How To Make an Awesome Orange Julius

Add orange juice concentrate in chunks, it will allow the blender to chew through it smoothly instead of creating a volcano out the top (not that we would know anything about that).

I've never been big on traditional after-school and post-work snacks. They're tasty, but I'm more of a beverage person. It's a little known fact that the world will literally fall off its axis if you're found without a tasty drink in your hand, so that's why I'm convinced that an Orange Julius is the ultimate "kick your feet up and recharge" drink!

This makes one drink.

What You Need

Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
One 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup sugar (or sugar substitutes, check package for equivalence)
15 ice cubes

Equipment
Blender
Soup spoon
Glasses

Instructions

1. Combine Milk & Vanilla: Place milk and vanilla in blender. Pulse until combined.

2. Add Frozen Concentrate: Although it's easy to toss in the entire can at once, try using a spoon to scoop it out in sections. Add 2 ounces (approximately) each time and it will help keep everything in the blender without any risk of things sloshing out the top. If you're not worried about such things, then bombs away! Drop the whole thing right in.

3. Add Sugar & Ice Cubes: Blend until cubes are crushed and mixture has thickened. Adding five at a time can help control the mixture to make it the perfect nostalgic texture, though 15 is our own perfect number. If things end up a little thick, just add a tablespoon of water and mix once again.

4. Pour & Enjoy: Serve with a straw and sip your way into blissful happiness (also known as a fruit and sugar coma). You'll be ready to take on the rest of your evening and tackle all that the world has to throw at you.

Additional Notes:
• If you are out of fresh milk, you can substitute evaporated milk. Just dilute it 1:1 with water.
• If you don't have orange juice concentrate (or aren't into buying it), we do suggest freezing fresh orange juice into cubes or even in an 8x8 pan (and then break it into chunks). Without that added iciness, the overall texture of the drink will change dramatically and adding more ice in the end just doesn't work. You end up with a more soupy, less flavored version of the original.

More Smoothies & Milkshakes

• Mango Yogurt Smoothie
• Low Sugar, High Protein, Dairy Free Smoothie
• Green Tea Shake
• Frozen Banana-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Milkshakes
• Killer Strawberry Milkshake

Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!

(Images: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (21)

I used to make these a lot as a kid ... they are so good! Thanks for walk down memory lane.

This recipe looks really good, but wow, that's a lot of sugar! The recipe I use only calls for 1/4 c. of sugar. Also, you can add blueberries or strawberries.

1 cup of sugar for a single serving seems excessive...

Ditto about the sugar. I've made a similar recipe, but without adding *any* extra sugar.

The amount of sugar does seem high. For this recipe we did use white granulated sugar though usually we use sugar substitutes in our house to help balance that out a bit.

The amount of sugar needed is usually depended upon the type/brand/purity of the juice concentrate you use. So change it as you see fit, you can always add more, but can't take it out!

I like mine extra frothy. I use powdered sugar. Although I can't comment on how much to substitute in this recipe, it seems to contribute to the drink's famous foamy head. (Miss you in Mass OJ!)

That can't be right--one cup of milk, one cup of sugar???

Where is the raw egg?

That my friend is a boat-load of calories.

6oz of frozen orange juice concentrate = 336 calories

1 cup of sugar = 774 calories

1 cup 2% milk = 122 calories

Ummm, you may want to have a couple of candy bars (270 calories each) and a glass of milk instead (122 calories).

Must say I'm the biggest fan of Orange Julius and happy to see this recipe! For those worried about the sugar, you can reduce the sugar by 1/2 to 3/4 cups by substituting with agave nectar!

Also, this great spot in SF - Sidewalk Juice- adds/subs with mango puree, non-fat frozen yogurt and vanilla almond milk to their own rendition.

This can't be just one drink! The blender is practically overflowing, there's so much in it! Are you sure this recipe doesn't serve 3 or 4?

It would easily serve 4.

My recipe is:

4 c. orange juice
1/4 c granulated sugar (but I usually use less)
2 egg whites
spash of vanilla

Makes 2 very large servings, or 4 8 oz servings.

Christine B - When we made our own for the photo, we doubled all the ingredients (except the sugar) so there was enough for the people that were here. It can serve 4 if made that way, if you're looking for a larger drink, it will serve two.

you can add in an egg, too. and you don't need any sugar.. easy peasy!

I don't have the measurements, but one of my kids can't have eggs or dairy.... A good dose of pineapple can be used to substitute all that sugar too. The rice milk also emulates some of the egg taste too.

Frozen Pineapple (I keep mine in the freezer - no need for ice cubes!)
Rice Milk
Vanilla extract
Dash of Orange juice
Dash of Sugar

YUMMY!!!!

Agave nectar is sugar--not cane sugar, but it's high calorie and bad for your teeth just like sugar. It's not magical elixir. Sorry--this is a pet peeve. I've been a vegetarian forever and I'm always meeting people dumping a pound of honey (now agave) into something and are so thrilled that they're not using sugar. If you don't want to use refined sugar, mission accomplished. If you don't want to drink something that a sugar/calorie bomb, sorry, but agave and honey are not your friends.

In response to cmcinnyc's response:
Yes a pound of honey or agave is excessive and will be high in calorie and bad for your teeth! But agave and honey are not your friends? There were no claims for agave being magical elixir (though it can be used in elixir recipes) but raw agave is a low glycemic sweetener and is almost as sweet as high glycemic sugars. So, when using agave, not in pounds, it's a superb and very friendly substitute for those not wanting to spike your or your kids blood sugar levels.

Wow. I was hoping this would be a healthier alternative to the drinks I fondly remember from my childhood (but refuse to touch now, because oh my god). There are only 220 calories in an original 16oz Orange Julius!

I didn't even notice the cup of sugar until other commenters pointed it out.. I was hung up on the fact that it requires an entire can of juice. (Which is plenty sweet enough for me.)

We make orange julius at home all the time and have never added sugar! I use the same recipe my Aunt taught me when I was little and it's my kids' favorite drink too...

We just blend:
2 cups orange juice concentrate
1 banana
1 cup water
1 cup milk (add a little more or less depending on how string you like it)
10 ice cubes
1 tsp vanilla
dash of nutmeg

I made an account just to comment on this. I just made this and it's amazing!! Thank you for the recipe!!