Fresh orange juice is delicious, but have you ever tried using it in cooking? Besides its sweet flavor and citrus aroma, orange juice also provides a nutritional boost of vitamins and minerals. Using orange juice in cooking is easy; here are a few basic ways to use it, or get creative and create your own variations.

Making Marinades with Orange Juice

Marinades are typically based on soy sauce or vinegar, but you can also create orange juice-based marinades.

Because orange juice contains natural fruit acids, it helps tenderize meats like beef, pork, and chicken. You can use orange juice alone for marinades, or mix it with seasonings like garlic, salt, black pepper, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, or chili powder.

Making a Cooking Sauce with Orange Juice

Orange juice-based cooking sauces are perfect for pork, chicken, and fish. Dishes made with orange juice have a sweet and sour flavor that goes well with rice.

In addition to orange juice, you can also add tomato sauce, rock sugar, minced garlic, ginger, and other seasonings of your choice. For instructions on how to make and use orange juice cooking sauce, please refer to the recipe below.

In addition to making a cooking sauce for meat dishes, orange juice can also be used in desserts. Once cooked, it can be poured over toast, cakes, muffins, and other snacks for a delicious meal.

Making Salad Dressing with Orange Juice

If you’re adding orange juice to a regular salad dressing, there are two options. The first is to replace the oil in the dressing with orange juice. Don’t replace it entirely; just a tablespoon is enough to make the dressing more refreshing.

The second way to add orange juice to salad dressing is to use it directly as a base. For example, you can mix orange juice with olive oil and sea salt to create a fruity salad dressing. Regardless of which method you choose, you’ll get extra vitamin C and other nutrients from the orange.

Adding shredded chicken or canned tuna to your orange salad will also provide a good source of protein.

Using Orange Juice in Baked Desserts

When making baked goods like cakes and bread, try replacing some or all of the water and milk with orange juice to create a variety of delicious citrus-flavored desserts.

How long does fresh orange juice last?

It’s best to use fresh orange juice the same day. If you have leftovers, store it in a suitable airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 2-3 days.

If you want to preserve it longer, you can freeze the orange juice. First, place the orange juice in a freezer-safe, airtight container, leaving at least 1.5 cm of space between the top of the container and the juice.

Because the orange juice may expand slightly after freezing, frozen orange juice will keep for approximately 3-4 months. The night before you want to use it, move the juice from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw.