Orange Julius Recipe
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This homemade Orange Julius recipe is the perfect copy cat, made with just 5 ingredients in 5 minutes flat. Creamy, refreshing, and deliciously frothy, it’s a refreshing treat all year round!
If you love orange flavored desserts, be sure to also check out our Orange Cake, Orange Glazed Cookies, and Orange Floats!
Mom’s Orange Julius Recipe
Table of Contents
When I was a little kid, I thought my mom invented Orange Julius. I had no idea there was a chain of stores with the same name, with hundreds of locations across the U.S.
For all I knew, my mom had come up with this dreamy orange concoction all on her own, and for that, she was a genius.
I remember sipping on Orange Julius as a special after school snack or weekend treat. Sweet, creamy, and a little tangy, there was nothing better than gulping down the orange drink and licking the frothy foam off my upper lip. To this day, sipping an Orange Julius takes me right back to childhood.
It wasn’t until I was an adult that I first saw an Orange Julius store in person. At first, I thought that some ne’er-do-well had stolen my mom’s recipe and turned it into a popular franchise serving counterfeit creamy drinks to teenagers at the mall. Treachery!
Eventually, clearer thinking prevailed, and I realized Mom’s Orange Julius recipe was more likely a copy cat of the popular chain.
So, she may not hold the patent for the original Orange Julius recipe, but I still think Mom’s version is the best. Here’s why:
- No water– Many recipes call for a mix of water and milk, but our advice is to ditch the H20 and just use milk. Milk does a better job of suspending the flurry of little ice chunks and orange-y bits than water. More water makes for a thinner mix that will settle and separate the longer it sits in your glass (or in the pitcher).
- Double the vanilla– I am a self-admitted vanilla enthusiast, going as far as making my own vanilla syrup for vanilla iced coffee. Here, vanilla extract makes a perfectly balanced drink that gives big orange creamsicle vibes.
If you’re looking for a recipe for orange julius you can make at home, look no further! Serve this icy summer favorite to your family and friends with as much love as my mom used to, and they’ll be so impressed they might even think you invented the recipe.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Frozen orange juice concentrate– You’ll need 6 ounces, or half of a standard size can.
- Granulated sugar- You can use powdered sugar if you prefer, but I’ve never had an issue with granulated sugar being grainy or undissolved.
- Milk– I prefer to use whole or 2% milk, but you can substitute any unsweetened dairy-free milk of your choice. If you want max frothiness, I have the most success using oat milk. For a super creamy texture, substitute some of the milk with half and half.
- Vanilla– You must use real vanilla extract for this drink! If you only have imitation, just omit the vanilla.
- Ice cubes– This chills the drink and thickens it slightly. Depending on the size of your ice cubes, you might want more or less.
Note: The original Orange Julius recipe uses egg whites or egg white powder to create a frothy texture. I personally don’t find this necessary, and I also prefer not to mess with raw eggs in a drink I serve my kids.
I find the drink is plenty frothy after a whirl in the blender, but if you prefer, you can add 1 egg white to the blender or 1 Tablespoon of egg white powder.
How to Make Orange Julius
Step 1: Combine the orange juice concentrate, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high until smooth.
Step 2: Add the ice and blend again. The frothiness comes from plenty of blending, so let it run for a bit! Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
A Note on Texture
This comes down to personal preference, but I like my Orange Julius to be the texture of a thick smoothie. Still sippable through a straw, but slushy enough that if you try to gulp too much at once, it will brain-freeze the living daylights out of your head.
Use the Orange Julius recipe below as a starting point, and adjust the amount of ice cubes depending on your preferred texture, and how big your ice cubes are. Add more ice cubes if you want the julius to be a little thicker.
Flavor Variations
- Feel free to substitute lemon, lime, or pineapple concentrate, or try mixing two flavors to create your own favorite combination!
- Frozen banana, strawberries, or mango can be added in place of some or all of the ice cubes to create different flavor combos. Strawberry orange julius is a favorite of ours!
- Another reviewer suggests using Cream of Coconut instead of milk.
- To make a boozy version, add four ounces of vodka.
More Refreshing Drinks to Try
- Homemade Lemon Shake Ups– This festival and fair copy cat recipe is so easy to make at home!
- Mint Iced Tea– If your garden is overflowing with mint, you have to try our sweet spearmint tea. It is the ultimate refreshment for a hot summer day.
- Peach Cherry Wine Slushies– If you need a boozy drink for porch sitting, this is the one!
- White Wine Sangria– Our favorite pitcher drink for summer parties.
