How to make an Orange Freeze?

October 16, 2005 10:03 PM

Anyone know how to replicate an Orange Freeze? I grew up in St. Louis, and I became addicted to the Orange Freeze from the Steak 'n Shake chain at young age. I live in Denver now, and the nearest Steak 'n Shake is in the middle of Kansas.

I've tried making a shake at home using vanilla and orange sherbet ice cream, but it's not the same. I think they use a syrup to get the orange flavor, but I have not idea where to get the syrup myself. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

posted by jzb to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

I googled "orange julius recipes" and came up with sugar, vanilla extract, and some powdered pudding mix. You might consider a little orange peel to get some bitter. Don't know if steak and shake is the same deal as orange julius, but i remember OJ vividly from my childhood as having really tasty orange freezy drinks.

I recall vividly the orange freezes tasting exactly like orange chewable children's asprin. You might add some of those to your mix if all else fails.
posted by freq at 10:27 PM on October 16, 2005

If this is the same thing as the Orange Julius drink, then the secret ingredient is some sort of starch (cornstarch I assume). I tried to make it some time ago but it never quite worked out so, take that advice for what it's worth.
posted by loquax at 10:34 PM on October 16, 2005

There are several Orange Julius places in Denver.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:26 AM on October 17, 2005

Midwesterner here. A Steak 'n Shake orange freeze is not the same thing as an Orange Julius. Their Orange Freezes have a lot more to do with a milkshake. My hunch is that they're probably made with sherbet.
posted by zsazsa at 5:43 AM on October 17, 2005

Your question may have been answered here (forum without permalinks; scroll down most of the way to JimInKy’s post). It doesn’t specify Steak n Shake, but it might be close. This version is indeed made with sherbet.

Recipe:

Juice of a ripe juice orange
A generous scoop of orange sherbet ice cream
1 teaspoon sugar
Cup of crushed ice
A few T of water

Squeeze every drop out of a ripe juice orange into a blender cup. Then add the orange sherbet, soft crushed ice (like restaurants serve), sugar and just a little water.

Mix it in the blender and serve right away.
posted by boomchicka at 6:33 AM on October 17, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for the responses, all. zsazsa is correct - an Orange Freeze is quite unlike an Orange Julius - have tried those already, went away disappointed.

boomchicka, thanks - I found that one, pretty sure it's not close.

Does anyone read Ask MeFi that's actually worked at a Steak 'n Shake?
posted by jzb at 7:44 AM on October 17, 2005

I dunno if this is the same thing, but there's a place in central Oregon that serves a drink called an Orange Freeze. It's essentially orange soda (I think they use Minute Maid; it's been a few years since I demanded to know what was in that sweet, sweet nectar) and vanilla ice cream blended together. Very like a well-stirred root beer float, only orangey instead of root beery.
Really, really delicious, whether or not it's what you're seeking.
posted by willpie at 7:49 AM on October 17, 2005

jzb...my son currently works at a SnS. I'll ask him what goes into an Orange Freeze. Watch this space...probably won't be able to post anything until later today.

I can tell you right now that it probably isn't actual ice cream. SnS uses a relatively unflavored "shake base" to make their shakes and freezes. It simulates the look and feel of ice cream but is much more stable. Probably much cheaper, too. They only use real ice cream for their sundaes.

Most fast food places have gone this route. Notice that most places use the term "shake"...not milk shake. No dairy in that stuff.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:29 AM on October 17, 2005

Thorzdad, that's really sad, especially because Steak 'n Shake says they have "hand-dipped, real-milk Milk Shakes".

Anyway, in the name of science, I got an Orange Freeze on the way back from lunch. It definitely has orange sherbet in it, and perhaps some milk. It's pretty much just like drinking orange sherbet with more dairy in it.
posted by zsazsa at 11:21 AM on October 17, 2005

Best answer: Well...in all fairness, SnS does add a squirt of milk to their shakes when building them. And, you can request they make the shakes with real ice cream...no extra charge.

So...here's the scoop. An Orange Freeze is:
• A couple of scoops of shake base (my guess is you can substitute a cheap vanilla ice cream here.)
•Orange syrup.
•A dash of water. This, according to my son, is what makes it so hard to make a Freeze thick. Too much water, and you have a melted Dream-sicle.

Not sure where to get orange syrup. You could possibly make your own...some corn syrup, some orange flavoring, a little water...render over medium heat...

Good luck. Those things are darn good. Though you really need to get to a SnS and check out their Apple/Caramel Halloween shake. It's like drinking a caramel apple made with a granny smith apple. Yummmmmm!
posted by Thorzdad at 11:30 AM on October 17, 2005 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thorzdad - much appreciated. I never would have guessed that they put water in it... Thanks to everyone who has responded. I wonder where I can find orange syrup?
posted by jzb at 12:14 PM on October 17, 2005

Hey jzb, fellow former St. Louisan and current Coloradan here...love CO but I also miss some StL things.

For orange syrup, I would try Stewart's - they have root beer, cherry cola, etc, but also a Dreamsicle-like orange cream soda. (Cracker Barrel serves Stewart's, it's also available in many grocery stores.) If the soda is too thin (not syrupy enough), you might try asking at any restaurant that serves orange soda out of their fountain if you can get some of the syrup mix. Probably would be easiest to have them switch before quite running out, then just cut open the syrup bag - those things aren't made to dispense out of the spout except through the whole fountain apparatus.

I'm guessing the water in the Orange Freeze is just to thin out the orange syrup, otherwise what would be the point? (Especially since Thorzad's son mentions that too much ruins it.)
posted by attercoppe at 9:34 PM on October 17, 2005