Celery Juice Recipe: Clean, Crisp, and Ready in Under 10 Minutes

[JUMP TO RECIPE ↓]

Written by Mara Nguyen, CNS | Certified Nutrition Specialist · NYU Steinhardt Nutrition Graduate · 11+ Years in Plant-Forward Recipe Development

Mara Nguyen is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and recipe developer with eleven years of experience creating wholesome, plant-based recipes for everyday life. A graduate of NYU Steinhardt’s nutrition program, Mara has contributed to EatingWell, mindbodygreen, and Well+Good. She started juicing twelve years ago when she was struggling with chronic afternoon fatigue and inflammation, and credits her daily green juice habit with transforming her energy levels. Mara tests every recipe at least three times with standard grocery-store produce before publishing. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner, a one-eyed rescue cat named Kale, and an herb garden that has completely taken over her back porch.

This celery juice recipe is the one I’ve been making almost every single morning for the past six years. It’s clean, it’s refreshing, it takes less than ten minutes, and once you nail the technique — whether you’re using a juicer or a regular blender — you’ll wonder why you ever paid $9 for a bottle of the same thing at a juice bar.

I want to be clear upfront: I’m not here to make outlandish health claims about celery juice. What I will tell you is that fresh celery juice is hydrating, incredibly low in calories, and a genuinely good source of vitamin K, potassium, and antioxidants according to USDA nutritional data. I started drinking it daily because I was looking for a simple green juice recipe that wasn’t too sweet, didn’t require ten exotic ingredients, and actually tasted refreshing instead of punishing. This recipe is exactly that.

Whether you’re brand new to juicing or you’ve been at it for years, this celery juice recipe is one of the most foundational juicing recipes for beginners because it teaches you the core technique — prep, juice, strain, serve — with the simplest possible ingredient list. I’ll also give you three variations that turn basic celery juice into a more complex green juice recipe with apple, cucumber, lemon, and ginger. These are my favorite juicing recipes for health and everyday energy, and I rotate through all four throughout the week.

⏱️ Key Highlights at a Glance

✨ Why This Celery Juice Recipe Works

I’ve tested a lot of celery juice ratios and methods over the years. Here’s what makes this one the keeper.

The lemon is non-negotiable. Straight celery juice on its own tastes… well, like celery. Which is fine if you’re into that. But half a lemon brightens the entire glass, adds a crisp citrus edge, and makes the juice taste refreshing rather than grassy. This is the single change that converted my partner from “please don’t make me drink that” to “can you make extra?”

You don’t need a juicer. I use a juicer most mornings because it’s faster, but I made this celery juice recipe in a blender for years before I bought one. A high-speed blender and a fine-mesh strainer or nut milk bag produces virtually identical results. I’ll walk you through both methods below.

It’s the perfect gateway green juice recipe. A lot of green juice recipes call for kale, spinach, wheatgrass, spirulina, and nine other things that make the whole process feel intimidating. This celery juice recipe is just celery, lemon, and a touch of ginger. It’s clean, approachable, and legitimately delicious. If you’ve been wanting to try juicing recipes for beginners, start here — it’s the easiest on-ramp I know.

💡 PRO TIP: Use the freshest celery you can find. Look for firm, bright-green stalks that snap cleanly when you bend them. Limp, pale celery produces less juice and tastes bitter. According to the USDA’s SNAP-Ed seasonal produce guide, celery is available year-round but is best from late summer through early winter.

🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need

This celery juice recipe couldn’t be simpler.

Base recipe (makes 1 serving, ~16 oz):

• 1 large bunch of celery (about 1 lb / 10–12 stalks), washed and trimmed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled (optional but recommended)

For the blender method only:

• 1/4 cup cold water (to help the blender process)

💡 PRO TIP: Don’t throw away the celery leaves! They’re full of flavor and nutrients. Include them in your juice — they blend and juice just like the stalks and add a slightly more herbaceous, concentrated celery flavor.

👨‍🍳 How to Make Celery Juice (2 Methods)

Method 1: With a Juicer (Fastest — 5 Minutes)

1. Prep. Wash the celery stalks well, including the leaves. Trim the very base. Cut into pieces that fit your juicer’s feed tube. Peel the ginger.
2. Juice. Feed the celery and ginger through the juicer, alternating stalks to keep things flowing.
3. Finish. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Pour over ice if desired. Serve immediately.

