Orange essential oil is known for its ability to cut down on grease when used in cleaning solutions and for its sweet taste that it can bring to a variety of culinary dishes. It’s also commonly added to body care products because of its heavenly aroma. Here are plenty of easy recipes that will show you how to use orange oil all over your home.
Cooking
Orange oil is a great way to flavor frosting for cookies and cakes or to use in a salad dressing that is sweet and satisfying without being full of fat and high in calories.
Orange Cake With Orange Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- zest from the oranges
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon orange essential oil
Frosting
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon orange essential oil
- 2-4 cups confectioners sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 3 9” cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add vegetable oil, orange juice, eggs, sour cream and essential oil. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Test with a wooden pick. If it comes out clean, the cake is completely baked. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove and then cool on wire racks.
For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed in a large bowl. Add the orange zest, orange juice and orange essential oil. Continue beating until combined. Slowly add confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Once cake is completely cool, spread frosting between each layer and on top and sides of cake.
Oven Baked Yams
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 5 drops orange essential oil
- 1 large yam
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the maple syrup and orange oil together. Peel yam and cut in half. Cut each half again, leaving 4 quarters. Slice each quarter into 1 inch thick pieces. Place in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle half of the maple syrup mixture over the yam and stir. Cover pan with tin foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove tin foil and check for tenderness. If tender enough, drizzle with remaining maple syrup mixture and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove slices and serve.
Note: When cooking with essential oils, always make sure that your chosen brand is labeled GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe).
Cleaning
Orange oil is great to use in the kitchen. It can cut through layers of grease on the stove and remove sticky fingerprints with ease from appliances. It also leaves behind a great scent that will leave your home feeling naturally clean instead of chemically cleaned. Save orange peels to make your own cleaners at home.
Orange General Purpose Cleaner
Ingredients
orange peels
1-gallon bucket
distilled white vinegar
1-gallon seal-able bottle
32-ounce spray bottle
Directions
Place orange peels (as close to 1 pound as possible) inside of the bucket. Pour distilled white vinegar in the bucket until the orange peels are completely covered. Don’t add extra or the solution will be too diluted. Set the bucket in a cool spot that is out of direct sunlight. Keep it there for two weeks. Stir it occasionally with a wooden spoon. After two weeks, strain the liquid and pour into the seal-able bottle for storage. When ready to make your cleaner, pour a ½ ounce of the orange oil liquid into a spray bottle and fill with water. Shake the bottle well to initially combine and before each use. Use throughout the home to disinfect multiple surfaces. While it is safe for almost any surface, always do a small test patch to make sure there is no risk for damage.
Orange Dishwasher Detergent
Ingredients
- 2 cups washing soda
- 2 cups borax
- 1 cup sea salt
- 1 cup citric acid
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure to remove all of the lumps. Let it sit out for a couple days to completely dry. Once dry, place in a seal-able plastic container. Use the same amount of the orange dishwasher detergent as you would of a store bought powder detergent, adjusting as needed.
Body Care
Orange oil is a great ingredient to keep in your medicine cabinet. With its antibacterial properties its great for the surrounding skin of wounds and prevents bacterial growth. It’s also great for eliminating nail fungi and helping to heal skin conditions like eczema. It’s a much safer alternative to over the counter products for a variety of body care needs.
Orange Shampoo
Ingredients
- ½ cup liquid castile soap
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 30 drops orange essential oil
Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a container with a lid. Shake well to combine and use like any other shampoo. If you don’t want to make your own shampoo, you can simply add the orange oil to your existing shampoo.
Orange Body Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup shea butter
- ½ cup cocoa butter
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup fractionated coconut oil
- 15 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 15 drops orange essential oil
Directions
Measure out the butters and place in a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the oils. Stir well and place into the refrigerator to chill. Once set, mix with a hand mixer until the lotion becomes light and fluffy. Store in a glass jar and keep in a cool place. Use as desired. If the solution sits for a long period of time and separates, simply whip up again with a mixer.