Orange Smoothie

A bright and sunny orange smoothie made with fresh oranges, a touch of honey, and a squeeze of lemon. It’s a quick and easy drink to start the day.

Orange Smoothie

The other morning, I whizzed up a frothy, sweet orange smoothie that reminded me of the orange push-up pops I loved so much as a kid. Delivered by the neighborhood ice cream man, the creamy orange ice cream melted faster than I could slurp leaving my hands sticky sweet and most of my summer wardrobe stained with orange. And this smoothie is sort of like that except you make it yourself, drink it from a glass, and enjoy it for breakfast.

It’s a simple concoction requiring only five ingredients plus some ice. There are no new-age add-ins, like chia seeds, or flaxseed or any other seed that one might confuse with birdseed. There’s nothing green in it (although I’m not opposed to a handful of spinach in a breakfast drink for added nutrition). I kept it simple for this orange smoothie, but, like most recipes, it’s open to changes so feel free to tweak it and make it your own.

Some Ingredients You’ll Need

And I should note that I can’t find the inspiration recipe for this smoothie. I stumbled across it online and forgot to bookmark it, so now it’s lost forever in the ether. I remember what struck me was the absence of yogurt. Most smoothies these days seem to call for it, but not here and what you get is a drinkable smoothie, unlike thicker ones that move slowly down the glass only to suddenly speed up and smack you in the face like a milkshake might. I hate it when that happens.

• Start by zesting your orange until you have about a teaspoon of orange zest. This is totally optional, but the zest does add an extra zing of orange.
• It starts with oranges. If you have a high-powered blender all you need to do is peel one orange and break it into segments. If you have a regular blender I recommend squeezing the juice from a couple of oranges. You only need a half a cup of juice or so.
• The first few times I made this I used half and half, but since then I use whole milk. A reader left a comment mentioning she uses almond with success, too.
• I used honey to add a touch of sweetness.
• A squeeze a fresh lemon juice adds a pop of brightness.

This orange smoothie is a fresh way to start the day or whiz one up for a nice pick-me-up in the afternoon. It’s like sunshine in a glass.

Happy smoothie-making!

 

More Smoothie Recipes

4-Ingredient Banana Mocha Smoothie 

Pineapple Orange Smoothie 

Cranberry Smoothie 

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