Method 2: With a Blender (No Juicer Needed — 8 Minutes)

1. Prep. Wash the celery and roughly chop into 1-inch pieces. Peel the ginger.
2. Blend. Add celery, ginger, lemon juice, and water to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth and liquefied.
3. Strain. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer, nut milk bag, or doubled cheesecloth into a pitcher or large measuring cup. Press or squeeze firmly to extract every drop of juice.
4. Serve. Pour over ice and drink immediately.

💡 PRO TIP: For maximum juice yield from a blender, blend in two batches if needed, and let the pulp sit in the strainer for a few minutes — gravity does a lot of the work before you even start squeezing.

Our complete juicing recipe guide

🌿 3 Delicious Celery Juice Variations

Once you’ve nailed the basic celery juice recipe, these variations keep things interesting. These are my personal rotation — all of them qualify as solid juicing recipes for health that I genuinely look forward to drinking.

1. Classic Celery Juice

The base recipe above. Clean, crisp, refreshing. This is the simplest of all juicing recipes for beginners and the one I recommend if you’re just getting started.

2. Celery Apple Green Juice

Add 1 large green apple (Granny Smith) to the base recipe. The tartness of the apple balances the celery beautifully and adds natural sweetness without making it taste like fruit juice. This is my favorite green juice recipe — the one I make most often and the one I serve when friends come over and I want to convert them to juicing.

3. Celery Cucumber Mint Cooler

Add 1/2 large English cucumber and 5–6 fresh mint leaves to the base recipe. Skip the ginger for this one. This variation is incredibly hydrating — perfect for warm mornings or post-workout. It tastes spa-like and refreshing. This is one of the best juicing recipes for health during summer because both celery and cucumber are over 95% water.

4. Celery Ginger Lemon Detox Juice

Double the ginger to 1 full inch, add 1/2 inch fresh turmeric root, and use the juice of 1 full lemon instead of half. This one has a serious kick and wakes you up better than coffee. The turmeric adds anti-inflammatory properties and turns the juice a beautiful golden-green color. Among all my green juice recipe variations, this one gets the most recipe requests from readers.

🏆 Tips for the Best Celery Juice

Drink it on an empty stomach. This is a personal preference, not a medical directive — but I find that celery juice tastes better and sits more comfortably when I drink it first thing before eating breakfast. If that doesn’t work for you, mid-morning is perfectly fine too.

Use organic celery if possible. Celery regularly appears on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of produce with higher pesticide residues. If organic isn’t available, wash conventional celery thoroughly under running water. The FDA recommends rinsing all fresh produce under running tap water before consuming, even if you plan to peel it (FDA — Safe Food Handling).

Drink it immediately. Fresh celery juice oxidizes quickly — within 15–30 minutes of juicing, nutrients begin degrading and the color shifts from bright green to brownish. If you must store it, transfer to an airtight glass jar (fill to the very brim to minimize air) and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Don’t force it if you hate it. If straight celery juice isn’t your thing, the apple or cucumber variations are excellent alternatives. The whole point of juicing recipes for beginners is making the process enjoyable so you’ll actually stick with it.

🧊 Storage Tips

Fresh celery juice is best consumed within minutes of making it. If stored in an airtight glass jar filled to the brim in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to 24 hours. The FDA advises keeping all perishable juices and beverages at 40°F or below.

Freezing: Pour fresh celery juice into ice cube trays or freezer-safe glass jars (leave 1 inch of headspace). Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The texture may change slightly, but the nutrition is preserved.

📋 Nutrition Facts (Per Serving — Base Recipe, Serves 1)

Nutrition estimates based on USDA FoodData Central data for raw celery, fresh ginger, and lemon juice. Celery is naturally higher in sodium than most vegetables, which contributes its characteristic savory flavor.

Celery juice is also great for weight loss

🍳 Full Recipe Card

Celery Juice Recipe

🌍 Cuisine: International / Wellness 📂 Category: Beverage / Juice 🥘 Method: Juicing / Blending (no cooking) 🥗 Diet: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo ⭐ Difficulty: Easy ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes 🔥 Cook Time: 0 minutes ⏰ Total Time: 5–8 minutes 🍽️ Servings: 1 (~16 oz) 📊 Calories: 42 per serving

🛒 Ingredients Checklist

• 1 large bunch celery (about 1 lb / 10–12 stalks), washed and trimmed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (~1 tbsp)
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled (optional)
• 1/4 cup cold water (blender method only)

For variations:

