I love fun summer drinks, and y’all should know that around here “drinks” always refer to non-alcoholic family friendly ones! These are modeled after traditional frozen lemonades but with a few twists. It’s a slushy orange-lemon mix, perfectly sweetened and poured over a gorgeous raspberry puree. The taste is amazing and the presentation- well, just look at it! It really is that bright and vibrant. They’re pretty darn impressive, and not hard to make if you do a little make-ahead prep. So next time you want to have something special for company, for your sweetie, or just for a night in with the fam, these are perfect. And I would even say they’d be yummy in the morning too for a special breakfast or brunch.
Ingredient Notes
- Orange Juice – You can use fresh squeezed OJ, but to make things easier, I just use a good bottled one like Simply Orange.
- Lemon Juice – No bottles here! Use fresh lemon juice.
- Raspberries – You can use fresh or frozen raspberries here. If you want to switch things up, you could try blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, or a mix. Kate’s strawberry sauce would work great in place of the raspberry puree- just make it with vanilla, not almond. If using fresh berries, save a few for garnishing your drinks!
- Mint – This is just for garnish.
Plan Ahead
I recommend doing some things ahead of time. Do all of this and then throwing the drinks together when you want them will be quick, easy, and mess-free!
- Mix some sugar and water and store in the fridge. It might seem impossible at first, but it will come together in only a few minutes. You can whisk it for a minute, then move on to the next step, and come back to stir periodically.
- Next you’ll make a quick raspberry puree and store in the fridge – mix some raspberries, powdered sugar and water in a good processor and blend until smooth. You can taste it and add more powdered sugar if it’s too tart. Run that mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds and pop it in the fridge.
- Next you’ll squeeze some lemons (and oranges if you are using fresh juice!), and combine both citrus juices into one container. Store in the fridge until assembly time.
Make Your Raspberry-Citrus Slushies
- To make the slushies, you will combine some ice, your citrus juices, and your sugar water mixture in a blender and process until perfectly slushy. You can kind of play around with amounts and add more juice or sugar water if necessary.
- Next you’ll grab some glasses and divide your raspberry puree into the bottoms of each. This will make 4 larger drinks or 6 smaller ones.
- Then pour the citrus slushy mix right on top of the raspberry puree and watch the amazing color show begin!
- Garnish with some mint and a couple of fresh raspberries. Serve with straws or spoons for ultimate enjoyment!
Serving Suggestions
These slushies are perfect for serving guests! They would be a fun addition to a BBQ, a shower, or even brunch. Of course, they are easy enough for a night in with the family as well! The bright, fresh flavors would pair well with chips and Cantina-Style Salsa or Avocado Corn Salsa for a fun afternoon with friends by the pool, or alongside some fun Orange Thai Beef Skewers or Chili-lime Mango Chicken Skewers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Make These Ahead of Time? These slushies are best mixed fresh. But you can make that easy by mixing up your sugar and water ahead of time, juicing your lemons and oranges, and preparing your raspberry puree. Then it’s easy-peasy to blend everything up, garnish and serve!
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
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Raspberry-Citrus Slushies
- Yield: 4-6 slushies
- Category: Beverages
Description
This slushie is made with fresh citrus and sweet raspberries, resulting in the perfect summer refresher!
Ingredients
SLUSHIES
2/3 cups orange juice
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
4 1/2 cups ice
RASPBERRY PUREE
1/2 cup raspberries (frozen would be okay)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (more to taste if needed)
2 tablespoons water
Instructions
I recommend doing some things ahead of time. Do all of this and then throwing the drinks together when you want them will be quick, easy, and mess-free!
Mix your sugar and water and store in the fridge.
Place the 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a cup or bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. It might seem impossible at first, but it will come together in only a few minutes. You can whisk it for a minute, then move on to the next step, and come back to stir periodically.
Make the raspberry puree and store in the fridge.
Place raspberries, powdered sugar, and 2 T water in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add a little more powdered sugar if it’s too tart still. If you don’t have a food processor you could probably just smash them to a pulp!
Then run the mixture through a strainer to remove seeds. Use a rubber spatula or small spoon to stir and the puree will fall through. And ya know, Kate’s strawberry sauce would work great in place of the raspberry puree- just make it with vanilla, not almond.
Juice citrus and store in the fridge.
When you’re ready, make your slushies.
- Combine orange juice, lemon juice, and 3/4 cup of the sugar water mixture. Place the ice cubes in a blender, pour the juice mixture over, and process until perfectly slushy. If you need a little more liquid to process it, add the rest of the sugar syrup. You can always add more juice if you need to. Too juicy? Add more ice.
- Grab some glasses and divide your raspberry puree into the bottoms of each (It will just be a tablespoon or two). This will make 4 larger drinks and 6 small ones.
- Then pour the slushy mix right on top of it and watch the amazing color show begin!
- Garnish with some mint and a couple of fresh raspberries. Serve with straws or spoons for ultimate enjoyment!
Keywords: citrus, lemon, orange, raspberry
I love it I’m 12yr old and in my school we have cooking lessons and
One of our assignment was to make a heathy food and I found yours and it was
Great . its very easy to make I’m not sure what I’ve got. Do u what me to tell you if
I have got it back ?
Delena slavator
Thanks again for another great recipe! So pretty and so good! Yes, I “accidentally” ate all my raspberry garnish, too. 🙂
This looks so good! i LOVE slushies and mccdonalds did copy you.i absaloutly envy you, on your creative recipies.
I just want to say that I think McDonald’s totally copied their new frozen strawberry lemonade after your creation and for the record, yours is far better!
Yes! T = Tablespoons and t = teaspoons
When you say T in the recipe, I am assuming you mean tablespoons???
I made this drink tonight and it was amazing!
Oooh, I am going to replace the sugar with agave and make these! Thanks for the recipe:)
Ohhhhh, I have really been into smoothies lately and these look delish! And they are beautiful as well. Don't you just love beautiful food? Nice post. Thank you!
A great thirst quencher for summer! Looks so refreshing!
This sounds so refreshing. I love the vibrant colors in the drink!
These look delicious!
But I am actually asking a question about something else…
Can you buy "bad" flour?
I just made the Choc Zuch Bread (and this actually happened on the last few things I baked) and the flour was EXTREMELY lumpy!! I tried to stir it up better before I added it to the wet ingredients (becuase it ruined a cobbler a few weeks ago) and it still was lumpy! I have never had this problem before – but since I opened this bag of flour it has been lump after lump. Is it bad flour? Is it the humidity? Am I going to have to sift everytime I bake? aaagghhhhh! HELP!!
:)thanks
THese sound so good. I just got out of surgery today and something cold on my throat sounds wonderful. YUmmy
Yum, yum!! Definitely going to try this. Could use one day – it's nice and hot here in Utah where we are!!
Yum! Ever try adding yogurt? It makes for more of a smoothie than a slushie, but it's great!
Pretty AND refreshing! These look really good.
Oh, and the chocolate zucchini bread was a HIT!! 🙂
What a pretty drink. I might have to try this one.
What a refreshing drink!