When looking for a refreshing sweet treat, one cannot go wrong with ice pops, especially during summer. These delicious cold treats are also fairly easy to make at home if one wants to customize the recipe or even keep the ingredient list as simple as possible. So, when opting for homemade variations, one gets to play around with flavor combinations and come up with unique popsicles based on their tastes and preferences.
1. Rainbow candy pops
This is a simple ice pop recipe that also happens to be a favorite among kids. Here, one would use rainbow candy strips or sour belts to make a rainbow-colored popsicle that children will enjoy. One can even make this for kids’ birthday parties. In addition to the candy, one would need some Sprite or lemonade.
- Start by twisting the rainbow candy strips or belts into a spiral and placing it in the popsicle mold. For small molds, one can cut up the candy strips into smaller pieces.
- Next, fill the mold with lemonade or sprite till it reaches the brim.
- Close the mold, place the popsicle stick in the middle, and freeze until solid.
To ensure these homemade ice pops are completely frozen, one must let them sit in the freezer for anywhere between six and eight hours. One can consider preparing them at night and letting them freeze overnight to avoid prematurely taking them out of the freezer.
2. Fresh fruit pops
Those who enjoy fruit-based desserts would love this recipe. To make a fresh fruit popsicle, one must first choose the fruits they want. Thanks to their natural sweetness, oranges, pineapples, and/or watermelons are often popular choices. Along with these fruits, one would also need some fruit juice as the base of the popsicles.
- Start by peeling, deseeding, and blending the fruits and their juices.
- Pour this mixture into the popsicle molds.
- Consider adding sugar or honey to sweeten the blend if the juices have not added enough sweetness.
- Close the mold with a stick placed in the middle and freeze until solid.
One can either combine these fruits or make a single-fruit version, such as an orange ice pop or a watermelon popsicle. Additionally, by skipping sweeteners and replacing fruit juices with coconut water, one can make all-natural, sugar-free ice pops.
3. Fruit yogurt pops
If one enjoys a creamy popsicle, they can try this recipe by using a combination of fruits and Greek yogurt. The fruits that pair well with Greek yogurt for a popsicle include berries (strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries, in particular), pineapples, mangoes, peaches, kiwis, and cherries. To get the best flavors out of these creamy yogurt popsicle recipes, one can use flavored yogurts, such as vanilla yogurt or coconut yogurt.
- Start by blending or pureeing the fruits.
- Pour the fruit puree into the mold and then fill the rest of the mold with yogurt. Give the mixture a little stir to combine the ingredients. Alternatively, keep adding the two ingredients alternatively till they reach the brim. This will make a beautiful layered pattern. Another option is combining the yogurt with fruit puree in a separate bowl before adding the mixture to the mold.
- If, after mixing the two ingredients, one finds them less sweet than they like, one can add honey instead of sugar.
- Close the mold with the sticks in place and freeze.
Just like fresh fruit popsicles, these yogurt-based popsicles can also be made with different flavor combinations. For instance, peach and mango or even pineapple and mango ice pops can be great options. In addition to experimenting with the flavors, one can also add chopped-up fruits to these popsicle recipes.
4. Coconut lime pops
Those who are looking for a refreshing homemade popsicle recipe with a lime or lemon base can consider making coconut lime pops. For this recipe, one needs only three ingredients—fresh limes, Greek yogurt, and cream of coconut. Thanks to the refreshing flavor combination of coconuts and limes, this is a great summer ice pop recipe.
- In a blender, add some Greek yogurt and squeeze some lime juice.
- Add cream of coconut to the mixture and blend. As the cream of coconut is already sweetened, one does not need to add any sweeteners to this ice pop recipe.
- Once the ingredients are blended, pour them into popsicle molds, place a stick in the mold, and freeze.
5. Iced tea pops
This is yet another refreshing, summer-friendly, easy homemade popsicle recipe that one can consider making. To get started, one must first get lemon-scented tea bags, fresh lemons, and granulated sugar.
- First, make the tea by boiling some water and placing the lemon-scented tea bags in it.
- Let the tea steep for at least seven to eight minutes.
- Remove the tea bags, add some granulated sugar, and mix until the sugar dissolves.
- Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice to the tea.
- Dilute the tea with some cold water. One must preferably maintain a 1:1 ratio between the tea and the cold water.
- Add the tea to the popsicle molds, place the sticks, and freeze.