Creamy Homemade Orange Julius

The white kitchen timer sat dead on the counter because I forgot to buy batteries last week. I’m still making a cold pitcher of homemade orange Julius for my kids this afternoon anyway.

It’s the kind of frosty glass we used to get at the mall when I was ten years old.

Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: 0 minutes · Total: about 5 minutes · Serves: 4

How do you make a homemade orange Julius frothy? Blend the frozen orange juice concentrate, whole milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and ice cubes together all at once until the mixture is completely smooth and covered in a thick layer of foam.

The frozen concentrate stays solid to help build that signature texture without needing extra water.

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What Goes Into Homemade Orange Julius

• 12 oz frozen orange concentrate
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups ice cubes

Ingredient Notes

The frozen orange concentrate is the main anchor of this recipe. You want to grab a standard twelve-ounce can from the freezer aisle and keep it frozen solid until it goes straight into the blender pitcher.

Whole milk gives the drink its creamy body. You shouldn’t swap it for skim milk or water because the extra fat helps carry the sweet citrus flavor and keeps the texture from turning watery.

Granulated sugar dissolves easily into the cold liquid. My kids like it sweet, so I stick to the full amount listed here.

How to Make Homemade Orange Julius

1. Combine the ingredients. Pour the frozen orange concentrate, whole milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and ice cubes into the blender jar all at once.
2. Blend until smooth. Secure the lid tightly and run the blender on high speed until the ice is completely crushed and the mixture turns thick and frothy.
3. Check the texture. Stop the machine and look for a pale orange foam filling the top of the pitcher.
4. Pour and serve. Divide the frothy drink among four tall glasses and serve it immediately while it’s still ice-cold.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

This drink is best served right out of the blender while the foam is thick and high. If you try to save leftovers in the fridge, the liquid separates and loses that signature creamy texture.

You can’t freeze it for later either, so just mix up what your family will finish in one sitting.

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Creamy Homemade Orange Julius

Recipe by Daisy MerrittCourse: DrinkCuisine: American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 12 oz frozen orange concentrate

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups ice cubes

Directions

• Combine the ingredients. Pour the frozen orange concentrate, whole milk, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and ice cubes into the blender jar all at once.
• Blend until smooth. Secure the lid tightly and run the blender on high speed until the ice is completely crushed and the mixture turns thick and frothy.
• Check the texture. Stop the machine and look for a pale orange foam filling the top of the pitcher.
• Pour and serve. Divide the frothy drink among four tall glasses and serve it immediately while it’s still ice-cold.