Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie

This Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie Recipe is easy, creamy, and delicious. An Orange Julius is made in the blender in less than 5 minutes and is the perfect summer dessert.

What is even better is that this smoothie is made with only six ingredients (two of which are ice and water) and makes a great treat after a long day in the sun.

Last week while visiting my Grandma's house she pulled out all of her cook books for me to look over. Then I found an old, "Favorite Haymond Recipes" booklet, (Haymond is my Grandma's maiden name).

Right there, on the first page, next to my great grandma's dinner roll recipe was "Maryan's Orange Julius." It was sweet to know that generations of my ancestors have enjoyed these Orange Julius Copycat Smoothies since before I was born. This recipe truly does stand the test of time.

So many memories of summers past came rushing to me. I grew up visiting my sweet Grandma in Montana for a few weeks each summer. This very recipe was my favorite dessert she would make.

I always thought Orange Julius Copycat Smoothies were our special treat. Something she would make just for me. It was funny to find out years later that all of my cousins thought the same thing! 🙂

Jump to:

• 🥫 Ingredients
• 🥣 Step by Step Instructions
• 💭 Top Tips
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Make it Your Own
• 📖 Recipe

🥫 Ingredients

With so few ingredients it really doesn't get much simpler than this delicious frozen treat. With a handful of ingredients and 5 minutes you are well on your way to tropical drink paradise!

• Orange Juice Concentrate: This recipe calls for a 16 ounces of orange juice concentrate. Just make sure this is frozen before using (otherwise your Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie will be too watery).
• Granulated Sugar: White sugar is the best to use in this recipe. Keep things simple. Sugar substitutions (such as stevia or organic options) would likely work, but I haven't tested them.
• Vanilla: Orange Julius' have a simple homemade flavor but are so tempting. Vanilla is the key component in this. Artificial vanilla will definitely get the job done if you are not picky ... but if you are ... and I am ... the flavor pay off of real vanilla is worth every cent.
• Milk: Let's not pretend to think skim milk tastes as good as whole. For the creamiest and best tasting Orange Julius, don't skimp on the milk fat.
• Ice: As for the amount of ice used will determine the thickness of your Orange Julius. I actually use double the amount of ice that my grandma recommends. I like my Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie to be thick, more like a shake, so this recipe calls for a bit more ice than you may see in other recipes.
• Water: Nothing much to say here...

🥣 Step by Step Instructions

The instructions for Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie are just as simple as the ingredient list. This recipe really is as fool proof as they come. Which does make this the perfect recipe to let any young kiddos or future chefs help out with.

First you will want to add your ingredients into a blender. We use a Blendtec and absolutely love it! Blend everything together on high until contents are perfectly smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy! SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOOOOOOD!!!!

💭 Top Tips

We love enjoying this sweet and creamy smoothie anytime of the year! In fact we enjoy smoothies 4 or 5 days out of the week. We break out our favorite smoothie recipes not just for breakfast or brunch but also for a mid afternoon snack or light lunch!

So if you want to mix things up a bit and add a new drink to the menu give some of our other favorite smoothies like Blueberry Banana, Watermelon Chia, the BEST Green smoothie or our Cold Buster tropical smoothie a try!

👩🏻‍🍳 Make it Your Own

Or if wanting that classic Orange Julius drink but are stilll looking to change things up a bit, have no fear. For a creamier Orange Julius Copycat Smoothie you could opt for another cup of milk instead of using the called for cup of water.

Or it is also fun to switch up the concentrate flavor. And instead of using orange juice concentrate try another favorite flavor. Any other juice concentrate would work well with this recipe.

📖 Recipe