Immunity Boosting Juice

This 4-ingredient immunity-boosting juice (aka ginger wellness shots) is packed with sweet, tangy, spicy flavor, antioxidants, and tons of health and immune-boosting benefits for cold and flu season! Delicious and ready to be enjoyed in just 15 minutes!

Simple Flavorful Immunity Boosting Juice or Shots

Whether you're looking for an immunity-boosting juice you can sip on slowly over time or chug back as a morning wellness shot, this carrot orange ginger juice has it all. With a combination of orange, carrot, apple, and ginger at its base, this immunity juice is sweet, tangy, lightly spicy, and packed with vitamins, minerals, and health and immune-boosting benefits!

While products like detox shots and energy shots have become increasingly popular over the last few years, their price point remains at an all-time high—with many costing over $4 (per single serving!). However, with just a juicer or high-speed blender, you can easily prepare your own immunity juice recipe in just a few minutes at a fraction of the cost!

Even better, by preparing this wellness shot recipe at home, you can tweak any of the ingredients to your liking and still enjoy a fresh and vibrant juice packed with health benefits beyond just improving the immune system.  

What Are The Carrot Orange Ginger Juice Benefits?

I handpicked each ingredient for this wellness shot recipe with taste and health benefits in mind.

• Oranges: We usually link orange juice with its immune-boosting vitamin C content, but that's not all it's good for. Orange juice also contains moderate potassium, folate, and many antioxidants—perfect for this wellness shot recipe.
• Carrot: Carrot juice has a subtly sweet flavor and is a wonderful immune-boosting addition to juices and loaded with vitamin A. It can also improve heart, skin, and eye health, control blood sugar levels and has anti-cancerous effects.
• Apple: Apple juice is a great natural sweetener for this wellness shot recipe. However, apple juice also contains several beneficial plant compounds and may improve heart and brain health.
• Ginger: Ginger has been used medicinally for eons, and it's easy to see why. It's great for improving digestion and aiding tummy upsets and nausea, has anti-inflammatory properties, perfect for cold and flu busting, and even has brain and heart health benefits. More so, it's packed with antioxidants, too, and fantastic for overall immune health in these immunity shots.
• Cayenne pepper: You can use fresh chili or cayenne pepper (optionally) within this immunity-boosting juice. Along with heat, it provides anti-inflammatory benefits and can improve circulation and metabolism. It also contains antioxidants and may be beneficial during cold/flu season for a bad cough.
• Turmeric: The combination of turmeric and freshly cracked black pepper is a winner in any healthy immune-boosting juice recipe. Turmeric is loaded with benefits, including the ability to increase the antioxidant capacity in the body, improve blood pressure, heart, and brain health, improve mood, and is even anti-cancerous.

The Ingredients

You can make this immune booster juice recipe with as little as four ingredients, turning to three additional extras for even more of a nutrient and health boost.

• Oranges: I used a combination of blood oranges and navel oranges, Valencia oranges, or cara cara oranges. Use what's in season, though, for the best flavor.

Note that a compound in navel oranges will cause the juice to become more bitter over time and should be consumed within 24 hours.

• Carrot: There's no need to peel it unless you prefer to. Organic is best.
• Apple: Adjust the type of apple (honey crisp or fuji for sweet, green apples for tart) according to your desired flavor profile. Any will work, though.
• Ginger: Fresh ginger root will pack in a ton of health benefits and a robust, spicy flavor.
• Chili: (optional) Add half a hot chili or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Turmeric: (optional) Either add a pinch of powdered turmeric or a small amount of fresh turmeric root (be aware that turmeric stains!).
• Black pepper: (optional) If you add turmeric, you'll also need to add a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. This is crucial as it increases absorption of the healthful compound in turmeric, curcumin.

I highly recommend using organic produce for juicing, as you're consuming high amounts of the ingredient in one go. This is especially the case for apples, which are part of the 'dirty dozen' (most likely to retain pesticide residue even after washing).

What can I add to this immunity-boosting juice?

• Sweetener: The apple will already add some natural sweetness to the wellness shot recipe. However, if you find more is needed to make it palatable, add a small amount of maple syrup or your sweetener of choice.
• Beets: A couple of beets add lovely color and tons of extra health benefits to the immunity shot recipe.
• Grapefruit: Substitute some orange for grapefruit instead.
• Lemon or Lime juice: Not only will this ingredient brighten the flavor of the immunity shots, but it is also a fantastic detoxifier and contains several health benefits, including antiviral and antibacterial benefits.
• Vegetables: Celery or cucumber are light and refreshing and will pack in extra nutrients while lightly diluting the juice for a less robust ginger flavor.
• Coconut water: If you prefer to dilute the juice slightly while adding flavor, coconut water is a great option.
• Zinc: Add just ½ teaspoon of liquid zinc for additional immune support and to fight viruses and bacteria.

How to Make Immunity Boosting Juice?

• 1) First, wash all the produce well and slice them down into sizes that will fit your juicer chute.

There's no need to peel oranges before feeding them through a juicer. Though the peel can make the juice more bitter.

• 2) Feed all the ingredients through your juicer chute, optionally adding the turmeric and black pepper right at the end and mixing it in by hand.

• 3) Serve the juice immediately, either at room temperature or over ice- enjoy!

Blender Method

This method will dilute the juice slightly, as you need additional liquid to help blend the ingredients. However, it's great for those who don't own a juicer.

1. First, wash and chop the produce into small pieces and transfer them to a high-speed blender with ½ cup of water.

Alternatively, use a citrus juicer to juice the oranges first, and then only add a small amount of additional water, to begin with, adding more if needed to get everything fully pureed.

2. Blend the mixture until you achieve a pulpy juice consistency.
3. You can then either enjoy the juice immediately or first strain it through several layers of cheesecloth, a fine-mesh strainer, or a nut milk bag.

Save the pulp to add to smoothies, stocks, crackers, baked goods, etc.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Adjust the balance: Experiment with the ratio of ingredients slightly based on your desired flavor profile. I.e., increase the amount of ginger for more of a ginger immunity shot, increase apple for more sweetness, etc.
• Adjust the consistency: You can leave the carrot orange ginger juice pulpy or strain some or all of the pulp to your desired consistency when blending. Remember, there's no need to discard the pulp as we can use it in several other ways.
• Dilute the juice if preferred: For a thinner consistency and lighter, subtler flavor. This is great if you aren't used to a robust ginger flavor.

Storage Instructions

Fridge: For maximum nutrient absorption, consume the immunity-boosting juice immediately. Any leftover juice will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Then, give it a shake/stir before drinking.

If you find the flavor too robust to drink alone, add the juice to smoothies, iced tea, or even dilute it with sparkling water or coconut water.

Freezer: To retain as many nutrients as possible in the juice while storing it for longer periods, freezing is your best bet. There are several ways to do this and it can be stored for up to 3 months. For example, in a Ziplock/Stasher bag (squeezing out any excess air), in freezer-safe jars (leaving 2-inch headspace), or in a large ice-cube tray (then transferred to a Ziplock/Stasher bag).

Allow a portion to thaw on the counter or fridge before enjoying it.

More Vegan Drink Recipes

• Simple Strawberry Juice Recipe
• Simple Blueberry Banana Smoothie
• Strawberry Smoothie With Yogurt
• Apple Orange Carrot Juice

If you try this easy immunity-boosting juice recipe, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below. I'd also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla