Orange Julius Recipe

The original Orange Julius was created at Julius Freed’s orange juice stand in 1926 with the help of his friend Bill Hamlin who wanted to create an orange juice drink that was less acidic so as not to upset his stomach.  After playing around with some complimentary ingredients, the delicious, creamy and frothy Orange Julius was born.

Though the Orange Julius recipe still to this day remains a trade secret, and no doubt even the original recipe has morphed over time to meet today’s customer tastes and the inevitable food safety regulations ( raw egg whites were most likely used in original formula where now their top secret powder blend includes “dairy and egg products, specifically whey powder and egg white solids.”  *taken from Orange Julius® corporate website.

Here are a few popular Orange Julius Recipe variations that, after experimenting; we feel comes close to the original recipe in concept and taste profile:

The (almost) Original Orange Julius Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of fresh orange juice ( fresh squeezed not pasteurized is ideal)
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
1 medium to large egg white (pasteurized)
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ cups of ice

Directions:

Here's how to make an orange julius: Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend on medium to high for 45-60 seconds, until the mixture if smooth and has the characteristic froth. You can use less ice if you want a more juice like consistency. The more ice you add the more smoothie-like your beverage will become. If you are nervous about raw egg whites there are powdered egg white products on the market you play around with as well.

Orange Julius Recipe ( without egg white):

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of fresh orange juice ( fresh squeezed not pasteurized is ideal)
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water
½ frozen banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
1 cups of ice

Directions:

The substitution of banana instead of egg white will add an interesting creaminess flavor. Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend  on medium to high for 45-60 seconds, until the mixture if smooth and has the characteristic froth. You can use less ice since the banana  will be frozen.

A few tips for the recipes above:

-       try to use fresh orange juice, not pasteurized. You’ll notice the difference!
-       You can fancy up your recipe with some freshly grated orange zest
-       Try to use whole milk not lower fat milk for the perfect creaminess
-       If you only have skim or lower fat milk try adding banana to compensate
-       Try powdered sugar instead of normal sugar which can help with the texture and froth.
-       Freeze the orange juice in an ice cube tray ahead of time, then you do not need to add the ice cubes later.