There are a few ways in which we can prepare our ginger for juicing and we’re going to cover them all, including: do you peel ginger before juicing?
The quick answer is you don’t need to peel ginger before juicing.
A juicer only extracts the juice from ingredients. The pulp goes to the pulp container. That means that ginger skin together with the pulp is discarded by the juicer.
Also, the skin is edible.
However, there are also a few things to consider before deciding if you want to peel it or not. The answer still remains that you don’t have to peel ginger before juicing but maybe some of you will choose to.
Before going into all that, I should mention that I highly recommend adding a small piece of ginger to your juices. It’s so easy and you don’t have to do much.
You’re going to love the flavor, that tiny kick you get among all the other flavors of fruits and veggies. I love it.
Check out my reviews for the best juicer for ginger if you want a new juicer for your kitchen.
Do You Peel Ginger Before Juicing? It’s Not Necessary
I’ve already said that you don’t need to peel ginger before juicing.
However, that implies that you’re going to wash your ginger really well. Frankly, some people might not be comfortable with knowing that they’re going to juice something with the skin on, no matter how well they wash that piece of ginger.
In that case, grab a teaspoon and peel it because it’s going to only take a few seconds. It’s the easiest thing ever. It’s much harder peeling onions or garlic cloves.
Even if you peel it or you don’t peel it, wash it really well beforehand.
If you care about eating organic, then you’re going to choose to buy organic ginger. If you buy it organic and pre-packaged, then you’re going to have no trouble juicing it with the skin on.
The skin won’t end up in your juice. The juice is extracted and the skin with the pulp is sent to the pulp container. That’s how a basic electric juicer works.
Should you soak the ginger before juicing?
If you don’t want to peel ginger before juicing and you haven’t bought organic, then there’s another way in which we can make sure that your piece of ginger is thoroughly cleaned.
Mix a bit of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda and add your ginger piece.
Let it soak for 15 minutes.
Rinse it. And that’s it, now it’s thoroughly washed and you really don’t have to peel it.
How to juice ginger
We’ve already seen that we can juice ginger with the skin on, especially if we buy organic. But even if we don’t buy organic ginger, I think we can leave the skin on if we wash it well.
Even so, peel it with a teaspoon in a few seconds if it makes you more comfortable.
Now, let’s see what else we should keep in mind when juicing ginger, whether you want ginger shots or to add it to a combination of ingredients.
The only things you have to worry about when juicing ginger is how much you should add and you should make sure that the blades don’t send up your tiny piece of ginger flying when you throw it down the chute.
The flying thing can happen, especially if you’re using a centrifugal juicer that spins its blades at thousands RPM. You don’t have to worry about it if you’re using a masticating juicer because they work differently.
If you use a centrifugal model and you don’t want the ginger to jump around, push it towards the blades and that’s it.
If you’re looking for a new juicer or if you just want to see what newer models offer, check out my recommendations for the best juicer for ginger.
How much ginger should you use for juices?
The answer is very little.
About ¼- to ½- to 1-inch slice/piece of ginger is more than enough for a glass of juice that is going to include a bunch of other ingredients.
I recommend starting with a very small piece if this is your first time and then see if you want to add a bit more.
If you make multiple glasses, multiply this quantity by the number of glasses you’re planning to make.
No one is going to grab a ruler to measure a ginger root.
Just cut a piece of ginger root that is as big as your thumb and it’s good enough.
This is going to be much easier for people who are already used to making juices because they know how many fruits and veggies they need for a glass of juice but beginners will get used to it quickly.
What does ginger juice taste like?
If it’s used in moderate amounts, ginger is a wonderful spice to add a slight zing to our juices.
This spice is sweet and slightly spicy.
The juice made from it is similar, sweet and spicy, but a little more mild than if we were to eat a lot of ginger in our favorite foods.
It’s the perfect spice, whether we’re making juices, tea, smoothies, cooking delicious foods or making desserts. It’s highly versatile.
Since it’s so versatile, it can be used in combination with pretty much any leafy greens, fruits, and veggies.
What are ginger shots?
Ginger shots are usually made with only two ingredients: ginger and lemon. The lemon cuts the spiciness. You don’t need to add it if you can handle a small amount of pure ginger juice that is drunk as a shot.
1-inch ginger root combined with 1 large lemon will make two shots. This is the easiest ginger shot recipe that you can make in a juicer.
There are a few other combinations that you can make and you can check them out here.
My favorite ginger juice ingredient combinations
I should confess that I’m not the type of person who makes juices or smoothies because I care about nutrients or vitamins or stuff like that.
Whether I make juice from cauliflower, ginger, beet leaves, carrots, leafy greens and a bunch of other ingredients or make smoothies from berries, I do all that because I love drinking good stuff that is made at home.
Since I don’t drink any sodas and I eat sweets rarely, around the holidays mostly, juices and smoothies are the way I satisfy my sweet tooth, sometimes by adding a bit of honey, maple syrup, date paste or even syrup.
It’s up to you if you use a juicer for ginger shots because you want to enjoy the benefits or if you’re like me and juice for enjoying delicious drinks.
You can basically add a very small piece of ginger to whatever fruits and veggies you’re using to make juice.
Ginger juice recipes
If you want a very basic recipe, you can juice cucumbers, lemon, a very thin slice of ginger and maybe even add a pinch of salt. I recommend peeling the lemon before throwing it down the chute.
Another easy recipe with ingredients that we have in the house is a juice with carrots, apples and a bit of ginger root. I always core my apples before juicing them.
Grapefruit, orange, ginger and cucumber is a delicious fresh drink. but add a bit of honey if you can’t take too much sourness.
Kale leaves, parsley, carrots, ginger, and apples are a nice combination if you love your greens.
Carrots, beets and ginger is another juice you should try. You can also juice beet greens, both leaves and stems.
Now that you know that the answer to the question do you peel ginger before juicing is that you don’t have to peel the ginger root, you can quickly make your ginger shot or delicious juices where you get a zing from a tiny bit of ginger root.