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Orange Julius Remake – The Healthy Version

Backyard· Drinks· Food & Drink· Wine & Drinks

orange Julius
These oranges were picked just a few hours before I whipped up this orange Julius smoothie – with my healthy remake of the original recipe!

One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the local shopping mall, which was super glamorous at the time, and having a frothy, refreshing Orange Julius drink at the food court. I had to beg my mom, and every once in a while, she would cave into the super sugary, but oh-so-yummy smoothies that were sucked down in what seemed like seconds. It was such a treat – I can still vividly remember the bright stands and the enticing font – and I always wanted the recipe to make these at home.

citrus trees
Living in a warm climate, like Phoenix, allows me to grow citrus in my backyard and lends itself to a beautiful, fresh harvest in the winter months.

With all of the abundant citrus in my Phoenix neighborhood, I thought, why not try to recreate the orange Julius smoothie, but healthier, with fresh orange juice and no added artificial sugar? Not only did I succeed (my kids loved my version!) but I was able to make my orange Julius copycat recipe dairy-free and gluten-free.

citrus trees
In addition to orange trees, we also have tangelos, grapefruit, limes and lemons in our backyard and we definitely take advantage of them!
orange juice ice cubes
I started with frozen orange juice cubes – literally straight from my back yard trees. I juiced them and immediately poured them into ice cube trays for easy removal for my orange Julius smoothies!

Frozen banana slices add great texture and thickness to the smoothie. Orange blossom honey is another citrus-flavored element that blends beautifully into this frothy treat, but agave honey tastes just as good and gives a perfect touch of sweetness.

frozen banana slices
I froze my own bananas, but frozen, sliced bananas are easily found in the freezer section at the grocery store. My hand-held blender is perfect for this smoothie – throw the cup in the dishwasher and simply rinse off the blender for a quick clean-up!

Here’s the hand blender I use and love, along with a super powerful Vitamin that would be perfect for making blended drinks and smoothies!

orange Julius
Super refreshing and not a single drop of artificial coloring or sugar added to my version of the food court favorite, orange julius.
orange Julius
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Orange Julius Remake – The Healthy Version

A fresh take on a sugary food court classic: Now, dairy-free and gluten-free with organic produce and no artificial sweeteners.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword orange julius
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 1

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • 5-6 ice cubes frozen orange juice
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (or regular milk if desired)
  • 1/2 frozen banana, sliced
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp orange blossom or agave honey

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. For extra froth, add 3-4 ice cubes in the blender. Garnish with orange slices and a fun straw!
orange Julius
My kids loved my take on this orange smoothie treat and have asked for one almost every day since I made them!

Any glass will do for these, but wide-mouthed ones seem to work best for ease in pouring the smoothie. Here are some cute ones I found for milkshakes and blended drinks, like this orange Julius, at home:

Before we juice the citrus in our backyard, I love using them for decor first. To see how I incorporated lemons for one of my all-time, most Pinned tablescapes, check out this post:

French Country Decor: Yellow & Blue Summer Table

Oranges were the theme for this tablescape – click here for my post:

Green and Orange Table : In Between Summer and Fall

Thanks for visiting! Please leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you!

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