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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.
Love this Smoothie. It is thick and creamy even without bananas (I don’t like bananas!). It’s going into my fav file.
I loved the orange flavor! Added chia seeds so it was nice and thick.
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
Not one of my favorites but would drink another one. So thick that I had to add extra almond milk.
Was very thick so added extra almond milk. Was ok but not one of my favs
So so good! Fighting a cold today and I swear I started feeling better about an hour after I finished it!
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!
Hey Bethany,
If you are not a fan of bananas you can always substitute it for avocados 🙂
Cheers!
Refreshing way to start the morning.
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.
This was delicious, like an orange thick shake.
Not a fan of this smoothie. It didn’t do anything for my cravings and uses very basics ingredients. It was just okay!
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
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!
Pleasantly surprised by this smoothie. Oranges are becoming quite delightful to me these days. Thanks
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.
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!
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.
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.
Oops! I forgot to click the rating.
Love it!!!!!
I loooooove this one! I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and it tasted like a creamsicle!