- Pineapple and Banana Smoothies– Fresh mint takes these tropical smoothies to the next level.
Orange Julius Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (half a can )
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (see note)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine the orange juice concentrate, milk, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Add ice cubes (depending on the size of your ice cubes, you may want more or less. I suggest starting with 10 and adding more as needed). Blend again until ice cubes are crushed and the drink is smooth and creamy. Blending is what creates the froth, so don't be afraid to let it run for a bit! Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
This post was updated on July 5, 2019. I’ve kept the original story below for my own records, and because deleting it feels like ripping pages out of my own diary.
Full credit for this recipe goes to my amazing mom.
After all, she’s the one who sang Jesus Love Me, sat down on the floor to play Barbies with me, made clothes for my baby dolls and stitched together my first prom dress. She’s the one who made dinner each night and drove me to musical practice and made sure I looked presentable when I headed off to school (although some of those early 90s puffy sleeve dresses were questionable, Mom). She’s the one who read me stories at bedtime and kissed my scraped knees and showed me how to care–really care–for other people.
That’s the magic of moms, isn’t it? They are our super women, the daily heroes grinding out laundry and juggling a job and putting food on our dinner tables and still finding time to bring a smile to our face by playing a game of hide and go seek, or by serving up a special homemade treat. And through it all they manage to teach us some of life’s most important lessons.
I don’t care how old I get, my mom (the inventor of the original Orange Julius) will always be super woman.
BEST. DRINK. EVER.
This was absolutely delicious and I added a banana to it too. A big thank you!
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
I just want to say that everyone has a personal preference – make it your way – nobody cares how you need to adjust the ingredients. Ridiculous
I added 2 tsp orange extract to the recipe.
To those complaining that it doesn’t taste like a real orange Julius, ADD THE RAW EGG WHITE. That’s the differential. I promise you. I made mine with it and it darn near perfect exact! Although I added vodka to mine so not COMPLETELY exact; but it’s the most excellent adult version of the orange Julius. By the way, when you include the egg white, her recipe is literally the same ingredients as the real orange Julius until the FDA caused them to need to replace it with powdered egg whites
Can I make this with orange juice from a carton?
Unfortunately the flavor and texture won’t quite be the same with orange juice from a carton. The frozen orange juice helps give it a slushy texture and a concentrated flavor without getting too watery.
I would say that most people or anyone for that matter, don’t care to hear about your unnecessary negativity either. But yet here you are, doing the same thing that you are complaining about. If it’s too hard for you to tap the screen to skip to the recipe then you shouldn’t be on the internet.
I’m going to make this today and I’m looking forward to it as I grew up with Irange Julius in Los Angeles malls. I heard that they’re out of business but that Dairy Queen has their recipe!
Yes, I think you can still order Orange Julius at Dairy Queen. Hope you loved the recipe!
The Dairy Queen in Friendswood, Texas has the ‘Orange Julius’ advertisement on their cups but they said they haven’t made the beverage in a very long time. ? Wonder why they are still advertising for it?
Unfortunately DQ doesn’t have it anymore. Hopefully this taste jus like the OG
im allergic to oranges can i substitute it for cottage cheese
I had a late night pregnancy craving for an orange Julius! I didn’t have oj concentrate so I just used orange juice and doubled it to 12 oz, and cut back on the milk a bit. I used oat milk as well. It was so good!!! My mom worked at orange Julius when she was younger so when I was a kid she use to make them for us in the summer – she always used egg, but I didn’t miss it in this recipe.
Have you tried leaving out the ice cubes completely and after blending it, freezing it up a little in an ice cream maker? Was going to try that today. Just wondering if it actually needs the water for any reason.
It’ll be a very grainy ice cream. The water in the milk will crystalize and make it feel like sand in your mouth. Real ice cream is made with heavy cream for minimal water content.
Did you end up making this into ice cream? Interested to hear how it turned out!
This was so good! I think it was very similar to an Orange Julius. I found it to be slightly too orangey-tasting so I added a bit more milk. I liked it so much, I’m gonna make it again tomorrow!
This is not an orange Julius, not very close. It’s more like an orange creamsicle.
What is in the Orange Julius then?
Malted Milk Powder, Orange juice,Ice, that’s it, no milk, no egg,(ugh), no water or added sugar.warning, malted milk powder does contain gluten
The recipe listed here is literally their recipe but with the raw egg . They eventually replaced the raw egg white with powdered egg whites. But the rest of the recipe ingredients are the same . I made mine with the raw egg and I was amazed how right on the money it was!! It brought me back to childhood instantly! I was delighted! It was delicious!
