Big Cones, Less Pulp: The Best Citrus Juicer for Orange Juice

A lime squeezer that handles a margarita round with ease will struggle with a bag of oranges. Oranges are bigger, their peel is thicker, and a glass of juice takes several of them, so a tool sized for limes means a lot of squeezing for not much juice. Grapefruit is bigger again.

For orange juice, what matters is a cone or bowl big enough for the fruit, a motor or a lever to do the pressing, a way to keep pulp and seeds where you want them, and somewhere for the juice to go. This guide compares the juicers that handle oranges well, using the makers’ specifications and what independent reviewers found.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for, product specifications and verified buyer reports.

Quick verdict: which juicer to buy for orange juice

Hand squeezers are fine for a lemon or two, but for oranges they are slow and tiring; we explain why, and which handheld tool comes closest, further down.

Five orange juicers compared

Our five standout picks side by side, one for each kind of kitchen, with the details each maker or listing states. All eight juicers are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Cone sizes and capacities are as stated by each maker; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best citrus juicer for orange juice

These eight juicers cover the realistic ways to make orange juice at home: lever-operated electric presses, press-down electric reamers with a container, manual lever presses, and one handheld juicer sized for oranges. Each pick lists cone sizes, pulp control and capacity, and gives one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a juicer for oranges

Five things decide whether a juicer suits orange juice. Most of them come down to the size of the fruit and how much juice you want at once.

1. Cone or bowl size

The cone or bowl has to fit the fruit. Lever presses with large bowls, and electric juicers with a large cone or a universal cone, handle oranges and grapefruit. Juicers with two cones (BLACK+DECKER, Dash) switch between a small cone for limes and a large one for oranges; one-cone designs (both Brevilles, Cuisinart) are shaped to grip every size. Hand squeezers sized for lemons cannot fit a whole orange half: Reviewed noted its top handheld squeezer was too small for grapefruit and not suited to large volumes of oranges.

2. Electric, lever or hand

For more than a glass, choose a motor or a lever. A lever-operated electric press (the Brevilles) is fastest and easiest. A press-down electric reamer (BLACK+DECKER, Cuisinart, Dash) is smaller and cheaper, but you push each half down yourself. A manual lever press (Zulay, Hamilton Beach) needs no plug and presses each half in one pull. Hand tools are for a single glass.

3. Pulp control

Orange juice is where pulp preferences show. The Cuisinart offers three settings, the BLACK+DECKER and Dash have adjustable pulp controls, and the Breville Citrus Press Pro lists adjustable pulp in its title. Lever presses and the standard Breville Citrus Press strain out seeds and much of the pulp without a setting to change. Reviewers found pulp controls imperfect: Reviewed said the Cuisinart’s was inconsistent, and ATK found the Dash’s strainer could clog.

4. Capacity

Juicers with a container let you juice a batch and pour from it: 32 ounces for the BLACK+DECKER and 20 ounces for the Dash. The Brevilles, the Cuisinart and the lever presses pour straight into whatever you stand underneath, so a pitcher works as well as a glass.

5. Bitterness and cleaning

Bitter orange juice usually comes from pressing pith and peel too hard. Reviewed found little or no bitterness in juice from the Breville Citrus Press and the BLACK+DECKER, while America’s Test Kitchen found an etched dome on one Eurolux model pushed peel and pith into the juice. Hamilton Beach designs its press for minimum skin oil. For cleaning, dishwasher-safe parts (both Brevilles, BLACK+DECKER, Cuisinart) save hand-scrubbing a ridged cone.

How we chose these eight orange juicers

We looked for juicers with cones or bowls large enough for oranges and grapefruit, then confirmed each model’s cone sizes, pulp control, capacity, cleaning and warranty on the maker’s own Amazon listing, which is where most of these specifications come from. For performance we relied on two independent reviews, named throughout: America’s Test Kitchen’s reviews of electric and manual citrus juicers, and Reviewed’s roundup of citrus juicers, which judged orange juice by taste. Every pick was in stock on Amazon when we checked. We have not used these juicers ourselves; where we describe how one performs, we say whose finding it is.

Some popular models were left out. The Vinci hands-free juicer was not recommended by America’s Test Kitchen, whose testers found its lid could not fully close on oranges or grapefruit. Reviewed rated the Proctor Silex Alex’s Lemonade Stand juicer one to avoid, citing bitter juice and poor pulp control. Several other electric reamers had no independent review we could find, and two lever presses we considered were down to their last few units.

Orange juice questions, answered

Can I use a lemon squeezer for oranges?

Only small oranges, and only for a little juice. Most handheld squeezers are sized for lemons and limes, so an orange half will not fit or will need several squeezes. For oranges, choose a large-cone electric juicer, a lever press with a big bowl, or an orange-sized handheld such as the Dreamfarm Orange Fluicer.

Is an electric juicer worth it for orange juice?

If you make more than a glass at a time, yes. Electric juicers turn the cone for you, and the lever-operated Brevilles do almost all the work. America’s Test Kitchen found its winning electric juicer extracted significantly more juice from ten lemons than its favorite manual juicer.

Which juicer gives the least bitter orange juice?

Reviewed found rich, non-bitter orange juice from the Breville Citrus Press and almost no bitterness from the BLACK+DECKER CJ625. Whatever you use, press gently enough to leave the pith behind; grinding the peel into the cone adds bitterness.

Can these juicers handle grapefruit?

Both Brevilles, the Cuisinart, the Dash and the Zulay press are listed for grapefruit by their makers, and the Hamilton Beach 932 is listed for grapefruit too. The BLACK+DECKER’s large cone suits big citrus, though ATK found it best with small and medium fruit.

Do I need pulp control?

Only if your household disagrees about pulp. A juicer with adjustable pulp, such as the Cuisinart or the BLACK+DECKER, lets you choose; a fixed strainer gives you mostly smooth juice every time.

Our pick for fresh orange juice

Buy the Breville Citrus Press if you make orange juice most mornings and want it quick and easy. Choose the BLACK+DECKER CJ625 for a full pitcher on a smaller budget, the Cuisinart if pulp is a family debate, or the Zulay lever press if you would rather not plug anything in. For an occasional glass, the Dreamfarm Orange Fluicer will do.

For every kind of citrus tool, see our guide to the best citrus juicer, and if price comes first, the best cheap citrus juicer. Juicing limes for drinks as well? Our margarita accessories guide covers the rest of the bar. And if you would rather someone else made the drinks tonight, see the menu or call to order.