Breville Juice Fountain Plus Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product Breville Juice Fountain Plus | |||||
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Awards | Best Centrifugal Juicer | Best Budget Juicer | |||
Price | $180 List $179.95 at Amazon | $160 List $152.27 at Amazon | $120 List $119.85 at Amazon | $70 List $69.99 at Amazon | $60 List $46.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | The large chute, easy-to-clean parts, and efficient juicing capabilities make this a top-tier centrifugal juicer | This juicer is difficult to clean and requires ample prep time, but it produces great wheat grass shots and soft produce juice | Easy cleanup and a stronger motor may make this premium model worth the extra expense | An inexpensive and user-friendly machine that produces a very quality glass of juice | If you are looking for freshly-squeezed juice at a bargain, we think this is a great middle-of-the-road option that won't blow your budget |
Rating Categories | Breville Juice Foun... | Cuisinart Easy Clea... | Hamilton Beach Big... | Hamilton Beach Big... | Mueller Ultra-Juicer |
Juice Quality (25%) | |||||
Soft Produce (20%) | |||||
Hard Produce (20%) | |||||
Leafy Greens (20%) | |||||
Cleaning (15%) | |||||
Specs | Breville Juice Foun... | Cuisinart Easy Clea... | Hamilton Beach Big... | Hamilton Beach Big... | Mueller Ultra-Juicer |
Model # | JE98XL | CSJ-300P1 | 67850 | 67601A | MU-100 |
Type | Centrifugal | Masticating | Centrifugal | Centrifugal | Centrifugal |
Warranty | 1 Year Limited | 3 Year Limited | 3 year | 3 year | 2 Year |
Dimensions //L x W x H with pulp cup and without pitcher // | 14.1" x 9" x 16.5" | 11" x 10.3" x 20" | 14.5" x 14.5" x 9" | 14.4"1 x 7.8" x 11.46" | 16" x 8.1" x 16" |
Reverse? | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Dishwasher Safe? | Yes, most parts | Removable parts are top rack safe | Yes | Yes | Filter blade |
Average Soft Produce Yield | 16 ounces | 17 ounces | 16 ounces | 18 ounces | |
Average Hard Produce Yield | 22 ounces | 16 ounces | 18 ounces | 17 ounces | |
Average Leafy Greens Yield | 4 ounces | 7 ounces | 4 ounces | 5 ounces |
Our Analysis and Test Results
This centrifugal juicer is 14.1 by nine by 16.5 inches, which is pretty hefty. Most of its parts are dishwasher safe, and the chute is very large, cutting down on prep time. Unlike some of the other options in our test suite, it does not have a reverse function, but throughout our testing, we never really felt as though we needed one. Read on to see how it performs across our testing.
Performance Comparison
Juice Quality
We ensure an inclusive testing experience by blending up three different juices with a wide variety of ingredients. The Fountain Plus makes some of the best Can't Beet It, and Romaine - Apple - Orange juices in our test suite. The Sunset Blend is slightly above average but still tasty. The Fountain Plus shows no signs of struggle while making any of these juices, even the ones with hard produce like beets.
The Can't Beet It juice has a creamy and velvety texture throughout, with about 3/4 inches of foam on top. It's thin rather than viscous, like some of the lower-performing juicers in our testing. The carrot and apple flavors shine bright in the recipe with little to no bitterness and a subtle zing from the ginger. The right pomegranate color is matched with a very pleasant and balanced taste.
The Romaine-Apple juice rocks a consistently smooth texture beneath the foam. Although the mucky orange foamy layer doesn't look appealing, the Fountain Plus offers some of the most full-spectrum flavor Romaine-Apple juice. Some of our testers found this recipe to be a little thick, even after we strained it.
Unfortunately, the Sunset Blend juice is less impressive, but the Fountain Plus still makes a tasty juice from this recipe. While it is smooth and even, texture-wise, the root veggies overpower the other flavors, so that recipe would need to be adjusted.
Soft Produce
The Fountain Plus soft produce performance is all over the place, making some of the best apple and cucumber juice and middling celery and orange juice.
The Fountain Plus produces one of the largest post-strain cucumber juice yields, 268 milliliters, in our test suite. Aside from a few flecks of cucumber skin in the foam layer, which is easily strained out, our cucumber juice has no pulp, foam, or sediments.
The apple juice is perfectly pulverized with about a 1/2-inch of bubbly foam before straining. The yield post strain is an impressive 225 milliliters of super tasty apple juice with an appealing deep golden hue. There is no pulp, although this juice is a little thick for some of our testers' preferences.
While the Fountain Plus makes some of the best apple and cucumber juice we've tasted, we can't say the same for oranges and celery. Both have a moderate amount of pulp and a thicker consistency. The orange juice also has a bitter taste from the orange pith.
Hard Produce
The Fountain Plus performs well above average in all our Hard Produce sub-metrics with especially impressive beet and sweet potato juices. This centrifugal juicer spins so fast that you must press firmly with the pusher to keep hard produce from escaping from the chute at an alarming velocity.
The Fountain Plus offers one of the higher beet juice yields of 181 milliliters. It has about 1/2" of bubbly foam before straining and almost no pulp. The bright magenta color is gorgeous, and the texture is smooth and consistent.
Both the carrot and sweet potato juices are thicker and bright orange. Our sweet potato yield is about 151 milliliters before and after running it through the sieve. Both juices rock a creamy and consistent texture.
Leafy Greens
Like most centrifugal juicers, the Fountain Plus struggles with creating juice out of leafy greens.
With the exception of a lot of waste, the Fountain Plus actually does an okay job with our wheatgrass shot for a centrifugal juicer. It is pulpless, and the consistency is right, but the yield is underwhelming to say the least. Wheatgrass strands fly around like crazy. When we press with the pusher, a small amount of juice is created, but if you disassemble the appliance, you'll find large clumps of unjuiced wheatgrass.
Like the wheatgrass test, the kale and spinach tests reveal a teensy yield, wasting a lot of produce for a small amount of juice. Neither one produces much foam, and they are mostly pulp free, but there is some unblended kale that must be separated through the sieve. Overall, the centrifugal Fountain Plus simply cannot juice leafy greens like a masticating juicer.
Cleaning
The Fountain Plus is very easy to clean. From the well-made cleaning brush to the stainless steel filter basket, clean-up doesn't often take more than a few minutes.
The lid has a hood for the pulp container that clicks into place, but if it isn't latched correctly, food and pulp can gather between the lid and the body.
If fastened correctly, the pulp container and juice cup don't often require more than a quick rinse with hot water, although the juice cup has some interesting nooks that occasionally requires a hot water and soap soak.
The area surrounding the filter bowl is clear plastic, making it easy to see where it needs scrubbing. There is also a small lip where food and debris occasionally gather, but using hot water and the direct spray from the sink faucet is enough to get it off. Using the brush also helps. Overall, the Fountain Plus is super easy to clean.
Should You Buy the Breville Juice Fountain Plus?
If you are looking specifically for a centrifugal juicer and do not plan on juicing leafy greens, the Fountain Plus is an amazing kitchen appliance. It is impressively affordable, making it a great bang for the buck. If your main concern is harder produce and fruit juices, the Fountain Plus is a great option.
What Other Juicers Should You Consider?
If you plan to start your day with a leafy green shot, like wheat grass, the Omega Nutrition Center or Kuvings Whole Slow C7000S are your go-to juicers. Although, both of these models are on the pricier end, and they both struggle with hard produce like carrots and sweet potatoes. If you are looking for the best value of the bunch, the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth is a fraction of the price but also only offers a fraction of the performance.