Okay, so I got this craving the other day for that Arby’s Orange Cream Shake. You know the one. It’s got that perfect mix of orangey tang and creamy vanilla. Instead of driving over there, I figured, why not try making it myself? Seemed simple enough.
My First Go At It
I went into the kitchen and started pulling stuff out. Here’s what I grabbed first:
- Vanilla Ice Cream – gotta have that base, right?
- Orange Juice – seemed like the obvious choice for the orange flavor.
- Milk – to get the right shake consistency.
I dumped a few scoops of ice cream into the blender. Didn’t really measure, just eyeballed it. Then I poured in some orange juice, maybe half a cup? And a splash of milk. Blended it all up.
Taste Test and Tweaks
Took a sip. Hmm. It was okay, but definitely not the Arby’s shake. The orange juice made it a bit too tart, almost icy, and not quite creamy enough. It was missing that smooth, sweet, almost artificial orange flavor that makes the original so good. It wasn’t bad, just… not it.
So, back to the drawing board. I thought maybe regular OJ wasn’t the way to go. That specific flavor reminded me more of those orange cream popsicles.
Round Two – Getting Closer
This time, I decided to ditch the orange juice. I rummaged around and found some orange syrup, the kind you might put on pancakes or ice cream. I thought this might give it that sweeter, more concentrated orange taste.
Here’s the next attempt mix:
- More Vanilla Ice Cream – maybe I skimped the first time.
- Orange Syrup – started with a couple of tablespoons.
- Milk – just a little bit to help it blend.
- Secret Weapon? A tiny splash of heavy cream. I thought maybe this would up the richness.
Blended that up. Looked much closer in color. Took another sip. Much better! That orange syrup was definitely closer to the mark. It had that sweeter, less acidic orange flavor. The extra ice cream and the splash of cream made it thicker and, well, creamier. It felt much more like the real deal.
My Final Takeaway Ingredients
After messing around, the combo that got me closest was definitely using a good amount of vanilla ice cream, a decent squirt of orange syrup (not juice!), and just enough milk to get it spinning in the blender. Adding that little bit of heavy cream really helped with the texture too. Oh, and topping it with whipped cream is a must if you want the full experience. It’s still maybe not exactly like Arby’s, but it satisfied the craving, and I figured it out right here in my own kitchen. Pretty cool.
