I’m officially on vacation!! Woot! While I’m away (AFK–anyone remember that from the 90’s internet?), I decided to do a series of vacation recipes for the blog. What do I mean by vacation series? A vacation from my norm. I rarely do sweets or desserts for the blog because I don’t have a big sweet tooth and they are by nature a splurge, or the opposite of budget conscious. BUT I am realistic and I know that every now and then a person needs a little sweetness in their life. So, this week, and this week only, I’m doing all sweets. All fun. All vacation from responsibility! First up is a fruity, frothy, frozen Pineapple Orange Julius!
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What is an Orange Julius?
This sweet and creamy drink is a throwback to mall-staple from my teenage years in the 90’s. The original Orange Julius is like a liquid orange creamsicle, made with orange juice concentrate, milk, vanilla, and sugar. I added frozen pineapple for an extra tropical twist (because vacation, remember?).
What Kind of Blender Do I Need?
These dessert drinks literally take less than five minutes to make and you don’t even need a fancy blender. I use my single serving Hamilton Beach single serving blender that costs less than $15 and it does a fantastic job. This recipe makes about one 12oz. drink. If you don’t like pineapple, I suggest using a few ice cubes in their place to make sure you have that frozen element to your drink. All these ingredients can be kept either in your pantry and freezer, so you can quickly whip one up when you need a mental escape.
If you shut your eyes and imagine hard enough, you can feel the sun and smell the sea water…
Also check out our classic Orange Julius Recipe.
Homemade Pineapple Orange Julius
Servings 12 oz.Ingredients
- 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate ($0.33)
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple ($0.58)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.14)
- 1 Tbsp sugar* ($0.01)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.31)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Drink immediately.
- For a thicker drink, add a few ice cubes or more frozen pineapple. For a thinner drink, add more milk.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make an Orange Julius – Step by Step Photos
To make one 12oz. drink, add 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple pieces, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 Tbsp sugar to a blender. If you put the metal lid back on the frozen OJ concentrate container it stays good fro quite some time, even though it isn’t technically “sealed” on.
Pour in one cup of whole milk.
Blend until the drink is smooth and frothy. YUM!
I wonder what this Pineapple Orange Julius would be like if you used coconut milk instead of dairy milk… SUPER TROPICAL 😎🌴☀️
Okay, I’m off to enjoy the rest of my vacation. Check in with you soon!!
I think this is way better than the original! There is some weird ingredient in the store bought ones which always made my throat sore.
See any reason why I couldn’t freeze canned pineapple for use in this recipe? Trying to make this without a run to the store … Thanks!
I think you could! To prevent the pineapple from freezing into one big hard block of ice I would drain it well then spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet to freeze it in individual pieces before placing it in a freezer bag.
I found this recipe as I was looking for ways to use the large quantity of milk I have on hand. It is so good, and so easy. Also frozen strawberries are great substitute for the pineapple for another variation.
I have a friend who makes these and uses powdered sugar instead. It blends a little more evenly :)
Didn’t have pineapple or orange juice concentrate so made with 3/4 cup liquid orange juice and one ripe banana, no sugar added. Worked well. Very happy to have this recipe. Thanks Beth. Will definitely try as is next time.
I used to love those things. Thanks for sharing!
Dee-freaking-licious!! I doubled the recipe but used 1 1/2 tbsp sugar instead of 2 because… kids. It was perfect.
My husband and I make this for a special treat sometimes and it tastes pretty darn close to the real thing! Thanks for the idea!
A little too much vanilla. Maybe 1/4 the amount would be ideal.
I substituted the milk with vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious!
I could drink these all day long .You guys hve your act together. Thx
Thanks soooo much been looking fpr this for ever…. Rob
This is one of the best ways to counter the hot holiday season. Thanks for this recipe!
Do you think you could make this with a non-dairy milk instead?
Probably, yes. :)
Yum!
I found this recipe on Sunday and just knew it had to be part of my meal prep for the week. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I made five, poured the yumminess into Mason jars, and stuck the jars in the freezer. Every morning, I grab one and go. Perfectly defrosted iin time for a mid afternoon pick me up!Thanks for the treat!
I have to echo Catherine: Orange Julius was definitely a thing in our mall-hanging-out days in the 70s. And one of my roommates back in those days used to always make a ‘homemade’ version of Orange Julius for our famous Sunday brunches – except she used buttermilk…which gave it a creamy texture, helped keep the tartness of the citrus in check and made it low-cal! Made that version for years – it’s a great drink to cool down on a hot day. Thanks for bringing back great memories for me!
I just made this using Orange/Pineapple Juice Concentrate and 2% milk. Yum! Will have to try it using coconut milk. Very sweet could probably use less sugar and it would still taste great. Thanks!
I’ll definitely be doing this with coconut milk! Thanks!
Made this for breakfast! Only added a tiny bit of sugar (.5 tsp) and it was still very tasty, though I have to admit, I never had one of these when I was younger, so I don’t quite need the nostalgic taste… Definitely a quick and easy drink. I agree with other comments, would be good with a shot of rum. ;)
Mmmm, so good. I frequently make a Julius knockoff almost exactly like this, except I use whatever milk or “milk” I have on hand (doesn’t matter the fat %… coconut is awesome indeed for that tropical vacation vibe! and I’ve even done half full-fat coconut milk with half coconut water…) AND I add an egg white or two.
I’m not super worried about salmonella from fresh egg whites personally but it is easy to buy the cartons of pasteurized egg whites these days, if you’re squeamish. The egg adds a special taste, texture and frothiness that you don’t get with just the juice/milk/ice (tastes even closer to the original beverage, IMHO, and gives it an extra protein boost as well.) Definitely give it a try if you haven’t before. :)
I love the addition of pineapple! Sounds great. I’ve just put frozen o.j on my shopping list. And I wonder if subbing in some (or all) of the dairy milk for coconut milk might add to the vacay vibe even more.
Just a little history info…this might be “90’s after school mall-hangout staple” for those in school in the 90s, but it’s been around a whole lot longer than that. I remember them from my own after-school mall-hangout days in the early 70s, back when malls were just becoming a thing. Even older than me, however, is the original orange drink’s maker/seller, which has been around nearly 100 years.
Hey Beth! I thought that Budget Bytes was your (full time) job. Did you go back to working in your old field…was it microbiology? I was just wondering since you said you were on holidays (but you’re blogging while on holidays). Not that I’m complaining…love your site! I’m always excited to receive your emails.
Blogging is still my full time gig! :) I’m just traveling on vacation this week. I worked ahead and pre-wrote a few blog posts and scheduled them to go live while I was gone and I’m checking once in a while just to keep up with comments and social media. :)
I’m tempted to throw in a shot of Bacardi or Malibu. THEN it’s a vacation drink ;)
Yummy!!!
YES! Orange Julius was a staple of my childhood! This looks too delicious to pass up. Must try it.