Summer is in full swing and I am feeling all the good popsicle vibes – the fruity, creamy and even the sneaky hidden veggie kind. Scroll down for my favorite recipe from each variety. But if this is your first time making homemade popsicles then choose your adventure and – read on.
Table of Contents
Flavor
To sweeten popsicles you can use a touch of honey, agave nectar, maple syrup or sugar if needed. Ripe to slightly over ripe fruit is best because they are naturally sweet. One important thing to keep in mind is that the sweetness will be less intense when they are frozen.
The mold
Now that you have your mixture ready you will need to mold it. I have tried a lot of popsicle molds but my favorite is the silicone mold by PopsicleLab. These are so easy to clean and unmold. If you don’t have a mold you can always use plastic cups, recycled yogurt containers, ice cube trays or even muffin tins.
Freeze
Next step is freezing your mixture. Freezing time varies depending on the thickness of your mixture. Typically, it should take about 4-8 hours to freeze completely. Tip: turn your freezer as cold as it will go. The quicker your pop freezes the softer they will be in the end.
Unmold
Run the bottom of the molds under warm water for about 10 seconds. At this point the popsicles should come out easily.
Homemade Popsicles – Fruity
As a Puerto Rican I grew up eating coconut, guava and passion fruit limber on hot summer days. Fruits and popsicles are a match made in heaven in my book. The fruit options are endless. Berries, peach, watermelon, kiwi and mango are other great fruit options for a nice fruity popsicle.
Once you picked your fruit you will need a liquid binder and sweetener. Depending what I’m making I will use coconut water, or juice for a flavorful popsicle. You can also add sweetner if you want a sweeter popsicle.
Strawberry Lemon (10 popsicles)
1/2 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 lb fresh or frozen strawberries
1 – 1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup confectioner sugar
Homemade Popsicles – Creamy
I like using greek yogurt as a base because it has less water which means less water crystals. It’s also a plus that Greek yogurt is high in protein! Coconut milk is another base alternative for creamy popsicles but you may want to sweeten it with a sweetner like honey, agave or maple syrup.
Coconut Lime (10 popsicles)
1-14 oz Can full-fat coconut milk
1/4 Cup lime juice
2 Tbsp lime zest
1/4 Cup honey
Raspberry Lemonade Popsicles (8 popsicles)
Homemade Popsicles – Hidden Veggie
As a mama I am always looking for ways to add more veggies into my kids diets. Green smoothies make for a great popsicle. Honestly, most smoothies will taste great as a popsicle. A few tried veggies I like using is spinach, carrots, sweet potato and roasted beets.
Sneaky spinach
1 1/2 Cups milk
1 Cup fresh spinach
1/4 Cup honey
2 banana