Homemade Orange Julius
- April 26, 2009
- Drinks, Drinks, Recipes
- 26 comments
An Orange Julius is a frothy cold orange juice drink that tastes kind of like a creamsicle, except much lighter and much better. The company that makes them – also named Orange Julius – has been making these drinks since 1926. I remember getting so excited when I was a little kid and saw an Orange Julius stand. Absolutely nothing was more refreshing on a hot day. These days, O.J. is owned by Dairy Queen and, for whatever reason, there really aren’t any in my area anymore. So when I want one, I make up a batch at home using fresh orange juice.
The first time I made an Orange Julius at home was four years ago, almost to the day. At the time, I used a recipe from a Top Secret Recipes book, but I ended up tweaking it just a bit over time to get the exact consistency I want. The changes are very minor because the recipe is very simple: orange juice, water, sugar, egg white, vanilla and ice. Fresh orange juice is the key to getting the best flavor possible, so use it if you can. The egg is the key to the drink’s consistency. I still use a whole egg white in mine, but any pasturised egg white product will give you the frothiness that makes the drink unique.
Homemade Orange Julius
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice
3/4 cup water
1 large egg white (pasturised substitute is fine; 3 tbsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups ice
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed 45-60 seconds, until mixture is very smooth and frothy. Use slightly less ice for a thinner consistency; use slightly more for a thicker shake-like consistency.
Serves 4, makes about 36oz.
26 Comments
Yummy! Making stuff w/ egg products that you don’t cook usually kind of freaks me out. Wonder how this would turn out if you used meringue powder?
Love it! I was just searching for a recipe for this yesterday, this one is perfect. Thanks!
Now that looks good!
You can use Egg Beaters. They are pasteurized.
I clicked on this link so fast I almost sprained my finger! I love Orange Julius. And his cousin, the Strawberry Julius:)
I LOVE Orange Julius but haven’t had one in years! This recipe is worth digging out the blender. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
When I was broke and in college we’d make our own Orange Julius mixing orange juice with some vanilla pudding mix (the cook & serve, not the instant stuff). It tasted pretty close. But I never really liked them much – real or fake – I just made them for my boyfriend.
What a great idea. I used to love Orange Julius when I was a kid and haven’t even seen one in years. Can’t wait to introduce this childhood favorite to my daughter.
I’m so excited that you posted this!! I love Orange Juliuses. Sooo good and refreshing. Frothy and delicious! I can’t wait to try out this recipe.
This looks amazing!
That looks yummi…
I will try this soon: Especially the vanilla inside will be fantastic..
I seem to remember, from my long-distant youth, some mysterious powder that was added to the Orange Julius; this was the one in Times Square, mostly. Was that powdered egg white, do you think?
Also (and remember, this is when we rode dinosaurs up Broadway rather than busses), I vaguely recall that the entire orange was used, peel and all.
I have made the Strawberry Julius, replacing the OJ with 1 1/2 cups of strawberries.
With this recipe you just made my day!
Hey I just made it with meringue powder, and it was great! I added a little milk too. Thanks so much! And it only cost me about 3 dollars.
This is a wonderful recipe site! I love Orange Julius and have been looking for a good recipe to make my own for years. Thanks so much.
PS Love the tips from the other comments.
Oooh…I had very fond memories of Orange Julius during my childhood! Thanks for the recipe – will definitely give this a try!
Thanks for the recipe – will definitely give this a try and if it works, will share my experience as well.
actually it’s quite nice
This is a great recipe!!! I used powdered sugar instead of granulated and it was so delicious.
I think I will try egg replacer and see how this goes. Yum.
In our version, we use Fluff to get the egg white/vanilla flavor. We use the recipe on their website but use a bit more Fluff for a stronger flavor. Our favorite combo is pineapple juice and Fluff.
This is the best of all the recipes online. Too bad the egg has such a bad rap as seen by the many comments.
this is delicious and nutritious. Just made it today and my family loves it.
I had never had one but my mother had always talked about it and I was in the mood for a sweet desert and this recipe is just Delicious so I can confirm to my friends now that when their parents talk about an orange Julius I can vouch for the fact that is amazing…(: