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Orange Julius Recipe

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Serve up a fresh glass of vitamin C, protein, and real fruit with this healthy Orange Julius recipe made from simple whole food ingredients.

homemade orange julius in glass with straws

Just what is it about an Orange Julius? That sweet, cold, and frothy treat famous at malls and state fairs across America has a way of staying in your mind, even if you’ve only ever ordered one or two.

In this cold classic treat, we saw an opportunity to create a healthy dessert (or breakfast!) for kids that delivers two servings of fresh fruit, a boost of vitamin C, and even a few grams of protein for their growing bodies.

Got frozen bananas and a few other basics on hand? Then you can be sipping on this burst-of-sunshine Orange Julius recipe in five minutes. You have to try it!

orange julius recipe in glasses with fresh oranges

What is this Orange Julius Recipe Made Of?

Unlike the original Orange Julius (made no doubt of mystical, sugar-laden, and also highly-processed ingredients,) this Orange Julius recipe contains just six simple, whole food ingredients, including whole fruit. Here’s a full list of the ingredients in our freshened-up Julius:

Orange zest

Banana

Greek yogurt

OJ

Honey

Vanilla

Toss these goodies into a blender and you’ll create something like an old-fashioned Orange Julius, only better: a cool and ultra-refreshing citrus drink that tastes a lot like a Creamsicle. And take heart: this recipe makes enough for you and your kids, both.

Homemade orange julius in glass

The Secret Ingredient for a Kicky Orange Taste

Other copycat Orange Julius recipes on the web use frozen orange juice concentrate to get that intense citrus flavor. We chose to get that kicky orange taste another way: with zest!

Orange zest is rich in natural oils that have an incredibly fresh, strong taste of oranges. (If you’re concerned about pesticide residue on your oranges, just grab an organic orange at the store.)

A microplane zester like this one works perfectly for the job, but you can also use the fine holes on a box grater to get orange zest, too.

By using a combination of zest and orange juice, we’ve been able to create a deliciously potent orange flavor that will keep your kids sipping… without the sugar rush that can come out of using canned concentrate.

More Sweet Sippables

This is not our first Julius rodeo! For a cool twist on this Orange Julius Recipe, try our Green Julius Recipe. (Hint: the ingredient that makes it green is one you want your kids eating more of!)

And if you love smoothies with an orange juice base, you’ll also love our Cherry Pineapple Smoothie. Happy sipping!

homemade orange julius in glass with fresh oranges
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3.8 from 78 votes

Orange Julius Recipe

Serve up a fresh glass of vitamin C, protein, and real fruit with this healthy Orange Julius recipe made from simple whole food ingredients.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 1 cup
Calories: 181kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Using a high powered blender, add orange juice, yogurt, vanilla, chopped banana, zest of one orange, whole peeled orange and honey. Blend together well. If a thicker consistency is desired, add ice.

Nutrition

Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 23mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g
Keyword : Orange Julius Recipe

www.superhealthykids.com

Orange Julius Recipe | Healthy Ideas and Recipes for Kids

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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11 Comments

I used to have an “Orange Julius” type recipe. Maybe it was in Make A Mix Cookery or somewhere else. I’ll have to search for it. I know it had powdered milk in it.

Those sound great! I have some tangerines shriveling on my counter now – this will be a good use for them! I’m not sold on stevia. I think that in small quantities it’s probably just fine, but I have concerns about it being used in large quantities – you know, the way we Americans seem to prefer to do things. To each his (or her!) own, though!

I agree Cathy! Like I said, we are trying to eat less sweet all around, so substitutions aren’t likely to help. But I’m curious what you know about Stevia. It was hard for me to find any un-biased opinons.

My DH often busts me with the whole “I can smell it on your breath!” thing. I can’t get away with anything anymore. I’ll have to try the Stevia. I keep looking at it in the store, but just couldn’t commit.

Where’s the zest in the recipe? It’s not listed in the ingredients. Did you use 3/4 cup orange juice, plus a whole (peeled) orange, plus the zest of one orange?

Thanks!

Hi Faith! Thanks for pointing this out. The zest is supposed to come from the orange in the recipe, and you won’t need to use the flesh of the orange. This wasn’t totally clear in the recipe, so I updated the ingredients.

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