Orange PushUp Smoothie

by · October 7, 2012

Orange Push-Up Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten Free)

1 can orange juice concentrate, slightly thawed

1 cup milk (half and half, cream, nut milk, soy milk)

1/2 cup sugar, or to taste (you can reduce the sugar or use an alternate sugar substitute such as stevia but it won’t taste as close to classic Orange Push-Ups. Many people use much more than 1/2 cup, myself included. I used about 1 cup in my version)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups ice, or to taste

Combine all ingredients, except ice, in a large blender or Vita-Mix and blend until smooth and creamy, taking care the sugar has dissolved and is well incorporated. If desired, add a splash more water or more milk. Add the ice and blend until smooth.

Makes approximately three eight-ounce portions.

Tips: Pour excess portions into glasses and thaw later and drink as smoothies; pour excess into bowls and freeze for orange sherbet; or pour into Popsicle molds, paper cups, or ice cube trays and freeze for homemade Push-Ups. Or halve the recipe by cutting the can of orange juice concentrate in half and halving all other ratios.

Optional: Add 1 to 2 ounces of Rum, Malibu, Vodka, Citron, Marshmallow Vodka, Gran Marnier or similar, per smoothie portion, or to taste.

Edited to Add: There have been people who have made this and report theirs being bitter but believe it may be due to the brand of OJ concentrate they used. I suggest trying the brand of juice I showed in the above photos, Hawaii’s Own, and I used mango-orange flavor, as originally indicated above. I bought it at Ralph’s (Kroger) Grocery store.

Also, do not be afraid to sweet this to taste, and that may mean substantially increasing the amount of sugar used, i.e. using 1 cup or more, rather than 1/2 cup, of sugar. I used 1 cup in my version, but have a sweet tooth and some people said they tried 1 cup and it was too sweet for them. Everything is to taste (too bitter, too sweet; it’s all relative and depends on the brand of concentrate used). I appreciate the feedback and everyone who has tried the recipe so far.

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