Orange smoothies can be made with just oranges and ice, but most recipes include additional fruits and can be vegan or include dairy. Oranges pair well with other citrus fruits, summer fruits, and can be made with fruit juices or flavored yogurt/ice cream. Milk can also be used as a base, including vegan options.
An orange smoothie is any smoothie that features oranges as the main ingredient. Some of these drinks contain only oranges and ice, though most recipes call for additional fruit for added nutrition and flavor. Many orange smoothie recipes are vegan, requiring only plant-based materials to give them creaminess and volume. Other varieties may include dairy products such as milk, yogurt or even ice cream.
One of the best things about an orange smoothie is that oranges work well with many different flavors. The cook may want to use a recipe if they are new to smoothie making, but after a few trials, experimenting with flavors can become interesting and fun. The simplest orange smoothie may contain only ice cubes made from frozen orange juice, a can or two of tangerine slices, plain ice and a sweetener, such as honey. This simple recipe can be spiced up with a few drops of vanilla extract or some lemon or grapefruit juice.
Citrus fruits usually pair well with other citrus fruits, so cooks can mix different families of oranges to find their favorite flavors. An exotic orange smoothie might start with blood orange juice, which is usually darker and richer than regular orange juice. Most of the smoothie could come from ice cubes made with a blend of tangerine and Meyer lemon juice. Meyer lemons are generally sweeter than other lemon varieties. Once the smoothie was blended together, the cook might add a final squeeze of key lime juice to bring out the bright sweetness of the other flavors.
Oranges also often taste good with summer fruits, such as bananas and berries. Bananas, especially when frozen, give an orange smoothie a creamy texture and intense sweetness. Strawberries give these smoothies a fresh pink color. Mangoes, pineapples, kiwis and other tart fruits often underline the flavors of oranges. Cooks can mix and match all of these fruits to create a variety of orange smoothies they enjoy.
If whole fruit is not available, cooks can use fruit juices to flavor their smoothies. Flavored yogurt or ice cream can also substitute for many of these fruits. Two or three scoops of strawberry ice cream mixed with orange juice usually makes for a delicious and refreshing summer treat. Strawberry yogurt could replace ice cream to add nutrients and calcium without adding too much sugar and fat. This same recipe could also work well with vanilla, lemon, raspberry or cherry ice cream or yogurt.
Milk offers another nutritious base for an orange smoothie. Cooks can use whole, low-fat or skim milk to moderate the number of calories in their smoothies. They may also use flavored milks, such as vanilla, strawberry, or banana varieties. Even vegans can enjoy these types of smoothies if they swap milk for soy, rice, hemp, or coconut milk.
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