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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.
A good standby
This was just “okay”. I felt like it was missing something though…..
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!
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.
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.
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!!
I love the citrusy flavor of this one.
Yum!
My absolute fav recipe to date! I will be making this one over and over again! Keep up the good work! 🙂
I love this one! I added vanilla protein powder and it tasted like a dreamcicle! This one was definitely tasty!!
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!!
This Smoothie makes me feel like I’m on the beach relaxing. It sooo good I made another one.
Very refreshing!
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
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!
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.
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.
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
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 !!!
Another great smoothie by SGS! Love it!