• 1 green apple (celery apple variation)
• 1/2 English cucumber + fresh mint (cooler variation)
• Extra ginger + 1/2 inch turmeric (detox variation)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Prep the celery. Wash stalks well, including leaves. Trim the base. Cut into pieces for your juicer or roughly chop for blending. Peel the ginger.
2. Juice (juicer method). Feed celery and ginger through the juicer. Stir in lemon juice. Serve over ice.
3. Blend (blender method). Add celery, ginger, lemon juice, and water to a high-speed blender. Blend 2–3 minutes until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer or nut milk bag, pressing firmly. Serve over ice.
4. For variations. Add apple, cucumber/mint, or extra ginger/turmeric along with the celery in step 2 or 3.
5. Serve immediately. Pour into a glass over ice. Drink fresh for maximum nutrition and flavor.

📝 Recipe Notes

• Include the leaves. Celery leaves are full of concentrated flavor and nutrients — juice or blend them right along with the stalks.
• Lemon is key. The citrus transforms celery juice from grassy to refreshing. Don’t skip it.
• Best green juice recipe gateway: The celery apple variation is the most beginner-friendly green juice recipe — sweet enough to enjoy but still vegetable-forward.
• Juicing recipes for beginners: This celery juice recipe is the simplest starting point. Master this, then branch into the variations.
• Sodium note: Celery is naturally higher in sodium than most vegetables (~215 mg per serving of juice). This is one reason it tastes pleasantly savory.
• Storage: Drink immediately if possible. Refrigerate in an airtight glass jar up to 24 hours. Freeze in ice cube trays up to 3 months.
• Don’t waste the pulp. Add celery pulp to soups, stews, veggie broth, or compost.
• Organic recommended. Celery is on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. Wash thoroughly or buy organic.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make celery juice without a juicer?

Making this celery juice recipe without a juicer is easy. Roughly chop the celery, add it to a high-speed blender with 1/4 cup of water, and blend on high for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer or nut milk bag, pressing firmly to extract all the juice. The result is virtually identical to juicer-made celery juice. This is one of the best juicing recipes for beginners because no special equipment is required.

What’s the best green juice recipe for beginners?

This celery juice recipe is one of the best green juice recipe options for beginners because it uses just three ingredients and a simple technique. If you find straight celery too intense, start with the celery apple variation — the green apple softens the vegetable flavor while keeping it a true green juice recipe rather than a fruit juice. Among all juicing recipes for beginners, a celery-based juice is the simplest starting point.

Is celery juice actually good for you?

Fresh celery juice provides real nutritional value. According to USDA FoodData Central, one serving of celery juice delivers approximately 76% of your daily vitamin K, 14% of potassium, and 12% of folate, along with vitamin C and antioxidants — all for about 42 calories. It’s also one of the most hydrating juicing recipes for health since celery is over 95% water. That said, I recommend focusing on celery juice as one part of a balanced diet rather than treating it as a cure-all.

How much celery do I need for one glass of juice?

One large bunch of celery — about 1 pound or 10–12 stalks — yields approximately 16 ounces of juice with a juicer, or about 12–14 ounces with a blender (after straining). If you’re making this celery juice recipe for two people, double the ingredients and use two bunches.

Should I drink celery juice on an empty stomach?

This is personal preference, not a medical requirement. I personally prefer drinking this celery juice recipe first thing in the morning before eating, and I find it tastes better and digests more comfortably that way. But there’s no scientific evidence that timing affects the nutritional benefits. Drink it whenever it works for your schedule.

How long does fresh celery juice last?

Fresh celery juice begins oxidizing within 15–30 minutes — you’ll notice the color shifts from bright green to brownish. For best flavor and nutrition, drink this celery juice recipe immediately after making it. If you need to store it, transfer to an airtight glass jar filled to the brim and refrigerate up to 24 hours. You can freeze celery juice in ice cube trays for up to 3 months.

Can I add other ingredients to make it a full green juice recipe?

Absolutely. The base celery juice recipe is a perfect foundation for a more complex green juice recipe. My three favorite additions are green apple (for sweetness), cucumber and mint (for hydration), and extra ginger with turmeric (for warmth). These variations are among my favorite juicing recipes for health and I rotate through all four throughout the week.

Is celery juice one of the best juicing recipes for health?

Celery juice is a solid choice among juicing recipes for health because it’s extremely low in calories and sugar while providing meaningful amounts of vitamin K, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. The NIH notes that vitamin K is important for blood clotting and bone metabolism. However, no single juice is a magic bullet — the best approach is combining celery juice with a variety of whole fruits and vegetables as part of an overall balanced diet.