When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to do was ride my bike with my friends to the local gas station’s mini-mart and reach into their freezer case and pull out an Orange Push-Up.
If you like Orange PushUps, Orange Creamsicles, or Orange Julius this is the smoothie for you.
I loved Push-Ups and seeing those brightly colored dots meant that creamy orange goodness was soon going to be mine.
I love it when Push-Ups begin to melt because they taste even sweeter, creamier, and better.
The same was true with this smoothie. As it began to melt, it got even better.
This smoothie is a dead ringer for Orange Push-Ups.
Don’t skimp on the sugar if you want it to taste exactly like an Orange Push-Up and I promise, it does.
Sweet oranges ‘n creamy perfection.
I used this mango-orange from Hawaii’s Own brand for the concentrate. It was on sale for 99 cents for the can at my grocery store and I was being cheap being budget conscious and didn’t want to buy the Minute Maid which was $3.29 for one can.
If you can’t find this concentrate, I’m sure any OJ concentrate or citrus juice concentrate blend should be fine. I really didn’t taste mango per se, just an orangey citrus flavor.
This recipe made three good-sized smoothies and since I wasn’t going to drink them all at once, I popped the leftover smoothie mixture in the freezer and realized after the fact that I should have poured the extra into Popsicle molds for homemade Push-Ups. Next time, I’ll do that.
For now, I’ve been eating it like orange sherbet style with a spoon from the glasses I poured it into and then froze.
The variations of what I’m going to do with this addictive orange mixture is exciting and has my wheels turning:
1. Pour it into molds and freeze like traditional Push-Ups (or frozen into ice cube trays or poured into paper Dixie cups with a makeshift stick inserted and peel off the paper cup after it has frozen)
2. Freeze it and eat in a bowl as orange sherbert
3. Drink it smoothie style
Now if the weather could just warm up a bit so my teeth don’t chatter while I slurp copious amounts of orange sugary liquid.
But I’ll shiver and chatter for this stuff any day.
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Orange Push-Up Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 can orange juice concentrate, slightly thawed
- 1 cup milk, half and half, cream, nut milk, soy milk, vegan milk, etc.
- ½ cup granulated sugar, or to taste (you can reduce the sugar or use an alternate sugar substitute such as stevia
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups ice, or to taste
- 1 to 2 ounces of Rum, Malibu, Vodka, Citron, Marshmallow Vodka, Gran Marnier or similar, per smoothie portion, or to taste, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, except ice and optional alcohol, in a large blender or Vita-Mix and blend until smooth and creamy, taking care the sugar has dissolved and is well incorporated. Keep blending until it dissolves. If desired, add a splash more water or milk.
- Add the ice and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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If you’re a fan of fruity and creamy smoothies, try:
Pineapple Banana & Coconut Cream Smoothie
Peaches & Coconut Cream Smoothie
Or just cut to a dessert smoothie with a Creamy Cookie Butter White Chocolate Banana Smoothie. Use peanut butter or almond butter if that’s what you have available because there’s a cookie butter shortage.
Questions:
Do you like Push-Ups?
Do you like orange drinks?
I also love Orange Julius and Orange Crush soda. I haven’t had either in years, but I am fond enough of Orange Crush to order Orange Crush checks.
I am apparently stuck in a 1982 timewarp where people still write out checks and long to lick melty Push-Up with dots on the paper wrapper from the gas station.
While I’m at it, I’d like to do this all while watching The Brady Bunch and Three’s Company reruns and use my bike as my primary mode of transportation. Ahh, childhood memories. And maybe I’ll pour an Orange Creamsicle soda while I’m at it, too.
I always loved Push-Ups too! I am excited to try this with all the kids in the neighborhood this Summer! Thanks for posting!
keep me posted how it goes!
These are delicious! If some find it too bitter, swap the sugar for a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Great tip…thanks and I hope others use it!
I made this with an orange DRINK concentrate instead of an orange JUICE concentrate. IT WAS AMAZING! Not bitter, and I only added a 1/2 c of sugar. The whole family was crazy about it. Definitely reminded me of the push-pops I used to love
Awesome feedback…thank you! Orange DRINK rather than orange JUICE concentrate. Interesting differentiation. Honestly I buy so very little frozen concentrates (this was one of only a handful of purchases of it ever in my life for this recipe!) so I appreciate the “field reports” and first hand feedback including how much sugar you used, too. Thanks!
Yummy! We’ve been making these for years and in our family we call it Orange Julius. Beautiful pictures btw!!! It’s time to make some more!
