I promised I’d let you know how my freezing oranges experiment went. Well, I’m happy to report that it was a success!
I used them to make this Orange Cream Smoothie recipe last week and it was a hit. The children all drank it down and loved it and my sister and brother, who were over at our house, also said it was delicious.
Now, I do have the blessing of owning a Vita-Mix. I can’t say for sure how well the frozen oranges would grind up in a regular blender. If you try this recipe in a regular blender, let us know how it turns out!

Orange Cream Smoothie
- 2 cups frozen oranges (you can see how I froze mine here)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 5 teaspoons raw sugar
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on the highest setting until thoroughly blended. Enjoy!
Eileen, tried to get your upgraded recipe, the page said no access!?
YUM!!! Anyone ever try this with grapefruit? There was some on sale at Whole Foods. Might have to add extra sugar but I’m gonna try it!
Great ideas from everyone! I made this smoothie this morning with my Cuisinart Smart Stick. I had frozen the oranges without peel but with membrane. Of course I didn’t have quite enough plain yogurt so I put in a dab of Cool Whip, and then forgot the sugar altogether. It tasted fabulous! I did taste “pulp” a little bit but didn’t mind at all. My 20-month-old had it as a base for his cereal and my 5-year-old tasted his just now and “doesn’t know” if he likes it yet. But he’s smiling and that is a good sign for first thing in the morning. Thanks for the recipe!
For those of you using regular blenders (not Vita Mix), you’re leaving the membrane on the oranges when you freeze them, just like in Crystal’s picture, right? I really want to try this but I’m just not sure how my Black & Decker blender will handle the membranes and I don’t think I have the patience to segment all of the oranges first!
Loved this! I used soy milk instead of regular and added about a tbsp. of flax seed and a scoop of protein powder. I also have a standard Hamilton Beach blender and it worked really well!
Do you have the strawberry smoothie recipe?
I do not have a vitamix, can this recipe work in a Bullet?
i made these today, a bit late but the first chance i got to the market for yogurt. My two toddlers loved them. My oldest said more tomorrow.
I used my ge blender, not sure of the model or such, it was a gift from my mom. She has the same one and it works great on ice drinks. I got a lump or two but nothing bad. Some pulp but i don’t mind it.
I made these today in my Ninja added fresh oranges,ice, and a splash of vanilla to your receipe came out soo yummy!! Thanks, for the idea for the oranges, I love how you can freeze them!!!
I have a Ninja, and it worked well. I am getting some small bits of orange, but not much – and I probably could have used more liquid: I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, and I ended up with more of a milkshake texture, so I probably should have blended a little longer. I just used the frozen oranges, some (chocolate) milk, and some chocolate protein powder. So it’s like a chocolate/citrus milkshake. Delicious!
I LOVE Smoothies! Especially now that I have my Ninja, and it cleans so much easier than my old blender, I use it all the time!
The orange smoothie turned out great. Though I don’t have a Vitamix, i put the wedges of oranges in a food processor then in the blender with the other ingredients. The kids loved it. That night I froze some freshly cut pineapple, a really ripe banana and some strawberries. You really can add any ripe fruit, as I did so they wouldn’t spoil. Next time I’ll try freezing mango and this summer I’ll buy extra cheap berries for freezing. Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.
I have watched several tutorial videos on how to cut an orange, & still manage to butcher mine. How did you make your segments so nice?
I’m not blessed with a Vita-mix but it’s on my wish list… some day, hopefully. I did put peeled oranges in my commercial grade blender (Waring Pro – BF deal) with frozen pineapples and mangos, scoop of protein powder, scoop of my green vibrance powder, 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar and some water and everything blended up great. You were my inspiration for trying orange pieces. I should be able to freeze them and they’ll work fine, too. Some day when I get a vita-mix I’ll be able to try carrots and fresh greens. I’m enjoying reading everybody’s comments and recipe ideas.
I used frozed peeled oranges in my Bosch blender the other day, and the skins (membranes) just don’t get completely smooth. And Bosch is an excellent blender! I wish I had a Vita Mix! Boo-h00!
