Have you ever been to the cafe Orange Julius? I went once as a child and ordered a signature orange Julius drink, and it was wonderful. For some reason, that memory came to mind a few weeks ago, so I decided to make a similar drink at home.
Here’s the recipe I came up with. It’s the perfect cold beverage for a hot day–refreshing, low in sugar, fat-free, and extremely easy to make.
Frosted Orange Smoothie
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
- 3/4 cup fat-free milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 10 ice cubes
Instructions
-
Blend in a blender, and enjoy.
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That's not low in sugar. OJ, fresh or frozen concentrate, is loaded with sugar. Plus you add 3 Tbsp. (!) more of granulated sugar in this recipe. Is that one serving?
An original Orange Julius drink has between 50 and 99 grams of sugar, depending on size. That's like downing 4 to 8 Tablespoons of granulated sugar. No wonder you liked it as a kid!
Well, 3 tablespoons, compared to 8 is certainly "low sugar". It's all relative. The great thing about making your own drink – add/don't add whatever you want.
That's 3 ADDED Tablespoons, along with the sugar found in the OJ concentrate. The whole thing has way more sugar than 3 Tbsp.
Orange Julius drinks from the cafe would definitely be loaded with sugar, but this recipe has much less. You're welcome to add even less than specified, or none at all. I only buy juice and juice concentrate that doesn't have any added sugar. 🙂
Ellie
…But even OJ concentrate without any added sugar still has a lot of sugar from the oranges themselves.
I don't have a problem with the recipe, just how you said it was "low in sugar." That statement is not accurate.
I added up all the sugar in the ingredients (OJ concentrate, milk, added sugar) and the total recipe has 117.5 grams of sugar. You didn't specify how many it serves, but I would guess 2. So we're talking nearly 60 g of sugar per serving! Definitely not low-sugar, and not even lower in sugar than Orange Julius! There's nothing wrong with it as a recipe, and I'm sure it's delicious as an occasional treat, but as a journalist, I'm sure you don't want to be intentially posting false or misleading information on your blog! You should take out where you call it low sugar.
Why don't you start your own blog and everyone can critique you? Low in sugar doesn't mean no sugar. For some people, this recipe would be low in sugar since it had way less sugar than the original.
Why do you people have to be so mean and nasty.
The have orange juice concentrate at the store with no sugar in it. I found it at my store.
I been to Orange Julius and got and orange smoothie and it was really good. I'm diabetic and it did not affect my Blood Sugar at all. My BS stayed the same at 105.before I drink it and after I drink it.
To the reader who took the time to add up the sugar in all the ingredients – what do you do for hobbies other than find fault in other interesting people?
Orange Julius is my mom's favorite! I might have to make her one next time I am home 😊 Thanks for sharing this recipe, Ellie!
My pleasure! Let me know what she thinks do it. 🙂
Ellie
Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
My pleasure! Enjoy. 🙂
Ellie
Ellie this frozen orange smoothie looks good i'll have to get the stuff to make it this weekend. Thank you for the recipe.
Let me know what you think of it, Beth. Have a blessed day.
Ellie
I made it the otherday when it was really hot here. and it was really good. I put in Splenda instead of regular sugar.
Glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing your substitution, Beth.
Ellie
It seems a nice smoothie. You two are active so this amount of sugar might not be a problem. How about skip the three tablespoons of sugar. Maybe a bit of honey. Or no sweetheart and add some spice like cinnamon.
Why replace the sugar with honey? Honey is mainly sugar.
Honey would be a great alternative! Cinnamon would give it a different taste, but I bet it would be tasty.
Ellie
Where I am staying there are bee hives put out by apiarys all over the fields edges, mostly up against a bluff of trees. Honey is an agricultural product here. So I love it, I put it in tea and coffee and I really feel it is healthier for digestion than sugar. It just seems easier to assimilate by my body than sugar which seems harsher to me now.
I have learned, weather it is correct information I do not know, that cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar.
Auto change evident.
While cinnamon might (operative word) help diabetic people control fasting blood sugar, I don't know of any good studies proving its benefit on blood sugar for non-diabetics.
Too much powdered cinnamon can be harmful to anyone, diabetic or not. Cassia cinnamon contains coumarin, which can thin the blood and harm the liver. Since coumarin is not water-soluble, you can steep cinnamon in hot water and filter out the solids before using the liquid. Ceylon cinnamon has less coumarin.
Fruit already has sugar. There is no need to add sugar to this recipe. As someone with diabetes in the family, you can regret this in the long-term. And always do fresh orange juice. It tastes so much better and it is way healthier.
You might need the frozen concentrate to get the right consistency.
Very sorry to hear that there is diabetes in your family. You're welcome to try it without sugar and with regular juice instead of concentrate. You will need to add a few extra ice cubes though. 🙂
Ellie
I'm I diabetic too but I check with my doctor and he said it was ok to try it. Because if you take insulin your ok.
Just use Splenda sugar instead of regular sugar.
Anonymous 6/07/2017.
If your blood sugar is low this will help you get Blood Sugar up. This is what they told me when I first became a diabetic is to drink orange juice.
Growing up, our babysitter also worked at Orange Julius. So she would make it at home for us as a treat. I think the recipe was very similar to yours, except she used powdered sugar. It dissolves better in a cold drink.
What a fun memory. I'm sure powdered sugar would be great!
Ellie
I've heard of Orange Julius but I don't think we have it in the UK. (At least not in my area. This looks nice! I'll have a go at making it. 🙂
Let me know what you think of it, Moon Sparkle. 🙂
Ellie
Ellie, does this visit to Orange Julius count as your one of less than 10 times you ate out as a kid? That is just unbelievable!
This was an honest question. I am very curious to learn how your family managed to do so! It's impressive!
That's a good question! I'm surprised you remember that remark. 🙂 I suppose I was only counting dinner when I said that, but going to places like Orange Julius was also pretty rare when I was a child, so it was definitely a big treat.
Ellie
I've got this exact recipe written on a card but I've never made it yet,will have to now!
What a coincidence! I looked at several recipes online and then experimented and came up with my own, so that's quite funny that you have the exact one.
Ellie
Is Mr Handsome still taking you to eat out often? Tell us more about that, where do you go, what do you eat? Take some pictures of that and share please.
We usually go out to eat about once a week. I'll have to start documenting it. 🙂
Ellie
Ellie, I am impressed with your positive attitude. Maybe it comes naturally for you, but I know for me, It can be hard work to keep a gracious perspective.
Thank you for your kind words! It's been a bit of a rough day, but seeing this comment really helped brighten my mood. I'm blessed to have you as a reader.
Ellie
We make ours with
2 oranges
1/2 pineapple
1tbs vanilla
Ooh, pineapple would be wonderful! I'll have to give that a try. Do you add ice?
Ellie
They say Cinnamon it's best for diabetic to eat hit helps your Blood Sugars and your A1C
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I remember those drinks 😊