You're Only 4 Ingredients Away From A Homemade Orange Julius

Few things capture the nostalgia of hanging out at a food court quite like an Orange Julius. But if you're craving a creamy, citrusy throwback, getting your fix isn't as easy as driving to the local mall anymore. While the frothy orange drink is still available at select DQ Treat Centers (DQ acquired the brand in the '80s), Orange Julius restaurants have vanished from mall food courts.  And even if you do manage to find one, some customers complain that Dairy Queen's version of the drink doesn't hit the spot like the original. So what made the original Orange Julius so special, and how can you recreate it now?

To help answer these questions, Chowhound spoke exclusively with chef Abbie Gellman, a registered dietitian and ambassador for the Foundation for Fresh Produce's Have a Plant campaign. "An Orange Julius is similar to drinking an orange creamsicle (at least that's how I think of it) so you would need orange, vanilla, and dairy," Gellman said. One easy version of this recipe might include whole milk, vanilla extract, orange juice, and a sweetener like sugar, honey, or a sugar substitute. "You could certainly thicken it up with ice and swap out all or some of the milk with plain Greek yogurt or kefir to boost the protein," she added. 

Surprisingly, the original Orange Julius was not made with a creamy base. Instead, its unique texture came from a combination of powdered ingredients. The secret behind its creaminess isn't yogurt or ice cream, but a mix of dry milk powder, egg white powder, and vanilla extract.

If you don't want to buy powdered egg and milk, you could try using instant vanilla pudding mix instead, which has the same thickening and sweetening qualities as the powders Orange Julius uses themselves. For the true original Orange Julius experience, use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of frozen orange juice concentrate. The brand reportedly stopped using fresh oranges at some point after Dairy Queen started downsizing, and some say the drink was never the same. 

Using powdered ingredients is not the only way to approximate the frothy texture of an Orange Julius. For extra-thick frozen treats and smoothies, chef Abbie Gellman recommends making orange juice ice cubes and adding frozen cauliflower to the blender. This prevents your drink from getting too watery and improves its mouthfeel, and the cauliflower adds extra fiber and nutrients. 

You can use these tricks for any kind of blended beverage, not just a homemade Orange Julius. "Whatever you like will work!" Gellman said. "Make an ice cube tray of pomegranate juice, mango juice, pineapple juice, etc. then just pop them out and move them over to a freezer bag and use them for smoothies."