Our tangerine juice recipe is an easy formula for a mildly sweet and tangy drink that’s super rehydrating.
Are you thirsty but plain water just won’t cut it? Our drink might be just what you need. We juice the sweet fruit, add lots of water, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice in. It’s an ideal beverage to keep in your fridge throughout the summer months.
Health Benefits
Tangerine belongs to the family of citrus fruits, so you can expect to find vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, and many other nutrients. It’s basically a mini orange that tastes really sweet when ripe.
To this drink, we also add a dash of lemon juice, adding even more micronutrients.
Each glass of this drink will provide you with 130 calories, some of which come from 8 g of added sugar. This is 16% of the USDA’s suggested upper limit for added sugar for a 2000-calorie diet, which is 50 g per day.
Is Tangerine Juice Better Than Orange Juice?
Tangerines have similar nutrients to oranges, but they come in smaller amounts. It’s safe to say that oranges are a better choice, in terms of nutrient content.
Still, choosing one food over another to utilize your micronutrient intake isn’t a great idea, because you’ll be limited to one set of foods. A healthy diet can be fun and easy to pursue, but it definitely doesn’t start with limited food choices.
If you prefer tangerines, it doesn’t matter if they aren’t as rich in vitamin C as oranges — they are a healthy choice for your diet.
Main Ingredients
Our tangerine juice recipe calls for tangerine, sugar, lemon juice, water, and ice.
If you haven’t worked with this fruit before, you should know that although small like a lemon, it peels just like an orange. Gently press your finger into the top of the fruit to create a small tear, and from there peeling is easy peasy.
Tangerine juice is super concentrated in flavor, yet we want something mildly sweet and tangy that also provides lots of fluid, hence we dilute the juice with water.
To make up for the loss of flavor, we add some sugar and lemon juice to it. The sugar is completely optional — save it til the end to tailor the drink to your taste.
This drink can be drunk as-is, but it’s much better served chilled or with ice. Hard ice like crescent ice takes the least time to melt, so it’s the best ice for juices.
Finally, for a fresher look, we garnish it with baby mint leaves.
Storage and Freezing the Leftover
1. Storing Tangerine Juice
If consumed within 5 days, this drink can be kept in bottles and placed in the fridge. For longer storage, portion it out into small reusable bags/containers and freeze. Each portion should be labeled and consumed within 3 months.
2. Storing Tangerines
Tangerines prefer a temperature of 41-46°F, a.k.a the vegetable drawers in most households’ fridges. If you’re short on space, you can keep tangerines in the shade, preferably in sealable bags/containers. They won’t last forever, so try to eat them as soon as you can.
3. How to Tell if a Tangerine Is Bad
Smelling off, displaying patches of mold on the skin, or being too soft are all signs of rotten tangerines. They should be discarded as soon as any of these signs are spotted.