Skinny Orange Julius

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Cool down with this creamy and dreamy, orange smoothie!

Our Skinny Orange Julius is loaded with yummy orange flavor!

Our frothy, low-fat, Skinny Orange Julius will help you beat hunger and cool you down on a hot day. It’s made with a luscious vanilla cream base that will lift you higher when the summer sun deflates you. It provides a vitamin C power punch and it’s packed with protein while being low in sugar. Put it all together, and this drink both refreshes thirst and satisfies hunger.

When that hard craving for a snack hits, reach for the blender without any guilt. Plus, this delicious concoction makes it easy to hit your daily dose of vitamin C while clearing the calcium bar.

Not Like Those Sugar Bombs From the Ice Cream Shop

A low-calorie warm weather treat that will cool you down and satisfy your taste buds.

Ah, summertime! Its oppressive heat always drives us to an ice cream shop, and really, who can be blamed for that? With all those wonderful chocolate, caramel, and cakey ice cream concoctions, steering clear of calorie bombs and refined sugar overload seem impossible.

As luck would have it, Dairy Queen offers one low-fat, low sugar option that pacifies our sweet tooth: Behold, the Orange Julius! That orange-vanilla creamsicle drink with creamy foam brings back great memories of summer sun and fun. So, we decided to make an even healthier version at home. Because, why not?

Too Much Sugar Becomes Fat

Make this easy smoothie as a snack or for dessert on a warm, Spring or Summer evening!

When we crave sugar, which can be frequently when our diet is off-base, we eat sugar, right? Sometimes we eat too much sugar and don’t process it quickly enough through exercise or physical activity. When we consume too much sugar without working it off, our body accepts the sugar, stores it in a reserve, and then the sugar turns into fat.

That’s why it’s important to satisfy sugar cravings with a fruit drink that contains a protein-rich base to keep us in check. Generally, when we crave copious amounts of sugar, that’s a sign that our bodies are deficient in nutrients, most likely magnesium. The most efficient method to combat cravings is to eat nutrient-dense foods, and this Skinny Blended Orange Julius is an excellent compromise.

Frothy Low-Fat Drink Ingredients

You and the kids will adore this sweet summer treat!

Sometimes, making a skinny version of a beloved drink is incredibly difficult. Not so for this Orange Julius re-make! The secret ingredient is not something we modern folk have on-hand, but it’s something we should add to the pantry: Non-fat dry milk! It’s great to have on-hand for those times when you run out of milk.

There’s another reason to use it in this recipe: Powdered milk froths up really well in a blender, similar to foam on a coffee latte. The lack of fat in powdered milk produces the biggest amount of foam in the shortest amount of time. If you’ve ever worked as a barista, you’ll know that skim-milk is easier and quicker to froth. We’re fairly certain all baristas figure that out as beginners, and until they get a handle on a full fat foam, they stick to the skim. Because nobody likes a deflated latte without foam!

In addition to milk, this frothy low-fat drink calls for mandarins. We love them because they don’t have seeds and they’re bursting with citrus flavor. They also have way less pulp, or pith, than typical oranges, which is another reason for this choice. There can be, however, some pulp in the drink. If pulp’s not your jam, go ahead and strain it out before adding more flavor. Orange extract, when combined with vanilla, gives the desired creamsicle flavor we associate with an Orange Julius.

Yogurt Thickens The Skinny Blended Orange Julius

This yummy frozen treat is a must-try on a warm day!

Yogurt is another secret ingredient in our recipe. The added thickness yogurt gives to this drink is phenomenal! Frozen yogurt cubes can really amplify this drink’s body, and you can make them in ice cube trays during the hot months for this precise reason. Another use for iced yogurt cubes is that they keep well as a starter for homemade yogurt.

Nothing beats freshly squeezed orange juice, so go ahead and use it! A lot of homes ban store-bought juice due to high sugar content, which is completely understandable. So if you have a bowl of fresh fruit filled with oranges in the fridge, this little drink is a great way to use them. Bring on the Vitamin C!

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Skinny Orange Julius

Stay fit and fab with this frothy orange summer drink
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 2 People
Serving Size 8 ounces
Course Drinks
Cuisine American

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups ice crushed
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 2 ounces orange juice no sugar added
  • 3 mandarins peeled
  • 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

  • Add ice, almond milk, and orange juice to blender and blend on high for ten seconds.
  • Add mandarins, one at a time. Blend until smooth.
  • Add the last five ingredients and taste. Adjust flavor with orange and/or vanilla extracts, sweetness with more maple syrup, frothiness with more non-fat dry milk.

Notes

One orange may be subbed for the mandarins. Seedless is best, but you can always pick out the seeds.
Due to use of fresh fruit, pulp will be present. To remove pulp, strain directly after blending mandarins with the liquid ingredients. Proceed to step three.
If not using orange extract, just double the vanilla extract to total one teaspoon.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1119IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 274mg | Iron: 1mg |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 8
Keywords Quick and Easy

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Alison Borel

Alison Borel came into the culinary world by owning and operating three family restaurants with her husband in San Diego. During that time, she tested, wrote, and taught all the recipes used by her team. She also led cooking classes for small groups. Familiar with vegan and vegetarian cuisine from working in an organic cafe and camp, her preference lies in a plant-based whole foods diet. Alison knows eating for longevity and nutrition not only tastes good, but feels good too.

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