Copycat Orange Julius {Gluten-free with dairy-free option}

I’ve been making homemade Orange Julius for many years. We love having this frosty drink whenever we have “breakfast for dinner” night. Like my favorite gluten-free peanut butter brownies, this is a recipe that I’ve had since junior high! My childhood best friend, Alyson, gave me the recipe from her sister Lisa all those years ago and it has been a favorite since. Talk about a tried and true recipe! Recipes that stay family favorites for over 20 years are the best recipes!

Thankfully, this is one of those recipes that I didn’t have to change when I had to give up gluten. This is naturally gluten-free! I’ve also made this dairy-free several times, using almond milk or Cashewmilk to replace the regular milk. No one could tell the difference. The only thing I’ve changed over the years is that I’ve cut the amount of sugar just a smidge. Tastes perfect to us!

I mentioned before that we always have this as part of our Easter and Christmas brunch, alongside gluten-free Overnight Breakfast Casserole. One of my blog readers kindly asked me if I’d share this recipe too! Hope you all do enjoy it!

Copycat Orange Julius

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Yields 4 servings

This frosty drink is a favorite part of brunch or our weekly breakfast for dinner night!

Ingredients

• 6 ounces* frozen orange juice concentrate (do not thaw)
• 1 cup milk or non-dairy milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 10-12 cubes of ice *adjust as you prefer

Directions

1. In a blender, combine frozen orange juice concentrate, milk (or non-dairy milk), water, sugar, vanilla and ice cubes.
2. Blend until well mixed and frothy but with bits of ice chunks still present. Feel free to make it as chunky or smooth as you'd prefer.
3. Serve immediately and enjoy!

by Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen

Recipe Notes

*Note that frozen orange juice concentrate usually comes in a 12 ounce package, so you'll just be using half of that. I just scoop out half, set the lid back on and put it back in the freezer for next time!

5.0 rating

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If you happen to be in the market for a blender, I have to tell you how much I LOVE my Blendtec! Buying an expensive blender felt like a big risk but we’ve been so glad we did! We bought this when I was on a liquid only diet (when I was so sick, just before and after my celiac diagnosis) and got so much use out of it then and in the 4 1/2 years since. It has been well worth the money. Everything mixes so much better in this blender and even with the constant use, it works as great as the day we bought it! Can’t beat the 7 year warranty either!

Here is the one I have, available on Amazon, as well as a link to those cute orange straws: