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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.
- 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.
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 milk, cashew milk or oat milk. 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.
More Orange Smoothie Recipes
- Mango orange smoothie
- Superfood smoothie
- Ultimate orange smoothie
- Island green smoothie
- Orange cabbage smoothie
- Chia smoothie
- Kale smoothie
- Citrus kiwi smoothie
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
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 2 oranges
- ½ banana frozen
- 1 serving homemade protein powder 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 1/2 banana with 1/4 an avocado to lower the natural sugar.
- Add 1/2 tsp vanilla to make this even more reminiscent of the original Orange Julius.
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!
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.