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Refreshing & simple Orange Julius takes a minute to make and tastes just like the real thing. It is a favorite family treat!
Homemade Orange Julius is one of our go to breakfast drinks!! To complete the meal, just add one of our favorite breakfast casseroles or a big stack of pancakes.
What is an Orange Julius?
Who here has had an Orange Julius before? We’ve been long-time fans and recently decided to try making our own copycat Orange Julius recipe at home. But, what is an Orange Julius?
In the 1920’s, Julius Freed opened an orange juice stand in Los Angeles, but sales weren’t so great. His friend, Bill, made a less acidic, more frothy version of orange juice which Julius adopted and began serving at his OJ stand.
People loved it and began ordering Orange Julius’ left and right. In 1987 Dairy Queen bought the Orange Julius Company. (Source)
Today, that famous orange drink made up of ice, orange juice, sweetener, milk and vanilla is still found in mall food courts. It’s kind of like an orange juice smoothie, except it’s more creamy and frothy. We think it tastes like a melted orange creamsicle.
This homemade orange julius recipe is so quick and easy that even a kid can put it together. Best of all, it tastes just like the real version, which means we can make this at home whenever we want.
just blend!!
The orange julius ingredients include:
- frozen orange juice
- milk
- water
- sugar
- vanilla
- ice cubes
Luckily, we had pretty much all of these ingredients at our house already!
BLEND. To make this yummy recipe, just throw everything in the blender and blend until nice and smooth. It’s that easy!
Orange julius FAQ
Use fresh orange juice. Using Orange Juice and adding more ice will just change the texture and flavor, which isn’t what you want!
Create your own concentrate. If you don’t have orange juice concentrate, freeze an equal amount of fresh orange juice in an ice cube tray (or a glass pan, and then break it into pieces) and put that in the blender with the other ingredients.
Texture. Adjusting the texture to your liking is quite easy. Reduce the amount of added water/milk for a thicker texture or increase it if you prefer a thinner texture
No eggs. Many traditional orange Julius recipes call for egg whites, or egg white powder to help get a nice foamy texture, but I think I was able to manage just the right amount of foam without using raw eggs. Another way that can help add fluffiness to the foam is to substitute powdered sugar for the granulated sugar.
variations + Storing
Julius with a twist. Add other flavors to the Orange Julius. Frozen Bananas or strawberries are particularly delicious. Add in some pineapple concentrate for a bit of extra flavor. Just keep in mind that it will cause a thicker or thinner texture.
Dairy-free. Make this dairy-free by using coconut milk or almond milk.
STORE leftovers (if you have any) in the fridge for a day or so in an airtight container, but it’s much better to have it fresh!
FREEZE. My favorite thing to do with leftovers it to pour it into a popsicle mold as a refreshing treat.
For more refreshing drinks, check out:
Orange Julius Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1 cup milk or almond milk*
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Simple and great tasting.
This recipe really took me back to my teenage years and being at the mall. It’s been ages since I’ve had an Orange Julius and it really is as good as I remember! Had it this morning and 2 kids gave it 5 stars and one gave it 4.5, but that is because she remembers her grandpa making her something like this like 6 years ago. You can’t mess with grandparents and nostalgia 🙂 I wasn’t going to add in the sugar initially because I don’t like having unnecessary sugar and usually cut down what recipes call for. Glad I kept it in! The orange juice concentrate had quite a bit of a sour to it so it needed the extra sugar love. Glad we used only half of the can of concentrate so we can make some more. I’m sure the kids will be making this by themselves in no time. To make it even creamier I will probably experiment with some heavy cream this summer as well! Yum!!!
I made this today for some friends! It was so good and refreshing on a hot Florida summer day. I shared the recipe with everyone too. We are just a group of 50 something ladies who get together 1 Friday every month to catch up.
We will try a different drink recipe next month and can’t wait. Thanks for sending me such amazing recipes to share with friends.
So yummy and delicious 🤗
As for the adult side, add 1-2 ounce of coconut rum and enjoy while you watch the children play.
Fun and easy re pie. Kids loved it.