangelo oranges have a delicious sweetness, and provide a high yield too.
While with some sweetness, tangelos also have a tart flavor, but this only creates a beautiful balance of tart and sweet, which is much more delicate than many of the other orange options.
There are two types of tangelo varieties: Orland and Honeybell.
Other than choosing tangelo oranges for their delicious balance of sweet and tart, they are also high in vitamin A and minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Pros of tangelo oranges for juicing:
- Sweet-and-tart flavor
- Easy to peel
- High in vitamin A and other minerals
Tips For Juicing Oranges
Juicing is a fairly easy process, and with a few tips, you are able to make some amazing orange juice at home, and even store it to enjoy at a later stage!
When citruses are in season, you should definitely make the most of it and stock up on some healthy orange juice for the family to enjoy.
Here are some tips to ensure that your orange juicing goes perfectly:
Pick The Right Orange
It is so important to pick the right type of orange for juicing, or you might not end up wanting to drink the juice you have made!
There are some great options for oranges to choose from for juicing, all with different benefits.
Some are slightly sweeter, with others being more tart. Some are higher in certain nutrients than others, and some are easier to peel and prepare.
Decide what you prefer from an orange, and what you would want your orange juice to taste like, and pick out your orange from there.
It is a good idea to make a small batch first to see if you enjoy what the juice tastes like before making a huge batch.
Use The Right Juicer
If you juice at home often, it is worth investing in a good juicer. You will be able to juice so much more in one session with a good juicer than you would if you were doing it by hand or with an outdated appliance.
You do not need anything fancy, and a good-quality citrus press will be absolutely invaluable in citrus season!
You will be able to juice more in one go, and the process will be much easier too, and the easier the juicing process is, the more motivated you would be to juice your own oranges at home.
Store The Orange Juice Properly
To make the most out of your fresh orange juice, you need to store it correctly. Freshly squeezed orange juice can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but only if stored properly in the right container.
Fresh orange juice will separate in the fridge, so you will need to remix it before you drink it. It is also possible to freeze orange juice, and it can be kept in the freezer for up to 12 months.
You can freeze orange juice in juice containers (leaving some room at the top for expansion) or you can freeze the orange juice in plastic freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer to save some space.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve gone over which oranges are the best for juicing, let’s take a look at a few related questions on the subject!
Do I need to peel oranges before juicing?
Whether or not you peel oranges before juicing is up to you.
The peels contain healthy minerals such as vitamins B6, B2, and vitamin C, along with potassium and magnesium. The peel can add more of a bitter taste to the juice, so it is your decision!
How many oranges are needed for 1 cup of orange juice?
On average, three medium-size oranges are needed to make 1 cup of orange juice.
What is the sweetest orange?
One of the sweetest oranges are navel oranges. They are available in winter and are packed with nutrients.
Found from November to June, you can enjoy these seasonally abundant citrus fruits and their deliciously sweet taste for a good few months!
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