Crisp, refreshing, and oh-so-good-for-you—this kale juice spin on lemonade might just be the best thing you can put in your body.
I’ve been drinking it every day for the past week and have noticed a visible improvement in my skin, mood, and energy levels. It’s great for detox juice cleanses or if you’re simply interested in juicing and looking for a recipe to start.
This kale juice recipe is super hydrating, incredibly nutrient-dense, and even tastes delicious—especially because of the lemon juice and apple juice.
What are the benefits of drinking kale juice? The benefits of drinking kale juice include:
- Clearer skin
- Healthier-looking hair
- Better mood
- Increased energy
- Immune system boost
- Antioxidants
- Anti-inflammatory
- Gluten-free
- Essential vitamins and minerals
A lot of the juice benefits come from the kale, which contains many nutrients, like:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Omega-3 fatty acids
I like to drink kale juice in the morning to jumpstart my metabolism in a healthy way. But you can have kale juice with any meal, and your body will thank you.
Drink it often to “aid” with your health and wellness goals. This yummy, healthy green juice is a superfood you won’t want to miss out on.
What Types Of Kale Are There?
There are several types of kale, the most common of which are:
- Common curly kale
- Ornamental kale
- Redbor kale
- Red Russian kale
- Siberian kale
- Chinese kale (AKA Chinese broccoli, kailan, or gai lan)
- Lacinato kale (AKA Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, black cabbage, Cavolo Nero)
For this recipe, common curly kale is the preferred kale to use, but you can experiment with different types of kale.
How do you juice kale?
You juice kale by pushing it in small amounts through a juicer. However, it is much easier to juice kale with a mechanical juicer than a manual hand juicer.
Some recipes call for additional carrot juice or cucumber juice, but I find these unnecessary. You can definitely experiment with this recipe to make it your own, but don’t buy extra veggies and fruit juices that will empty your wallet for no reason.
If you want to make a double batch and store some for later, read how to store green smoothies here.
For curious minds, my juicer of choice is a Breville Multispeed Juice Fountain. I find it produces the most juice from leafy greens while still being relatively affordable.
How much kale juice should I drink a day? You should drink 1 or 2 kale juices a day. You only need 3-4 servings of kale a week to get the health benefits. This recipe yields almost half of your daily fiber, so 2 a day is probably a good max.
For the rest of the day, I recommend sticking to water or unsweetened green tea. If you drink a kale juice, then a Pepsi, it’s like eating a bunch of kale, then a heap of sugar. Beverages are often a hidden source of calories, so choose ones that are good for you.
What is the difference between kale and spinach? The difference between kale and spinach is that kale belongs to the cabbage family, while spinach belongs to the amaranth family.
Spinach and kale also contain different nutrients. Kale contains more vitamin K, calcium, and vitamin C. Spinach contains more potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc, folate, vitamins A, and vitamin E.
Have you tried this green juice recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Print
Kale-Aid Kale Juice Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1-2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 5 large fresh kale leaves
- 1-2 large cucumbers
- 1 lemon (peeled)
- 1 apple
- 1-inch knob of ginger (peeled)
- 1-2 large ribs celery
Instructions
- Wash and prepare all produce. Use organic produce whenever possible.
- Push through a juicer.
- Serve immediately over ice.
Notes
Always peel citrus before putting it through an electric juicer as the peel is highly concentrated in essential oils. The juicer concentrates them into the juice, which can cause severe digestive pains or upset. Either peel the citrus, or squeeze the citrus juice in at the end leaving the peel out.
Nutrition
- Calories: 168
Todd Conway
Amazing recipe, you have inspired me to write a kale recipe of my own. Thank you Todd
★★★★★
Robyn
I'm looking forward to start eating more healthy. I'm in my early 50's and have a soon to be 14 year old . And I want to start making healthier meals and healthy snacks for her as well. So much things that cannot pronounce in food these days it's scary. Time to get healthy.
Robyn
Pam
Can a blender be used? As that is all I have
Elizabeth Rider
Hi Pam, it will be a smoothie instead of juice (fiber left in) in a blender but yes, you can do that. Cut the lemon by half and make sure you peel it, as a whole lemon will be too much. Also add 1-2 cups of water or coconut water to get it to blend. ~E
jenny @ organicallyblissful
I love anything that has lemon, ginger, and apple!
Ada Barrow
Cheers!! Thank you for the recipe and it was Delicious.
Michelle Fabian Macias
Affordable juice blender
The Montell Williams Blender/juicer
Michelle Fabian Macias
Works EXCELLENT. .NO NEED TO STRAIN!! BOUGHT MINE FROM AMAZON (BETTER PRICE)
times2come
I'm also new to juicing and am hooked! I use the lemon with the peel which has pectin in it to chelate radiation from the body to!!! The radiation from the Fukushima disaster that is, which many people don't realize is falling on us everyday since the accident.
