Get ready for a juice that’s easy on your health and your taste buds.

The aloe vera plant has tons of anti-inflammatory health benefits, from relieving sunburns to its natural laxative effects of easing constipation and acid reflux.

However, grocery store-bought aloe vera juices typically have an off-putting texture and rarely have great flavor. This DIY fresh aloe vera drink was formulated by expert chef Ari Sexner as a delicious alternative to those products. Make this recipe to capitalize on all of the amazing benefits of the aloe vera plant!

Click here to jump straight to the step by step recipe. Read on to learn why we love it.

Why We Love This Aloe Vera Juice Recipe

Aloe vera  gets a bad rap for being a not-so-lovely-tasting ingredient. Thankfully, chef Ari was able to attain the perfect balance in this recipe so we can reap the benefits of aloe with a great tasting juice. You may not notice the aloe vera at all when you take your first sip.

Here’s what chef Ari had to say about his creation:

“For this juice, we wanted to create a blend that focuses mostly on hydration, allowing the body to renew itself. We paired honeydew with coconut water for the base. Aloe vera is included for its benefits only — the taste should not be that noticeable. The lime rounds out the flavor with its acidity.”

But the taste, as good as it is, arguably takes a back seat to the amazing health benefits.

The Health Benefits of Aloe Vera

• Great for overall health. Aloe Vera packs a punch for your immune-system with its naturally occurring antioxidants, and amino acids! It even contains enzymes that support digestion.
• High in vitamins and minerals. Aloe Vera is full of critical vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
• Can help lower cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that drinking aloe vera juice can even raise your good cholesterol while reducing your bad cholesterol and triglycerides!
• Renew & Repair. Aloe Vera is naturally nutrient-dense and hydrating, helping your body to detox. Staying hydrated helps deliver nutrients to cells, improves mood and sleep quality, fights infections, and can even improve cognition.
• Boosts skin, hair and nail health. The gel from this spiky succulent is full of nutrients that soothe and protect skin, hair and nails.

How To Make Aloe Vera Gel from Fresh Aloe

Here’s a quick note from Ari about extracting the gel from the aloe vera leaves, followed by a 2-minute video walkthrough:

“If using fresh aloe leaves, be sure to cut both skinny sides, then one of the wider sides, then scrape the gel out.

Do not get too close to the leaves when scraping. You want the gel to be clear, and it will become yellow if you scrape too close to the skin.

To add to the gel to the juice, you can either blend it with coconut water and then mix it with the honeydew and lime, or (if you have a juice press) just grind the gel with the honeydew and lime then mix in the coconut.”

Equipment note: We used the M-1 commercial juice press to make this juice recipe, but you can use pretty much any type of juicer (masticating, centrifugal, etc). Just keep in mind that the quality will always be higher when using a juice press.

Learn more about the industry-leading commercial juicers we use to make our recipes.