Easy Strawberry Juice

Fresh strawberry juice is one of those things that sounds fancier than it is — one pound of berries, a blender, and five minutes is all you need. No added sugar, no weird ingredients, just pure strawberry flavor in a glass.

Why You’ll Love It

Just 3 ingredients — strawberries, a squeeze of lemon, and optional water. That’s it.
No added sugar — the berries do all the sweetness on their own.
Real strawberry flavor — nothing like the sugary store-bought stuff; this actually tastes like fruit.
Ready in 5 minutes — blend, strain, done.
Endlessly versatile — drink it over ice, mix it with sparkling water for a spritzer, or use it as a base for Cocktails.

A Note on Ingredients

The strawberries are everything here, so please don’t use the pale ones. You know the ones I mean — the giant, kind of hollow strawberries that look perfect and taste like almost nothing. Get the small, dark, imperfect ones if you can. Local if possible. The ones that smell like something.
Coconut water instead of regular water is a nice little upgrade if you have it around. I buy it for other things and then forget about it and then find it at the back of my pantry, so using it here feels productive. But plain water is totally fine. Sometimes I skip the liquid entirely if the berries are very juicy — the mixture gets thicker, almost like a nectar, and I don’t mind that at all.
The lemon or lime is up to you. I go back and forth. Either way, just a squeeze — don’t overthink it.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh strawberries — hulled, and I mean really check them because sometimes you miss a stem
½ to 1 cup water or coconut water (optional — start with less, you can always add more)
Juice from one lemon or lime, optional (I use the whole lemon, maybe a little more — I eyeball it)

How to Make It

Wash your strawberries first. I know that sounds like something I shouldn’t have to say, but I’ve rushed past this step before and I just — don’t. Rinse them well, then lay them out on a clean dish towel for a minute to dry off. Hull them with a knife or one of those little strawberry hullers if you have one. I had one for years and then it disappeared, which is how it goes with small kitchen gadgets. Knife works fine.
Drop everything into your blender — strawberries, water if you’re using it, lemon juice. Blend it until it’s completely smooth. My blender is loud enough to wake the whole house so I try not to do this too early in the morning, which I learned the hard way a few summers ago when I thought I’d get ahead of the day and it did not go over well.
Now — and don’t skip this — strain it through a fine mesh strainer. This is the step that separates a really nice glass of strawberry juice from something that’s a little gritty and weird. The seeds are harmless, obviously, but the texture is just better without them. Push the pulp through with a spoon, press it down, get as much juice out as you can. What’s left in the strainer is dry and sort of jammy — I’ve been known to spread it on toast, not gonna lie.
Pour the strained juice into a glass or a jar and that’s it. Serve it over ice immediately, or put it in the fridge for a bit to get cold. I think cold is better. I think most things are better cold.

Variations

Adding a few fresh mint leaves before blending is something I didn’t understand at first and now I think is actually pretty great. It makes it taste more like a cocktail somehow, even when it’s not one. A pinch of cayenne is weird but interesting — I wouldn’t do it again but I’m not sorry I tried it.
You could also do a half-and-half situation — strawberries and watermelon, blended together, same process. Different flavor but still really good.
If you want to make a spritzer — and you should, at least once — just pour the juice over ice and top it with cold sparkling water. Maybe a 50/50 ratio, maybe more bubbles if you like it lighter. Add a slice of lemon or a few torn mint leaves. It looks like something from a café and it costs you nothing.

Storage

Best fresh. I know, I know, but it really is. The color stays gorgeous for about a day and then it starts to separate and look a little less appealing, though it still tastes fine — give it a good shake or stir before drinking. If you’re storing it, use a sealed glass jar or bottle and keep it in the fridge. It’ll last up to three days, probably. My rule of thumb: if it still smells good, it’s fine. If you have to think about it, make a new batch.