What Fruits Can't Be Juiced? Your Guide to Smart Nutrition Diet Choices

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

Statistics show that over 50% of Americans don't consume enough dietary fiber, a key nutrient often discarded during juicing. This makes understanding what fruits can't be juiced crucial for maximizing your dietary intake and making smarter choices for your overall health.

Quick Summary

This guide explains which fruits are unsuitable for juicing and why, exploring textural, fibrous, and mechanical factors, while offering superior alternatives like blending to retain crucial nutrients.

Key Points

Low Water Content: Fruits like bananas and avocados are not juiced because they lack sufficient water, resulting in a pulpy paste instead of liquid.
High Fiber is Better Blended: For fruits high in dietary fiber like mangoes, blending is preferable as it retains the fiber, which is crucial for digestion and satiety.
Creamy Texture Clogs Juicers: The rich, creamy consistency of avocados, bananas, and overripe fruits can easily clog the screens of most juicers, hindering their function.
High Fat Content Doesn't Juice: The fat-rich flesh of avocados and coconut meat does not yield juice, but is ideal for adding creaminess to smoothies.
Small Seeds Can Be Problematic: Fruits with numerous small seeds, such as figs and some berries, can create an undesirable texture in juiced drinks.
Blending Offers Complete Nutrition: Unlike juicing which removes fiber, blending keeps the whole fruit, providing a more balanced, filling, and nutrient-complete beverage.
Use Alternatives for Difficult Fruits: Instead of juicing, use problematic fruits for smoothies, baking, fruit leather, or as toppings to prevent food waste and enjoy their benefits.

For many, juicing represents a quick and easy way to consume concentrated vitamins and minerals. However, not all fruits are well-suited for a juicer. Attempting to process certain fruits can not only yield a disappointing result but can also damage your equipment. A proper nutrition diet requires knowing the right tool for the right job, and in the case of fruits with specific characteristics, a powerful blender is often the superior choice.

Why Some Fruits Are Poor Candidates for Juicing

The fundamental reasons certain fruits should not be juiced come down to their physical properties. Unlike high-water fruits such as oranges or apples, some fruits contain less liquid and more solid components, making juice extraction inefficient and messy.

Low Water Content and High Fiber

Fruits like bananas, avocados, and mangoes have a low water-to-fiber ratio. Instead of producing liquid juice, a juicer will simply turn their flesh into a thick, pulpy purée that clogs the machine's screen and yields little to no juice. This is particularly true for creamy fruits like avocados, whose high fat content compounds the issue. The fibrous and starchy nature of these fruits is best processed by a blender, which keeps the pulp intact, turning it into a creamy smoothie.

Pulpy and Overripe Texture

Overripe fruits of any kind will produce more of a mush than a clear liquid when juiced. Their softened, mealy texture lacks the structural integrity needed for efficient juice extraction, resulting in a low yield and messy cleanup. Berries, with their soft, pulpy nature, can also pose a problem, clogging juicers and losing their fiber and beneficial antioxidants in the process.

Seeds and Tough Parts

Small, hard seeds, like those found in figs and some berries, can add an unpleasant grainy texture or even bitterness to juice. While a blender can pulverize small seeds, a juicer is designed to separate them, often leading to a wasted effort. Additionally, tough, inedible parts like the flesh of coconut, which is rich in oil, do not juice well and can also damage equipment.

The Best Alternatives to Juicing Problematic Fruits

Rather than abandoning these nutrient-rich foods, you can use them in other beneficial ways, primarily through blending.

Smoothies: This is the most popular alternative for fruits that are hard to juice. Blending keeps the entire fruit, including the fiber, which is crucial for digestion and satiety. The creamy texture of bananas and avocados is perfect for creating thick, satisfying smoothies. You can even blend mangoes for a rich, flavorful drink.
Yogurt Bowls and Toppings: For fruits like figs, mangoes, or berries, simply chopping and adding them to yogurt or oatmeal is a great way to enjoy their flavor and nutritional benefits without needing to liquefy them.
Baked Goods: The purée from overripe fruits or the pulp from others can be incorporated into muffins, breads, or sauces. This not only prevents food waste but also adds moisture and natural sweetness to your recipes.
Homemade Fruit Leather or Jam: The soft, pulpy texture of berries and figs is perfect for making homemade fruit leather or jams, allowing you to preserve and enjoy them for a longer period.

Juicing vs. Blending: Understanding the Nutritional Differences

When creating a nutrition diet plan, it's helpful to understand the core differences between juicing and blending to make the most of your ingredients. While both methods have a place, their outcomes are distinct.


Factor	Juicing	Blending
Fiber Content	Removes most fiber, leaving concentrated liquid.	Retains all fiber, incorporating it into the drink.
Nutrient Absorption	Rapid absorption into the bloodstream due to fiber removal.	Gradual, steady release of nutrients due to fiber content.
Satiety	Low satiety; may lead to feeling hungry soon after due to rapid absorption.	High satiety; fiber helps you feel full for longer, making it good for weight management.
Texture	Smooth, thin liquid.	Thick, creamy consistency.
Best For	Quick nutrient boost, individuals with sensitive digestion, or consuming large volumes of vegetables.	Meal replacements, sustained energy, and balanced nutrition with added protein/fats.

Maximize Your Nutrition Diet with Smart Choices

By understanding the nature of different fruits, you can better plan your juicing and blending routines to get the most from your food. Opting to blend fibrous, creamy fruits is not a compromise but a strategic choice to retain valuable dietary fiber. Meanwhile, reserving your juicer for high-yield, water-based fruits and vegetables ensures you get that concentrated nutrient hit effectively.

For a balanced approach, consider using both methods. Blend bananas and avocados for a filling, fiber-rich breakfast smoothie, and use your juicer for a refreshing, nutrient-dense green juice with cucumber, kale, and apples. Combining these techniques prevents food waste, protects your equipment, and aligns with a holistic understanding of maximizing nutritional value in your daily diet.

Conclusion

Ultimately, a successful nutrition diet hinges on making informed decisions about food preparation. While juicing offers a powerful way to consume concentrated nutrients, not all fruits are candidates for the process. Fruits like bananas, avocados, and mangoes, due to their low water and high fiber content, are better suited for blending, which retains the beneficial fiber often discarded in juicing. By reserving your juicer for high-water produce and embracing your blender for creamier, more fibrous fruits, you can ensure no nutrient-rich food goes to waste and that you're supporting both your digestive health and your taste buds.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you cannot put bananas in a juicer. Their soft, starchy, and low-water nature will not produce juice; instead, they will create a thick pulp that will clog the machine.

Juicing avocados is not recommended because of their high fat content and creamy texture. They contain very little water and will only gum up your juicer rather than producing a liquid.

Mangoes are very pulpy and are best processed in a blender to create a smoothie or purée. This retains their fiber and prevents clogging a juicer, which would only yield a small amount of liquid.

While you can technically juice some berries, many have a low water-to-pulp ratio that can clog a juicer. For best results, it is recommended to blend them to keep the valuable fiber and antioxidants.

Juicing overripe fruit will likely result in a mushy purée rather than a clear juice. Its lack of firmness and low water content make it unsuitable for most juicers, leading to a messy and inefficient process.

Blending is often considered healthier because it retains all the dietary fiber from the fruit, which aids in digestion, slows sugar absorption, and increases satiety. Juicing removes this fiber, which can cause a more rapid blood sugar spike.

Pulp and fruits that cannot be juiced can be used in a variety of ways, such as in smoothies, baked goods like muffins and breads, homemade fruit leather, or added to jams.