Picture this, you’re 7 or 8 years old, it’s the dog days of summer, you just finished running through the sprinkler when someone asks if you want a popsicle… Great memory, right?

Popsicles are a nostalgic treat that was the great equalizer of our childhoods. And while we still cherish those sugary ice pops that always ended up cutting the corners of our mouth, we find ourselves wanting something a little more. And, luckily for us, homemade popsicles are easy to make and tough to beat on a hot day.

Just about anything can be frozen, which means our options are endless. So, we got creative and came up with three recipes that not only elevates flavors you know and love but features ingredients your gut will thank you for including.

Ginger Lemonade Ice Pops with Edible Flowers: These popsicles taste as good as they look by highlighting ginger’s natural heat with raw local honey and adding collagen for a little additional gut support.

Roasted Berry & Yogurt Popsicles: Elevate berries and cream by roasting the berries to deepen their flavor without adding more sugar and swapping tangy yogurt for the cream.

Coconut, Beet & Berry Popsicles: Don’t let this popsicle’s good looks fool you, they are packed with flavor, fiber, and healthy fats.

Making Homemade Popsicles

Making popsicles isn’t an exact science. If it’s something you like and it will freeze, it will likely make a great popsicle. But if you want a break down the general directions, we’ve got you:

• Choose the type of popsicle you want to make: Fruit only, ice pop, creamy, or a combination.
• For fruit fillings, you will want to blend your chosen fruit into a purée. We like to save some chunks or berries to add to the molds for texture.
• For an ice pop, your base will be a juice, coconut water, or lemonade. You can choose to add fruit or herbs in the molds as well.
• For a creamy popsicle, mix your yogurt, and milk of choice with your sweetener of choice.
• Layer your fruit and yogurt into your molds.
• Place your sticks and freeze overnight.
  
  

Do You Need To Have Official Molds?

Have no fears, you don’t NEED popsicle molds to succeed, and chances are that you have something that will work perfectly in your home already.

Possible Molds:

• Muffin Tin
• Small Paper Cups
• Small Plastic Cups
• Small Conical Paper Cups

After you have filled your containers, all you need to do is cover the top/s of your containers in tin foil, to prevent spills and help hold your popsicle sticks in place. Finally, poke your popsicle sticks through your foil and your popsicles are ready for the freezer.

Alternative Homemade Popsicle Flavors

Want some flavor combination inspiration? Here are some of our favorites:

• Avocado + Coconut Cream + Lime + Honey
• Blackberry + Pineapple
• Coconut Cream + Coffee + Maple Syrup
• Pineapple + Mango + Coconut Yogurt + Coconut Flakes
• Broiled/Grilled Peach + Honey + Yogurt + Goat Cheese
• Cherries + Vanilla Yogurt + Honey
• Strawberries + Basil + Lemonade
• Coconut Cream + Lime + Honey
  
  

Freezing & Storing Homemade Popsicles

Once you have filled your molds, and popped them into the freezer to harden, it usually takes about 4 hours for them to freeze completely. We usually make our popsicles the night before so they can freeze overnight. Once frozen, we would recommend enjoying your popsicles within 14 days (good luck keeping them in your fridge that long though).

Tips For Homemade Popsicles

Layering your ingredients not only elevates your popsicles but changes the eating experience.
Use fruit that’s fresh and in season. Sure, there are some great benefits of eating fresh, local produce but we’re more interested in just how delicious some of our favorite farmers’ market finds are during the summer months.
Not a fan of icy textures, opt for creamy recipes that include yogurt or full fat creams.

Ginger Lemonade Ice Pops with Edible Flowers

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz Ginger
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (usually 6-8 lemons)
• 2 scoops of unflavored collagen powder
• 1 cup Raw Local Honey Syrup
• Edible Flowers (some common flowers: pansies, lavender, rose petals, hibiscus, marigold)

Directions:

1. Make your ginger tea: Clean your ginger and chop into 1” pieces. Add your ginger to a saucepan with 3 cups of filtered water and bring to a boil. Reduce your heat and simmer for five minutes. Leave your ginger water to cool completely. Strain and press your ginger pieces into a bowl and set aside.
2. Make your honey syrup: Combine ½ cup raw local honey with ½ cup of your warm ginger tea. Stir until honey has melted into the water.
3. Squeeze your lemons until you have 1 cup of lemon juice
4. In a container with a spout, combine your ginger tea, honey syrup, collagen, and lemon juice.
5. Pour into popsicles molds and add edible flowers
6. Place sticks in and freeze overnight

Note: This recipe uses a concentrated recipe for ginger lemonade, if you would like to make it a less concentrated flavor, or if you would like to make a pitcher of ginger lemonade you can do so by adjusting your ingredients to 3.5 oz fresh ginger, 5 cups filtered water, 1.5 cups lemon juice, and ½ cup honey then make according to the recipe above.

Roasted Berry & Yogurt Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 2 cups berries (we used cherries, blueberries, and strawberries)
• 2 Tbsp raw local honey
• 10 ounces yogurt (we used cashew yogurt, click here to make your own)
• 1 cup milk (we used coconut)
• 1/4 cup raw local honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scatter your berries on it (if you are using larger berries like strawberries, you may want to cut them into smaller pieces)
3. Drizzle with your honey and bake until they pop open, about 10-15 minutes
4. Remove and let cool, set aside
5. In a blender add your yogurt, milk, and vanilla and ¼ cup honey and blend until fully incorporated.
6. Add a spoonful of your berries into each mold
7. Pour your yogurt mixture into the molds and stir each slightly to distribute the berries
8. Place sticks in and freeze overnight
   
   

Coconut, Beet & Berry Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 1 14oz can of full fat coconut cream
• 1/2 cup coconut kefir (notes on making your own below)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 4 Tbsp raw local honey
• 1/3 cup berries (we used cherries and strawberries)
• 1/3 cup steamed beetroot

Directions:

Make Your Own Coconut Kefir:

1. Mix 4 cups of coconut milk with 1 packet of Kefir starter.
2. Cover it loosely and leave at room temperature for 24-48 hours in the kitchen or place in the oven (only with the light switched on - do not turn the oven on). The best temperature for making kefir is 22 C - 30 C (72 F - 86 F).
3. Taste the kefir in 24 hours and leave to culture for up to 48 hours if needed.
4. When done, shake before use and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Make Your Popsicles:

1. In a blender, blend your beetroot, half your berries, and 2 Tbsp of raw local honey.
2. In a bowl, mix your coconut cream, coconut kefir, coconut flakes, and 2 Tbsp of raw local honey until well combined.
3. Fill each popsicle/ice pop mold 1/3 full with your beetroot mixture
4. Fill the next 1/3 with your remaining berries
5. Finally top with your coconut mixture.
6. Place sticks in and freeze overnight