Orange Squash | Orange Drink
The way a glass of water quenches thirst is unparalleled. Not doubting that, even a zilch! But I say you can enhance that simple water, once in a while. And the best way to jazz-up is by turning it into a fruity liquid. This Orange Squash recipe is just that. A non-alcoholic, preserved sweetened orange concentrate that you can use to make refreshing glasses of orange drink at home. Also, a treat for people who love to make things from scratch and are serious DIYers!
About Squash
Any non-alcoholic concentrated syrup that is used to make beverages is called a ‘squash.’ A squash is primarily fruity in flavor and made with fruits, water, sugar or any other sugar substitute. Many traditional squashes also have herbal extracts in them. Orange Squash is one of the more popular ones in this category.
With the arrival of summers in India, we all need those beverages that can cool our systems. Yes, chilled water is always the best. But as I mentioned in the beginning, its good to add variety too in life. So, an easy to make, simple yet quite fancy homemade squash will always come handy here.
In addition to this Orange Squash, some of my other top most summer picks include Lemon Squash, Khus Syrup and Sandalwood Syrup. All these are fuss-free, super cooling and best for beating the summer heat.
About Orange Squash Recipe
I worked on this Orange Squash recipe by referring to my cooking school notes. And they helped me immensely.
It is always good to refer to something that you’ve already done in the past and have been a part of. Makes things simpler and results in better outcomes too.
The variety of hybrid orange I used for this recipe was the ‘kinnow’ or ‘kinnoo’ which are locally available mandarins in India.
These tangerines are sweet and juicy. So, about 2.25 kg of these fruits yielded 2.25 liters of Orange Squash. From these juicy mandarins, the juice extracted was a total of approximately 1.25 liters.
Since I had made a few squashes before without a preservative and all of them did spoil within few days, I decided to add one in this Orange Squash, which is potassium metabisulphite.
You can source it through online portals and it is available in the markets too. It helps the squash to last as long as 4 weeks, may be more than that too.
Though this recipe of Orange Squash is not sugar free, but if the oranges are extremely sweet, you can reduce the quantity of sugar.
I have used unrefined cane sugar. You can also make this squash with evaporated cane sugar or regular refined sugar. The taste might slightly alter.
Since I also love the flavor of saffron and the color that it imparts, I have added it in this Orange Squash too. However, this is completely optional.
When storing, you have to use a good quality glass jar or bottle that does not crack or break during the heating process. Remember to sterilize it properly.
Remember you can use any variety of juicy oranges to make this squash. Only ensure that they are sweet, so that you do not have to add copious amount of sugar in it.
Sterilizing for Storage
Sterilizing the glass jar or bottle that you will be using for storing the Orange Squash is absolutely mandatory. This will also add to a good shelf life of the fruit concentrate.
So, while your sugar solution is cooling in the process of making the squash, you can sterilize the bottles/jars. Follow the steps:
- Bring enough water in a large pot to a rolling boil. This water should be sufficient for completely immersing the glass jars or bottles in it.
- Next, immerse the heat proof bottle or canning jar in the hot water. Add the lids separately. Make sure to use good quality glass bottles or jars, or else they might have chances or cracking or breaking during this process.
- Keep boiling for 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Finally, remove the jars/bottles and their lids with the help of clean canning tongs or regular tongs. Keep aside till they completely dry.
How to make Orange Squash
Make Sugar Syrup
1. Dissolve 1 kilogram of sugar in 1 liter water in a large sauce pan. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice.
2. Stir and keep the sauce pan on the stove top.
3. Let the mixture come to a boil. Then, simmer for 6 to 7 minutes on low heat. The sugar solution need not have any thread consistency. Just slightly on the thicker side, yet flowing.
When you touch it, you should feel a stickiness. You can see the consistency in the picture.
4. Once done, strain the sugar syrup to remove the impurities.
5. Below is the strained dark sugar syrup. The color is dark as I have used unrefined cane sugar. Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature.