I bet if you add half a frozen banana to it you won’t need sugar 🙂
I froze some oranges and cut them into smaller pieces first, put them on a cookie sheet, then froze and bagged. They worked great in my Kitchen Aid Blender! We made smoothies with dinner last night.
Connie,
You may want try to freeze the wedges of oranges on a cookie sheet. Once they are frozen, you can use a large ziplock bag and they should clump together.
I’m going to buy some plain yogurt tomorrow as I can’t wait to try this recipe. I don’t have a Vitamix, but i think I’m going to put the oranges through my small food processor first before putting in a blender.
I bought 5 lbs of those Cutie brand mandarin oranges from Sams and froze them in a plastic container and they stuck together in one clump. Your idea with the ziplock bag that puts them more in a single layer is vital. I was in a hurry, had TONS of oranges and no patience. The taste wasn’t affected, I just use a knife to break them apart and my Vitamix makes easy work of the frozen oranges.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!! It looks & sounds great!
I’ve got a VitaMix too and wouldnt take anything in the world for it!
Its the BEST!
I love smoothies and am def going to try this orange smoothie. I think I’ll use tangerines b/c that’s what we have on hand. I had never thought of using oranges before for some reason but I’m pretty excited to try this one. Here’s a link to a smoothie recipe on my site if anyone is interested. My kids love it and it’s pretty healthy. http://racingandsavingmama.com/2011/02/18/healthy-smoothies-for-the-kiddos-and-me/
This looks great! We make a simple smoothie with milk, frozen bananas and a splash of vanilla (I just eyeball the amounts). So easy and yummy. I have a vita mix, too and love it. I have a question. I made a smoothie with orange juice, yogurt, frozen bananas, unpeeled apple and carrots and celery with strings attached . The texture was not as smooth as I like and the celery really overpowered the drink. Anyone have this experience in their vitamix?
i would adjust the apples/bananas up a bit and the celery down… so the sweet taste is the overpowering one.
I do a similar orange smoothie in my Kitchen Aid blender and it turns out perfectly. This blender is a workhorse! I think it would blend rocks! 😉
I put oranges in my Bosch blender all the time and there isn’t even pulp, but before this one in my Target blender I could taste everything.
I saw that you had plain yogurt and I have been making it in the crokpot and I thought I would share this with you and it is easy just you need time.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html
Thank you for sharing.
Love my Vitamix! Thanks for the recipe.
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
I used my food processor (cuisinart 7-cup) and it worked just fine! The oranges I used were frozen without peels, and every few bites I can taste a little of the pulp. But my kids are wolfing it down, so I guess its not a problem 🙂
I have a Cuisinart and never thought of making a smoothie in it! Great idea!
I just posted a recipe for strawberry, banana, spinach smoothies (www.momonamission.me) and I use a kitchen aid. I was thinking of freezing my own convenience smoothie packs so my daughter could make them for the family-no measuring or guessing-liquid ingredients written on the pkg. I’m going to try the oranges in my kitchen aid. here goes, thnx
This looks amazing; I definitely want to try this soon in my VitaMix! My in-laws made a green smoothie before for the whole family and left the peel on the orange and it was really bitter. I am glad this recipe calls for peeled oranges!
I have one of the Chris Freytag little blenders that I use to make my smoothies…I’m definitely going to give this a whirl…don’t know why it wouldn’t work…mine easily blends frozen pineapple, would think the oranges would be similar!
I’m starting to think that I need to save up for a Vita-Mix. Your smoothie looks fantastic! We make smoothies all the time, but I’m sure that my Kitchen Aid would not be able to handle the skins on the oranges. I’d love to be able to be more creative with my ingredients (like a carrot, as others mentioned!) I do recommend putting spinach in any smoothie (unless you’re serving it to guests and don’t want it to be green!) You don’t taste it at all and you get the wonderful benefits of the leafy green!
Make sure that you peel the oranges before grinding them up. I’m not sure, but I’m guessing if your KitchenAid will grind up spinach in a smoothie, it will probably also grind up frozen oranges.
Well if you really think so, I’ll give it a try =)
adding ANY dark leafy green to your smoothie is a good idea! i’ve even used kale from the garden with good results.
