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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.
Great tasting smoothie! Especially great for those who dislike eating their greens.
Thank you for your comment Jennifer!!
This was a citrus delight loved how refreshing it tasted, great way to get some extra vitamin c .
Yay love hearing that!!! Thank you for your comment!
This one is so easy! I used to love orange julius, and this brought back memories of being a kid at the mall:)
Ahh being a kid at the mall really was so great!!
Perfection for this wonderful day!
Yay!!!
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.
I really enjoyed this one!! I used oat milk and protein power. As usual it was easy to make.
Love those addition with this recipe. We love making your life nice and easy when it comes to making our smoothies! 🙂
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.
Hey Dawn,
The fresh oranges really sound like they will make a difference.
Cheers!
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!
We are so happy that you were pleasantly surprised by the combination.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
The added pear sounds so delicious!
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!
Good smoothie. Definitely has the orange flavor!
Orange Julis has always been a hit!
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!
This is a fave for sure. With a little splash of pure Mexican vanilla extract it was like heaven in a jar.
Loving this one for sure! A lot cheaper than a real one, way tastier and last but definitely not least way healthier too!!!
This one is so good! It may be green, but it really tastes like an orange Julius!
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!