If your kids are like me and would rather eat red, white and blue popsicles year-round, try this healthier recipe. It is made without artificial food dyes or refined sugar!
I originally posted this recipe 10 years ago when I had a kid who would eat anything I had in front of him. Now that my kids are older, their taste buds are a bit picky, I need to revisit this recipe.
(More juice and less coconut milk are key to a better taste.)
Grab yourself a popsicle mold and find an afternoon you are going home for a while because while these are very reassuring, you need to check them from time to time to add the next layer.
Fourth of July Popsicle Ingredients
Here is what you need:
- Fresh strawberries. In this case, using fresh berries is better than freezing, so you only need the smallest liquid to mix. The sweeter they are, the better!
- 100% white grape juice. Juice is the popular foundation for popsicles without adding sugar. This one has a light tone that won’t interfere with the color layer. (Apple juice may be available in exchange.)
- Coconut milk. This provides the middle layer of white. Because of its strong flavor, we only used 2 tablespoons of coconut flavor. Check out the ideas I’ve shared below to use the rest of yours.
- Blue Spirulina. This is the only natural ingredient I can find that produces a true blue color. I initially tried it with frozen blueberries, but they made a bright purple, not blue. It is sold in a small bag, so if you have Star Wars fans in your house, you can use the rest of the cream as a smoothie or make blue milk.
- banana. I add fresh bananas to the white and blue layers to give it a creamy texture. However, you can omit this if you prefer.
The only other thing you need is the popsicle mold. I use this star mold because it makes the popsicle look more like a store-bought variety.
How to make a popsicle for April July
Step 1:
Add thinly sliced strawberries and two tablespoons of juice to a personal-sized blender. Secure the lid and mix until the mixture is smooth. (For sweeter red layers, use maple syrup instead of juice.)
Pour the spoon and half of the mixture into the bottom of each popsicle mold. If there is an extra smoothie, distribute it evenly. This recipe assumes you are using a similar popsicle mold with six servings.
Set the mold in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (Set a timer to avoid forgetting!)
Step 2:
When your timer is off, mix the next layer. Add the juice, coconut milk and banana to a personal blender again and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Remove the popsicle mold from the refrigerator and pour two white layers of spoons on top of the red. Since the red layer freezes for an hour, the layers should not be mixed.
At this point, you won’t use all the white smoothie mixture. Place it in the refrigerator to keep it cold, then place the popsicle mold in the refrigerator for an additional hour. (Set the timer again!)
Step 3:
After the timer is off, add 1/4 teaspoon of blue spirulina to the white smoothie in the refrigerator. Secure the lid and mix until the mixture is smooth and bright blue.
Remove the popsicle mold from the refrigerator and pour two tablespoons of the blue layer over the white layer. Since the white layers are slightly frozen, they should not mix. At this point, you should use all the blue smoothie mixture.
Place popsicle sticks in the center of each popsicle. It should slide over the white layer, as it is only partially frozen. Then return the popsicle mold to the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours. (Ideally, overnight.)
Popsicles are ready immediately after freezing solids.
How to remove pockmarks from molds
If you are new to making homemade popsicles, here are a quick tips to remove them. (Especially for this mold with individual coverage.)
Pour hot water into a tall travel cup, be careful to fill only 2/3 of it. Dip a type of popsicle in hot water, dip in only the popsicle area, and count to 10.
Remove popsicles from the water and they should be released from the mold quickly. If you fix it under hot water too long, the blue layer may start to flow toward the white layer, but it still looks good!
Red layer:
- 1 cup strawberry cut into thin slices and remove the hull
- 2 spoon White grape juice (or maple syrup)
White layer:
- 1¼ cup White grape juice
- 2 spoon Coconut milk
- ½ Mature banana
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To make the red layer, mix fresh strawberries and juice in a personal-sized blender. Secure the lid and mix until the mixture is smooth. Pour about 1½ tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of the 6 popsicle molds. Place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (Set the timer!)
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When the timer goes out, add juice, coconut milk and banana to the blender to make the white layer. Secure the lid and mix until the mixture is smooth. Add two tablespoons of white mixture to the top of each red layer. (Since the red layer is partially frozen, it should not be mixed.) Put the mold back in the refrigerator for one hour. Set the timer again.
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You won’t use all the white mixture from the previous step, so put the rest in the refrigerator while waiting for the layer to freeze. When the timer is off, add blue spirulina to the remaining smoothies and mix briefly until combined. Pour two tablespoons of the two blue mixture over each white layer and add a popsicle stick to the center of each popsicle. It should easily pass through the white layer as it is only partially frozen.
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Return the popsicle to the refrigerator until solid, about 4 to 6 hours. (Ideally, or overnight.) To remove popsicles from the mold, dip the popsicles into a cup of very hot water for 10 seconds. Popsicles should be released easily from the mold when you remove it from the hot water. Enjoy now!
When tightly covered, the remaining popsicles will remain in the refrigerator for 6 months.
Calories: 114KCAL | carbohydrate: 11g | protein: 1g | Fatty: 8g | Saturated fat: 7g | sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 162mg | sugar: 8g | Vitamin C: 15.1mg | calcium: 20mg | iron: 1.4mg
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If you try this popsicle for April, Please leave a comment and a star rating below Let me know you like them!
