DIY: Healthy Homemade Popsicles

Nothing says “refreshing” on a hot day like a cold, sweet popsicle. Trade the artificial colors and extra sugar found in the store-bought versions for these DIY pops packed with real fruit, fiber and protein.

Words by Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD
Photos by Jessica Friend

Strawberries & Cream

Makes 10 popsicles

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
3 tablespoons of honey
2 ½ cups of 2% or full fat plain yogurt

Instructions: Purée strawberries and honey in the blender. Blend the yogurt and strawberry mixture together. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

Nutritional Benefits: Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C and other antioxidants. Greek yogurt provides bone-building calcium and protein for muscles.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

Makes 10 popsicles

Ingredients:

4 bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen1 cup of milk of choice
1/3 cup of peanut butter
3 tablespoons of honey, agave or maple syrup
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Instructions: Blend bananas, milk and peanut butter in the blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add syrup and cocoa powder and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

Nutritional Benefits: Bananas are full of potassium, which is good for the heart. Bananas also include resistant starch, which can give you sustained energy. Peanut butter has protein, good fats, vitamin E and magnesium.

Avocado Lime

Makes 6 popsicles

Ingredients:

1 avocado, peeled and pit removed
1 can (13.5 ounces) of unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup sugar or sugar substitute like Swerve
1 tablespoon of lime juice

Instructions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.

Nutritional Benefits: Avocados offer nearly 20 nutrients, including fiber and monounsaturated fats.

Tips:

When filling popsicle molds, leave a little space at the top (about½ inch) for the mixture to expand when freezing.
Most popsicles take about 6 hours to freeze solid.
If you have trouble getting the popsicle out of the mold, run it under hot water to loosen it up.