An orange juice smoothie is a partially frozen beverage that uses orange juice as the base, though a number of other ingredients can also be added. Bananas are commonly added for flavor, nutrition, and as a natural thickener to the drink, though they are not strictly necessary. Ice cubes can be added to an orange juice smoothie to make it thicker and more frozen, though juice concentrate can also emulate this. Vanilla yogurt or ice cream can also be added to the drink, which provides a great deal of thickness and can make the beverage both sweeter and more flavorful.
Although a number of other ingredients can be added to it, an orange juice smoothie only really needs orange juice, ice, and milk. Some water is often added to this to thin out the frozen drink a bit, and some sugar can be used to make the beverage sweeter and cut through some of the acidity of the juice. These ingredients are all combined in a blender, which is used to crush the ice cubes and mix the whole thing together. This process results in an orange juice smoothie that is thick and creamy, but with a slightly light consistency due to air whipped into it during blending.
An orange juice smoothie can also be made using concentrate, rather than fresh juice, which makes the resulting drink even thicker. Other types of fruit are often added to this drink, which can impact its texture and provide a great deal of additional flavor. Bananas are commonly used in an orange juice smoothie, since the nutrients provided by them are numerous and they can give the drink and even smoother consistency. Various berries and other fruits can also be used in this beverage, and other types of juice, such as apple juice, can be used instead of water.
For an even richer and more decadent drink, vanilla yogurt can be added to an orange juice smoothie, in place of some of the milk. This gives the beverage a smooth and creamy texture that milk alone does not typically provide, though such smoothies are often less healthy than those without yogurt. To turn an orange juice smoothie into even more of a treat, vanilla ice cream can be used instead of yogurt. This is often prepared as a dessert after a meal, and flavored alcohol such as orange liqueur or vanilla vodka can be included for a frozen beverage intended for adults.