Easy homemade popsicles are a great summer treat! These tasty popsicle ideas and recipes are quick, easy and healthy and are sure to satisfy your kids!
Easy Homemade Popsicle Ideas And Recipes
Remember when you used to sit on your front steps on a hot summer day eating a popsicle? It was usually red or purple and on special occasions you got a fudgesicle. Remember how you tried to lick the drips faster than the sun could melt them? Sometimes the drips would roll down your fingers, forcing you to make the mind numbing decision whether to lick your fingers or the new drips forming on your popsicle.
Every once in a while a few drips would get out of control and fall on your bare toes. Remember how your dog’s tongue felt like sandpaper when he licked the sweet gooeyness off of them?
It’s funny how we try to make drama and expensive memories for our children when it’s the simple everyday things we remember the most.
To find popsicle molds, look at discount and mail order stores or garage sales. If you don’t have any molds, use small paper or plastic cups. Put a wooden stick or plastic spoon in the center.
For mini homemade popsicles, pour orange, apple or grape juice or flavored drink mix into ice cube trays. Partially freeze and then place toothpicks in the center of each cube (or place plastic wrap over the top, secure and insert toothpicks through plastic wrap).
Making your own homemade popsicles can give great variety and keep your kids cool this summer!
For non-traditional homemade popsicles:
- Freeze applesauce in popsicle molds.
- Mix fruit or jam into yogurt. Freeze in small, snack sized Ziploc bags for frozen yogurt on the go. Cut a hole in the end of the bag for easy access/eating.
- Mix gelatin and freeze. Add gummie fish or worms before freezing for added fun.
- Freeze syrup from canned fruit.
- Add food coloring or sprinkles to yogurt or softened ice cream for added pizzazz. Then freeze in popsicle molds.
- When you have leftover jam or jelly, put 1/4 cup of hot water in the jar and shake well. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
- If jelly or jam doesn’t set up well, use for popsicles or add more water, boil and make syrup.
- Make a batch of pudding. Add coconut, nuts, marshmallows, crushed cookies or sprinkles if desired. Pour into molds. Freeze several hours until firm.
- Stick a toothpick in the center of blackberries, strawberries, raspberries or sliced bananas. Dip in chocolate if desired. Freeze on a tray. Once frozen, store in freezer bags.
- For easy snow cones, freeze orange juice (or any other flavored juice) in ice cube trays. Store frozen juice cubes in a plastic bag. Blend 5 cubes in the blender until they have a shaved ice consistency. The shaved ice will keep its consistency if kept frozen in a container.
- For watermelon homemade popsicles, blend one cup each watermelon chunks (seeds removed), orange juice and water. Blend well. Then pour and freeze into molds.
- For strawberry homemade popsicles, blend 2 cups strawberries, 1 cup vanilla ice cream or yogurt, 4 cups orange juice and 2 tablespoons sugar. Blend smooth. Pour into molds and freeze.
- For banana homemade popsicles, dissolve one 3 oz. package strawberry gelatin with one cup boiling water. In a blender, mix gelatin, 1 banana and 1 cup yogurt or ice cream. Blend well and pour into molds.
Pudding Pops
1 pkg. pudding (not instant*)
3 cups milk
Combine 1 large package of pudding with 3 cups of milk. Mix only enough to blend well. Quickly pour into popsicle molds and freeze. Chocolate and vanilla pudding may be layered for a fun treat. Makes 8-10 popsicles.
*Regular homemade pudding may be used instead of store-bought pudding mix.
Moo Fruit Freezer Pops
(submitted by Roxie in Texas)
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen fruit. (I used some strawberries I had frozen)
1 1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar or Splenda
Combine the fruit, sugar, and 1/2 cup of milk in a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add the rest of the milk and process for 15 seconds more. Mixture should be smooth and almost frozen. Scoop 1/2 cup of frozen mixture into 5 oz cups or popsicle molds. Insert sticks and freeze until firm.
Banana Pops
(Submitted by Lisa)
Slice bananas into disks (we have bananas on sale this week for $.29/lb)
Roll banana discs into PLAIN yogurt (you can use vanilla yogurt, but I used plain because that’s what the recipe said, and that was back in my super healthy days)
Add any kind of topping you wish. We rolled our disks in chopped pecans. I know that’s expensive, but we love pecans so much. After freezing these we ate them AND YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE TASTE! It was like eating a frozen candy bar. Okay, maybe not that good, but they were sweet and refreshing, and I didn’t have to put a limit on how many the kids could eat.
My son is not a fan of bananas, but he really liked this treat. You can even eat them plain. Oh, yeah, another topping we did was a cinnamon/sugar mixture. Believe it or not, it was good too! I will warn you that it’s messy because of the yogurt. And super messy if the kids help! But you don’t have the guilt of giving them something unhealthy, and it’s a cheap “popsicle.”
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Great popsicle ideas for summer :)
Years ago (about 25, still have them) I purchased tupper ware popsicle molds with trays and it was one of the greatest investments for making pudding pops, ice cream pops,juice pops, fruit pops and kool ade pops. I love all the ideas you gave as well. Brings back fond memories. The kids would love to make them and could hardly wait to savor their favorite pop. Saving the molds for the grandkids when they come along.
Living a frugal lifestyle is tested to the max with kids. I have no problem keeping spending down. But my kids, like everyone else’s, keep a constant pressure to buy the least nutritious and most expensive foods/snacks.
Each of my girls provided different challenges to my frugality. So rather than tell you what to do, let me just encourage you to keep trying different things. Once kids get used to new ideas, they usually come along for the ride.
Homemade popsicles are not an issue in my home. My kids love’em. However, a friend came over and loved the popsicle until she was told it was homemade. The good news is, the friend decided the popsicle tasted just fine after all, but it took the better part of an hour.