Corey , make it with the raw egg. You’ll change your tune. That is quite literally the real recipe . That’s how I made mine and it’s spot on.
Just the white of the egg or the whole thing?
Just the egg whites!
Thanks for this recipe! I was in high school when my best friend told me he had the secret of Orange Julius. His recipe was very close to this one. The only difference was that it contained one whole raw egg. (The original commercial Orange Julius also had an egg, and you could request a second egg for a few cents more if you wanted even more velvety body. They cracked it in right in front of you.)
Later the health department cracked down the egg — no pun intended — so they had to take it out, though in reality commercial eggs are about as close to sterile as you can get. (And if your eggs come fresh from a chicken, they’re even safer. Just remember to wash off the dirty shell before cracking.) Anyway, if you want, crack an egg into the blender as well.
A few other upgrades I came up with back in the day: substitute some of the milk for half-and-half, or add a few spoons of yogurt. Both add body; the yogurt adds tartness. And a few drops of lime juice are good, too. Gives a more complex flavour.
Thanks again; although my best friend and I made these several times a month, I haven’t had one in 50 years. Googled my way in so I could revisit my youth.
No malted milk powder in the original:
a mixture of ice, orange juice, sweetener, milk, powdered egg whites and vanilla flavoring. ref Wikipedia
Courtney, you left out the egg in the ingredients list. You might want to correct that. Best wishe!!!
I just tried this recipe and I didn’t care for it. I followed the instructions word for word and it didn’t taste that good, it especially doesn’t taste like orange Julius
Funny you say that, I did this recipe today and it was too tart and orange forward. I had to reblend with more ice milk and sugar.
Hi Val- Thanks for the comment. I’m wondering if it’s possible you used the whole large can (12 oz) of orange concentrate? That might’ve made the drink too strong. I’ve clarified the ingredients to specify six ounces, which is usually half a can in most grocery store sizes.
Oddly enough, I thought this recipe was spectacular! Keep in mind that Orange Julius hasn’t been around in, yikes!, ages so please don’t let your memories of the original OJ cloud your tastebuds. 😉 My take is this: “It Tastes Good, and that’s Good Enough for me!” 🙂
By the way, I froze some of it. It freezes just fine.
Thanks for the information on the “Orange Julius” we used to make it with frozen concentrate. Recently I’ve (now a widowed bachelor) tried making the delicious drink for breakfast. The taste just isn’t quite right…maybe it’s the powdered egg whites-never thought of that one. Oh well, it’s a great tasting orange drink anyway.
The recipe on my computer screen makes no mention of egg. So if you followed the recipe verbatim, that might be why it wasn’t so great. Egg is a very tasty part of the drink.
Reminds me of going to the mall with my parents. As long as we were “good” we would get OJ at the end of the day. Obviously we were always good.
Orange julius is a powerful motivator! Love this parenting hack.
Living in Orlando Florida in the 70’s we had an Orange Julius stand at the mall, and a Chick-fil-A right there too. I would always get one of each. They were so delicious I couldn’t resist. We also made Orange Julius at home, and the one ingredient that was indispensable was Cream of Coconut. The liquor stores all carry it. That is the secret ingredient that everyone fails to include. It’s not vanilla.
Oj, Cream of Coconut, and ice. That’s it. Fire up that blender! Also makes great cocktails with rum in particular.
Oh I LOVE the idea of turning this into a cocktail. We’ll have to give that a try!
John, do I understand correctly that your Orange Julius recipe uses Cream of Coconut INSTEAD OF Milk and that you omit the use of vanilla ? Please clarify, thanks !
Joe
Wow! Hope this doesn’t sound too weird, but you two are normal looking people! Not set up to look like flawless models!
Thank you for the recipe. My husband was reminiscing about these the other day. Somehow I completely missed out on the rage, so will be trying them for the first time!
I did make this. I took out the concentrate and replaced with Pure Orange Juice. I also used egg white(powdered), like the original Orange Julius Co. Recipe calls for. We made these in middle school food class and even had an Orange Julius Rep there to show us all how to make em. A supurbly delicious throwback to the 90s.
I’ve made this several times and my husband loves it. However the vanilla extract has always been too strong to me, so I’ve decreased it each time. It wasn’t until today that I removed the vanilla extract and I finally LOVE this recipe. I guess I’m not a fan of vanilla extract 😅
That’s good to know! Glad you found a recipe you really adore! Thanks for coming back to let us know.
