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 cookbooks for me to look over. 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' since before I was born. This recipe truly does stand the test of time.

So many memories of summers past came flooding 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 it was 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! 🙂

Orange Julius Smoothie Ingredients

Granulated Sugar: White sugar is the best to use in this recipe. Keep things simple. Sugar substitutions (such as stevia or organic varieties) would likely work well, but I have not tested them.

Orange Juice Concentrate: This recipe calls for a 16 ounce tube/container of orange juice concentrate. Make sure this is frozen before using (otherwise your Orange Julius will be too watery). It is also fun to switch up the concentrate flavor. Any other juice concentrate works really well with this recipe.

Vanilla: Orange Julius' have a simple homemade flavor that is uncomplicated but so, so tempting. Vanilla is a 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 with skim. I usually don't have whole milk on hand, however, and can confidently say that 2% milk makes a great Orange Julius.

Ice: The amount of ice you use in this recipe 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 to be thick, more like a shake, so this recipe calls for a bit more ice than usual.

Water: Nothing much to say here...for a creamier Orange Julius you could opt for another cup of milk instead of a cup of water. I've tried this and the orange flavors do seem to take a bit of a hit though.

The makings of an Orange Julius

The instructions are so, so simple.

Put all of your ingredients into a blender. I use our Blendtec and love it! Blend on high until smooth.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOOOOOOD!!!! And if you want to ever mix things up a bit definitely give our other summertime favorite smoothie a try, Watermelon Chia Smoothie!

Planning Dinner This Week?

We've totally got you covered. Check out some of our favorite easy dinner go-tos like Dallin's One Pot Beef Stroganoff, Honey Garlic Meatballs, Chicken Crescent Roll Ups, or Sweet and Spicy Chili.

We Have a Family Vlog!

Did you know we have a family vlog? It is actually our beginnings. Before we ever took a step in the kitchen with you and shared our first recipe, we shared our family through videos.

And it grew and grew. As we would cook a meal or try a new recipe countless people would reach out and ask for recipe after recipe. And eventually The Dashley's Kitchen was born!

Through this journey we have been blessed with many opportunities and made countless friends and loved ones all over the world. In one of my favorite vlogs we planned an at home Disney World - Magic Kingdom surprise. You can visit us on YouTube and check it out here.