Orange Julius
Looking for a fruity and refreshing drink to sip on this summer? An Orange Julius is just the ticket! This creamy orange drink is somewhere in between a smoothie and a milkshake and contains just five simple ingredients. It’s a refreshing treat that tastes just like an orange creamsicle!
If you can’t get enough of orange flavor, try making my Chocolate Orange Cookies, Blood Orange Chia Pudding, or Orange Rolls next.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy Orange Julius recipe. All you need is five simple ingredients, which you may already have at home, plus a high-powered blender that can handle ice.
- Customizable drink. While I love the flavor of this Orange Julius recipe as written, because it’s pretty basic, it can easily be changed to your liking. Make it a vegan Orange Julius by using non-dairy milk, or a protein Orange Julius by adding vanilla protein powder!
Orange Julius Ingredients
- Orange juice concentrate: While the original Orange Julius drink uses orange juice, I like to use frozen concentrate to make it super frosty and thick.
- Whole milk: My preferred dairy option, I find that whole milk gives this drink the ideal creamy flavor. You can certainly use a reduced-fat milk if you prefer, or even a non-dairy milk to make this Orange Julius vegan.
- Granulated sugar: Regular white sugar is the best sweetener option for this drink because it adds sweetness without adding any other flavors.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla and orange are a match made in heaven! Trust me, the touch of vanilla makes this drink taste so much better.
- Ice: The ice makes this drink thick and refreshing.
How to Make an Orange Julius
- Add all ingredients to a blender. To a high-powered blender, add 12 oz. of orange juice concentrate, 1½ cups of milk, ⅓ cup of white sugar, and 1½ teaspoons of vanilla extract. For a thinner drink, add 2 cups of milk. Finally, add 1 cup of ice last to ensure everything blends smoothly.
- Blend and serve. Blend until the drink gets a smooth and frothy texture, then pour into glasses and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Using 1 ½ cups of milk makes for a thicker, more smoothie-like texture. This is actually my preference, but the drinks you see in the photos were made with 2 cups of milk, which makes for a thinner drink.
You can easily make this Orange Julius vegan by swapping out dairy milk for non-dairy milk. Coconut milk could be great for a tropical twist! Just be aware that non-dairy milk, like almond milk, will likely make the drink less creamy.
For other variation ideas, you could swap out the ice cubes for frozen strawberries, peaches, or banana to make orange smoothies. Or maybe get really crazy and experiment with other frozen juice concentrate!
The original Orange Julius recipe uses orange juice and powdered egg whites. I decided to forgo the egg whites for my copycat Orange Julius recipe, and I like to use frozen concentrate to make this drink thick and frosty.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: This homemade Orange Julius recipe is best when enjoyed right away.
Storing: Store leftover Orange Julius drinks in the fridge for a day. The drink will become thin as the ice and juice concentrate melts. You can enjoy the thinner drink or blend it up with some more ice to make it frosty again.
Freezing: I have not experimented with freezing this recipe, again, it’s best enjoyed fresh. If you wanted to experiment, you could maybe try freezing the drink in an ice cube mold, then when you want some, blend it up with some more milk.
Recipe FAQs
You could certainly buy a bunch of fresh oranges and juice them yourself and use that fresh juice. I prefer to use frozen concentrate because it is cheaper, easier, and the frozen concentrate makes for a thicker drink, which I like. I guess you could freeze your fresh orange juice in an ice cube tray but honestly that seems like way too much work to me.
The original Orange Julius recipe contained both milk and egg white powder, so definitely not. My recipe leaves out the egg white powder, and you can swap the dairy milk for non-dairy milk to make it vegan.
A man named Julius Freed opened an orange juice stand in Los Angeles in 1926. His drinks sold only moderately well, until his real estate broker Bill Hamlin added a special ingredient that made the acidic drink easier on his stomach in 1929 (unclear what it was, but I’m guessing the egg white powder) and then sales skyrocketed! There’s a long and fascinating history about the popularity of the drink—it was sold at state and county fairs, for instance, which makes sense, but it was ALSO the official drink of the 1964 New York World’s Fair Exposition! Dairy Queen bought the chain in 1987, and that brings us up to today!
More Fruity Drinks
- Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
- Acai Smoothie
- Raspberry Mojito Mocktail
- Banana Peach Smoothie
- Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade
Orange Julius Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz orange juice concentrate - frozen
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk - 1 1/2 cups will make a thicker "smoothie" type drink. For thinner consistency add 2 cups of milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup ice
Equipment
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender, with ice being added last. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into individual glasses and serve immediately.
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