Cool off your kids with one of these healthy homemade popsicles
There’s not much better than cooling down on a hot summer’s day with a refreshing popsicle. But those neon-colored store-bought pops are full of nasty artificial flavors and dyes – not to mention heaps of added sugar.
But alas, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up the best healthy popsicle recipes from across the web that are made with real ingredients, no refined sugars, and won’t stain your child’s tongue electric blue.
These homemade frozen treats are packed full of nutrients and wholesome fruits (some even have veggies!). They’re so guilt-free that you can let your kids eat them whenever they’d like – breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert, or heck, why not dinner? These better-for-you pops are the answer to summer time (or any time!) meltdowns.
We’ve even included our recommended popsicle molds, so you can make big batches of these yummy frozen confections to have on-hand for when the temperatures rise. So grab your kids, and start your blenders – healthy pops for all!
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PIN to keep these healthy popsicle recipes on hand all summer long
THE RECIPES
(1)These deliciousCoconut Blueberry Smash Popsuse Coconut Milk and blueberries, and are sweetened with just a little maple syrup. They’re dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and best of all…easy to make! (via Wallflower Kitchen)
(2)Strawberry Watermelon Popsiclesare 100% fruit with just a hint of lime – yum! (via One Lovely Life)
(3)Scroll to the bottom ofthis postto find these beautifulRainbow Popsicles, made with nothing other than 100% fruit! (via Bigger Bolder Baking)
(4)The secret ingredient for HealthyHomemade Fudgecicles….ripe bananas! These contain no added sugars and are allergy friendly – there’s no gluten, grains, dairy or nuts. We also love that they useRaw Cacaoinstead of the more processed Cocoa. (via One Lovely Life)
(5)How can younotsink your teeth into theseBanana Coconut and Chia Popsicles?! Leave off the chocolate drizzle if you can resist. (via A Beautiful Mess)
(6)Combine Banana, Pineapple, OJ and spinach and watch your kids devour theseGreen Smoothie Popsicles…we promise, they won’t be able to taste the spinach! (Bigger Bolder Baking)
(7) How pretty are these aptly-namedLava Flow Popsicles? Creamy pineapple coconut smoothie is swirled with a fresh strawberry layer to make a yummy gluten-free, vegan and paleo treat. (via One Lovely Life)
(8) TheseJuicy Grape Popsare one of the easiest pops on our list to make – just one ingredient and a high powered blender needed. (via Super Healthy Kids)
Our very ownHealthy Strawberry “Cheesecake” Frozen Yogurt Popsiclesare easy to make and bursting with fresh fruit flavor. They’re thick and creamy, and can be whipped up with a few simple ingredients in a matter of minutes!
(1)Hereyou’ll find 3 differentFruit and Yogurt Breakfast Popsiclesrecipes to try including Coconut & Pineapple Yogurt, Kiwi & Yogurt and the slightly more exotic Coconut & Dragon Fruit Yogurt Pops. (via Alana Jones Mann)
(2)Pure fruit, chia seeds and coconut water combine in theseStrawberry Mango Chia Popsicles– a perfect treat to hydrate and replenish electrolytes after playing outside. (via Super Healthy Kids)
(3)The layered granola in theseBerry Parfait Yogurt Popsiclessoftens to create delicious bites of oatmeal-cookie-dough-like flavor. A welcome treat morning, noon or night. (via Well Plated)
(4) You only need 3 simple ingredients to makeWatermelon Raspberry Popsicles– they taste as good as they look! (via Life Made Sweeter)
(5)Blueberry Smoothie Popswill hit the spot any time of day, with blueberries, yogurt and bananas blended together to make a creamy smooth treat. (via Good Life Eats)
(6) This recipe requires somewhat of a more adventurous palette, but if your kids are up for it, they’ll love these creamy and refreshingCoconut Lime Pops. (via The Charming Detroiter)
(7)Use freshly squeezed OJ, strawberries and just a little maple syrup to create these pretty (and tasty!)Orange Strawberry Sunrise Popsicles. (via The Healthful Ideas)
(1)Celebrate 4thof July all summer long with these prettyRed, White and Blue Popsiclesreminiscent of the American flag. (via Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke)
(2) If you have a difficult time getting green veggies into your kids, theseGreen Monster Popsiclesare the solution. They’re power packed with spinach and kale, plus plenty of fruit! (via Pamela Salzman)
(3) Fresh fruit and a little Apple Juice create these visually stunningFresh Fruit Popskids simply can’t resist. (via One Little Project)
(4)You’ll find7 Healthy Fruit & Veggie Popsicles for Baby & Toddlerhere with creative flavors including Carrot Orange Ginger, Kiwi Honeydew Spinach and our favorite, Banana Sweet Potato Chocolate Fudgsicle. Check out theZoku Mini Pop Moldin our recommended mold section below to make these perfectly-sized treats. (via babyfoode)
(5) We featured theseFrozen Peanut Butter Berry Popsin our post– we love the natural ingredients and that they’re made into small bites by using an ice cube tray! (via Super Healthy Kids)
(6)Super charge withHomemade Kiwi Fruit Popsiclesmade with kiwis, coconut water and a splash of lime. (via Raw Edibles)
(7)These funWatermelon Popsiclesinvolve a little extra effort…but the result is so stunning, it’s well worth it. (via Bigger Bolder Baking)
(1)Nectarine Banana Blackberry Homemade Ice Popspair sweet blackberries with juicy ripe nectarines and creamy bananas for a no-sugar-added treat. (via Know Your Produce)
(2) Add your favorite fruit chunks to theseAll Natural Mango Popsiclesfor a tasty, no sugar added snack. (via Homemade Interest)
(3) Got a teething baby or toddler? TheseAvocado and Pear Popsiclesare great for self-feeding and gum soothing! (via The Spunky Coconut)
(4)Despite their name, thesePineapple Lemonade Pops, don’t include any sugary lemonade – just fresh lemons and pineapple, of course. (via Courtney’s Sweets)
(5) TheseCandy Corn Fruit Popsdon’t actually contain candy – or dyes for that matter. Instead they’re naturally sweetened and colored with nature’s candy: fruit! (via Super Healthy Kids)
(6) Citrus fruits unite in these swoon-worthyMango Kiwi Pineapple Protein Pops. (via Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke)
(7) These“Blueberry Pancake” Frozen Yogurt Popsare made to look like pancakes, but are really just blueberry-studded yogurt with a peach square as the “butter”! (via EatingWell.com)
(8) Kids will love the chocolate drizzle on theseFrozen Yogurt Kiwi Pops– although it’s optional, it may help get your kids excited about eating something green. (via Super Healthy Kids)
(9)Channel dessert time with aPineapple Upside Down Pop– made with protein-packed Greek Yogurt and real fruit. (via House of Yum)
(10)Peach Pie Popsiclesare super creamy with Greek yogurt, fresh peaches and a fun graham cracker crust. (via Super Healthy Kids)
(11)Pack in a little extra protein in your child’s diet by makingPeanut Butter & Banana Yogurt Pops– we even recommend substituting Greek Yogurt in the recipe for even more protein punch! (via Homecooking Memories)
(12)Don’t have a blender handy? Try theseFrozen Pineapple Ice Popsby slicing up a fresh pineapple into rings, adding a stick and freezing! Add toppings if you want to jazz them up a little. (via Eats Amazing)
(1)When all else fails, try these super simpleFrozen Watermelon Popsicles– no blender needed! (via Cook The Story)
(2)Try any one of these 3 Veggie-Packed Popsicle recipesloaded with fruits and veggies – the Orange Delight (includes carrots!), Green Dinosaur (spinach) and Tickle-Me-Red (beets!). (via Live Simply)
(3) 3 ingredients make theseCherry Ice Popsdeliciously sweet (we tried ours with 1tsp Maple Syrup and not refined sugar and they had just the right amount of tartness!). (via Know Your Produce)
(4)TheseRaspberry Cheesecake Freezer Popswork for snack or dessert – the plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice and honey in the recipe create a super creamy base that tastes eerily similar to cheesecake! (via Super Healthy Kids)
(5) Feeling slightly more indulgent? You can still create a delicious healthier option with theseChocolate-Covered Banana Ice Cream Barsmade with frozen bananas, creamy peanut butter and a vegan chocolate shell. (via EatingWell.com)
(6) Make these boldPineapple Blueberry Popswith your favorite fruits and pop them intothese reusable Zipzicle tubes– your kids will feel like they’re eating those popular colored ice pops, but with no food coloring in sight. (via Our Thrifty Ideas)
(7)Despite the bright colors, theseRainbow Unicorn Fruit Popsiclescontain zero food coloring and are instead packed full of vibrant, healthy fruit. (via Eats Amazing)
OUR RECOMMENDED MOLDS
And of course you can always try experimenting to make your own fun and fruity flavors – grab your blender, ask your kids to throw in their favorite fruits, blend and pour into one of our recommended molds below. We’ve tested so many molds over the years, and these are the ones we use over and over again.
(1) Norpro Frozen Ice Pop Maker
TheNorpro Frozen Ice Pop Makeris our go-to popsicle mold for professional-looking results. It makes 10 pops at a time and has a lid that holds the popsicle sticks in place while they freeze. There are no special handles, just good ol’ wooden sticks (it comes with 24 and you can buy them inpacks of 100for under $5) that you don’t have to worry about your kids throwing out by mistake or misplacing.
Once frozen, place the bottom ofthis pop makerin warm water and your popsicles will come out without much fuss.
(2) Zoku Quick Pop Maker
If time is of the essence, and your kids aren’t up for waiting hours for their popsicles to freeze, theZoku Quick Pop Makeris the genius solution. Pre-freeze the base andthis nifty gadgetwill freeze your liquid concoction in only 7-10 minutes – no electricity required. It comes with reusable pop sticks, drip guards and a really cool tool that painlessly removes the frozen treats from the mold with just a few easy turns. You can’t make huge batches at once, butthis unitcan make 3 pops at a time, and we’ve found you can easily do 2-3 rounds to make 6-9 pops before having to place the base back into the freezer.
There are also all sorts offancy toolsandrecipesfor this maker that allow you to make some pretty show stopping treats!
(3) Zoku Mini Pop Molds
We love theZoku Mini Pop Moldsfor creating smaller pops perfect for babies and toddlers (or more reasonable kid portions). Unlike the Quick Pop Maker, this is your standard fill-n-freeze mold, but it works great and will make 9 golf-ball sized popsicles.
(4) Tovolo Character Molds
If you want to amp up the fun-factor of your homemade pops, try one ofTovolo’s inventive character molds, which include dinosaurs, monsters, penguins, robots and zombies, complete with fun handles and lots of details.
(5) Zoku Summer Pop Molds
TheseZoku Summer Pop Moldsare a fun alternative to your typical popsicle-on-a-stick. They’re super simple to use (just fill and freeze) and once frozen the pops can be squeezed up with ease thanks to the flexible, non-stick silicone tube.The moldscome with a spill-resistant lids so you can reseal the pops to finish later, and when not making popsicles, they make great on-the-go containers for dry snacks.
If you don’t want to invest in a fancy pop mold, deep ice cube trays andsmall dixie cupscan make great small-sized popsicles. We suggest filling the tray/cups and then placing a piece of plastic wrap tightly over them and then poking through yourpopsicle sticks– this will help them stand up straight when freezing.
We hope this provided you with the inspiration you needed to create some delicious healthy popsicles for your kids…and hey, who are we kidding, for yourself as well!
Which recipe will you try first? Let us know your favorites in the comments below.
