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We have made this Copycat Orange Julius Recipe since we were kids. It is a refreshing citrusy drink, perfect for a warm summer day!
Featured with this recipe
Homemade Orange Julius drinks are full of orange zest and flavor! It is the best way to cool down, refresh, and feel vibrant again. You can use fresh orange juice, frozen, or make it easier with a concentrate. This orange drink is a family favorite!
This drink is similar to an orange creamsicle with a twist! You will love the flavor combination as well as the health benefits oranges provide. Treat yourself to a classic drinks with only five ingredients!
Ingredients for Homemade Orange Julius
This favorite mall drink is always a classic to make. Simple ingredients that are always easy to have on hand. Create the best Orange Julius smoothie at home with these simple ingredients that make the original recipe. This is perfect for brunch, lunch, or an afternoon snack!
- Orange juice concentrate – This is the main ingredient that has all the flavor! Take this concentrate out of the freezer a little before blending to have it nice and slushy.
- Milk – This is the creamy taste that helps all the ingredients blend together. For a much lighter taste, you can use skim milk.
- Water – Just a little bit of water. You don’t want too much to ruin the flavor.
- Sugar – Sweetness is a MUST!
- Powdered sugar – A little hidden secret! Powdered sugar will thicken and still sweeten the smoothie.
- Vanilla – Just one teaspoon vanilla extract to help bring all the flavors together.
- Ice cubes – The trick is to add in one ice cube at a time. Grab your ice cube trays and get ready to crush this smoothie!
Some Suggested Variations
We love when our readers share their variations with us, then we can all try something new! One idea is to mix things up with this Orange Julius and make it a Lime Julius instead. One reader suggested this saying you can use lime juice concentrate instead of orange and omit the vanilla. Some other suggestions include using grape or cranberry frozen concentrate instead of orange. So many possibilities!
Another helpful reader suggested cutting down on the concentrate by replacing the bulk of the concentrate with 1 cup milk, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 orange peeled, and 1 Tablespoon of orange juice concentrate. Then you blend and mix with ice cubes until you reach your desired consistency.
Make it a Berry Orange Julius
For an added twist, try adding fresh strawberries, raspberries, and/or pineapple! You can also add frozen fruits. If you are using fresh, add them in during the first blend with the orange juice concentrate. If you are using frozen fruits, add them in with the ice during the second blend.
“So good! This is my husband’s favorite drink! He asks for it whenever he’s feeling ill as it’s his perfect “feel better” drink! But, of course, this comfort food drink is his favorite when he’s feeling awesome, too! 😀”
-Betsy
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is the other way around! DQ loved the drink so much, in 1987 they fully bought the drink and made it their own.
Well, there is actually two! First is the powdered sugar which we added in our recipe and the second is a raw egg. We did not use any egg whites in our recipe and later on, they did omit the egg ingredient after a few changes and made it into an egg white powder.
I wish we could say yes. Unfortunately, the smoothie is packed with more sugars that outweigh the vitamin C intake.
An orange julius has a texture like a smoothie but is a little too sweet compared to a smoothie. It is more like a dessert. It is frothy, lightly frozen, and tastes more like a creamsicle.
Storing an Orange Julius Drink
As much as I would love to have you make a batch ahead of time, this homemade Orange Julius smoothie drink is better to be made at the time. You can place the frozen drink in the fridge for a few minutes if needed but it will melt and lose its consistency otherwise.
Drink Up! Even More Beverages to Enjoy
Although the nostalgia of the Orange Julius copycat keeps us coming back for more, there are several other drinks to sip when you need a refreshing kick.
Orange Julius Copycat Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Blendtec Blender
Ingredients
- 6 ounces orange juice concentrate
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2-3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- about 10-11 ice cubes
Instructions
- In a blender, blend all ingredients except ice.
- Slowly add ice cubes one at a time until it reaches a "smoothie" consistency. Serve immediately.
I’d use ice cream instead of milk.
Super refreshing and delicious! My whole family loves this drink!
My favorite reminds me going to the mall as a kid! Great recipe!
I love homemade orange julius. We used to make them when I was a teenager. This recipe is awesome and super easy to make!
So good! This is my husband’s favorite drink! He asks for it whenever he’s feeling ill as it’s his perfect “feel better” drink! But, of course, this comfort food drink is his favorite when he’s feeling awesome, too! 😀
I loved going to the mall to get these when I was young. I was on the hunt to find a drink I could make at home and this is it! It’s so delicious and even better!
I need to try this! I moved to the UK so I haven’t had an Orange Julius in years. Can’t wait to make it!
This is really close to the recipe my mom made for us growing up. And I agree, it’s better than the real thing.
Just made these for my kids now. We are moving & they are working so hard & helping so much! This was just the treat they needed. They are loving them!
The real Orange Julius used a tablespoon of Ice Cream mix you can now find. Before I found it I use the recipe but add a tablespoon of powered egg whites.
Love your blogs, but not sure how to print out a recipe. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work!
I lived in Long beach in the late 60″s and it was a favorite of mine. Back then you could get it with or without a egg in it. I loved the egg added. We still make in our house today. Hmm, I wonder if I could use the Margaretta maker for them
the Original Orange Julius was made with Fresh Orange Juice and it also had Malt powder in it , my mom use to work @ the one in Riverside Ca, when i was young. Always loved the drink.
sorry also sometimes people asked for a fresh egg in it too.
If this is for one serving, then I would have to say YE-OUCH! 729 calories
It should be enough for 2-4 servings..
I would so love to make these! We are living overseas and don’t have access to frozen OJ concentrate. Do you know if I can just substitute regular OJ?
It probably wouldn’t taste as good. You need the concentrate to get the rich flavor. You can sure try it though!
I used Tang, mixed in about 3 tbl. was great.
Wow…this recipe really takes me back! Headed to the kitchen to try this out as soon as I finish typing this comment! 🙂
Love your blog and your wonderful breadth of different types of recipes. Can’t wait to try a few…got them bookmarked!!!
I make mine with no sugar added. I add about 1-2 tablespoons of orange frozen concentrate orange juice, strawberries, milk, banana, optional egg whites, and you don’t need any sugar. Great Recipes, love your website. Thank-you I have tried several so far and they are all very good!
This is so close to the recipe we always used too! One of my favorite things is to switch out the orange concentrate for lemon concentrate – just as good and sometimes tastier! And I agree, I once had an Orange Julius orange julius and thought it was so disgusting! I need to be careful what I say, though, because my bishop owns all the Dairy Queens in this area. 🙂
We make this all the time now! Thank you! It is delicious!!! 🙂
This is also delicious with Grape or Cranberry frozen concentrate!
I've never been a huge fan of julius with so much concentrate. Try using 1 C milk, 1/3 C Sugar, 1 orange peeled, and 1 T of OJ concentrate. Blend, then mix ice cubes in until it's the consistency you want it. So yummy!
Great idea! The large amount of concentrate bothered me as well, though I LOVE the traditional recipe. I too made it al the time when I was little. I’m anxious to try it with the orange!
this is almost exactly how we made them growing up. delicious! i also like doing lime julius (lime juice concentrate instead of orange and no vanilla).
Love your site! Clicked over to it from somewhere else — honestly can’t remember where, though. Oh well. Anyway, I’m sipping away on my Orange Julius as I’m typing this. Made it with rice milk, for a dairy-free version. Will be posting a link to your recipe from my blog. Thanks for sharing!
When I was growing up, my town didn’t have an Orange Julius, so it was always a huge treat to go to the big city and have one. That and Subway. Oh, how times have changed, huh?
I also have fond memories of having these when I was a little girl. My dad made them all the time!