Copycat Orange Julius Smoothie

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/5/23
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 2 mins
Serving: 1 serving

People love the delicious smoothies from the Orange Julius in the mall, but they are not cheap and they are packed with calories. You can easily make this copycat of their original smoothie at home. It is made with only four ingredients and it gets its sweetness from the frozen banana. This smoothie has far fewer calories and tastes so fresh and delicious. Also, you know exactly what has gone into this smoothie so you can feel good about eating it on the regular. It has a delicious tropical smoothie flavor that can be enjoyed any time of the year.

This recipe makes one smoothie, but you can easily double it if you are making the smoothie for two. You can also add other fruits and a little more juice to make different flavors like strawberry banana or orange mango. You can experiment with using different juices like mango, pineapple, or another whole fruit juice. Try substituting coconut milk for the whole milk for a truly tropical fruit smoothie. 

Orange julius

The Spruce

"This was super easy to make, and a healthy smoothie option. It had some tanginess from the orange juice with the natural sweetness from the banana. I tasted more banana than orange, and next time I'll try the variation with ice and honey or a sugar substitute instead of banana. It's a very adaptable recipe." —Diana Rattray

Copycat Orange Julius Smoothie Recipe Test
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 large frozen banana

  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 1/4 cup whole milk

  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 slice orange, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Ingredients for Copycat Orange Julius smoothie
    The Spruce

  2. Place the banana, orange juice, milk, and vanilla in a blender. Blend the ingredients until it is smooth using the highest or smoothie setting.

    Place ingredients in a blender
    The Spruce

  3. Pour into cups.

    Pour into cups
    The Spruce 

  4. Garnish with an orange slice if you wish.

    Copycat Orange Julius
    The Spruce

  5. This smoothie is best served immediately and while it is still cold.

Tips

  • You can vary the amount of milk and orange juice to make the smoothie thicker or thinner. Add more liquid to thin it and less to make it thicker.
  • To get the most banana flavor and sweetness, allow your bananas to ripen until they have lots of dark spots and are even turning dark brown in patches. Peel the bananas and place them in a freezer bag in your freezer. If you want less sweetness and less banana flavor, freeze bananas when they are just ripe, without any green but before they develop brown spots. You can make this smoothie with an unfrozen banana but it won't be as cold.

Recipe Variations

  • You can substitute yogurt, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, or low-fat milk for the whole milk. This can turn the recipe into one that is dairy-free.
  • If you don't like the banana flavor or you don't have bananas handy, you can replace it with a cup of ice and 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey. The orange juice provides a little sweetness, but it won't taste as sweet without the banana unless you add some sweetener.
  • If you want to pack some protein into this smoothie, you can also substitute 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or strained yogurt for the whole milk. You can also add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the original ingredients. A protein smoothie is the ultimate morning power drink.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
253 Calories
3g Fat
56g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 253
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 30mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 20%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 37g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 115mg 574%
Calcium 104mg 8%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 969mg 21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)