Healthy Orange Julius With Protein
If you loved Orange Julius growing up, then you will love this Healthy Orange Julius With Protein! Orange Julius is a well known sweetened orange smoothie. If you didn't have them growing up, then you're in for a treat now as these are just as good as the original, but made with organic ingredients!
If you love smoothies as much as I do, check out Berry Protein Smoothie Without Banana, Rainbow Smoothie Bowl With Greek Yogurt, Creamy Vegan Chocolate Smoothie With Almond Butter, or Lemon Blueberry Smoothie.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Healthy Orange Julius With Protein
- Ready In: 5 minutes
- Makes: 2 servings
- Main Ingredients: oranges, banana, vanilla Greek yogurt, mango
- Flavor Profile: creamy, frothy sweet orange and vanilla
- Dietary Info: gluten free, eggless, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: delivering that iconic sweet and tangy flavor with clean, wholesome swaps
Summarize & Save This Content On
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Nostalgic: If you grew up enjoying the famous Orange Julius, then you'll love this orange smoothie recipe because it's so nostalgic!
- Healthy Orange Julius Smoothie: This is a healthier version of Orange Julius! Made with organic fruit and yogurt, there's only 6 ingredients!
- Quick & Easy: This organic smoothie is incredibly easy and it's ready in 5 minutes! Just like Tropical Cranberry Smoothie!
- Protein Packed: This Orange Julius protein smoothie has protein from Greek yogurt and organic collagen, giving this 11 grams of protein per glass!
Ingredients
- Oranges: I use fresh organic oranges along with orange zest to get that truly orange flavor.
- Bananas: I use organic bananas to get the texture of this smoothie right. Because we're not looking for a lot of banana flavor in this recipe, stay away from overly ripe or browned or blackened bananas as those will have so much more banana flavor than a yellow banana.
- Vanilla Greek Yogurt: I use organic vanilla Greek yogurt in this recipe for a creamy texture, added protein, and flavor. The vanilla yogurt is important for flavor, so don't use plain yogurt unless you add in a splash of vanilla extract. You can also use regular yogurt if you don't want to use Greek.
- Frozen Mango: Organic frozen mango is super important here as the frozen mango provides the texture for this smoothie. So, don't use fresh mango as you do want it to be frozen.
- Collagen: I use NuNaturals Organic Collagen Powder for added protein in this smoothie. This is totally optional.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips for Healthy Orange Julius With Protein
- Using frozen mango (as opposed to fresh) will really help thicken this smoothie. So make sure it's frozen.
- Vanilla yogurt is key for the undertone of vanilla to taste like an Orange Julius. So, vanilla yogurt really matters.
- I use vanilla Greek yogurt for the added protein, but regular vanilla yogurt also works just fine.
- The collagen adds extra protein, but this is optional. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Make this vegan by using vegan yogurt and removing the collagen.
How to Make a Healthy Orange Julius With Protein
- Zest one of the oranges and set aside. Peel both oranges and slice into chunks. Add the bananas, oranges, orange zest, yogurt, mango, and ice to a high speed blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and serve with an orange slice (optional).
Serving Ideas
Because this homemade Orange Julius is made with Greek yogurt and collagen, it has 11 grams of protein per cup! So, it's a perfect snack all on its own. But, I also like enjoying it with:
- I love having this for breakfast with Bone Broth Everything Bagels and Dill Cream Cheese Spread.
- Goes beautifully with Blackberry Honey Butter Toast, Everything Bagel Turkey Breakfast Sausages, or Tomato Basil Quiche With Bone Broth.
- Enjoy as an afternoon snack with the Best Homemade Kale Chips With Nutritional Yeast or a handful of Honey Roasted Cashews.
- Have a mid morning snack with Blueberry Honey Almond Butter Toast.
- Enjoy as a healthy treat after lunches like Pizza Toast Without Cheese, Avocado Tuna Salad With No Mayo, or Chili Lime Ahi Fish Tacos.
Recipe FAQ's
An Orange Julius is an iconic mall food court drink. It's traditionally made by blending orange juice, milk, ice, and vanilla and it tastes like an Orange Cream Pop!
Honestly, it tastes better! This is thicker than the traditional Orange Julius and it has added protein.
The real Orange Julius (nowadays, maybe not when it was originated!) has artificial flavors, corn syrup, orange juice concentrate and other ingredients that are not ideal when living a healthy lifestyle. This healthy Orange Julius recipe just uses simple ingredients: just organic fruit, yogurt and ice cubes to create the iconic fruity drink!
You can swap the Greek yogurt for a vegan yogurt to make this dairy free. You will have to omit the collagen if you want to make this vegan. But, it will still be delicious even without the collagen, as that is just adding protein. You can use a vegan protein powder instead if you prefer.
The only sugar here is in the vanilla yogurt. If you want to omit that, then you can use a plain yogurt instead and add a little splash of vanilla extract for that signature vanilla flavor.
Yes, you can!
I really recommend using frozen for the best texture, especially if you like thick smoothies. But, fresh mango does work. The smoothie will be thinner and more juice-like.
Yes, if you want it thinner or more juice-like, you can add in a little bit of milk. You can use cow's milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or even cashew milk, any kind will work.
You can replace the collagen powder with protein powder or simply omit it — the smoothie will still be delicious.
Yes, you can use plain or even vanilla protein powder if you have one you like.
No, this is best when made and enjoyed right away.
Yes, you can! You may want to 2x the recipe so you can fill the whole popsicle mold.
More Orange Recipes to Love
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Healthy Orange Julius With Protein
Equipment
- Blender
- Zester
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges
- 2 large bananas
- ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup ice
- 1 tablespoon collagen
Instructions
- Zest one of the oranges and set aside. Peel both oranges and slice into chunks.
- Add the bananas, oranges, orange zest, yogurt, mango, ice, and collagen to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Serve with an orange slice (optional).
Notes
- Using frozen mango (as opposed to fresh) will really help thicken this smoothie. So make sure it's frozen.
- Vanilla yogurt is key for the undertone of vanilla to taste like an Orange Julius. So, vanilla yogurt really matters.
- I use vanilla Greek yogurt for the added protein, but regular vanilla yogurt also works just fine.
- The collagen adds extra protein, but this is optional. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Make this vegan by using vegan yogurt and removing the collagen.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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Love this healthier version of a nostalgic treat!