Popsicles are easy and fun to make in the summer. My family loves these classic popsicles plus exotic but delicious ones like red bean popsicle. Help your family cool down while having fun!
Summer is not the only season for fun and healthy popsicles. If your family is like mine, popsicles are great any season.
Popsicles are easy to make and yet, really versatile. You can make them sweet, sour, tart, and even with beans!
First of all, I love using food grade stainless steel popsicle molds like this Onyx Ice Pop Mold. I washed them thoroughly with dishwashing soap and warm water with a brush before using them since I didn't want any stainless steel residue to get into my popsicles. I placed them in the freezer to make them colder, before filling them. And once the popsicles were done, I ran them under warm water, and the popsicles came right out. The bamboo sticks are not reusable but the company is coming out with reusable ones soon.
To start off, I made these easy delicious popsicles. You can make any popsicles, using all kinds of fresh fruits, creams, juices, and even coffee and tea. Just remember, if you don't use some kind of cream or dairy, popsicles will be nothing but a block of solid ice (which is fine too as you'll see below), and not the soft chewable kind.
Are you ready for a popsicle war? The amount of each ingredient is similar in proportion to Strawberry Popsicle. But you can change it up to your taste.
Onyx Popsicle Mold and Popsicle Recipes
Strawberry Popsicle
Strawberries - any amount you need.
Lemon Juice - half of lemon to 1 C. of whole strawberries
Simple Syrup - equal part of sugar and water
Blend or puree all the ingredients, as coarsely as you want. (This was my son's favorite)
Blueberry Popsicle
Blueberries
Lemon Juice
Simple Syrup
If you don't want the bits or blueberries' skin, you can strain them but why would you? All the goodness is on the skin!
Coconut
Coconut Milk
Shredded Coconuts
Simple Sugar
Blend all the ingredients but don't over blend if you want the shredded coconuts in the popsicle.
Pina Colada
Pineapple chunks
Coconut Milk
Lemon Juice
Simple Sugar
Puree the pineapple chunks. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for about 2 seconds. Add rum if you want 'real' Pina Colada. 🙂
Coffee
Freshly brewed coffee
Condensed Milk or whipping cream
Simple Sugar if using cream.
Vanilla Extract (optional)
Mix all the ingredients and add vanilla extract last, if using. I didn't use cream in this popsicle but plain black coffee makes popsicle into a block of ice. So use cream, if you want softer popsicle. To make a vegan coffee popsicle, use almond milk or coconut milk instead of dairy.
Hibiscus tea
Hibiscus Tea
Simple Sugar
I wanted a refreshing tasting hibiscus tea popsicle so I didn't add cream. But if you want to turn any tea into a softer popsicle, add cream or coconut or almond milk & make a chai popsicle. Or get the real chai recipe and you can make chai popsicle.
Red Beans
Cooked Red Beans
Coconut Milk or condensed milk
Simple Sugar
This is my favorite. I can hear you thinking, "beans in a popsicle? ewwwww...."
But seriously, I used to eat red bean ice cream or popsicle in Korea every summer. I still buy them occasionally. So with this new shiny molds, I couldn't resist making my own.
Here are the two versions:
Regular Red Bean Popsicle
Canned Red Beans from an Asian grocery store - I bought canned red beans made in Japan. And since Japan bans using BPA, I felt safe enough to use their canned food. I don't eat canned foods anyway so buying one can of red beans made in Japan seemed ok for this. The sacrifices I make....Oy.
Mix ½ C of red bean from the can with 1 tablespoon of condensed milk and ½ C cold water. Whisk and blend well and freeze. You can adjust the sweetness by using more or less of the condensed milk.
Dairy-Free Red Bean Popsicle:
1 C Cooked Red Beans
About ½ C Coconut Milk or Almond Milk
Simple Sugar to taste
Soak the beans overnight and cook as you normally cook any beans until very soft. Add a pinch of salt to taste. Drain water. A little bit of leftover liquid is ok. Mash the beans against the side of the post with a spoon. Add coconut milk and simple sugar and mix well and freeze.
How. simple. was. that???
Hope you try one or two or all of these simple popsicles!
Paige says
Great recipes! Mine are so lazy - just throwing in whatever is around!! Love the Onyx Molds too!
ecokaren says
That's why summer is great to make homemade popsicles because we always have fruit in the house.
Alicia says
Excellent post and just in time for the stupid hot weather!! They all look delish! My fave so far is coconut milk and pineapple juice. But your list has a lot of combos I need to check out this month! 🙂
ecokaren says
LOL ---> Stupid hot weather! You should be used to hot weather down there! Me? Not so much. I'm living on popsicles these days!
Anne Marie says
Best blog yet, very timely & pretty! Love the pop molds, haven't heard of them yet.
What is your recommendation for kid lunch boxes and snack carriers. I'm ready to move off tupperware. Was thinking would be fun to include the kids in making reusable snack bags, wasn't sure what material and pattern to start with.
ecokaren says
Hi Anne Marie,
Great that you are trying to stay away from Tupperware.
Actually, http://www.onyxcontainers.com/department.aspx?DeptId=6& also carries a line of stainless steel lunch boxes. http://kidskonserve.com/ also carries lunch bags and containers for kids too.
Sherrie says
I used to work for a Vietnamese family and they were always feeding my red bean treats. I was so skeptical at first, but they were always the yummiest! Thanks for 'red bean' inspiration. Hope to try this recipe soon.
ecokaren says
Awesome! Let me know how you like it if you try it. Remember, you can always adjust how sweet you want it to be!
Good Girl Gone Green says
The bean one sounds interesting. I wonder if I could convince Little E to eat one? 🙂
ecokaren says
If you make it a little sweet and coconut-y, she may love it. Or you can use almond milk or rice milk too. Try adding some maple syrup for extra flavor.
Let me know how she likes it if you do.