Vinniffa
I've been juicing my Kale with the Omega J8006( http://www.ujuicer.com/omega-j6006-juicer-review/ ) Great juicer, but a bit slow. The yield is great,
Ronald Rood
great recipe , besides the lovely refreshing taste it is packed with goodness
Akash Keluth
Can I do this with a blender?
jenny
I use a blender and strain it through a nut milk bag. I have a juicer and found i get more juice through just blending it all and straining plus it's way easier clean up! I tried cheese cloth and store bought nut milk bags and they all let pulp through but this last one I got as a gift and it's amazing! It has a sinch to keep it in your cup when pouring and it makes it so pure and fine tasting like I bought it from a store! I'd Def recommend blending. I have a $15 walmart blender too so it doesn't need to be fancy lol. Hope this helped! Oh and here's the bag I use if you are interested!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_15?ie=UTF8&k=stand+apart+nut+milk+bag&sprefix=stand+apart+nut
gmeades
link doesn't work. says it can't find item.
Sierra
This is a good recipe. The only thing I added was an extra apple and honey. It is very strong and definitely has a PUNCH to it. Did you mean the juice of a whole lemon, or an entire lemon?
catalina
Delicious! I've just recently joined the juicing wagon and I have become obsessed with kale! I not only love to juice with kale but I love to eat it as a salad so I sub it for lettuce. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Theresa Stanley
This is delicious! After months of seeing your juices on Instagram, I took your advice and scoped out a Breville Juice Fountain. Now, I am addicted.
Elizabeth Rider
Welcome to the juice world 🙂
Loleta
OMG! This juice is amazing, received a Hamilton Beach juicer for Christmas and I've been juicing this recipe for the last 4 days........AH-MAZING! I'VE added more Ginger and I have Slappy added spinach. I see a difference in my skin, energy level and overall feel. Thank you! I've replaced my coffee each morning with this drink
Elizabeth Rider
So glad!
Tammy
Hi Elizabeth: I am fairly new to juicing. I tried your recipe for Kale-aid and I have to tell you I am in love!! It is so good. Unfortunately, even though I thought my high-end juicer would juice kale it did not 🙁 So, I put the kale in my Vitamix with some water. I juiced everything else normally (added an extra celery stick 😉 and then added the juice to the kale in the Vitamix to blend well. Poured over ice... let sit for a bit and OMGosh! Heaven. Thank you! Thank you! I might add some pineapple to it just to play around, but your kale-aid is now a staple. Big Hug!
Elizabeth Rider
Great technique! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hanen Skapoullou
I have made this juice but noticed that not even a drop came out of the juicer when I put the kale!!??
threenorns
if you're using a centrifugal juicer, it has to be HIGH end to get anything out of kale and other green leafies such as wheatgrass.
Elizabeth Rider
Yes, I totally agree. Most centrifugal juicers (the ones that have the basket and blade spinning in the middle) won't yield very much juice from greens. I use a Breville MultiSpeed Juice Fountain (that is centrifugal) and I find I get a decent amount of juice from it.
Joey
If we are using baby kale, would you say two big handfuls are equivalent to 5 big kale leaves? Thanks!
Elizabeth Rider
Sounds about right, the recipe is pretty flexible. 4-5 big handfuls should do it.
Jennifer Corbin
How can I make this using a NutriBullet? Thanks for any help ahead of time 🙂
Elizabeth Rider
Juicer is best. If you don't have one, you can use a high-speed blender (and add about a cup of purified water before you blend) and then strain it through a cheese cloth or nut-milk bag. Again, if you can use a juicer that's best.
catalina
ive been using a nutribullet for my juicing and I love it I just add water to it and strain it. turns out fabulous!
Leah Bosworth
Yep! I had a sneaking suspicion that you might like it there. :~D
Elizabeth Rider
Yes, one of my favorites for sure 🙂
Leah Bosworth
Yes, I drink this juice almost every day. I love it and I make it every day about 50 or 60 times for people at True Food Kitchen in Scottsdale, AZ where I bartend. :~D
Elizabeth Rider
One of my favorite places! Is this the same recipe? Even better!
Sandy Weinberg
Thinking about just mixing this up in my Vitamix, I'd rather have the benefits and full-feeling from ALL the fiber as well! =)
Elizabeth Rider
Equally delicious!
Fran Ellis
I drink something very similar to this (only half a lemon and half-inch of ginger) and it's become my favorite raw juice. I only juice a couple of days a week, but you've got me thinking I should follow your example and drink it every day!
Elizabeth Rider
That's what I love about juice recipes, everyone can tailor the quantities of ingredients to their own tastes. Cheers!
Pip Power
Hi,
Using the tops of beetroot is as important as using the root itself. A lot of people make the mistake of throwing the tops away & only using the root!
I use a Juicer instead of a blender & only drink the juice of vegetables. I rarely eat the pulp. What do you think?
Elizabeth Rider
Yes, beet greens are delicious if you have them! My store usually sells loose beets without the greens for some reason, but beet greens are great sauteed or juiced. Thanks for stopping by the blog!