Glad to know you’ve been making it, too. I’d love to hear your ratios of sweetener, juice, cream, what brand of juice, etc that you use. Detailed, tried-and-true feedback is so helpful!
That sure looks delicious, but i can’t get myself to eat 1/3 of a cup of WHITE SUGAR just to have a fresh drink. What if I want 2 drinks? oh no. Or even when using half that amount of sugar…. So, let me see what I can do with some fresh oranges and I’ll share the result.
Anyhow, no matter what, your pictures looked awesome, and if it would not be so calorie-rich, i would sure have tried to make your version. thank you for sharing/the inspiration!
As I indicated in the post, SWEETEN TO TASTE. You don’t have to use that amount of sugar, or sweeten with something else.
And, this makes three hearty 8-oz portions so on a per serving amount, you are having a tablespoon or two of sugar. Far less than soda, Starbucks syrups, the sugar in ketchup, the sugar in pizza sauce you’d buy; really not that terribly much but to each her own. And yes, this is more like a dessert-smoothie than something I’d drink everyday. And on those occasions, I love it.
A cup of sugar split between three smoothies is still 1/3 of a cup of sugar per serving. Yowza! But now I’m curious if I can come up with a yummy, creamy orange smoothie without adding sugar (or artificial sweetener). I’m thinking greek yogurt, orange juice, and mango maybe. Hmm…
Just did a quick calculation: recipe with that brand of juice concentrate + 1 cup of sugar divided into 3 large smoothies = 128g of sugar per smoothie (52g for 1/3 of a can of concentrate + 12g for cup of milk + 64g for 1/3 cup of sugar). Might be ok purely as a dessert smoothie once in a blue moon. Good to be aware is all.
I get far more than 3 servings from this recipe…probably at least 6. There is no way I could drink 8 oz of it! I wrote 8 oz because that’s “standard” but 4 oz is plenty for me. There’s a reason why people love Starbucks drinks…ounce for ounce they have WAY MORE sugar than this :) Same with ketchup. Ounce for ounce it has way more. And who uses just 1 tbsp of ketchup or whatever they list as the serving size. Life…full of sugar. We gotta pick the things we REALLY want to enjoy and have those is what I say :)
Made this tonight for my family, and WOW, talk about total heaven!! My grocery store didn’t carry the Hawaii’s Own brand, so I used the Old Orchard orange-peach-mango flavor, and it was totally scrumptious. I also used right about half a cup of sugar, blended it really well for a good minute or so, and it was perfect, not gritty, not too sweet, not bitter. It was awesome, thanks! This will for sure be a summer staple in our home!
Thank you for the glowing report, Becky! This is JUST what I love hearing…when someone makes something, and it turns out fabulously. Good job on blending well, and on the Old Orchard orange-peach-mango flavor (sounds fantastic!).
“not gritty, not too sweet, not bitter. It was awesome” <-- That's awesome to hear! And that it will be a summertime staple, too!
I LOVE this smoothie! I made it tonight for my family, and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad that it was a hit! Could I ask what brand of concentrate & approximate amount of sugar you used? I am always curious about what ends up working out for people in their own kitchens. Thanks for the comment!
This was great. The Hawaii’s Own was a great flavor. For the second batch I added 1/4 Greek plain yogurt and a banana. It was terrific.
Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked it and played around with the yogurt and banana addition. May I ask how much sugar you used..many people have different reports on this, but being you used the Hawaii’s Own just like I did, would love to know your measurement, approximately.
Made these. They are yummy. The concentrate I used was a little bitter, next time want to try the Hawaii’s Own brand. I would reccomend using half a can of regular concentrate to start and adding more if you need more orange flavor. I will be making it again!
Thanks for the feedback and glad you liked it, Mandy!
These smoothies sound amazingly good!! I thought I’d send my EZ Orange Julius recipe for your to try. It’s sooo simple, and my girlfriends can’t get enough of the sweet, orangey goodness!
Supplies needed:
Your favorite orange juice (if using concentrate, prepare according to directions, but use only 3/4 can of water)
Vanilla ice cream
Vanilla extract
Orange extract
Orange curls, for garnish (optional)
In a blender, combine the orange juice and ice cream by using a slow speed to start and working up to a mid-range speed for about 30 seconds. Use the orange and vanilla extracts, to taste. You really don’t need the extracts, but it does heighten the flavor. If you use the extracts, use only a couple of drops, mix, and taste. Continue in this manner until you have your desired flavor. Pour into a crystal goblet or a plastic cup and garnish with an orange curl. Serve, sit back and wait for the accolades!
Thanks for taking the time to type that all out!