How to Make Grapefruit Juice

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: March 24, 2020 References Tested

Grapefruit is one of the juiciest citrus fruits around, which makes it a great fruit to squeeze! If you like pure grapefruit juice that has a tangy flavor, just push a few grapefruit halves against a manual or electric juicer. To make a slightly sweet grapefruit juice, combine the fruit juice with ginger-sweetened water. You can even make a refreshing lemonade that gets most of its sour flavor from fresh grapefruits!

Ingredients

Freshly-Squeezed Grapefruit Juice

1 grapefruit
Optional sweeteners, such as honey or sugar

Makes about 1 cup (240 ml) of juice

Grapefruit Ginger Juice

2 tablespoons (42 g) of honey
A 3 in (7.6 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 cup (240 ml) of water
2 grapefruits
1 lemon

Makes about 3 cups (710 ml) of juice

Pink Grapefruit Lemonade

3 grapefruits
4 lemons
1 cup (200 g) of sugar
1 cup (240 ml) of water
1 pinch of salt
Ice for serving

Makes 1 pitcher of grapefruit lemonade

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Freshly-Squeezed Grapefruit Juice

1
Roll 1 grapefruit against a flat surface for about 30 seconds. To release more of the juice from the peel of the fruit, roll the grapefruit before you slice it. Press firmly as you roll the grapefruit around in circles on a flat surface.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- You can skip this step if you're short on time, but the fruit won't release as much juice.
2
Slice the grapefruit in half. Rinse the grapefruit and place it on a cutting board. Then, take a large knife, such as a chef's knife or serrated knife, and carefully cut the grapefruit in half.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If you'd like to make a lot of juice, slice several grapefruits.
3
Push a grapefruit half against a manual juicer or run it through an electric juicer. If you have a manual juicer, press the sliced half of the grapefruit against the top of the juicer. Push down while twisting to release the juice. If you have an electric juicer, turn on the machine and push the sliced half on top. The machine will spin to extract the juice.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Remember to place a cup beneath the juicer's spout. One grapefruit releases about 1 cup (240 ml) of juice so choose a glass that's large enough to hold all of the liquid.
4
Pour the juice through a fine-mesh strainer if you want thin juice. For a drink with more fiber and a fuller texture, drink the grapefruit juice as soon as you've squeezed it. If you prefer a thinner juice, set a fine-mesh strainer over a glass and slowly pour the juice through it.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Discard the pulpy solids in the strainer.
5
Stir in sugar or honey for sweeter grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice can be very sour on its own. To make the juice sweeter, stir in as much sugar or honey as you like. For a natural sweetener, you could also mix in enough apple juice or pear juice to cut the sour flavor.
- Refrigerate leftover grapefruit juice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Tip: It can be difficult to dissolve sugar in cold grapefruit juice. To sweeten the juice easily, mix in simple syrup, which you can make by heating equal parts of sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Grapefruit Ginger Juice

1
Peel a 3 in (7.6 cm) piece of fresh ginger and thinly slice it. Use the edge of a metal spoon to scrape the thin peel off of the fresh ginger. Then, slice the ginger into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) thick pieces.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If you like, you can leave the peel on the ginger, but your juice might not have as strong of a ginger flavor.
2
Put the ginger, honey, and water in a saucepan. Place the sliced ginger into a small saucepan on the stove. Pour in 1 cup (240 ml) of water and 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) (42 g) of honey.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- You could use your favorite sweetener, such as agave, granulated sugar, or stevia, instead of honey.
3
Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Turn the burner to medium-high so the water begins to boil. Turn the burner down to medium so the water bubbles gently and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the mixture occasionally to help the honey dissolve.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Keep the lid off of the saucepan as the water simmers. This lets you see if you need to adjust the burner.
4
Turn off the burner and steep the mixture for 10 minutes. The ginger will continue to flavor the water as it sits and the water will cool. You can squeeze the citrus while you wait for the sweetened water mixture to finish steeping.^{[8]
X
Research source}
5
Juice 2 grapefruits and 1 lemon. Rinse the citrus and cut each fruit in half. Push each half against a manual or electric juicer and twist the fruit to extract all of the juice. ^{[9]
X
Research source}
- If you think the grapefruit ginger juice will be too sour for your liking, substitute an orange for the lemon.
Tip: If you'd like to add carrots or celery to the juice, chop 1 or 2 carrots or celery stalks into 2 in (5.1 cm) pieces. Add them to your juicer along with the grapefruit and ginger. This works best if you have a high-powered juicing machine.
6
Strain the juice into a pitcher along with the sweetened water. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher and slowly pour the sweetened water into it so the strainer catches the ginger. Then, pour in the fruit juice and stir the juice to combine it with the sweetened water.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- If you want to keep the fiber in the juice, don't pour the citrus juice through the strainer.
7
Chill the grapefruit ginger juice. Fill a serving glass with ice and pour the juice into it. If you won't be serving the juice for a while, store it in the refrigerator and add the ice just before serving it. If you add the ice too early, it will melt and dilute the juice.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Store the juice in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Pink Grapefruit Lemonade

1
Heat 1 cup (200 g) of sugar with 1 cup (240 ml) of water for 5 minutes. To make simple syrup, put the sugar and water into a saucepan on the stove and turn the burner to medium-high. Stir the mixture occasionally and heat it until the sugar dissolves.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- To save time, you can buy simple syrup in the baking aisle or liquor department.
2
Cool the simple syrup to room temperature. Turn off the burner and set the syrup aside to cool. To speed up the cooling process, you could pour the syrup into a heat-proof measuring jug or bowl and put it in the fridge while you juice the citrus.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- If you'd like to make the simple syrup in advance, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
3
Squeeze the juice from 3 grapefruits and 4 lemons. Rinse the citrus fruits and put them on a cutting board. Carefully slice each fruit in half and push the halves against a manual or electric juicer. If you're using an electric juicer, place a bowl under the spout to catch the juice.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Feel free to adjust the ratio of grapefruit and lemons. If you prefer a stronger grapefruit flavor, use 4 grapefruits and 2 or 3 lemons, for instance.
4
Strain the citrus into a pitcher. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher or large measuring jug. Slowly pour the grapefruit and lemon juice into the strainer so it catches the seeds and solids.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Discard the solids that are left in the strainer.
5
Stir in 1 pinch of salt and simple syrup to taste. The pinch of salt will bring out the refreshing flavor and you can add as much of the simple syrup as you like. If the lemonade tastes too strong, dilute it with water until it's the flavor you want. Stir all of the ingredients well in the pitcher.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- If you don't use all of the simple syrup, refrigerate it in an airtight container and use it within 3 weeks.
6
Add ice to the pitcher just before serving the grapefruit lemonade. Top up the pitcher with ice cubes right before you set the grapefruit lemonade out for guests. Keep in mind that the longer the lemonade sits, the more the ice will dilute it.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- If you prefer, set out an ice bucket next to serving glasses. Allow people to fill their own glasses instead of adding ice to the serving pitcher.
Tip: Slice an extra grapefruit and lemon into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) thick slices. Add these to the pitcher for a pretty garnish.

Warnings

Grapefruit can interfere with certain types of medications. Don't drink grapefruit juice if you're taking antihistamines, statins, psychiatric drugs, calcium channel blockers, or immunosuppressants.

Thanks!
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0