A Smart Start With Juice Recipes for Kids

We strive to get our kids to eat a nutritious breakfast, especially when they're heading off to school. Unfortunately it can be a rough battle, since kids would rather sleep more and eat less.

Juice isn't enough on its own, but it can be a smart addition to a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast. Check out these easy homemade juice recipes for kids to help get them off to a good start each morning or supplement an afternoon snack.

What to Juice and What Not to Juice

Juice is a way to add variety to the nutrients you consume -- it doesn't replace whole foods. Kids are usually happy to eat an apple or an orange; they may not be as enthusiastic about carrots or kale. That's why we recommend focusing on vegetables, with some fruit to add a touch of sweetness.

Some foods are better suited to juicing than others. Tomatoes and carrots blend well with lots of other vegetables and fruits, and they help counter the sometimes-bitter taste of leafy greens. Beets also mix well and add color. If the taste of purple beets is too strong for your kids, try golden beets instead. Foods with high water content are great for juicing, like celery and cucumber and red bell pepper.

Stay away from cruciferous vegetables, or use them sparingly. Not only can they cause gastrointestinal upset, they can also interfere with thyroid function when eaten raw. This isn't an issue when eating whole foods, since the amount we can eat is limited by fiber and fullness.

Finally, make vegetables the base of juice recipes for kid, and add only small amounts of fruit. Avoid mango and pineapple, which are full of sugar and taste delicious on their own. No need to juice what kids are happy to eat already!

How to Choose a Juicer

When choosing a juicer, there's a lot more to consider than price. We carry both centrifugal and cold press juicers, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Check out our infographic below that helps sum up the differences.

Juice Recipes for Kids

Start off on the sweet side with this recipe from Umami Girl blogger Carolyn Cope on Serious Eats featuring sweet potato, orange and carrot juice, with a dash of lime. Because the pith of citrus fruits can be bitter, slice it away from the oranges and lime. The sweet potato adds a creamy texture along with lots of nutrients.

Another one kids may warm up to quickly comes from Breville. It includes cucumber and apple juices, plus mint and lime. So refreshing! We think it sounds great for serving at breakfast, brunch and lunch for both adults and kids.

We also love the sound of this recipe from Wholefully (scroll down to the bottom) that features cantaloupe, cucumber, celery and lemon. The cantaloupe and cucumber counter the bitterness of the celery, and the lemon gives it some zip and brightness.

If you're ready to try a recipe that's not quite as sweet, give this one from Eating Well a shot. With beet, orange, apple and kale juices, plus fresh ginger, it's got a great combination of flavors. It may take a while for this one to grow on kids, but we think it's worth trying.

Finally, if you want to juice like the rich and famous, try this Health Juice recipe that's straight from the Bel Air Hotel. It combines apple, kale and lemon juice with a bunch of parsley, a stalk of celery, and a dash of turmeric. Maybe the kids will turn up their noses, but it could be a great one for adults to try!