I'm trading in the processed sugar and dairy in the traditional Orange Julius for a smoothie version sweetened with fruit. It's honestly still a super sweet treat, yet my healthy Orange Julius smoothie fuels my body the right way.
Raise your hand if you remember walking by the shopping mall food court and seeing people lined up at Orange Julius? And who remembers recreating the creamy orange smoothie in 7th grade Home Ec?
How to Make a Healthy Orange Julius
I can't wait for you to try this sweet treat! It definitely hits the spot for my sweet tooth and has no weird ingredients.
- Blend spinach, oranges and almond milk until smooth (I'm talking no leafy chunks floating around).
- Add the banana and blend again until smooth. It helps to use frozen banana to get a chilled smoothie.
- Add in ½ teaspoon of vanilla to make this taste even more like a traditional Orange Julius.
My healthy smoothie version is loaded with goodness and doesn't mess around with the sweet factor either. No fake sweeteners are needed! Just make sure you use a ripe banana.
We all know oranges = vitamin C (80% of the recommended daily intake), but did you know that oranges are also full of fiber? Your digestive system will thank you for eating more oranges.
Tips for a Great Smoothie
If the sugar is a little much for you (even though it's 100% natural!), swap half of the banana for a quarter of an avocado. You'll still get the dream cream texture, but not as much sugar in this healthy Orange Julius smoothie.
You can also swap out the almond milk with the plant milk of your choice, coconut, cashew or oat. There are so many great options. Whichever milk you use, make sure it is unsweetened.
When blending this orange smoothie, blend it twice to help your blender chop up the spinach as much as possible.
Adding ice cubes to the glass when you pour out the smoothie will cool down the beverage if using all fresh ingredients.
Orange Julius Smoothie FAQs
The original Orange Julius consists of orange juice concentrate, milk, vanilla, sugar and ice. While it is sweeter than my version, I bet mine still tastes deliciously orange-y! My smoothie contains spinach, oranges, almond milk and banana.
It depends! Spinach is typically mild, and the orange and banana in this Orange Julius smoothie are definitely the dominant flavors. You might still get a slightly earthy taste if you've got a sensitive palate.
They can be! Make sure yours are loaded with only whole food ingredients (no added sweeteners). Use unsweetened, plant-based milk or water for the base. Boost your smoothies with protein and healthy fats to help your body break down the natural sugars.
When is the perfect time to drink a smoothie?
- For breakfast or even on the go with a Mason jar, cute lid and straw.
- As a nutrition-packed snack that helps you step away from the vending machine!
- Before or after a workout to add that protein after and MCT oil before to fuel your body during your workout.
Anytime you need a refreshing, fruity drink loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals, consider blending up a smoothie. It's the healthiest fast food out there and can provide energy, fuel and promote health. Some smoothies like the Orange Julius smoothie recipe contain more natural sugar. Boost these smoothies with a plant-based protein powder to help your body process the sugar.
Orange Smoothie Recipes
Don't forget to leave a comment and review after blending the Orange Julius smoothie below. I'd love to know how yours turned out!
Orange Julius Smoothie
Rate this Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup spinach
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 2 oranges
- ½ banana (frozen)
- 1 serving Protein Smoothie Boost (optional)
Instructions
- Place spinach, oranges and almond milk in blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add banana and blend again.
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold or serve over ice.
- Another non-dairy milk can be substituted for the almond milk, such as hemp, cashew or coconut milk.
- Swap ½ banana with ¼ an avocado to lower the natural sugar.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla to make this even more reminiscent of the original Orange Julius.
Nutrition (estimated)
A Daily Green Smoothie
This smoothie recipe is from my free Smoothie Challenge. If you loved the taste of the Orange Julius smoothie, then this challenge is for you! Sign up for the challenge, grab your blender, and get ready for a great new healthy habit.
Drink your smoothie as a quick breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up; they are great any time of day!
Laura Young
Pretty tasty, but a little sour/tart from the oranges. This could easily be fixed by adding a little sweetener.
Dora Suarez
Wow. I'm normally not a huge fan of citrus in my smoothie but this was a game changer. I supplemented with vanilla protein, and did a blend of spinach and kale. So refreshing and light. Perfect post morning workout smoothie.
Ella
So simple, and yet - MY WINNER.
So far this in #1 for me.
I just love those oranges.
Irek
Simply extraordinary - just overwhelmed me. Thanks.
