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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.
Not my favorite. For some reason it had a bitter after taste.
Can’t say I ever remember having an Orange Julius before. I got a little too much spinach in and used a fresh very ripe banana. I prefer greener bananas most of the time and would probably do this one again with a green banana. The ripe bananas have too much of a banana taste for me. Also since I used a full banana I didn’t get much of the orange flavor. I added ice cubes to the blender since I used all fresh ingredients. I will try again with half a frozen less ripe banana in the duture. Might also try to add some cinnamon to help regulate the sugar too. All in all, I would make this again with a few tweaks.
As someone who did work at Orange Julius, if you really want it to taste more like the original, it needs a dash of vanilla extract!
I agree, Ana! I also love adding a pinch of cinnamon. It’s one of my husband’s favorite green smoothies! 🙂
One of my fav it’s delicious! And it’s kids approved.
I was very skeptical with only using a 1/4 almond milk, but it was the perfect amount. I used two clementines and add 5 leafs of fresh basil. I loved the basil in this smoothie. My only complaint is it only made about 12oz. But I enjoyed it all!
Oranges are something I love to eat but never think to put into my smoothie.
Great idea and supper good. Thanks.
❤️Love!
Praying YOUR rest and healing Today!!!
Orange Julius Smoothie
This and Peach Banana smoothie are my favorite so far. I think the orange gave this a nice refreshing taste. I could serve this at a brunch in a nice mason jar or glass with fancy straw. Keeper
Really like this one. Super yummy. I have never tasted an unhealthy one from a shop or anything, so I cannot compare. Anyway delicious. Will add some vanilla next time. I added some kale to mine too.
Very good
Who couldn’t love this delicious smoothie with a splash of vanilla
As a kid, I always loved going to Orange Julius in the mall. This smoothie reminds me of the original and tastes delicious. I could drink this every day.
I tweaked this one a bit but it turned out AMAZING. I used canned coconut milk instead of almond milk and two bananas to make it extra creamy. I also added vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon. This one is definitely going in my arsenal as a dessert option.
Orangy, creamy, delicious, refreshing . Thanks for suggestion of mtc oil, will do that tomoruw for my post run smoothie with protein powder
Nice orangey flavour, I did half kale, half spinach and think I may have needed to blend abit more(to impatient) but still good
So good! Love the orange and banana combo!
Really didn’t think I would like this one as much as the others since it didn’t include frozen fruit. WRONG – I love it!
I rated this one four instead of five stars today, but that may have been a result of my substitutions. I used kale instead of spinach and added cauliflower. I used all frozen ingredients, except the almond milk, which made this smoothie difficult to blend even after letting it all sit out for an hour, adding hot water and using the tamper. I had to take everything out of the blender and cut into smaller pieces, which helped. Next time I may try taking my smoothie pack out of the freezer the night before. Yeah for half-way through the ten day challenge!
This was my favorite smoothie of the challenge so far! So refreshing! Amazing that it tastes so similar to the mall Orange Julius but without any dairy!
Yes, Erin! I love that this one tastes like the mall favorite but without the guilt. It’s so good, my husband says he could drink this every day!
Vitamin C much needed during Spring time. Xtremely good smoothie. This is gonna be one of my go to smoothies.
Today I made this. Only had one orange so replaced the other orange with pineapple I didn’t realize I had. Added mint. Tastes good!
Those sound like really good substitutions! Mint + orange is a great combo. 🙂