How would you like to make the Orange Julius we love from our neighborhood Dairy Queen restaurants? This delightful, creamy drink is a frothy smoothie that can be made with a few ingredients. And best of all, it tastes just like the real thing. Yes, this copycat recipe will taste like the original Orange Julius.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Homemade Orange Julius
Years ago, you could only get this drink from an Orange Julius stand or an Orange Julius store located in your favorite food court or mall. But after Dairy Queen bought the rights to this much-loved chain, DQ is where you need to get one of their delicious fruit smoothies.
We now have the secret ingredients to this orange drink recipe (thanks to Dave Oberg), and you can enjoy it in minutes. There are only a few simple ingredients, making this a refreshing treat you can enjoy anytime.
Why this copycat Orange Julius recipe works
This recipe works very well because it mimics the flavor you have always known. The orange juice concentrate gives you lots of flavors, and it is better to use than orange juice because regular orange juice is watered down.
To make things easy, you can watch a video on how to make this special orange Julius smoothie.
Perfect for summer
Although this is the perfect refreshing drink to make any time, it’s perfect in the heat of summer. It’s a fun, non-alcoholic beverage that your whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
You only need these simple ingredients to make a homemade Orange Julius:
- Frozen orange Juice concentrate (do not use fresh orange juice)
- Water
- Whole milk
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Ice
How to make an Orange Julius
Making this orange smoothie is so simple! Here’s what to do:
- Put all of the ingredients in a good blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour into glasses.
- Garnish with fresh orange slices if desired.
Recipe notes
If you already have premixed orange juice, use 1 2/3 cups instead of the concentrate and water.
If your ice cubes are from a tray, you may want to pre-crush them a bit. The ice blends better if it is not in large pieces.
The original orange beverage was made with raw egg whites, but I believe they stopped doing this because many people feel uncomfortable eating raw eggs. However, if you want to add raw eggs, you can get pasteurized eggs, which are safe to consume. My recipe does not contain eggs.
Recipe variations
Add frozen banana, mango, or pineapple to give this smoothie drink a tropical twist.
You can make it vegan and dairy-free by substituting the whole milk with almond milk, oat milk, or your favorite plant-based milk.
Orange Julius History
The very famous Orange Julius drink started as an orange juice stand in southern California in 1926. Orange groves were near Los Angeles, and Julius Freed created this sweet treat. Sales were very modest early on, so a friend came up with the idea of a drink mix that would make the acidic orange juice easier on the stomach.
Freed’s stand took up this new drink, which had a frothy, creamy texture, and sales took off. It became so popular that people began lining up at the store and shouting, “Give me an Orange, Julius!”
This acclaim led to the new drink being named Orange Julius. In 1987, the Orange Julius chain was incorporated into Dairy Queen, where you are most likely to be able to drink an Orange Julius.
Some fun facts
The original stand also provided Bible tracts and medicinal tonics.
It became the official drink of the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
Between 1970 and the early 1980s, it used the image of a devil with a pitchfork inserted through an orange and the apt slogan, “A Devilish Good Drink.” This logo and slogan were later dropped because they were somewhat similar to that of Arizona State University’s mascot, Sparky.
Did the Orange Julius use raw eggs?
When the Orange Julius first came out, the recipe used raw eggs, but the recipe was changed over time, and the raw eggs were replaced with egg white powder.
Is the Orange Julius healthy?
A small Orange Julius may not be the healthiest option. If you buy one in a restaurant, a small one has about 300 calories and about 75 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to a soda. There is about a gram of fiber in a serving, but these are low in salt with only about 57 grams. These may not be the healthiest option, but they are a great treat to enjoy once in a while.
You can enjoy this orange creamsicle flavor whenever you have a craving. So don’t miss out on this fun drink, it is like a milkshake made with orange juice.
Favorite copycat drink recipes
- Strawberry Julius
- Red Robin Screaming Red Zombie
- Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino Recipe
- Starbucks Passion Fruit Iced Tea Lemonade
- Starbucks Iced Coconut Milk Mocha
- Starbucks White Chocolate Cocoa
- DIY Frosty
- Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard
- Chick Fil A Lemonade Milkshake
- Sonic Coconut Cream Pie Shake
Love oranges? Try these recipes
Be sure to take a look at these restaurant drink recipes and copycat desserts.
Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below and make sure you share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Homemade Orange Julius
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups ice
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a blender.
- Cover and blend until smooth.
Robert T Flansburgh
You forgot the egg whites:
1/4 cup Orange juice
1 cup Water
3 TBLSP Egg whites or egg substitute
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup Ice
Sam Abrams
Thanks Robert, Im an egg girl
rawthang
When I was a little kid, my mother found a copycat version that used the Cooking version of Vanilla Pudding mix (NOT INSTANT) and it made a delicious version. It was just the Juice, Pudding and ice. It has been years but I loved it and thought it was close as a kid.
Lena
It must be Orange juice concentrate? is there any other way to?
like squeeze orange or something like that?
Jordyn
Cut up oranges without the skins
Judy Slusser
It gives the measuremnt to use juice!
Jan
Can’t believe all the people saying it doesn’t taste like an Orange Julius. I completely disagree and I’ve had them before! It is delicious!
Jo
Thanks for sharing the Orange Julius recipe! I had this recipe ( or a similar one) and lost it several years ago. I’m having my small group from church over for a Christmas brunch next week and will be serving Quiche Lorraine. I wanted to serve Orange Julius and your recipe has made it possible. Your recipe sounds very similar to the recipe I have lost. It’s delicious and you are a doll for sharing good recipes. Merry Christmas!
Twix
When I made this it wasn’t exact but really if I wanted something exact I should’ve just went to the real place
Jason
Why does Stephanie only reply to the comments that say how amazing this is??
Stephanie
I haven’t gotten to all of the comments. But I will. Thank you for the reminder, I should answer all comments.
Matt
“One thing is for certain you don’t need to look for the Orange Julius recipe anymore”. If you are going to put something like this in your narrative, the recipe should at least be close. That isn’t the case here.
Stephanie
Matt I am very sorry you didn’t like my recipe.
Jeanie Lowe
Well then dont use it…Thank you Stephaine it was GREAT LOVED IT.Thank you for time to post them all!!!
Sam Abrams
Matt,
If you have an alternative, would you share with us. We are Orange Julius junkies.
Suzian
My son loved it. I did but back on the sugar though. Kids get so much of it these days.
Stephanie
One of the best things about cooking food at home is you get to make changes that work for you.
G7
It taste better with an extra cup of orange juice.
Stephanie Manley
I will have to give this a try.
Sammie
That seems like a lot of powered sugar, also I’m pretty sure they used raw eggs.
Stephanie
I think they did back in the day. I think they have gotten away from this as many people feel uncomfortable about eating raw eggs. You can get eggs that are pasteurized, and those would be safe to consume.
travhops
Love it, substitute Splenda for sugar as diabetic. I also use bananas, strawberry, other fruits with same basic recipe.
Joe
Good recipe! Relax people, if you want to drink an exact oranje julius rendition go to an orange julius store! I replaced the concentrate with 2 cups of actual juice, almond milk instead of regular and dates for sugar
stephaniemanley
I hope you enjoyed the drink Joe.
Nancy
This will bring back great memories of going to Orange Julius at the mall with my mom, who passed in 1991. Thank you so much.
stephaniemanley
I love brining back memories!
Recipeaddict
I worked an an orange Julius. This is nothing!!!!! Like it. Sorry. Powdered sugar? No way.
GeriGreene
Then what should it be ~
Pat Ramsay
Dream whip is what I was told by an orange julius owner.
Jeanie Lowe
She said it was a copycat!!!! Relex if you dont like it dont use it..Why be so rude!!!
Mary
This is so good!!
Stephanie
I loved these as a kid 😉 They aren’t around much anymore.
Rmisty87
can i have some please
Stephanie
Absolutely.
stephaniemanley
Absolutely.
JJ
You don’t need to do all of that. Just blend chopped up FRESH pineapple and FRESH squeezed (as in from the actual orange, not from the freezer or fridge) orange juice and blend until frothy. Add in ice as it’s blending. It tastes amazing.
stephaniemanley
I am sure that is amazing.
Kacey
This sadly tastes NOTHING like an Orange Julius. 🙁 So disappointing!
Stephanie
I am sorry you did not find the recipe to your liking.
Monica
This is wonderful!!