Simple Green Smoothies
Yay!!! That is what we like to hear!! 🙂
Dani mitchell
This recipe wraps up the 7-day autumn
smoothie challenge with a bang!!! I loved this recipe and it def brings back the mall Orange Julius days... oh my!
Simple Green Smoothies
Thanks Dani! We are so happy you loved this recipe!!!
Shelli Boer
This one was fantastic- way to end the challenge! I’m repeating them all next week
Debbie Fettig
I have fond memories of Orange Julius from when I was a kid. This smoothie makes me feel like I’m drinking one again. Although if I really did drink an orange Julius today I’m sure I wouldn’t even like it anymore since I quit dairy and do t have the sweet tooth I once. This smoothie helps preserve the memory in my mind!
Teresa Salamone
Great way to get some oranges in. I expected to be too sweet and it really wasn't. It's not my favorite recipe, but it was very tasty overall.
Tina Schmidt
This was a nice finish to the week, I enjoyed trying all the different recipe, and there are some that I am planning to make a regular rotation!
Malia
Yummy - I love the healthier take on the Orange Julius and this one is SO much better!!! What s great way to end the 7 day Smoothie challenge!! Thank you for the encouragement, resources and delicious recipes!
KARTIK BHATIA
Smoothie helps in weight loss
Benessi
Loved this smoothie!
Sooz
this was fantastic! Sweet memories of the mall! Good ol' Judy's and Miller's Outpost ;0))
Sandi O'Donnell
I loved, loved, loved this one! Mmmmmmmm such a yummy breakfast! 🙂
Jen
I LOVE this one!!! So refreshing and definitely sweet, but light!
Laura Allison
Love!
Sandy Daniels
Oh my, this IS better than the original! So citrusy, refreshing and delicious. It ended a great week of amazing healthy and simply green smoothies that kept me motivated and looking forward to the next one. You’re the best, thank you for supporting and inspiring me daily to succeed in my personal goals.
Phyllis M Longwell
Anything smoothie with oranges is great. 5 star rating
Cherise
Love Orange Julius recipe and all the Fall Smoothie recipes this week. I didn’t think I would enjoy the pumpkin or Almond milk, shockingly all including today’s last Fall one where delicious! Thank you for sharing with the world! France
Maree collins
I make these smoothies and my own tooloce them x
Simple Green Smoothies
That is really awesome, Maree!!!
Jennifer Warschauer
Great tasting smoothie! Especially great for those who dislike eating their greens.
Simple Green Smoothies
Thank you for your comment Jennifer!!
Clare Skinner
This was a citrus delight loved how refreshing it tasted, great way to get some extra vitamin c .
Simple Green Smoothies
Yay love hearing that!!! Thank you for your comment!
Amanda
This one is so easy! I used to love orange julius, and this brought back memories of being a kid at the mall:)
Simple Green Smoothies
Ahh being a kid at the mall really was so great!!
Julie S
Perfection for this wonderful day!
Simple Green Smoothies
Yay!!!
Cindy Brettschneider
I used oat milk and protein powder in this one. So filling and tasty. I am set to do all this again for another week. Energy is up.
Cindy Brettschneider
I really enjoyed this one!! I used oat milk and protein power. As usual it was easy to make.
Simple Green Smoothies
Love those addition with this recipe. We love making your life nice and easy when it comes to making our smoothies! 🙂
Dawn
This one was good and I'll definitely make it again. Next time though I'll use fresh oranges. This was the first smoothie that I used frozen orange due to pre-packaging my smoothie mixes and it didn't have quite the flavor that the other orange smoothies have had.
Simple Green Smoothies
Hey Dawn,
The fresh oranges really sound like they will make a difference.
Cheers!
Genevieve
This was delish! I had a tiny bit of frozen pear leftover with the frozen banana so I chucked that in too and it went really well! I normally shy away from adding nut milk and citrus together and I was surprised at the taste!
Simple Green Smoothies
We are so happy that you were pleasantly surprised by the combination.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Simple Green Smoothies
The added pear sounds so delicious!
Tanya
I used 1 orange and then some frozen peaches. I left out the banana because I didn't have one on hand. I was still amazed that it tasted like an Orange Julius. I did what many other readers suggested and added 1/2 cup of almond milk, and a tiny bit of vanilla extract.
Would give my own version of the recipe 5 stars!
Christina
Good smoothie. Definitely has the orange flavor!
Julie
Orange Julis has always been a hit!
Beth
It was like sunshine in my mouth! I really loved it. My blender didnt do a good job at handling parts of the orange, but thats a lesson for next time!
Meagan
This is a fave for sure. With a little splash of pure Mexican vanilla extract it was like heaven in a jar.
Jackie
Loving this one for sure! A lot cheaper than a real one, way tastier and last but definitely not least way healthier too!!!
Emily
This one is so good! It may be green, but it really tastes like an orange Julius!
Latasha Ingram
Who would have thought adding almond milk to a smoothie would bring such an amazing taste! I have always used water and this week has open my taste buds to something new!
Philippa Stewart
This tasted nice. It was really mellow as far as flavor, but had a nice sweetness to it.
Joyce Moy
This one is yummy! You can't taste too much of one flavor so this would be perfect for a friend who may be skeptical of how great green smoothies are!
Kate Tildes
I love this smoothie. Its one of my favorites from last year.
Kirsten
I really enjoyed this recipe! I only had one large orange and I blended it with the almond milk and then strained it (I really don't like the pulp in my smoothies). It was delicious!
Jennifer
A good standby
Tanya
This was just "okay". I felt like it was missing something though.....
Neal
This was ok, not my favourite but fine. I had no time to peel oranges so used pineapple instead and added chia seeds for a little boost. Found I needed more liquid to blend. Full cup. Might try it again with oranges!
Valerie W
I doubled the smoothie, but must have added too much banana (or not enough orange), because the banana definitely overpowered mine. After all the rave reviews, I’ll definitely try again.
Sue
LOVE this HEALTHY, DELICIOUS Orange Julius. Used the mixed power greens instead of spinach today and added a couple of Tbsps of Chia Seeds. Yummy.
Suzette Boling
Ok this is one of my favorites!!! And both of my kids love this one made exactly like the directions. This is going to be my to go smoothie during the summer when we went something cold and refreshing!! The flavor of this is sooo soo good!!! Love all the orange in it!!
Melinda
I love the citrusy flavor of this one.
Molly
Yum!
Shannon
My absolute fav recipe to date! I will be making this one over and over again! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Courtney Wells
I love this one! I added vanilla protein powder and it tasted like a dreamcicle! This one was definitely tasty!!
Darlene
It was good but I made the mistake of putting arugula/spinach in mine which overwhelm the orange flavor. I want to make it again with just spinach because I love oranges!!
Angelic Neal
This Smoothie makes me feel like I'm on the beach relaxing. It sooo good I made another one.
Marie-Paul Medeiros
Very refreshing!
smita
Guys - you've got some absolutely amazing team that are coming up with so very delicious smoothies - not just in taste but also in nutrition. appreciate it highly. Regards
Paula
I really liked the freshness of this smoothie! The 1/4 cup almond milk wasn't enough to blend the spinach so I added a 1/2 cup of coconut water and it was perfect. Very hydrating!
Aimee dewar
Another winner! So creamy and sweet, I love how this one tastes. I made a triple batch for the family, so I had to peel a lot of oranges, but it was worth it.
Terry
This was another tasty smoothie, although it was too warm since I used fresh ingredients. I added ice into my cup to cool it off. There were a few sips that really reminded me of a real Orange Julius.
Liz
I am so surprised by this smoothie!! I thought the orange would be too much, but it was really creamy and had a smooth taste! My fav so far O.o
Dora Suarez
I’m taste sensitive to orange in my drinks so I searched substitutes and opted to sub 1c papaya for oranges and increased the almond milk to 1c. Omg delightful !!!
Sheera
Another great smoothie by SGS! Love it!
Marion
Love this Smoothie. It is thick and creamy even without bananas (I don't like bananas!). It's going into my fav file.
tiffany
I loved the orange flavor! Added chia seeds so it was nice and thick.
Dana
Loved this recipe. Liked how it was only half a banana so that you could still taste the orange. Adding some collagen protein makes this a great breakfast or snack
Patricia
Not one of my favorites but would drink another one. So thick that I had to add extra almond milk.
Bonnie
Was very thick so added extra almond milk. Was ok but not one of my favs
Erica
So so good! Fighting a cold today and I swear I started feeling better about an hour after I finished it!
Bethany Vines
This was pretty good. Still a little too much banana flavor for me, but not bad! I added ice to make it colder. Very refreshing!
Simple Green Smoothies
Hey Bethany,
If you are not a fan of bananas you can always substitute it for avocados 🙂
Cheers!
Lilia
Refreshing way to start the morning.
Anita
Five stars added some flaxseed
P.s I am unable use the little stars to rate the system seems to clear it when I hit submit.