Hmmm….I actually tried to put some peeled orange wedges in my smoothie the other day, but mine turned out terrible!! There were all kinds of pieces of flaky orange stuff in the drink that were completely unpleasant feeling in my mouth. At least I assume it was flakey orange stuff, because I don’t know what else it could have been!! *LOL*
I don’t have any kind of high tech blender though – just a normal one. Maybe that was the problem?
YUMMMMMMMY!
This sounds so interesting – I may have to throw an orange or two in the freezer tonight to try it out for breakfast tomorrow – yum!
fyi. I tried something very similar last week in my regular old blender.. the peels were very apparent, and I hate anything chunky in a drink like that.
I supposed I could have let it go longer, but I doubt it would have made much difference.
I’m thinking of having my sister try it in her magic bullet, and see if it’s any better.
Did you peel the oranges?
I love to use honey in our smoothie recipes especially when we are sick it tends to soothe sore throats.
Just curious of approximate number of servings for the recipe
Well, it would depend upon how much you wanted to drink! It makes around four to five cups.
Thanks for posting the results of this experiment and the recipe. I bought a large bag of oranges this week and was planning to email you and ask if you could give me the recipe. Guess you beat me to it!
i also have a vita-mix – use it every morning! i use a fresh orange with frozen banana, strawberries & blueberries with some almond or coconut milk & some protein powder.
Have you ever tried freezing the smoothie into popsicles? i wonder if the texture would be good?
When we have leftover smoothie, I freeze it in popsicle molds for my daughter (she’s 2 1/2). She eats them gladly…I haven’t really eaten one myself, though, so I can’t say for sure about the texture.
What brand of protein powder do you use? Been wanting to add some to our smoothies but I found the choices overwhelming!
I am currently using a brand of protein powder called “Aria” which is marketed as a women’s protein. It’s 50/50 whey & soy with minimal sugar. serving size is 2 scoops on the can, but i only put in one for my smoothie which adds about 40 calories & 7 g. of protein. I bought it at Kroger’s in Ohio.
I also have a Vita-mix (I LOVE IT!) and am wondering about the recipe. Do you cut off the orange peels or is this one of those “use the whole fruit” Vita-Mix recipes??
We use whole squash, whole strawberries (yes, even the stem) carrots, etc — but I have never used orange peel…only the pulpy white exterior. If you are not using the peel – did you freeze the oranges after they were peeled, or just slice them (as shown in picture) and then peel them before you blended them??
Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it with my kids!
your body cannot digest very much orange peel
I froze them without orange peels. I’m thinking the recipe would be way too tart with the peels.
That smoothie looks so delicious I wish I could reach in and pick it up.
I have a Vita-Mix and I always sneak a raw carrot into any type of orange smoothie. It blends right in and no one is the wiser – you just have to throw it in the blender quick while no one is looking. Going to have to try this one though – sounds like a creamsicle. I’ve been on a Banana Chai smoothie kick this week.
OOOh that sounds good. Got a recipe?
yes, please the recipe for the Banana Chai???
Well it started with this recipe: http://www.choosingraw.com/banana-chai-smoothie/ But now I have changed it up somewhat. Here is what I’m using – I’m lactose intolerant so you could probably use regular milk and a little vanilla. The vanilla coconut milk is sweetened too – so you may have to add more sweetener.
1 cup of So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk (not the canned stuff!)
1 1/2 frozen bananas
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of sea salt (teeny tiny)
1 tsp. of agave
1 tablespoon each of chia seeds, hemp seeds, ground flax
1 tsp. of Flax oil
1/3 cup of rolled oats
small handful of raw almonds
6 – 8 ice cubes
Blend in Vitamix until smooth. You could leave out the nuts and seeds if you wanted – but I’m having it for breakfast so I wanted a protein boost. I much prefer the taste with the nuts and seeds as opposed to a protein powder. I think I’m going to make up packets with all of the dry ingredients and store them in my freezer to simplify the process in the morning.
I’ve received a few questions about the ingredients, so I typed up the recipe with additional detail and posted it here: http://www.suite101.com/content/banana-chai-smoothie-recipe-a349670