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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.
This on is a my fave. I can’t drink regualar orange juice but I can eat oranges. this one was refreshing and yummy!! I felt the vitamin C going in my body LOL
It’s like sunshine in a glass, right Dr. Aja?! Yum!
I love a good orange julius but I never thought to make it into a green smoothie. I added kale as my green and I did not regret it. I am a big kale fan.
It was very good. I substituted kale for spinach, as well as added some pineapple and collagen to it 🙂
Must be my oranges but wasn’t my favorite – will try again with next purchase of oranges.
Def give it another blend and let us know Nancy!
Fruity and creamy! I added collagen.
I love this recipe! Smooth and creamy!!
I really liked the flavor. The oranges were great in it. Will definitely make this one again.
I totally enjoyed the oranges in the smoothie!
I love the regular orange Julius you buy, but now I have a knock off to make at home that’s healthier!! Love the creaminess & with the added oranges & pulp I find it extra filling
Yes Clareen! And we totally recommend taking it to go in a mason jar with a straw, so you can still stroll around the mall with it – just like the store-bought version. 🙂
The combination is smooth and delicious. The milk reduces the acidity, too. Great for To-Go.
Admittedly creamy citrus has never been my thing. I was pleasantly surprised. Next time would use water
This smoothie tasted good, but was very thick. my oranges were not real large. I probably should have used three oranges. I try to follow the recipes exact, since I am new to making smoothies. I am happy to be learning!!!
The liquid from the oranges does make up part of the liquid in this smoothie recipe. So you’re def right, Linda. Larger or additional oranges will do the trick.
I loved my modified version of this recipe. Instead of almond milk, I soaked a few nuts overnight in some water and soaked the peeled oranges and the zest of one of the oranges in 1/4 of water, also overnight. In addition to the listed ingredients, I added a heaping tsp of matcha, 1 tsp of real vanilla extract. Then made it a breakfast smoothie by including 1/4 oats, 1 tbsp coconut oil, and a mixture of ground flaxseed and chia seeds. It did originally come out quite thick so I carefully added some extra water to thin it out. Overall a great smoothie that I would make again. Would just possibly start with a bit more water and reduce the amount of zest.
Such a fun modification, Alyssa! Love your creativity here.
I really liked this one. So yummy! It was thicker than I expected, I’ll probably add some water next time but still really good.
Not my favorite. Too thick and not cold enough. I liked the suggestions of adding ice and adding vanilla. Might have been better.
Loved it!
This was so Yummy and so simple!
This smoothie was very refreshing. I added a couple of ice cubes to make it colder, since I wasn’t using any frozen fruit.
This one turned out too thick for me. I added a bunch of water to thin to my liking, and ended up with triple the amount of smoothie. The extra water seemed to diminish the flavour. I think I’d like to try this with coconut water instead of (or in addition to) almond milk.
Very good. Nice orange flavor.