Orange Juice Recipe

Prepare fruit

Wash the oranges under cool running water. Pat dry. Roll each orange firmly on the countertop with the palm of your hand to soften and loosen the juice inside.

Cut and juice

Cut each orange in half crosswise. Use a citrus juicer (hand press or electric) to extract the juice from all orange halves into a large bowl or measuring cup. If using a blender, peel and segment the oranges (remove seeds and as much pith as desired) and pulse briefly, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp if you want clearer juice.

Adjust consistency and sweetness

Taste the freshly extracted juice. If it's too concentrated, stir in up to 1/2 cup cold water to dilute to your preference (the recipe uses 1/2 cup as a guideline). If you prefer sweeter juice, dissolve the granulated sugar into a tablespoon of the juice, then stir that back into the batch until fully dissolved. Add a pinch of fine sea salt to enhance flavor, stirring to combine.

Chill and serve

Place ice cubes into glasses or chill the juice in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes. Pour the juice over ice (if desired). Garnish each glass with a mint leaf. Serve immediately for best flavor.

Storage

Store any leftover juice in a sealed container in the refrigerator and consume within 24–48 hours. Stir or shake gently before serving as natural separation may occur.