Vegan Orange Julius Smoothie

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, frozen (Yes, you an use room temp ’nanas in a pinch, but then you’ll have to add more ice…)

1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (This is the zest from about ½ an orange.)

1½ cups fresh squeezed orange juice (This is the juice from about 2-3 oranges, depending on their size.)

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4-6 ice cubes

1 tablespoon agave, stevia, or honey, (or my new sweetener obsession... Coconut nectar! optional (I don’t think this smoothie needs it, but if you’re into things extra sweet, go for it.)

Instructions

Peel your bananas, place them in a Ziploc bag and freeze overnight.

Juice your oranges. You can do this using a fancy juicer, citrus press, or by hand. (Relax, you’ll only need to juice 3 at most.)

Place the frozen bananas, orange zest, orange juice, almond milk, vanilla extract, and ice in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (Add agave to sweeten if necessary.)

Pour into two glasses and garnish with orange slices if you’re feeling fancy.

Notes

You can also pour this smoothie into popsicle molds and freeze until solid. If you decide to go this route, you do not need to freeze the bananas beforehand!