Stay strong my frugal friends. Stay strong.
Kids can be tricky sometimes. You may not have a problem in this area but I find the parents attitude makes a big difference. If they are worried something will upset their kids the kids smell that worry or fear a mile away and then turn it to their advantage by manipulating or laying a guilt trip on them .
To give you an example, years ago I knew a couple who gave their kids pop every meal. Not only were the kids not eating their dinner after downing a can of pop but they also were spending a small fortune on it.They said they had tried everything to get their kids to drink water and couldn’t. Those same kids came to my house to visit all the time. When they were thirsty I would say your jug of water is in the fridge, they would run get it and drink it down without batting an eye.
The difference was pop wasn’t even an option and the only choice they had was drink the water or go without. Plus they knew they couldn’t guilt me into getting them what they wanted. I simply didn’t have the money to buy the pop.
Keith, Kids do not run the household. You do. They get hungry enough they’ll eat. And limit their exposure to TV, and advertizing, and don’t take them in the grocery store.
I am trying to make popsicles for sale and can not find any where were I can buy popsicle bags can anyone help?
thanks
evelio
Evelio, you might just try googling popsicle bags or wrappers. You can make your popsicles in small paper cups which are good too because if they become messy or start to fall off the stick the kids can use the cup as a small bowl to hold it and finish it in.
Also for anyone who has never made popsicles before the secret to a great popsicle is to use about 1/2 the amount of water if you are using something like Kool Aid, lemonade or juice.
coldmolds.com has bags and pop molds and sticks.
My mom used to make them with the little dixie cups and those little wooden sticks
i am allergic to oranges. is there any juice that can replace that in these recipes?
You can use any kind of juice – grape, mango, pineapple, apple, berry or any flavor of kool aid. Just use 1/2 half of the amount of water to mix up some kool aid and freeze.
What perfect timing for popsicle recipes… I ordered popsicle molds and they came in today! I don’t have little ones, but my elderly mom-in-law lives with us and some days are a real challenge to find something enticing for her to eat. She looooves ice cream, and it finally dawned on me to make healthy popsicles… I can sneak in something like Boost or Ensure on the extra-challenging days! Bless you for your wonderful website and healthy – and interesting – info!!
What a good idea Sunny. My dad is getting bad about eating too but he does love his ice cream in any shape or form.
All kinds of fruity leftovers go into my popsicles. For instance, leftover rhubarb sauce gets pureed with a handful of strawberries, then frozen in the molds. So much better than those neon colored ones from the grocery store!
What a great idea ;) :) Popsicles are always good, especially on a hot day, too :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)
If you save small yogurt containers and wash them out, they make good reusable popsicle molds. You can spray a tad of nonstick cooking spray inside them before you pour in your popsicle ingredients to ensure easy removal. Just do them like you would with paper cups.
Our Favorite Popsicles:
1 C. yogurt
1 C. milk
3/4 c. Concentrated juice
So healthy and so yummy! We now use greek yogurt, because we like the ‘tang’. Raspberry, mixed berry, are favorites. I’m thinking about adding crushed fruit, too.
I love all these ideas! Will definitely try the yogurt for all of us… we love chiobani (sp?) Thanks for the recipe and info!
Peaches and blueberries stuffed into popsicle molds make a wonderful frozen treat!
I freeze the leftover “juice” after we finish a jar of pickles (I just use an ice cube tray). My kids LOVE them!
Yum! Pickle juice Popsicles! My kids liked frozen plums.
Those pickle popsicles sound good. I probably would like them.
Not to mention the health risk with drinking so much pop. We make our own Popsicle, we make our own sun-tea, we make our Smoothies. Another great idea you can do with water is put it in a pitcher with thinly sliced oranges or lemons or even make cucumber water by thinly slicing the cucumber and adding them to the water thus you have flavored water. You can do this with almost any kind of fruit. Nothing is more refreshing than a pitcher of water with fresh fruits in it to flavor it up! I use my fruit over and over again thus making it a money saver as well!
I love the idea of using yogurt cups for popsicles. I also found some 3 oz bathroom cups that have a little bit of plastic on them (they hold up better than the paper ones) and would be perfect for popsicles. Even for me since sometimes all I want is a hint of sweetness after dinner or on a very hot day. I found these “plastic-y” cups at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they are the best ones I have ever used.
That sounds great! Just be sure, everyone, to RECYCLE that plastic when you’re finished. (I put my plastic cups in the dishwasher and use them over and over again, then recycle them when they’ve cracked.)
I’m with you on not having kids drink pop or juice for that matter with meals. Why have kids fill up on expensive, sugary calories that are going to cost me in cavities when I need them to eat nutritous meals? I serve water only at mealtime.
I am with all of you on not having kids drink pop wit meals. My kids are required to drink a glass of milk and once they finish, if they want something else they can either have water or juice.
IKEA has popsicle molds for cheap…
Sorry didn’t think to tell everyone where to get the molds so thanks Krista. You can also get them at Dollar Tree and Wal Mart. In the “olden days” when we bought a popsicle we would wash and save the sticks all the time then we would pour kool aid (using 1/2 the water) into ice cube trays or little plastic cups and stick one of the sticks we had saved into it. To this day I have yet to bring myself to buy popsicle sticks because you can sort of get them for “free”. I do remember the day my mom got her first mold. We kids were so excited we pretty much sat and watched and waited for them to freeze it was such a treat.
I read somewhere that to help homemade popsicles drip less, just add flavoured or even unflavoured gelatin to the mix, the same way you would for a gelatin dessert. Prepare according to package directions, using the juice or puree in place of water. Then freeze. Unflavoured gelatin is fairly cheap, but Jello on sale would work well too.
Brilliant ideas! Thank you!