Long summer days call for just one thing – popsicles. When you’re baking in the heat, treating yourself to a temptingly sweet iced pop is certainly the way to go. However, many store-bought popsicles are packed full of nasty ingredients that could be doing you more harm than good.

Rather than buying popsicles straight from the store, it’s probably time to check out some healthy popsicle recipes. With our super-quick guide, you should find that it’s straightforward and – dare we say it – fun too.

What Are the Benefits of Homemade Popsicles?

The facts may surprise you. According to the USDA, there’s a massive 13g of sugar in the standard 100g popsicle.[1] Including high levels of unnatural sugar in your diet can present a genuine risk to your health.

The American Heart Association[2] recommends that women limit themselves to just 25g of sugar each day. Enjoying a popsicle from the store could mean that you consume more than half your daily limit in one go, which could lead to problems with your general health and, of course, your heart.

Sadly, that’s not the worst of it. Many popsicle brands contain ingredients that are less-than-healthy, including synthetic flavoring and dyes. In addition, buying the ‘sugar-free’ option isn’t as healthy as you may think. This label often means that the popsicles have been flavored using artificial sweeteners.

While store-bought popsicles may be more convenient, they could be adding real risks to your health in the long-run. Opting for homemade popsicles rather than the store-bought alternative means that you have total control over what goes into them. You can ensure that the iced treats you enjoy are filled with nutritious, vitamin-rich ingredients. Not to mention, you can make the popsicles in any flavour you want! Why not try and whip them up at home with these simple and healthy popsicle recipes?

Tips for Making Healthy Popsicles

Before we take a look at some healthy popsicle recipes, check out these tips to take your popsicle game to the next level.

Choose fresh, organic ingredients

Selecting the right ingredients is key because the quality of your ingredients will affect the flavor of your popsicles. Furthermore, be sure to choose products that are organic and fresh, and pick only firm and ripe-looking fruit and vegetables.

Invest in quality molds

While you can make your own molds at home, quality plastic molds will stand the test of time and keep their shape for much longer. If you’re planning on making homemade popsicles all summer long, it’s probably worth investing in some quality molds.

Only use natural sweeteners

Are your popsicles sweet enough? When you first start out, you might think that adding a little sugar or syrup to the mix is the way to go. Don’t make that mistake! For a natural way to sweeten your iced treat, try some fruit puree and if that doesn’t do the trick, opt for some organic honey.

Add whole pieces of fruit

When you’ve made the popsicle mixture, add a few pieces of coarsely chopped fruit to it. The chunks will look fantastic and also add a surprise burst of flavor with each bite. Tasty!

Make it extra creamy

Lusting after that delectable creamy taste? Dolloping Greek yogurt into the mix could be the answer. Many of the best homemade popsicle recipes include this ingredient so you can bet it’s delicious. Give it a go!

Write down your recipes

When you’re experimenting with healthy popsicle recipes, it can be all-too-easy to get carried away. One rule that you must remember is to write everything down because the last thing you want is to hit on a genius recipe and then forget it! So remember to always have a pen and notepad ready as you’re working on your culinary creations.

Four Fruit Popsicle Recipes

Ready to make some homemade popsicles? While there are loads of easy popsicle recipes out there, we’ve selected four of the best for you to try. Check them out here:

1. Blackberry Lemon Popsicles

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Freeze Time: 6 hours or overnight

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 ½ cups blackberries
• 2 ½ cup mixed berry Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the vanilla Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
2. In another medium-sized bowl whisk together the ripe blackberries and mixed berry yogurt, pressing down with a spoon to break up the blackberries.
3. Layer the popsicles as follows – 1 tablespoon lemon yogurt mixture, 1 tablespoon blackberry yogurt mixture. Then repeat. Swirl the layers together if desired.
4. Gently tap the container on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.
5. Finally, pour into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Nutritional Information

• 210 calories per popsicle
• 2.3g fat
• 18.4g protein
• 32.9g carbs
• 3.4g fiber

2. Orange Ginger Popsicles

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Freeze Time: 6 hours or overnight

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup honey
• 50g ginger (peeled and chopped)
• ½ cup water
• 3 oranges (peeled and chopped)
• Lemon zest

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the honey, ginger, and water. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes while stirring frequently.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Strain the mixture and get rid of the ginger pieces.
4. Add the ginger mixture and chopped orange to a blender. Blend until smooth and add lemon zest to taste.
5. Finally, pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Nutritional Information

• 100 calories per popsicle
• 0.1g fat
• 0.9g protein
• 26.3g carbs
• 2.3g fiber

3. Watermelon Yogurt Popsicles

Serves: 6 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Freeze Time: 6 hours or overnight

Ingredients

• ½ cup of strawberries (chopped)
• 3 cups of watermelon (chopped)
• ½ cup of Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Honey (to taste)
• Lemon zest

Instructions

1. First, put the chopped strawberries in the blender and blend until they are pureed. Sweeten with honey to taste.
2. Add the watermelon, yogurt, and lemon juice to the blender. Blend once more until you get a smooth consistency.
3. Add lemon zest to taste.
4. Finally, pour into the popsicle molds and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Nutritional Information

• 45 calories per popsicle
• 0.6g fat
• 2.6g protein
• 7.5g carbs
• 0.6g fiber

4. Fruit Medley Popsicles

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Freeze Time: 6 hours or overnight

Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ¼ cup strawberries
• ¼ cup mango (sliced)
• ½ cup kiwi
• ¼ cup blueberries
• Lime juice

Instructions

1. Mix the water, honey, and a dash of lime juice in a saucepan. Cook on medium heat and stir for 10 minutes until the mixture cooks down.
2. Put the fresh fruit and honey mixture into a blender. Blend until smooth. (Tip: Keep some fruit chunks to one side to add later!)
3. Finally, pour the mixture into popsicle molds (and add the fruit pieces if desired) and then freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

Nutritional Information

• 60 calories per popsicle
• 0.2g fat
• 0.5g protein
• 15.4g carbs
• 1.2g fiber

Start Making Healthy Popsicles Today!

So, what are you waiting for? Start experimenting with these healthy popsicle recipes today and see what you can make. You never know – you might just stumble upon the tastiest popsicle ever!

References

• [1] https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/19283
• [2] http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/circulationaha/120/11/1011.full.pdf