Make Orange Juice
6. Peel 2.25 to 2.50 kg oranges. Roughly chop them, and remove the seeds. Add half of the quantity to the blender (or as required depending on the size of the blender jar) and blend till the oranges are crushed finely.
7. Strain the orange juice through a juice strainer.
8. With the help of a spoon, press the pulp so that all the juice is strained. This is an important step. You can also use an electric juicer to juice the oranges.
Make Orange Squash
9. Immediately, add the orange juice to the sugar solution. This is done so that the juice does not become bitter.
Work similarly with the second batch of oranges by blending the oranges to make juice and then straining it.
10. Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Orange Squash in a small cup or bowl. Add ½ teaspoon potassium metabisulphite and stir till its completely dissolved.
11. Add the preservative solution to the remaining Orange Squash and stir very well.
12. Pour the Orange Squash into prepared sterilized jars or bottles till the neck of the jar/bottle.
13. Tightly close the jars or bottles and keep the them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or even a week. The flavors become better after some days.
14. For serving, dissolve ¼ part of Orange Squash with ⅔ to ¾ parts of chilled or regular water. You can garnish the orange drink with mint leaves, lemon slices or orange slices. Serve immediately.
How to make Orange Drink
You can refrigerate after storing the Orange Squash properly in sterilized glass bottles or jars, and use or serve it later after making the orange drink. It makes for a hassle-free, tasty and energizing beverage, whenever you want.
- Just give the jar or bottle of Orange Squash a good shake.
- For serving, stir ¼ to ⅓ part of squash with ¾ or ⅔ parts of cold or regular water and make your orange drink.
- For a cold orange drink, add ice cubes. You can garnish with some fresh mint or lemon slices too.
- Enjoy, sip by sip!
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 2.25 to 2.50 kilogram oranges – yields 5 to 5.5 cups orange juice
- 1 kilogram raw sugar or regular granulated white sugar
- 1 litre water
- 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid
- ½ teaspoon potassium metabisulphite
- 1 to 2 pinches saffron (kesar), optional
Instructions
Making sugar syrup
- First begin making the sugar syrup.
- Dissolve the sugar in water in a large saucepan or pot.
- Add lemon juice and stir. Let the sugar solution come to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes till the sugar solution thickens a bit.
- You don’t need any thread consistency.
- Just a slightly thick and sticky flowing sugar solution.
- Remove from the pan and let the solution become warm.
- Filter the sugar solution to remove the impurities.
- Let the sugar solution cool at room temperature.
- Crush saffron threads and add them to the warm sugar solution. This is an optional step.
Sterilizing jars
- While the sugar solution is cooling, you sterilize the bottles and start making the orange juice.
- In a large pot, bring enough water to a boil so that your canning jar or bottle gets completely immersed in it.
- Place the glass jar in it and its lid separately in the hot water.
- Continue to boil for further 8 to 10 minutes.
- With the help of canning tongs or regular clean tongs, remove the jar and the lid and keep aside.
Preparing orange juice
- Next, peel and chop the oranges. Remove the seeds.
- In a blender, add ⅓ or ½ portion of the oranges or as much as the capacity of your blender is. Blend till the oranges have been crushed finely.
- Then strain the orange juice through a juice strainer.
- Press the pulp with a spoon so that all the juice is strained away.
Making orange squash
- Add the strained orange juice to the sugar syrup and stir to mix well.
- We need to add the orange juice immediately, so that it does not become bitter.
- Now work again juicing the oranges in batches and then adding them to the sugar syrup.
- You can also use an electric juicer to juice the oranges.
- Take 2 to 3 tablespoons of the orange squash in a cup or bowl.
- Stir in the potassium metabisulphite very well so that it is completely dissolved in the water.
- Add this preservative solution to the orange squash. Stir again and mix very well.
- Pour the orange squash in the sterilized jars or bottles.
- Close tightly with its lid and let is stay for some hours, about 3 to 4 hours outside at room temperature.
- Later refrigerate the orange squash jars or bottles.
