Halacha: What Blessing Do We Say Over Juice (Fruit or Vegetable)?
Curious about the blessings for juice (fruit or vegetable) - both the initial and concluding blessings? Here's all the information you need, including an explanation of the required amount for consumption.
- הידברות
- פורסם ו' חשון התשע"ז

#VALUE!
For juice (fruit or vegetable), the blessing is 'shehakol' (initial blessing)
At the end of consumption, the blessing is 'borei nefashot' (concluding blessing)
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Amount of consumption required to be obligated in a concluding blessing (from "Daily Halacha" based on the rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory):
For everything a person eats, they must say an "initial blessing," such as the blessing "shehakol" or "haetz." Even if one eats only a small amount of that food, they must still say a blessing, as long as they intend to consume it as food. (However, if the intention is merely to taste the food in order to adjust it with seasoning, etc., no blessing is required.) Therefore, someone who chews flavored gum must bless for the pleasure of the gum's flavor, even if they swallow very little of it. Similarly, when drinking something, even a single drop requires a blessing.
This applies specifically to the initial blessing, but a concluding blessing is only said if the individual consumed an "important quantity" of food, which is the size of an "olive," being 27 grams, and for drinks, the measure is a "revi'it," which is 81 grams.
Additionally, the eating or drinking must occur within a timeframe that allows the consumption to be aggregated. If someone eats an "olive-sized" portion of bread piece by piece throughout the day, they certainly cannot say the concluding grace thereafter. Instead, the consumption must occur within the timeframe of "akhilat pras," and scholars dispute the measure of this period, with some asserting it is five minutes and others claiming it is about seven and a half minutes (other opinions also exist). Thus, it is advised to always eat an 'olive-sized' portion (especially during Shabbat meals) within four and a half minutes to meet all opinions.
For a concluding blessing over a drink, one must drink a revi'it of the beverage (equal to 81 grams) in one go; if there is an interruption between sips, no concluding blessing is made. Hence, someone who drinks soup with a spoon does not say a concluding blessing for that soup because they didn't consume a revi'it of it in one go, and similarly, someone drinking hot coffee or tea does not bless at the end as they cannot drink it all at once.