Steam Juicer Basics

I was recently introduced to an amazing device called a “steam juicer”. If you make jelly or juice this thing is a huge time saver and super easy to use. Here are the steam juicer basics.

What is a steam juicer?

A steam juicer is typically a stainless steel device that consists of three compartments. One has water, one holds the fruit you are steaming, and the final compartment collects the juice. This last compartment has a hose attached so you can strain out the juice.

How much do steam juicers cost?

These handy devices will cost somewhere between $89.00-$180.00. To be honest, I don’t see a huge difference in the more expensive juicers except they might be larger and can do more pounds of produce at a time.

Some also have glass lids rather than stainless steel. Personally, I think the glass is nice so you can monitor the progress of your fruit, but I worry that the glass would just steam up. I’m all for things that are less breakable so I’d go for the steel lid.

What are the benefits of a steam juicer?

These things are so darn handy! Here are just a few of the benefits of a steam juicer.

Juicing with Little Mess

Most of the time when you want to extract juice from fruit you press it, boil it, run it through an electric juicer, etc. All these methods work fine but you always end up with something of a mess to deal with, whether it is cleaning out the device itself or the leftover produce scraps.

A steam juicer has one compartment that can easily be rinsed out, and another that collects all the leftover bits that again, can be wiped out and rinsed in about two minutes.

No Need to Pit Fruit

Hallelujah, this thing can juice anything even with the pits. I had a post a while back about making freezer cherry pie filling. It took me 45 minutes to pit enough cherries for a single pie.

I ended up with an ice cream bucket still full of cherries sitting in the fridge I just didn’t have the energy for. Enter, the steam juicer. I dumped the whole bucket in the steaming compartment and about an hour later I had a half-gallon of beautiful, tart, cherry juice.

Simple Process

This process is incredibly simple to do. Once you have the fruit in and the water boiling, you are free to work on other projects while your juice is being made.

Simple Parts

Unlike a traditional juicer that might cost over $200, this thing consists of incredibly simple parts that you can fix or replace yourself.

What can I steam in a steam juicer?

The sky is the limit! As I mentioned before, steam juicers are popular for stone fruits because you can leave the pits right in them.

A neighbor of mine steams rhubarb stalks and creates a gorgeous pink juice.

I haven’t dabbled in it yet, but I think you could also steam a mix of vegetables to make a bloody mary mix.

I would be cautious with hot peppers, as the oils can escape with the steam and could create a pepper spray mist in the air.

How to use a Steam Juicer

One of the greatest things about a steam juicer is how simple it is to use.

Setting up the Steamer

First, the bottom compartment that holds the water. Fill this up about 3/4th full. You’ll want to keep an eye/ear on it as you use it because the steam can evaporate out. Once it is brought to boiling you can hear the water bubbling. If that sound goes away you’ll need to add more water.

The second part is what collects the juice. This almost looks like an inverted funnel. It has a hose with a nozzle attached. The nozzle will have a metal clamp on it.

This is where the juice will collect. Make sure the hose is clamped and is positioned in the little divet the lower compartment has.

Next comes the fruit compartment. Fill up the compartment with clean fruits or vegetables. Leave enough space at the top so you can place the lid.

Set this on top of the juice compartment, place the lid on it, and put the whole set up on the stove.

Turn the heat up to high, and let the steaming begin!

Monitor the Progress

As I said, it takes about 45 minutes-1 hour for the steam to work through one full compartment of fruit.

You can check the fruit by removing the lid and giving it a good smoosh with a large spoon. Is juice coming out? Then give it a bit of a stir and let it steam longer.

Listen for the bubbling sound of the water in the bottom pan. If it takes longer than 45 minutes you may need to add more water.

It’s also good to lift the fruit compartment of the juice compartment and check that the juice level isn’t getting higher than the funnel inside or you will have juice overflow into the water compartment.

Collect Juice

It’s up to you whether you collect the juice all at the end, or fill jars as you go along. This is probably the most “complicated” part of steam juicer basics.

The juice will be piping hot so use protective gloves or be very careful with how you old the jars as you collect.

Simply pinch the little handles on the hose clamp and juice will flow forth.

Most fruit juices will be acidic enough you can place canning lids and rings on them and put them straight into a hot water bath canner. Check your trusted canning guide for processing times.

What can I do with all this juice?

Again your imagination is your only limitation!

• Make cocktails or sparking beverages (See below)
• Can lovely jellies
• Combine with other ingredients to make fruit popsicles or slushies
• Create custom vegetable juice blends
• Fruit flavored ice cubes
• Wine

Cherry Juice Mocktail

We are big fans of making our own mocktails in this house and fresh jars of cherry juice are perfect for a summer beverage.

• 2-3 Fingers of Tart Cherry Juice (rather than use measuring cups just use your finger widths to measure)
• Splash of lime juice, fresh or bottled
• Club soda to fill the glass
• Stir it up
• Garnish with mint

If you are interested in going beyond steam juicer basics to learn more canning skills, check out my canning resources master list!

Watch and Learn

If you are more of a visual learner here I cover the steam juicer basics as I make up some tart cherry juice.

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