This creamy, healthy 5 ingredient smoothie tastes like an orange julius and a creamsicle pop combined. Vitamin C has never tasted so good!
I have the perfect recipe for you to beat the heat this toasty summer week. Have you ever had an Orange Julius drink before at the mall? Or an orange creamsicle popsicle in the summertime? Today’s shockingly simple smoothie recipe was inspired by both favorites. The tastes of vanilla and orange in one.
Creamy, cool, citrusy, lip-smackin’ protein-packed sweetness.
This shockingly simple smoothie is my current post-workout obsession. Couch + feet up + this smoothie + a spoonful of peanut butter (which turns into three spoonfuls of peanut butter) is how I unwind from a run these days. I’m already at 32 miles for July… 68 to go for my 100 mile challenge. Wooohooo.
This smoothie is the creamiest of creamy. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, then you know about my obsession with frozen banana. Seriously, if you want a creamy smoothie that is thick enough to eat with a spoon, then frozen banana is your answer. Typically smoothie recipes call for ice to thicken the texture, but I find ice waters itย down. The frozen banana gets the job done without giving the smoothie a slushy texture. I love using them in my green smoothie and chocolate peanut butter protein smoothie, too.
(By the way… if you ever need a smoothie recipe without banana, my berry smoothie without bananas fits the bill.)
Frozen banana turns into a delicious vanilla tasting “soft serve” when blended with vanilla extract and a splash of milk. Instead of milk, however, I use a little orange juice. These three ingredients are the base of your orange creamsicle smoothie. Don’t worry, you can’t really taste the banana under the vanilla and orange.
Only a couple more ingredients until your orange creamsicle smoothie is complete. A little protein-packed Greek yogurt and an orange. Blend all this vitamin C packed goodness together until thick and smooth. That’s it!
A simple, 5 ingredient smoothie recipe that will make any day feel like summertime. For the record, I’ll be drinking these all year long thankyouverymuch.
Sometimes I add a little orange zest to up the ante. That’s optional! And for an added nutritious punch, try adding a handful of greens like kale or spinach to the smoothie.
If you love orange creamsicles and orange julius, this smoothie has your name written all over it. The recipe makes enough for 2 servings, but I usually drink one and then the rest a few hours later. You’ll probably drink the whole thing too. It’s so dang good!
A sunny day in a glass. Enjoy!
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Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: American
Description
This creamy, healthy 5 ingredient smoothie tastes like an orange julius and a creamsicle pop combined. Vitamin C has never tasted so good!
Ingredients
- 1 frozen ripe banana, previously peeled & sliced
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 orange, peeled and sliced
- optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Make sure you have a strong, powerful blender to break down the frozen banana and orange. I like thisย smaller Ninja or this regular Ninja blender.
- On high, blend the frozen banana chunks, vanilla, and orange juice together until thick, creamy, and smooth – about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.ย Add the yogurt, orange, and orange zest (if using). Blend until combined.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender (I like this smaller Ninja or this regular Ninja blender)
- For an extra nutrition punch, tryย adding 1 cup of your favorite greens like kale or spinach!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Is it better to use high pulp orange juice or no pulp orange juice? I have both.
Hi Melissa, Either one will work. Enjoy!
Do I have to use Vanilla yoghurt? Can I use plain Greek yoghurt and add a tiny bit more vanilla extract? Thank you!
Definitely! The smoothie will be more tangy with Greek yogurt.
Also, does the banana need to be frozen? Because I didnโt freeze it and it was not very thick even with 1 cup of yogurt. So I added some frozen mango and ice cubes to cool it down and thicken it up, because and i knew that it would not effect the taste.
This was scrumptious definitely recommend it but the orange zest was hard
After hitting 32 miles this July, my post-run routine includes this creamy delight and my trusty vitamin B complex. It’s not just a treat; it’s my secret to recovery. The B vitamins support my energy levels, and the smoothie’s refreshing taste makes the post-run recharge even more enjoyable.
