Homemade Pineapple Julius is fresh, cold, fruity, frothy, sweet, a little bit creamy, and so refreshing and delicious! There’s just 6 simple ingredients, and it takes only 5 minutes to make. One sip, and you’ll be hooked!
I was a child of the ’80s. Back then, the mall was the place for us kids to hang out. My friends and I would dress like Madonna and walk around the mall talking like valley girls (yikes!). We thought we were so cool!
Without fail, we always made our way to Orange Julius for our favorite drink (to wash down our Bavarian soft pretzels!). They were sooo good!
I don’t really remember if they actually had a pineapple version. We always got the orange, which tasted just like a Creamsicle!
I was introduced to Pineapple Julius by my aunt who was making them from a recipe she got from a friend. She was making an “adult” version – with a little rum, I think – and she made me one too (sans the rum, of course – I was still a kid).
One sip, and I was in love!
Pineapple has always been my favorite fruit, and this was the best drink I had ever tasted! It was just like my beloved Orange Julius… but BETTER! I’ve been loving them ever since.
And even though I’m all grown up now and could put a little somethin’-somethin’ in there, I usually don’t. I love my Pineapple Julius just as it is!
DID YOU EVER WONDER HOW ORANGE JULIUS GOT ITS NAME?
I did, so I did a little bit of research, and here’s what I found out.
Back in the 1920s, a man named Julius Freed had an orange juice stand in California. This drink was created by a friend of his who wanted a less acidic alternative to straight-up orange juice.
He didn’t have a name for the drink, so customers would say, “Give me an orange, Julius!” And there you have it!
Apparently, there is a secret ingredient in the original Orange Julius – which may or may not be egg whites or egg white powder – which gives it that extra frothiness.
Personally, I don’t want raw egg whites in my drink, and I’m not hunting down and buying powdered egg whites. Besides, this drink is so delicious and so close to the real thing, you’ll never miss them!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Frozen pineapple juice concentrate
- Milk
- Water
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Ice cubes
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
- Blender
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PINEAPPLE JULIUS:
For the best frothy, icy texture, don’t thaw the pineapple juice concentrate. Keep it frozen!
Back in the day, they used to have 6-ounce containers of frozen pineapple juice concentrate. I can’t find them any more, so I just get the 12-ounce container and scoop out half. Then I wrap up the unused half really well and stick it back in my freezer for the next time I want to make Pineapple Julius!
Of course, if you want to make the original orange version, all you have to do is substitute frozen orange juice concentrate for the pineapple, and you’re good to go! I’ve also used orange-pineapple…DEE-licious!
I hope you try this recipe for Homemade Pineapple Julius and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Homemade Pineapple Julius
Ingredients
- 6 ounces frozen pineapple juice concentrate (not thawed!)
- 1 cup whole milk (you could also use 2% or skim)
- 1 cup cold water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 ice cubes (standard ice cube tray size)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Substitute frozen orange juice concentrate for an Orange Julius!
- For a less-sweet version, reduce the sugar to ¼ cup. Estimated calories per serving for reduced sugar version: 175.
Aine Sellers
Your pineapple Julius recipe is very close to the recipe used at our local mall in the 80’s. My best friend worked at the Julius stand they used powdered sugar, egg white powder and instead of water, Sprite, straight from the fountain. They also put in fruit chunks as well They served the Original Orange, Pineapple and Strawberry.
Michelle
Thanks for the info, Aine! I had heard of the egg white powder, but the Sprite is a total surprise to me. I don’t remember it as being carbonated at all (but then again, that was a long time ago)!
Michelle
I used to get these with a scoop of whey protein powder & sometimes a banana mixed in. We don’t have any local OJs left around me & I really miss them, especially the pina colada ones. I’m glad the recipe is similar to the original orange one. Our place always used powdered sugar & egg whites too.