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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?
Table of Contents
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. Here’s how you can freeze bananas easily.
- Add in 1/2 tsp 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.
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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 choose from these almond milk brands, make almond milk, or swap with any non-dairy milk of your choice. You can also choose from these coconut milk brands, or oat milk brands. 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. If you don’t have a high-speed blender getting one of these blenders for smoothies is a game changer.
- Adding ice cubes to the glass when you pour out the smoothie will cool down the beverage if using all fresh ingredients. You can also pre-prep your smoothies in my frozen meal prep smoothie packs to save time.
- For more awesome tips, check out my guide on how to make a smoothie.
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.
More Orange Smoothie Recipes
If you love green smoothies like I do, here are some more recipes with juicy, sweet orange flavor you’ll want on repeat:
If you make this orange julius smooothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Orange Julius Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 2 oranges
- ½ banana frozen
Instructions
- Place spinach, oranges and almond milk in blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add banana and blend again.
Helpful Tools
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 1/2 banana with 1/4 an avocado to lower the natural sugar. Here’s how to cut avocado if you don’t know how.
- Add 1/2 tsp vanilla to make this even more reminiscent of the original Orange Julius.
- Swap spinach for any leafy green vegetables of your choice.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
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.
Day 9
Absolutely delicious! I added a little lemon to cut down on the sweetness. Great smoothie!
Delicious . I added protein powder to make this a recovery Smoothie. But I would serve this with some Spirit and make it a cocktail
Orange julius … oh yessss! Yummmm. One of my all time faves!
Well, I was a little disappointed this morning – very bland – tasteless
A dash of vanilla and some chia seeds…yum!!! This made a delicious dinner after another hot day at work. I loved Orange Julius and have missed them since ours closed. This made for a healthier trip down memory lane.
This was very good. I’ll try it again when oranges are in season to get a stronger orange flavor. I also made it without the vanilla, but I’ll try that next time.
Refreshingly smooth and delicious! My oranges were frozen so I had to add a bit more liquid. Thinking I’ll try it with coconut milk next time.
This was a bit too sweet for me, and that could have been from the banana. Still a fun one to blend!
Disappointed. Couldn’t taste the oranges. I was thinking it would be similar flavor to a real orange Julius.
Good, but not one of my favorites. Seemed to be a little thinner than most of the other recipes. Maybe I need to adjust the amount of liquid next time.
The Orange Julius was great! I love the citrus fibre boost. I added 1/4 avocado and 2 ice cubes. I am going to add more ice to make it colder
It was ok, I couldn’t taste the oranges, only banana
Loved this smoothie. Great addition to my breakfast this morning. Very refreshing.
I’m usually not one to put oranges in smoothies but it is a great add here! Plus, the vitamix is so powerful and can blend everything nicely so it’s smooth.
Would you expect anything other than Delicious?! I used homemade cashew coconut milk. Added a bit more creaminess. Next time I’ll try adding vanilla.
Hey Dawn – Wow! Cashew coconut milk sounds amazing!
Enjoyed this, but was surprisingly banana-forward for what should have been an orange-oriented smoothie.
I loved this! It definitely reminded me of that tasty mall treat. I used kale instead of spinach.
Nice and green very smooth I put 2 And followed the rest of the directions to me it just tasted like a green smoothie I liked it but it didn’t remind me of Orange Julius maybe I’m missing something? I liked it though!
Oh so good! I have loved orange Julius’s since they were invented! Now I can make my own!
Added extra spinach-beautiful color and delicious, made 2, 1 for breakfast and 1 evening snack.
Aww, what a bummer. I was so excited to try this because I loved them so much as a child and it would remind me of happy childhood times hanging out in the mall (what happened to Orange Julius, anyway?) and so proud I could have a healthy version, but there was a big problem instead. It didn’t taste like orange at all! It only tasted like banana. I say “only” hesitantly, because I LOVE banana, and was so happy to have the benefits of both that and awesome spinach. Therefore, I refuse to give up: maybe skip the banana and add more oranges?
Hi April! If the banana was too overpowering, you could reduce by half or you could completely swap out the banana with avocado or do half and half.
1 banana = 1/2 avocado or 1/2 banana = 1/4 avocado. I think a little of each would be perfect in this smoothie. The avocado keeps the smoothie super creamy without adding that super dominant banana flavor and sweetness.
Tastes just like an Orange Julius! Will definitely be on the rotation. Subbed kale for spinach because my daughter used the spinach for a salad.