So happy it’s orange season again! My family looks forward to this recipe every year. I first developed it in 2012 and since then, it’s been pinned on Pinterest over 200,000 times, and has resulted in me being invited to 2 television shows to demo the recipe. I’m telling you right now, you have to try it. Give you kids a mega boost of vitamin C and other immune boosters and they’ll think it’s just dessert!
This particular way of making orange julius makes it healthier than juice and has WAY more vitamin C and antioxidants than just eating an orange on its own. I’ll place notes next to the ingredients below to explain how…
This makes about 40 oz. of healthy orange julius (leaving our family wanting more, every time)
Ingredients:
4 whole oranges, peeled and halved (because you’re not juicing the oranges, you keep all the beneficial fiber from pulp and pith, which makes the effect on your blood sugar much less than if you were to juice, and it’s great for digestion)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (balances things out with a bit of protein and fat)
1 cup ice
5 drops orange essential oil (This not only gives your orange julius an extra shot of delicious flavor and sweetness, but is also a great immune system booster.) My favorite brand is here, for only $14, which will make well over 100 of this recipe.
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
nutmeg (a generous sprinkling) is great for your liver kidneys, plus acts as a mild brain stimulator, fighting fatigue, stress, and possibly even anxiety and depression)
10-15 drops of liquid stevia
Add all ingredients to your blender. If you’re using the Blendtec, use the “whole juice” setting so that you can’t feel the pulp of the orange, just pure creaminess!
Can you see how this orange julius makes the perfect morning pick-me-up during winter? I can’t wait for you to try it and let me know in the comments below how you like it! My kids beg for it, and the hubs and I just can’t get enough!
p.s. throw in a little handful of greens if you like! You won’t taste ’em!
Delish! I didn’t have 4 oranges so I threw in an apple and about 3 cups of spinach. My 1yo and 3 yo boys guzzled it! Thanks!
I just liked this on pinterest and noticed your name! woot! way to have a great name, and do it justice 🙂
THank you, Rachel!!!
Ok this is so Yummy! I’m in love. Now I just need a blendtec so I do have as much pulp. But it is still really good with the pulp I don’t mind it!
This is something I will try but was wondering about zesting the orange peel for a little more flavor too……
I found you with this recipe off of Pinterest 😉 I’m a follower now – love the look and feel of your website btw 😉
Welcome, Cindy! So glad you’ve found the site and that you enjoy it. Thanks for the sweet words!
Most website i’ve researched have said “Never ingest essential oils”–even the therapeutic grade unless it has a specific label that says it’s ok. Is the oil you recommended safe for ingestion.
VERY good question, Linda. It makes logical sense that something like “orange extract” or “lemon extract” can be ingested, because it’s just a fruit, right? Well, most companies “cut-in” other ingredients that make it inappropriate to ingest, although they can still be very therapeutic when topically applied. The oil I link to is safe for ingestion, and I have personally confirmed that they are made from plants only, and are certified as 100% pure plant extract by a 3rd party certification company so that there’s no bias. Thanks for asking this important question!
Linda, I just started selling doTERRA essential oils. I too had heard that you never ingest it. doTERRA is one of the only companies that makes their oils so pure that you can ingest them. I use them in cooking all the time now. Lime instead of lime juice, Lemon in place of lemon juice, Oregano instead of the spice, etc. You get the same flavors but you also get the benefits from the essential oil. Just note, a drop of oil goes a long way. Sometimes, with the Oregano especially, I use a toothpick to get a partial drop because a full drop would overpower what I’m cooking.
Its so delicious. Please add new delicious recipes soon.
Thank you Emmanuelle! So glad you liked it!
Yum! I used orange stevia and it made my kitchen smell so good.The kids loved it too, thanks for sharing.
McKenna, I saw you on KUTV and immediately subscribed to your web site on my Yahoo. I’m really wanting to try the Orange Julius Recipe but my Kitchenaid Blender is getting on in years. I can’t justify a $350.00 to $400.00 Blender but Costco has the Ninja Kitchen System on sale for $99.00. Do you think that blender would do the job? Thanks for all the great recipes!!
Hi Dave! Thanks for the comment! Yes, for this recipe the Ninja will for sure do the job. I have heard that Ninja owners really like the product. It doesn’t have the horsepower or the warranty that Blendtec has, but that’s okay. With other green smoothie recipes, you may need to blend a little longer and you might not get AS smooth of a consistency, but that’s okay too! Take into consideration that the Blendtec replaces several other devices: wheat grinder, juicer, ice cream maker, and it even makes hot soups (doing the heating and everything). That might help you make your decision, but I totally understand the price issue. I had to save up for mine! You can definitely make green smoothies of all sorts in a Ninja.