Pam
This was delicious, like an orange thick shake.
Brittany Gibson
Not a fan of this smoothie. It didn’t do anything for my cravings and uses very basics ingredients. It was just okay!
Carol
The orange julius was delicious. I blended in some ice to make it nice and cold. It also thinned it out a little. I saw the note about adding vanilla protein powder. That sounds good too. Maybe next time
Julie Fialho
Your Orange Julius smoothie would totally win against the original! I remember how much sugar and dairy they used to put in those smoothies - gross! This is so light and delicious!
Shari C
Pleasantly surprised by this smoothie. Oranges are becoming quite delightful to me these days. Thanks
Shan
The smoothie is really tasty - can't go wrong with orange and banana. Agree with other comments that you will need to add more liquid otherwise it's a bit too creamy.
Mary Ann
I loved this recipe, I added a little bit of almond milk, cause it was really really thick. The result is one creamy smoothie. I love the taste and everything in it. Thanks guys!
Steph
LOVED this smoothie! Tasted pretty much just like a mall Orange Julius 🙂 I added a little bit more almond milk, and prepped smoothies for the entire family the night before in mason jars for a really easy breakfast treat.
Jada
I added chia seeds, vanilla protein powder and my vitamin d3 and k2 drops along with my vitamin b complex drops. I had this for breakfast after I drank my morning glass of water. This is my one of my favorite smoothies.
Jada
Oops! I forgot to click the rating.
Chilly
Love it!!!!!
Jen L.
I loooooove this one! I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and it tasted like a creamsicle!
Jennifer Maldonado
Love this one! SO simple. I only had the "cutie" oranges for my daughter's lunches, so I peeled 4 of them and threw them in the freezer last night so the smoothie would be cold today! Yum.
Carys
My husband and I have been participating in the 30 Day Challenge and have enjoyed everything we’ve tried so far. Today our 3.5 year old helped my husband make the smoothies and he gave her a small cup of her own to try she care in to see me telling me she liked it! Overall she is a great eater and loves fruits and veggies but she’s always said she doesn’t like ‘salad’ which is what she calls any leafy green so the fact that she saw the spinach go in the blender, was willing to try it and actually says she likes it is a big win! Hoping this will be a way to incorporate some more leafy greens into her diet.
Marlee
Loved this one! The citrus really woke me up this morning. Will definitely make again.
Nancy A.
Love an Orange Julius! Family will love this one!!
Antoinette
So delicious! Can't wait to make it again!
Nicole
Another fantastic green smoothie! I can't wait to make this one again already!
Cecily
This smoothie was a good one. A little on the thick side, in which I added more liquid to. It was tasty!
Kellyann Mitchell
Another winner! I am taking this one with me along with some cashews for lunch on the go.
Melissa
This was a hit! Even my 3 year old is enjoying this challenge and looks forward to helping me make and drink a smoothie each morning. As we were blending the spinach this morning, she said: "Mommy, I like the green stuff." Yay! Thanks for the great recipes!
Cecilia Anderson
This brings me back to being a little girl. My dad and I would go to the mall every Sunday. And every Sunday we would get orange julius! However this is much better! My son and I had this one this morning, he loves oranges!
Pamela LaBouve
it didn't seem to have enough liquid in it... Maybe because I added a lot of spinach, so I added a bit of coconut water to the mix. It was delicious! 🙂
Simple Green Smoothies
Hey Pam,
It sounds like you really packed in your greens and we love hearing that!
Marilyn
This is my favorite so far. I love love love it! Did I say I ❤️ It? Grew up with Orange Julius in NYC and this is just heavenly,
Emily Pyatt
I have always loved Orange Julius, so to be able to have one in Green Smoothie form is the best!!! This is one I would make anytime!
Bonnie
Was a little too thick, I added extra almond milk but I will add extra water next time instead. Very refreshing taste though 🙂
Tanya
I added vanilla protein powder for a great meal replacement and it’s delicious!
Simple Green Smoothies
Hey Tanya,
I am so happy to hear that you made this smoothie work for you!
Gayathri
Agree with Grace, I don't usually use much orange but it's so refreshing I'm going to use it more, plus oranges come cheap! 🙂
Christina
Looking forward to trying this one.
Brandy Bowers
This one is just a little refresher to enjoy on a hot day!
Laura
I used to love Orange Julius! Can't wait to try this one!
grace
I don't use orange much in my green smoothies so this is a little different but still refreshing knowing there's extra Vit C there! 🙂