THIS WAS AMAZING I have one problem though, may you please add quanities for the ingredients i went overboard on the vannila extract. I am only a kid but i am trying to cook and make any type of recipie really and I tried this because I was hungry and thought about my moms vannila orange smoothies so I wanted to recreate the recipie, and this helped me recreate it even better keep up the great work.
Hi Jonah! It’s best to bake and make smoothies with an adult around to help ๐ You can find the recipe with ingredient quantities just above this comments section.
Hello Sally! Is it possible to use milk instead of yogurt ? Thanks!
Hi Isabella, the smoothie will be much thinner without yogurt.
So yummy! Frozen banana gives great texture and creaminess to this smoothie. I used plain Greek yoghurt and it was sweet enough for my tastes.
Sounds good. I made mine different because I didnt either have or desire and added ingredients. I did mine with orange juice . Orange slices. yogurt. Honey. Almond milk. Apple cinnamon instant oat meal.
Sally;
Hi,your orange creamsicle smoothie looks so good and tasty.How do I make it to fit in my 1 person magic bullet blender?Instead of a smoothie could I make it into popsicles?
Kim
Try halving the recipe for a smaller blender. Yes, this would be GREAT as popsicles!
This was super delicious! Do you have the nutritional info for it?
Hi Ashley! Iโm unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
This is SO GOOD and tasted just like a creamsicle! Used plain yogurt and felt it was sweet enough. My orange was really good though, so I’m sure that helped! Added one scoop unflavoured hemp protein powder. The orange zest is also a must!!
Orange creamsicle sounds great! Except I cannot stand bananas. How might I alter this (or other) smoothie recipes to not have banana? I love every recipe of yours that I’ve tried. Just found your Berry Purple Power Smoothie recipe and plan to try that out. Thanks!
I was in the mood for a creamsicle smoothie this morning too. ย I had no recipe so I used 2 clementines, cottage cheese, zest of 1 clementine, oj, my protein packet and 5 ice cubes 2teaspoons orange extract it was great. ย But after reading your recipe, I am going to try the banana. ย Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. ย I’mย
Really quite new at making smoothies.
Hi! This recipe sounds fantastic- but is there an alternative to yogurt? I’m terribly allergic.
I would just use an extra frozen banana. Enjoy!
This was delicious I forgot to add the ingredients at different times but it still came out GREAT! Also, make sure to peel banana before freezing. LOL
Do you use Navel or Valencia (juice oranges?) And for the 1/2 C orange juice, do you use store bought or fresh squeezed? Thank you! By the way, I’m loving your smoothie recipes. My boyfriend and I are able to get in all of our daily servings of fruits and veggies by incorporating whole food smoothies in our diet. Have you ever tried using china seeds in your smoothies? You MUST have a high power blender to break them down to help digest them, like flax seeds. (I have the Nutri Ninja) and its so powerful that it just cuts through frozen fruits and veggies with ease and I don’t have to scrape down the sides of the blended because it incorporates everything perfectly. Btw, chia seeds are packed with Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. They also can be used as a thickener too for those thinner consistency smoothies. I encourage youย to do some research on chia seeds if you haven’t heard of them! Thanks again for the awesome smoothie recipes!
Either! I’ve used both varieties depending what I have on had. Same goes for the juice too. I’ve never put chia seeds in my smoothies before, but it’s definitely worth trying! I do love making chia pudding. Thanks so much.
This is AMAZING!!!! I just discovered your website and I love your stuff. I am an awful cook but have had success with a couple things already. Though after making this I might not bother with anything else!
Oh my goodness is this ever delicious!! Thank you for creating this divine smoothie specimen!! It just vaulted to the top of my smoothie list!!!
Hello Sally,
I really don’t like the taste of ripe bananas and find it overpowering regardless of what it’s mixed in. Is there any other fruit you could use to replace the banana in this recipe?
I don’t have any other fruit in mind to keep the creamsicle taste. How about vanilla frozen yogurt?