Took me longer to scroll through the fluff to find the ingredients than it did to search it. I won’t say no one, but most people don’t care about your history. Just post the ingredients if people are still interested they’ll stay if not they can get the needed information and go.
You have the option of clicking on the ‘jump to recipe’ link at the top of the post if you aren’t interested in reading further. It’s not compulsory. There really isn’t any reason to be unkind to people – on their own website.
Your comment is very rude. Unnecessary. This is the author’s food blog. That’s the purpose. You hold the power to scroll on or click away. You don’t hold the entitlement to admonish or ridicule.
Made it, love it
My mother blended orange juice and buttermilk. I was amazed. OJ is sweet, buttermilk is the creaminess and both are cold, they froth when mixed together.
I had to use more milk than the recipe calls to get them to be okay. Not very good overall compared to the real thing.
This is the favorite of all my beverage recipes. Perfect refreshment for a blazing hot summer day in Texas. So glad you shared it with us. I am always tickled to read your comments! “Try to shotgun the stuff though, and it’s gonna make you feel like Princess Elsa is blasting her ice castle freeze ray inside your noggin.” That one made me laugh so hard!
I remember the little walk-up shop in NYC near the corner of 3rd Ave and St. Mark’s Place in the mid-1960s where I had quite a few of these. Back then we watched the man break an egg into the blender and squeeze fresh oranges into it. There was a white powder as well, perhaps the vanilla. If memory serves, NYC ordered the chain to stop using fresh eggs, and the flavor went downhill from there along with the business. I make my own now with eggs, OJ and vanilla yogurt as a base, adding a banana and/or spinach for health and variety. Sometimes fresh strawberries as well.
Love Orange Juliuses!!! The only thing I’d change is using POWDERED SUGAR vs just granulated sugar (which I really only assume from how the recipe is written). I’m not sure why but there’s definitely a taste difference there. Made these back in grade school home ec and I can just never remember the ratios of ingredients. Thanks for sharing 🙂
The Place by me that was making them stopped making them and I have to tell you I’m extremely upset and have been craving an orange Julias for a month! I don’t know why I haven’t googled a recipe before now but thank you so much I’m going to make it when we get home from grocery shopping
I added a frozen banana and spinach! SO GOOD!
Was doing a small mind trip down memory lane, about Orange Julius roadside stands when I was young and, just happened upon this site when searching.
Love your story (and site) and will look no further to make something from my past. I’m 82 years old now and have many wonderful memories of old fashioned road side eateries. :O)
I just made some using your recipe. Fresh oranges that I peeled a few days ago and placed in the refrigerator. It came out great!!! Will make some more this week as a treat.
There are several Orange Julius recipes on the internet, but I chose yours, because I love the story you shared with it!! LOL it was a good read.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
epicness
If you blend it long enough, this definitely creates plenty of froth. Very yummy. I did use bottled orange juice, and found it less sweet, but some fresh squeezed oranges juice would probably be just the ticket for those not wanting to use concentrate, but wanting it plenty sweet. 😉
I’ve had as many Julius as anyone and every time the concoction was made it was made with a powered substance. I happened to ask the proprietor what the mysterious substance was. He said it was powered egg whites. BTW…the oranges were all fresh squeezed.
You are absolutely right this is the one to join us I tasted when I was 12 or 13 at Crossroads mall and I’m now fixing to be 58 so that tells you how long it’s been since I’ve had a real one thank you so much for your mom’s recipe and thank her too .Aren’t mom’s GREAT!!!!!!
I just made this and added a handful of frozen pineapple chi CJ’s and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and it is delicious, thank you for the recipe.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Ohhhhh this MUST be the original. It tastes so much better than the Corporate version! I’m sure that is why there aren’t many or even any Orange Julius stands left! Thanks for sharing!
I just made these and subbed in half a cup of milk for half a cup of strawberries and cream Baileys. Amazing
Trying this immediately. Thanks for sharing!
I used Vanilla Extract and it was still delicious. 😁 Remember those hot summer days. The perfect summer drink.
My father used to make his version when I was much younger. He used regular orange juice, some vanilla egg whites and some ice in the blender. Probably a little sugar too. He would blend it and always said it was the egg whites that made them frothy. Now that pasteurized egg whites are available, I make them this way. Some friends add vodka too. My father would never have added vodka as it was for the family.
You forgot the egg! You can’t get the right amount of frothiness without an egg.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I love Orange Julius. It also brings back a lot of great memories, which is always a good thing. Do you happen to have a recipe for the strawberry julius. I also remember that if you ask them, Orange Julius would put an egg in the mix. I don’t know what difference it actually made in the drink, I just thought that I was getting something special. Oh, the memories. Thank you so much.
You know what? I’ve actually never had a Strawberry Julius! That sounds delicious though. I might have to see if I can find a recipe. I know some recipes might have used egg whites for extra foaminess, but I think this creamy, foamy version is just perfect. I hope you love it too!
This Orange Julius recipe is very good. I want some right now. And I can have that very easily with this simple recipe! Very delicious!
Courtney, thank you for your kind words…I feel very undeserving but I do appreciate them.
I have great memories of those Orange Julius moments too.
You are becoming a super woman. You will make a great mom. Love you, Mom.
I. Have never. Known. Omgosh I don’t know why I never bothered looking up a recipe for Orange Julius, but my mom introduced me to it when I was young and I absolutely fell in love. This is such a perfect Mother’s Day post; you are one lucky pair! Thank you for sharing this <3
I remember Orange Julius too and now having the recipe will make it so easy to try again
It sounds like these orange julius’s are like a comfort food to you! It wraps up everything mom is in one beverage. No wonder OJ stole her idea. 🙂
I’ve never had an Orange Julius, but it looks like such a refreshing summer drink!
Where did you grow up, woman?! You didn’t see your first Orange Julius until you were an adult?! I like to think that your mom would drive you on certain routes to avoid all the OJs just so that you could continue believing she invented it 😉 What a lovely story. Even though she didn’t invent Orange Julius, her version is a thousand times better than the stuff they sell. I haven’t had one in over a decade because of all the artificial sweeteners they put in. I love this wonderful tribute to your amazing mom, Courtney.
That’s a funny story, Courtney. I would have loved to have seen your face when you saw the first Orange Julius shop. 🙂 Your version sure looks refreshing!
Ok, I LOVE that you thought your mom invented Orange Julius! That is totally something I would have thought when I was little. It’s funny how there are certain things that just never taste quite the same when I make them. My mom makes the best egg sandwich and I just can never get it quite right 😉
I have such fond memories of Orange Julius! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making them soon! Pinned 😉
Renee – Kudos Kitchen
Wow! Scrumptious Orange Julius packed with memories and deliciousness….Your mom sounds like super-mom…You are truly blessed, Courtney <3
I love Orange Julius and I remember making them in cooking class in 7th grade! Love that you thought someone stole your Mom’s recipe, so sweet!
Moms recipe sounds perfectly wonderful! Happy Mothers Day!!
Mom’s recipes are always so hard to replicate, but it looks like you did a great job!
awh, your mom is amazing and so sweet!!! love this post! Orange Julius brings back so many memories!! 🙂 LOVE this!
What a great recipe and photos, orange julius is one of my favs too!!
I used to make these all the time when I was a kid! I’m so glad you reminded me of them, I can’t wait to make one as an adult!
Moms are definitely magical. This looks absolutely amazing and I can not wait to try it.
I’ve heard about these for years and have never had one. It looks so refreshing and easy to make. Pinning!
It is ridiculously easy! Hope you enjoy them!
I grew up with this stuff! Never knew it was so simple
It’s so simple! and just as tasty as an adult.
Yum! I never knew how easy it was, my mom just took me to the mall *laugh*
Orange julius was my mother’s favorite drink and she occasionally made them at home, but she used o.j. and a pack of vanilla. I like your mom’s recipe better. It doesn’t have as much sugar.
I love your Orange julus story! It sounds like your mom is a great lady!
Haha, her “skillz”, I love it. This looks so easy! I used to love an Orange Julius, back in the day.
LOL, Your story reminded me when I was a kid I thought my mom invented A/C she put ice in front of a fan LOL Great recipe!!!
HAHA! That is GREAT!
okay you convinced me. I actually never tried one because I didn’t think orange and milk worked well together. But hey what about all those orange creamsicles I had every summer as a kid. I am going to give this one a try. Your photos are beckoning me to try it.
I know it sounds really weird, but it does taste a lot like an orange creamsicle!
This looks so good! What a great idea for a Mother’s Day Brunch. Your mom sounds amazing… I hope one day my kids will say the same about me.
I am sure they will Isabel! I hope you have a fabulous Mother’s Day!
Wow! I love your Orange Julius! I used to drink them all of the time at the mall!
Aw, what a sweet mom!!! Your orange Julius looks PERFECT!!!
This looks so so good! Mom’s are always the best though ;).
You just brought me back to my youth!