These fruit popsicles are a great way to beat the summer heat in a healthy way. With numerous recipes, there is a fruity flavor for nearly any preference. Enjoy the benefits of whole fruits, blended up and frozen in a healthy and nutritious ice pop.
Conventional popsicles are frequently full of artificial flavors and extra sugar and syrups to keep the popsicle soft enough to bite. With healthy popsicles, the use of whole fruit, little sugar, and sometimes healthy fats, is what gives the popsicles their characteristic mouth feel. However, a homemade cherry popsicle with real cherries, will taste different to a conventional cherry ice pop that has artificial flavors. If your kids are accustomed to conventional summer treats, transitioning may take time. But, these treats are not just for kids, many of these recipes are perfect for adults, or designed with adults in mind.
Getting the perfect bite to a popsicle can involve some experimentation. Mostly water-based, or juice based recipes are likely to give a harder, non-bite-able popsicle. The addition of healthy fats, like coconut milk, adding sugar, or adding alcohol can all adjust the formation of ice crystals and change the texture of the popsicle. Just remember to keep the adult popsicles separate from the kid ones, if you chose to add alcohol.
If you want something summery, but warmer, this rhubarb custard dessert is a great gluten free option.
Ginger Pear Popsicles
These lightly spicy popsicles focus on coconut milk, ginger, and fresh pears to give the best flavor combinations. It is a low sugar recipe, that you can adjust to your taste preferences by adding more honey or substituting honey with maple syrup. As all the ingredients are beige, it is a visually plain popsicle, though ginger and pear is a great flavor combination.
Hibiscus, Rhubarb and Yogurt Popsicle
This one is a fun blend of tart rhubarb and tart herbal hibiscus. The addition of yogurt also makes it a great probiotic popsicle. The sweetness in this recipe comes from natural maple syrup, and the fat content in the yogurt helps it remain bite-able. Herbs can be included in your fruit based popsicles quite freely, but herbal tea based popsicles often end up more like ice-cubes than bite-able frozen treats.
Raspberry Popsicle:
Raspberries are a great, slightly tart, summer fruit that makes amazing ice pops. Working with whole fruit leaves in the fiber and seeds that help soften the texture of the final product. Add in a bit of coconut milk, and the fat also helps make a soft and perfectly textured raspberry fruit popsicle without adding too much sugar.
Elderberry Fruit Popsicle
This elderberry ice pop is a great idea to make soothing and easily consumed elderberry for younger kids. There are two versions, one that is quite plain and a more flavored version, to help appeal to little ones who are unwell and little ones who are just starting to feel a bit off. Note, in the second recipe I recommend the use of coconut milk, instead of the addition of coconut oil.
Rose and Blackberry Fruit Popsicle
Blackberries have a crisp tart flavor that complements the lighter, sweet floral tone of the added rose water in these treats. Since straining is included in the step-by-step process, you don’t have to worry about seeds getting in the way while enjoying these antioxidant treats.
Blueberry Popsicle
A favorite summer fruit, of mine, is blueberries, fresh or frozen. I would just eat blueberries straight from the freezer, with no need to turn them into a popsicle shape. However, this blueberry fruit popsicle recipe is great for enjoying all summer long. It contains some healthy fats, and only a touch of natural maple syrup for sweetness.
Melon and Mint Popsicle
Original recipe is made with honeydew melon and mint. I find watermelon also works well with mint, so don’t hesitate to try different melon types with this simple popsicle recipe. Cantaloupe does have a stronger flavor, compared to honeydew melon, so it might not work as well or might be better with a different herb.
Coconut milk with mixed berries
This recipe takes advantage of three summertime favorite berries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The coconut milk adds fat, letting you keep the added sweetner level quite low with these simple blender pops. If you substitute other berry types, like blackberries, you may want to puree them first to remove seeds.