- Let the orange squash sit for some days (about 3 to 4 days or a week) in the fridge and then you serve. The flavors improve after some days.
Making orange drink
- Shake the jar or bottle before you use the orange squash.
- For one serving, stir ¼ to ⅓ part of the orange squash with ¾ or ⅔ parts of cold water or regular water.
- Add ice cubes if required and you can garnish with mint leaves or lemon slices.
- Serve the Orange Drink immediately.
Notes
- You can use any variety of juicy and sweet tasting oranges to make the orange squash.
- If you do not want to add the preservative, then make a small batch of the orange squash by scaling the recipe down. Remember to sterilize the canning glass jars or bottles very well, so that your orange squash is preserved for a longer time. Always refrigerate it.
This Orange Squash recipe post from the blog archives first published on January 2014 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Thanks. Let me try out the recipe.
Hi, your recipes are all super good. I have experimented many of your recipes and all have come out well. Whenever I have to prepare something different I browse through your site. I am thinking of preparing pomegranate squash. But without preservative. If I add only lemon juice, will the squash stay in fridge for a week?
thanks a lot nitha. with only lemon juice, the pomegranate squash can easily stay for a week in the fridge.
Thanks a lot Dassana Amit. Expecting more continental recipes from you.
Welcome Nitha. I will try to add some.
Hi Dassana Amit, I have baked eggless banana cake, apple cake, butter Cooke’s, chocolate cookies, etc from your recipes. Also mango cake by referring to apple cake recipe. All came out good.
The pomegranate juice was a hit. I added only lemon juice. Also I replaced saffron with a half beetroot juice and cloves for a flavour. It was awesome and stayed good till today, until its finished.
Welcome Nitha. Glad to know that you tried many recipes from the blog and they all came out well. Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Hi. You seem to know a bit about preservatives. Would like to know if diluting juice when mixed with water has enough in it to prevent fermentation?
i would not suggest diluting juice with water. it can spoil the squash.
What preservative do you make use of and if not stored interested the refrigerator, won’t it damage?
if preservative is not added the squash will get spoiled. the squash has to be refrigerated. in the recipe i have used potassium metabisulphite.
Chill orange squash – best way to beat the heat.
Can we use any other preservative?
Dr.kamal, I do not know about any other preservative.
Can I just run the peeled orange in a mixie without removing seeds and then strain it? Will that make it bitter?
You can do that, but you have to be careful while blending so that the seeds are not crushed. If the seeds get crushed, it will make the juice bitter.
How to preserve lemons squesh
Anjali, Check this lemon squash recipe – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/lemon-squash-recipe/
Hi Dasanna,
I have tried lot of recepies from yr website n it has always come out well. I have a question. I live in Bangalore n wanted to know where can I get organic unrefined cane sugar?
you can buy from the organic section in any super store or in any organic store. in bangalore organic unrefined cane sugar will be easily available.
Hello Mam,
Made this orange squash and it turned out a bit sour. Please can you advise as to why this happened and what I can do to reduce the sourness. Please advise and help
carol, sourness could be due to the sourness in the oranges. there is not much that can be done now. what i suggest is add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar when you dissolve the squash with water, while serving.
Okay .
Will try it.. Could it cox of the seeds… Thanks for the quick response
if seeds are there, then the squash becomes bitter and not sour. welcome carol.
Love it and I wan to taste every dish of that.
hai iam a regular follower of your blog. Your receipes with photos make cooking very easy and interesting…….
I just want to know that where can i get the preservative i live in hyderabad.
I did not find this preservative in online so, please let me know where can i get this……………..
thanks harita. try in some superstore. you can also check on amazon.in
Dassana your recipes and ideas are really good… Thanks for ure valuable recipes
thankyou remadevi and you are welcome 🙂
Thanx daasnaa for a wonderful recpie…
welcome aastha
Hi Dassana
I want to try this yummy drink today.pls tell me can i use sodium benzoate as preservative.
