A lot of moms want to know how it’s possible to get the recommended daily allowance of fruits and veggies into their families diet… Well, here is my Dirty Juice Recipe and ‘How To’ Video for one of my favorite ways. This was the first video I ever posted to YouTube (several years ago) – it’s noisy & awful! But with almost 250,000 views and hundreds of comments, it became the reason I got started posting Recipes on my site!
Although there’s no dirt actually involved in the process – the end result of this recipe is pure, unfiltered juice, my family has dubbed ‘Dirty Juice’. Some might say this is an ‘acquired taste’, but after a while, you’ll be craving the healthy burst of energy you’ll have after drinking 8 oz of this yummy nectar!
My kids have been raised on this juice. We rarely, if ever, buy ‘store bought’ kind. They love it & so do I. But mostly I love knowing that they are getting tons of extra fiber & nutrients into diets without even knowing it!
If you don’t already have a Vita-Mix, I strongly encourage you to check out what this machine is capable of! For more information about Vita-Mix you can go directly to the Vita-Mix website.
The Tools & Ingredients Used in this Recipe:

Dirty Juice Recipe in the Vitamix
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 80 ounces 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Description
This Dirty Juice Recipe has earned its place of honor at the kitchen table. With the perfect balance of fruits & veggies – it’s a delicious way to get more nutrients & fiber into your diet.
Ingredients
These ingredients are just suggestions… Sometimes I have everything on hand, other times I don’t. Feel free to play around with the recipe & make it your own.
Fruits
- 2 Whole Red Apples (skin on – cut into half – core removed)
- 6 Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 Whole Banana (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 Cup Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 Cup Pineapple (fresh or frozen)
- 2/3 Cup Red Grapes (fresh or frozen)
Vegetables
- 1 Cup Carrots (approx. 1 large carrot)
- 1 Cup Spinach
- 5 Leaves Kale
- 1/2 Cup Cabbage (red and/or green)
- 1/2 Small Head of Beet (raw with outer skin removed)
- 1/2 Cup Broccoli (approx. 4–5 small heads)
Liquids
- 2–4 Pitted Dates or 1/4 cup Frozen Grape Juice Concentrate (Natural, no sugar)
- 3 tbs Lemon Juice Concentrate (or use 2 thin slices of fresh lemon)
- 1 1/2 cup Water
- 14 cubes Ice cubes
Instructions
- In Vita-Mix, combine all ingredients (except Ice Cubes) and mix on High for approximately 1 minute (until well processed) using tamper to thoroughly mix.
- Stop Vita-Mix and add Ice Cubes, then blend again on high for approx. 20-30 seconds.
- Store in air-tight container (preferably glass) in fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Feel free to experiment with ingredients. Just be sure to keep a good balance between fruits and veggies – otherwise you’re juice will be too sweet or too ‘earthy’. You may even find a combination that you like even better! The whole point is to start adding more fresh fruits & veggies in your diet.
- Don’t forget to wash all fresh ingredients thoroughly before using.
- If you don’t like the thickness, feel free to dilute the juice with more water… Or, you can always strain the juice in a nut-milk bag or through several layers of cheese cloth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 oz
- Calories: 100
I want to thank you for taking the time to put these helpful videos together, and for making the recipes available for free! I already own a Vita-Mix (love it!) and will look into getting the Living Cookbook as well. Can’t wait to see more of your recipe demonstrations! Thanks again and keep up the good work! :)
Great Juice Recipe!
just want to know what is your vitamix model number? is that the 5200 the newest one out?
Thank you, we just ordered the Vita Mix you demonstration was so helpful~~Thanks :)What thinks fruits/veggies can we freeze? Beets was an interesting one. Teresa
Thank you, we just ordered the Vita Mix you demonstration was so helpful~~Thanks :)What thinks fruits/veggies can we freeze? Beets was an interesting one. Teresa
i just found you on the vitamix website. watched your video. so helpful!! your house is like mine with lots of children noises in the background!!
thanks for posting the video.
This is most awesome. My bf and I are instant addicts. Not sure his kids will like it but we will try it with them.
love your video! when you store the juice, does everything separate (pulp go to bottom) and if so, does a simple stir do the trick? also, how do you prepare your beets? i’ve been using canned beets in my drinks because i don’t know what do to with fresh beets. i’d love to know in detail how you prepare the beets for your smoothies. thanks!
Hi Jan!
Yes, the juice will separate if it is stored… What we do is shake it up really good when we’re ready to drink the rest – or pop it back in the VitaMix for a quick blend with an ice cube or two.
To prepare fresh beets, just cut the tops off; use a veggie peeler to peel off the outer skin, cut into quarters, and pop a quarter into the Dirty Juice! =) The remaining quarters can be frozen for making another batch later.
Hope that helps! =)
God Bless!
~ Erika
Thanks for the awesome video! Why do the beet skins have to be removed?
Hi Charisse!
You don’t have to peel the skins of the beets if they are clean & bruise-free. I just do it as a general rule of thumb when they don’t come from our garden.
Thanks for the comment! =)
God Bless!
~Erika
We just bought the Vitamix 5200 and need some advice. We are trying to lose weight with the green smoothies. Everything we have made so far is very very foamy. How do we get rid of the foam without having to strain it. When we saw the demonstration at our Whole Foods store nothing the guy made was foamy. Please help!