I’m very allergic to oranges. Is there another fruit that I can do with this? Grapefruit or strawberries, maybe? Pineapple?
Berly, you could use any fruit of your favorite, but although it will be healthy for you, might not be considered a “cold buster” because it’s the high amounts of vitamin C we’re going for in this one. I would take a look at this page too, for 30 or so more awesome smoothie recipes in a free download: http://simplywholelife.com/beginner
I threw in some strawberries with it, it was delicious! This recipe is amazing!
Hi,
This looks very yummy! I wanted to clarify something, though. Orange essential oil probably does not contain vitamin c. I have searched and searched for a definitive source, which will tell me it DOES contain vitamin c, since a good friend with cancer desperately needs a concentrated amount of the vitamin for her treatments. My understanding regarding this issue is that the vitamin is water-soluble, therefore not volatile and not present in the oil. If you or anyone has a chemical formula, which can prove that orange essential oil, or any other essential oil, does have vitamin c, this would be a Godsend. But I do not think it’s likely, unfortunately. The oil still has many good attributes, but please note that many essential oil purveyors never reccommend using them orally.
Hi Tina, thanks for your comment. You definitely make a valid point, and it’s hard to say whether a particular brand of oil does or doesn’t contain C. I do know, however, that orange essential oil has historically been used for scurvy, which is severe vitamin C deficiency. It’s also a fantastic oil for bronchitis, colds, fever, flu, and it’s calming and uplifting. So even though it’s difficult to prove it’s C content, I still consider it a great cold and flu buster, and making this smoothie at the onset of the first little symptoms of a cold has helped my family in the past.
As far as whether essential oils are safe to ingest. You absolutely have to do research on the brand you’re using, as many oils are not safe to ingest. However, the brand I recommend for this recipe is absolutely safe for consumption, not only because the plant itself is safe to ingest, but mostly because the oils are 3rd party certified to be 100% pure and not “cut” with harmful oils or ingredients. I feel 100% confident in using this oil internally and have experienced good results doing so. There are even supplement facts on the side of the bottle, and it’s GRAS for human consumption by the FDA (at least this brand is…) I hope this helps!
I am going to try this with “just like sugar,” instead of stevia. I will let you know how it turns out.
Hi I was wondering how many calories in a serving and what a serving size is?
What brand of liquid Stevia do you like? I’ve never tried it bc I’ve read about the bitter aftertaste. I’d rather not spend a fortune on a bottle that will be gross. Thanks!
I haven’t ever tasted a bitter aftertaste in stevia before. I don’t really taste an aftertaste at all. However it does not taste exactly like sugar or other sweeteners. It’s hard to explain without trying it, but it doesn’t taste bitter to me at all… anyone else seeing this comment, please respond if you have a better way of explaining the taste than I do!
I like the brand NuNaturals. Now Foods also has a good one.
These are available on Amazon for a good rate usually!
I tried this tonight and love it. And plan to drink it through the cold/flu season. Love doTERRA oils.
I made this today with a pound of peeled clementines- so very good, thank you! I found you via Pinterest 🙂
Delicious! Glad to have you here, Myrnie. Thanks!
I’m curious: why stevia rather than raw honey or sucanat? I’m currently a little wary of stevia because it is so processed!
Emily, stevia CAN be processed, but isn’t always. You could use honey or sucanat if you prefer them. I have a stevia plant in my windowsill so I just drop in a leaf or two for yummy sweetness… that’s completely unprocessed. Sucanat can also be pretty processed so with all sweeteners you just need to do your research and go with a brand you feel good about… or at least okay about 🙂 Still, it’s much much better than regular sugar. And for this recipe, you may find you don’t need any additional sweetener at all!
Hi 🙂
This looks sooo good! Just wondering if you used full size navel oranges or madarines/clementines.
Thanks!
Hi Alex! I used full sized navel oranges. But if you use clementines, maybe do about 8-12 instead of just 4. It’ll still taste amazing!
I just recently bought a Vitamix and have been searching for delicious and healthy smoothie recipes on Pinterest. I made this one this morning and added 2 handfuls of spinach. It was DELICIOUS! I will definitely be having this one again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.