Raspberry and Lemon Popsicles
Recently I fell in love with strawberry lemonade, this popsicle recipe isn’t quite the same since it uses raspberries but the refreshing principle is the same. Yogurt adds a small amount of fat, and extra flavor, to make these more of a creamy and tart popsicle, rather than an overwhelmingly sweet one.
Banana Cream Pie Popsicle
Okay, this one is less fruit based and more like a dessert on a stick. You can use puddings and whipped cream based desserts for popsicles, and this is an interesting take on that. If you like banana cream pie, you might enjoy trying this popsicle. Frozen whipped topping can be substituted with regular whipped whipping cream, and sugar can be specified to taste.
Used with Permission of A Farmgirl In The Making
Cherry Lemonade Popsicle
A cherry lemonade popsicle that borrows the sweetness of ripe summer cherries with the crispness of fresh lemon juice. This popsicle is a great option for a less-sweet frozen treat. If the lemon is too sour, you can always adjust the sugar to fit your own taste preferences.
Superfood Berry Popsicle
While enjoying these, apparently just fruit popsicles, you might never guess that the secret ingredient is spinach! Hiding green superfoods in richly toned berry popsicles is a great idea. These ones take advantage of our standard summer berry abundance, but prepackaged berry blends can also be used.
Nectarine and Berry Popsicles:
Nectarines and peaches are quintessential summer fruit, and combined with berries can make amazing frozen treats. These fruit popsicles look like a great cool treat for summer enjoyment. Try subbing out nectarines with peaches, or some of the berry types with other berries for more variety.
Lime and Blueberry Popsicles
A slightly tart twist on plain blueberry popsicles, this recipe promises to be quite refreshing in the middle of summer heat. Enjoy the antioxidant benefits of blueberries, and for greater variation vary the fruit combination with either lemon or lime juice. Or, add a touch of your favorite alcohol to make an adult’s only version.
Used with permission of A Farmgirl In The Making
Peaches and Cream Popsicle
This is a slightly more complex popsicle recipe, involving pre-roasting the peaches before adding them to the cream mixture inside the popsicle mold. Roasted peaches have an extra sweet flavor, making these peaches and cream popsicles a sure hit with the adults of the family. A slightly sarcastic recommendation is to add liquor to the recipe as well, if it’s for adults. The addition of liquor would also soften the texture a bit more.
Berry and Avocado Popsicle
Getting tired of always adding coconut milk to popsicles to get the right texture? Try blending in avocado for a nice dose of healthy fats, and creamy texture. You can even adjust how you make the popsicle to get cool green and pink color bands, or blend in lots of berries to hide that there’s something green in there.
Watermelon and Berry Popsicles
Well honedew melon was mentioned earlier, this watermelon popsicle also looks super refreshing. Making popsicles is a great way to make sure that large watermelon gets completely used up before it starts going bad. If you find the texture a bit on the ice-cube like side, add a bit of coconut milk to help break down the ice crystals.
Coconut and Carrot ice-pops
While coconut counts as a fruit, carrot is actually a vegetable. These funky looking popsicles are bright and visually appealing. The addition of ginger makes it a more interesting combination, sort of reminiscent of certain juicer recipes. Despite the addition of carrot, this actually sounds like a very appealing and healthy popsicle.
Healthy Rhubarb Popsicles
Creamy rhubarb Popsicles are a healthy, frozen dessert that helps you beat the heat. They are low in sugar, dairy free, and full of fiber and good fats. You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb for this recipe. Total time involved is about 15 minutes, including the time it takes to cut up the rhubarb if you are using fresh.
Learn to use garden herbs to make inspiring botanical beverages
For more recipes that can help you beat the heat check out my Inspiring Botanical Drinks course. Inside this class you’ll learn how to use your garden herbs and produce to create elixirs, drinks, and cold treats that are healthy, full of antioxidants, and will help you stay cool all summer long. You’ll also learn healthy ways to beat the soda habit, make your own coffee shop drinks, and craft specialty beverages that are lovely and giftable. Learn more here.
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