Thnks in advance
welcome shallu. yes you can use.
using unrefind sugar for the squashes is a very good idea Dassana. thank you for the wonderfull recipe. where did u get the unrefind sugar?
thanks punitharaju, you can buy online or from a good super store.
Yummy looking drink! 🙂
Would using citric acid and lemon juice be alright or would that not preserve it like the potassium metabisulfite?
thanks lisa. yes you can use them. they will help in preserving but not for a very long time like potassium metabisulfite.
Thank you. I will try today
welcome nethravathi
these recipies are really fantastic , even i who don’t know ABC of cooking can make all things very well. Thanks a ton Dasana.
welcome sukriti. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Thanks for recipe. As you have mentioned to add the juice immediately in sugar syrup. I have added within 2-3 minutes though it got bitter taste. I guess it is due to seeds of orange , which i have not separated or due to over straining, Ma’am?
Bitter taste could be due to the seeds. If the orange juice is kept for some time out, then too it will turn bitter.
Hi, I have removed the seeds & made third time, it is not bitter. Thank you
welcome bhumika
Hello,
I made the squash today and used unrefined (brown sugar) and followed the steps provided for the recipe. But the color of squash was very brown and not pretty orange as you showed in the picture.
Dark brown squash looks ugly, taste was ok, I have kept it in the fridge and will see after 3-4 days if taste ges better.
Thank you.
sam, the brown sugar will change the color. if jaggery is also added that will also change the color. if you had used unrefined cane sugar then the color would not have changed.
Hi,
Thank you so much for your feedback. Next time I will try with cane sugar and not brown sugar. I didn’t realize brown sugar will make it this brown.
Great blog and awesome recipies.
Best wishes,
Sam
thanks sam.
how much of the preservative should be added, one spoon, or the whole pack????
this is some of the points these super cooks miss and we end up losing time money and not
to mention 2.25 kgs of wondeful kinnoos
i have already mentioned the amount in the recipe details. please check carefully. since i have added the preservative, how can i miss adding the amount.
why not freez it into cubes then use it as required just an idea please reply.
that a good idea. you can try.
Also what is unrefined cane sugar ?? Is it jaggery??
priya, unrefined cane sugar is not jaggery. organic cane sugar is unrefined sugar and is not bleached – hence making it healthy and better than the white refined sugar. i use this sugar for everything – tea, coffee, sherbet. all the food that i make at home has this sugar including cakes and breads.
HI dassana
Amazing to see such a recipe!!
Any idea how long this will stay good without a preservative??
I had read your comment to add some extra lime juice and make the sugar syrup thick to increase its shelf life. Maybe after doing this will it stay good in the refrigerator for a week??
thanks priya. with the addition of extra lemon juice the orange squash can stay for a week.
Is there an alternate choice for pottasium metabisulphate?
there is an alternative and its Ascorbates 300-304. i googled and found out this. not sure if available in india though. if making a small quantity and skip on the potassium metabisulphite. make the sugar syrup more thick, even one string consistency is fine. the sugar will act as preservative. add some citric acid or lemon juice and these also act as a preservative.
Orange Squash at home?! That sounds interesting…sure a great thirst quencher for summer
Hi.. Very nice recipe and yesssss..it tastes too good…just one question as what is the shelf life of this squash and is it mandatory to keep it in fridge…
nidhi, its better to keep it in the fridge as its a fruit based drink. the shelf life will be approx 3 months. but we almost finished it in 1 month time.
Lovely shot and fabulous color of the squash….
how to make orange marmalade at home step by step.
Thanks 4 sharing all such gr8 recipes 🙂
making orange marmalade is again a lengthy process. orange peels are used in the marmalade and that gives a distinctive flavor and taste. right now i don’t have a step by step, but will add in the future.
Dear Dassana,
Thanks for this recipe……will be trying it out soon. It will be great if you can share the tomato sauce recipe.
Regards.
welcome bindu. yes, i will share the tomato sauce recipe soon.
Thanks Dassana!
wow what a great coincident I too just made squash but I made pineapple that nice hahahah lovely clicks as usual dear very nice recipe.