The best grapefruit juice should taste like it was freshly squeezed from a piece of fruit plucked right off the tree. When I lived in Florida, I had a very productive pink grapefruit tree in my yard (which was pretty much the only thing I liked about living in Florida). And I’m pleased to report that a lot of the grapefruit juice on this list rivals what I squeezed at home.
One thing worth mentioning: There’s been a shift in the grapefruit juice world that I wasn’t aware of until this taste test. For a long time, white grapefruit juice seemed to be the default grapefruit juice. Pink grapefruit juice—which is sweeter and less bitter than the white kind—was something different altogether and came in bottles specifically labeled “Ruby Red.” When we ordered grapefruit juice from local grocery stores for this taste test, it became apparent that, nowadays, “grapefruit juice” largely means “pink grapefruit juice.” Sorry not sorry, white grapefruit!
Suffice it to say, this taste test ended up being even more delicious than I thought it would be. In two separate taste tests, the Sporked team tried more than a dozen popular brands of grapefruit juice to find the most delicious, freshest tasting, best grapefruit juice for people who want something a little more nuanced than orange juice to sip in the morning—or something pleasantly bittersweet to mix with booze in the evening (yup, we found the best grapefruit juice for for Palomas, too). From the best sparkling grapefruit juice to the best tasting grapefruit juice of them all, here’s the skinny on the best grapefruit juice at the grocery store.
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- Sanpellegrino Pompelmo
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If you’re looking for the best grapefruit juice for Palomas, San Pellegrino Pompelmo absolutely rules. Sure, you could settle for Squirt or another more traditional grapefruit soda, but the juice-forward nature of San Pellegrino really works well with a rich, smoky mezcal. This is the best sparkling grapefruit juice if you prefer the flavor of white grapefruit to the flavor of pink grapefruit juice or ruby red grapefruit juice. It has a sharpness and a brightness that others just don’t have (there’s a little bit of lemon juice in the mix along with the grapefruit juice, which gives it an additional pop of acidity). It’s sweet, refreshing, and tastes like a halved grapefruit plus fizz. We love this stuff; it landed in the #2 spot on our ranking of the best San Pellegrino sodas.
Credit: Liv Averett / Vons
- Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit
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Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit is punchy, bitter, and delicious. The label doesn’t state how much grapefruit juice is in a bottle, but I will warn you that it is the third (and final) ingredient behind carbonated water and agave syrup. Still, we think this sparkling grapefruit juice tastes the most like straight-up grapefruit juice that was simply infused with fizz. It’s definitely not a soda—it’s a sparkling juice and the flavor makes that clear. It has ruby red sweetness but plenty of bitterness on the finish. I know I said that San Pellegrino is the best grapefruit juice for Palomas, but this is a good pick, too, especially if you prefer the sweetness of red grapefruit juice.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Uncle Matt’s Organic Grapefruit Juice
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I’m genuinely not sure whether or not grapefruit juice goes with coconut rum, but that was the cocktail idea I got when I took a sip of this grapefruit juice. Uncle Matt’s grapefruit juice is super crisp and refreshing, but its sweetness is tempered enough that you get the sense it would be good mixed with a sweeter booze. If coconut rum is too out there, maybe give a flavored vodka a shot. Uncle Matt just kind of sounds like a dude who loves to mix you drinks at family functions, so we’re calling this the best grapefruit juice to mix with booze.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Tropicana Red Grapefruit
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I live in an apartment and don’t entertain much. I’m pretty sure if I did entertain more often, I would serve big bowls of punch, because every time we do a juice taste test, I wind up saying, “This would be great for punch!” In my fantasy life as a party host, I’m making a lot of punch. Sue me! Anyway, this red grapefruit juice from perennial citrus juice purveyor Tropicana is delicious on its own, but it has a flavor that would mesh well with other fruit juices rather than overpowering them. Mix this with pineapple juice and maybe some champagne and a bit of vodka and you’re in biz.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Simply Grapefruit
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I’ve always thought of Simply as a good brand, but my adoration grows with every juice taste test we do. For being a grocery store behemoth, Simply really manages to make juice that tastes farm fresh. A real feat! In this bottle I tasted hints of rind, so it kind of mimicked the experience of eating a halved grapefruit right out of its peel with one of those little serrated spoons. Anytime you can compare a juice to the experience of eating a piece of fresh, whole fruit, you know they’re doing something right.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Trader Joe’s Grapefruit Juice
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Trader Joe’s makes an excellent grapefruit juice. It’s the color of the L.A. sky at sunset and it’s among the sweeter juices we tried in the taste test. It’s not gross sweet by any means, but it has enough of a sugary burst to really temper the natural bitterness of grapefruit. If you’re having grapefruit juice alongside breakfast and don’t want something that’s going to burn out your taste buds, give this a shot. There’s still bitterness in this bottle, but not enough to ruin whatever you’re having it with.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde
- Evolution Fresh Organic Grapefruit Juice
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Evolution’s juices are pricey (as anything “cold-pressed” tends to be), but they’re consistently delicious. They’re super natural and tend to separate, but don’t be turned off by it. The second you twist the lid off this bottle, you can smell the freshness here. And the taste lives up to the smell. Literally the only thing I romanticize about once being a homeowner in Florida is that I had an extremely prolific pink grapefruit tree in my front yard. Evolution came closer than any other brand to bottling that fresh-from-the-Florida-front-yard flavor.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
Best Sparkling White
Best Sparkling Pink
Best with Booze
Best for Punch
Best Fresh Flavor
Best Sweet
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Florida’s Natural 100% Premium Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, 365 Whole Foods Market Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, Kroger Pulp Free Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice, RW Knudsen Organic Just Grapefruit Juice, Lakewood Grapefruit Juice, Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice, Fever Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit
Y’all need to recognize the north east more and focus less on so cal. Ocean spray is like the only grapefruit juice here and it wasn’t even tested. My one complaint with y’all is that you frequently feature foods that aren’t even available to like a 1/4 of the population
Mythical is big enough to import food stuffs from foreign countries so foreign states shouldn’t be an issue
Thanks For This Very Useful Comparative Webpage.
Did you try Knudsen’s pure organic grapefruit juice?
It is by far my current favorite! And doesn’t need refrigeration.
My favorite grapefruit juice which my sister and I drink regularly is Ocean Spray Ruby Red. I’m actually shocked none of the Ocean Sprays made it to the main/alt list.
Love the Evolution grapefruit juice – definitely a go-to. If anyone is ever in TX, the H-E-B fresh-pressed juice made in-house is my absolute favorite.