Hi Amy!
Congratulations on the VitaMix, you are going to love it!
You’re right, green smoothies can seem foamy because of the high fiber content in them… especially after they’ve had time to settle. The reason why the VitaMix demonstrations don’t come across foamy is because they’re using very little ‘greens’ and add in a lot of fruits, juice concentrates and/or ice… which really don’t have the most health benefits.
You won’t be able to avoid the foam/fiber entirely since that is the general idea of a VitaMix. But, the best work around I’ve found for drinking green drinks is to blend everything up really well first, then add a handful of ice at the very end, and drink it right away. Since you’re not fully accustomed to drinking green drinks yet, this helps it go down without your mouth detecting the pulp/fiber. I would also recommend going easy on the high-fiber greens for a while (like broccoli, kale, celery, etc…) and stick with peeled cucumbers, carrots, apples, etc… After a while you will be able to tollerate more and more.
If you’re still having trouble after that, you may want to consider straining the juice through a ‘Nut Milk Bag’ or a strainer lined with cheesecloth… which takes a few minutes. Or, you may want to add a juicer to your appliance collection for those times when you want only pure, filtered juice. However, I have both and I use my juicer sparingly compared to my VitaMix – the cleanup on a juicer is so time consuming.
Hope that helps! =)
God Bless!
~ Erika
Grape concentrate has a TON of sugar in it “naturally” so that it doesn’t have more added isn’t saying much. Also no need to cut up the carrot; that machine will pulverize a whole carrot.
Aloha Fred!
You are right… Grape concentrate is essentially 100% Fructose! But when you take into consideration that many people have never juiced or had anything ‘green’ to drink, it helps the transition process. I prefer fresh grapes, but a little of the concentrate goes a long way if you don’t have any on hand. The ultimate goal is to eventually eliminate it all together as your pallet learns to enjoy the taste without it! =)
I think the only reason we cut up the fruit is to get it all squeezed into the container… but otherwise, you’re right again… the VitaMix has amazing blending power!
God Bless!
~ Erika
Hello Erica!
I finally got my Vitamix three days ago and I could not be any happier! (yaaay) So far I have made the sauce for my curry chicken, apple juice and 4 different smoothies. It was all so easy and delicious!! My next adventure is to make your Dirty Juice (yummy). I see that you use raw beets. I like that because other recipes I have found call for them to be steamed while the other ingredients are raw. Do you think it would be OK to leave the beets in the other recipes raw as well? Honestly I would probably leave them raw but its always good to have a second opinion. :-) I have started incorporating raw and whole foods into my diet and I want to use them when I can.
Thanks and God Bless!
Traci
Hi, Thanks for the video and recipe. I just made it, it was good, a little beet y to me, but I think I put too much in, as I see you put 1 quarter of one, I think I put in around 3. :) So I added another banana , a little more pineapple and a tablespoon of pure honey for sweetness. I didn’t add the cabbage or broccoli . But it taste better now. Thanks again
Hi Chris!
That’s a lot of beets! LOL! =) I don’t usually put in more than 1/4 – 1/2 depending on the size of the beet. I’m glad you were able to salvage the juice! Honey is another fantastic way to sweeten your juice a little!
God Bless!
~Erika
Does the Vitamix leave green specs from the greens? And do you think the 48 oz container would be big enough for 2 of us?
Hi Pam!
No, the Vitamix doesn’t leave any green specs from the greens… unless you don’t blend it enough. It will affect the color of the smoothie, but you won’t be slurping up any ‘chunks’… =)
Although the 48 ounce container is nice, if your budget allows it, I always recommend the bigger container. With a larger container, you can always make less and will have the option to make larger quantities if you need to. You won’t regret it!
God Bless!
~ Erika
This is hands down my favourite smoothie to make in the Vitamix. I make it for myself and my husband and store the rest in an airtight glass container in the fridge so we can sip on it or take it in lunches the next day. Thank you so much for sharing. It’s really life changing!
Hi Jenn!
Thanks for the sweet comment – we love our Dirty Juice too! My littlest one just asked last night, ‘Mommy, why do we put dirt in this?’ LOL!
Enjoy & God Bless!
~ Erika
Could we put this in an ice cube tray and freeze and then take some out and thaw it, shake it up and drink it later in the week? Will it stay good and will it mix up well after thawing? Thanks for all the great and helpful tips!!!
Thanks for sharing, this was delicious
★★★★
Thanks Adam, it’s still a family favorite around here! =) Enjoy & God Bless! ~Erika
Can I just say what a relief to discover somebody that actually understands what
they’re talking about over the internet. You definitely understand how to
bring a problem to light and make it important.
More and more people should read this and understand this side of your story.
I was surprised that you aren’t more popular
given that you surely have the gift.
★★★★★
Otherwise, it’s fairly noisy on the market.
★★★★★
Love the juice but don’t know if my portions are correct. Could you add approximate grams for your ingredients? For instance a beet or leave of kale can greatly vary in size.
★★★★★
Wow! great juice recipe. Really amazing, thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe.
★★★★★
With the obvious benefits of vitamin C, orange juice also contains doses of potassium and folate. Fortified orange juice comes with added calcium, vitamin D and heart healthy omega-3’s. It contains about 110 calories in an 8-oz serving. Ounce for ounce it does contain more nutrition than most other juices but watch your portions!