Cool Down with Homemade Popsicles

April 16, 2009
Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas    
Make your own popsicles using fresh or frozen fruit, fruit juices, ice cream, milk, and even cocktail ingredients.
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Fudgy Pudding Pops

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Mindi Shapiro
Fudgy Pudding Pops Recipe

The welcome surprise of avocado adds rich nutrients and a dreamy, silky texture.

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Coconut Lime Chia Pudding Pops

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Coconut Lime Chia Pudding Pops Recipe

Cool-down with a nutritious and creamy, summer treat. Don't have a popsicle mold? That's ok. Use a mason jar! Mix ingredients in a small mason jar, shake, add crushed raspberries, a spoonful of chia pudding, and freeze until solid, 4 to 5 hours. Not only is this method mess-free but it's also super cute!

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Mango Coconut Pops

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Mango Coconut Pops Recipe

Velvety mango purée makes these popsicles seem extra-indulgent, although each has only a splash of coconut milk. You can use any mold you like for these popsicles, but you'll get a different number of pops depending on the mold size.

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Strawberry Cheesecake Pops

Photo: Jason Varney; Styling: Claire Spollen
Strawberry Cheesecake Pops Recipe

From the land of cream cheese comes this frosty twist on cheesecake.

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Nectarine-Chile Ice Pops

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Marian Cooper Cairns
Nectarine-Chile Ice Pops Recipe
These homemade fruity popsicles are the real deal. Fresh nectarine, lime, and jalapeño flavors combine to create the ultimate refreshing treat.

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Triple-decker Citrus Popsicles

Photo: Victoria Pearson; Styling: Rori Trovato
Triple-decker Citrus Popsicles Recipe
Serve a treat that's as pretty as it is tasty. The trick to this pop's tri-colored look is simple: freeze the first layer alone for 45 minutes, then add a second layer and freeze again, and finish with the third. Freeze the complete pop overnight to keep it solid even in the sun's hottest rays.
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Red, White, and Blue Pops

Photo: Romulo Yanes; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Red, White, and Blue Pops Recipe
Keep the layers distinct by fully freezing each one before adding the next.

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Blueberry Pops

Photo: Jonny Valiant; Styling: Linda Hirst
Blueberry Pops Recipe
"Blueberries are one of the best ingredients of the season; they're beautiful and they taste like summer. The light fruit pops are also the perfect combo with the rich cake."

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Triple-Berry Popsicles

Photo: Sunset
Triple-Berry Popsicles Recipe
Berry-lovers, unite! This sweet-and-tart summer treat will have kids begging for more. A little lemon juice adds just the right amount of tangy flavor to the sweet mixture of fresh fruits.
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Mint-Melon Pops

Photo: Sang An
Mint-Melon Pops Recipe
Use popsicle molds or small paper cups to make these tart warm-weather treats. Using fresh fruit instead of bottled juice reduces the amount of sugar in the chilly snack, making it a naturally kid-friendly choice.

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Lemon-Blueberry Twist Pops

Photo: Sang An
Lemon-Blueberry Twist Pops Recipe
Create a creamy pop by combining blueberries with custard-style lemon yogurt and 1/2 cup of whatever kind of milk you have on hand. Swirl the ingredients together with a knife to create an attractive marbled appearance and serve this inspired summer dessert to kids and dinner guests alike.

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Strawberry-Orange Pops

Strawberry-Orange Pops Recipe
Surprise summer company with these chilly eye-catching treats. Fill hollowed-out lime halves with a creamy mixture made from orange juice, vanilla yogurt, and strawberries. Freeze, then cut the lime halves in half to make wedges. To add "seeds," mix is semisweet chocolate mini morsels before freezing.
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Melon Mimosa Ice Pops

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Melon Mimosa Ice Pops Recipe
Sure, mimosas are great, but have you had them in ice pop form? These pops are made with champagne, mint and basil leaves, and juicy melons, like cantaloupe and honeydew.

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Mandarin Orange Cream Pops

Photo: Sang An
Mandarin Orange Cream Pops Recipe
Treat guests to a cool treat at your next outdoor passed-plate party. This palate cleanser can be lightened by substituting a little orange sherbet for half the ice cream in the recipe.

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Strawberry-Cream Fruit Pops

Christina Schmidhofer
Strawberry-Cream Fruit Pops Recipe
The rich secret ingredient in this smooth fruit pop is sour cream, but your guests will never know! Mix the cream with blended and strained strawberries then sweeten with a little sugar and a few teaspoons of lemon juice.
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Raspberry-Banana-Yogurt Freezer Pops

Photo: John O'Hagan; Styling: BuffyHargett
Raspberry-Banana-Yogurt Freezer Pops Recipe
Get your fruit fix year around with a pop that calls for fresh or frozen raspberries, a banana, low-fat yogurt, and a little honey, for sweetness. It's perfect for a post-dinner treat or an afternoon snack any day of the year.

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Red, White and Blue Ice Pops

Red, White and Blue Ice Pops Recipe
Show your patriotism with these flag-inspired frozen treats. The flavor comes from cranberry juice, lemonade, and a blue sports drink.

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Pistachio Kulfi Pops

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Pistachio Kulfi Pops Recipe

Kulfi is a rich, thick ice cream beloved on the Indian subcontinent--and on Indian menus in the West. Natural food coloring gives them a greenish hue (otherwise they are pale brown). You can use any mold you like for these popsicles, but you'll get a different number of pops depending on the mold size.

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Cucumber-Chili-Lime Ice Pops

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Cucumber-Chili-Lime Ice Pops Recipe
These bright green pops may look innocent enough, but they've secretly got a little kick of spicy flavor in the form of ground chili powder.

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Mango-Tango Pops

Mango-Tango Pops Recipe
Instead of mango pops, you can try the variations for these frozen pops: Raspberry Pucker Pops or Lime-Colada Pops. All are perfect for a hot summer day.

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Strawberry Blizzard Pops

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Strawberry Blizzard Pops Recipe

Fresh strawberries, creamy yogurt, and the faintest scent of rose swirl together in this sophisticated popsicle. You can use any mold you like for these popsicles, but you'll get a different number of pops depending on the mold size.

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Raspberry Pop

Photo: Sang An
Raspberry Pop Recipe
Get a double hit of raspberry flavor with fresh raspberries and raspberry juice drink. If you don't have pop molds, you can use small paper cups.

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Pineapple-Berry Ice Pops

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Degaris-Pursell
Pineapple-Berry Ice Pops Recipe
You can use paper cups and plastic spoons instead of traditional pop molds to make these fruity pineapple and blueberry popsicles.

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Lemonade Blueberry Pops

Photo: Erin Kunkel; Styling: Emma Star Jensen
Lemonade Blueberry Pops Recipe

These popsicles turn a pale pink thanks to a little kitchen chemistry when the blue pigment in the berries meets the acid in the lemonade. You can use any mold you like for these popsicles, but you'll get a different number of pops depending on the mold size.

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Orange-Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops

Photo: Ben Fink; Styling: Andrea Steinberg
Orange-Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops Recipe
Trade in store-bought ice pops for these fruity frozen yogurt pops for a fun treat on a warm day. You can make them with ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

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Strawberry-Balsamic Ice Pops

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Strawberry-Balsamic Ice Pops Recipe
These Strawberry-Balsamic Ice Pops are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. They'll keep you returning to the freezer again and again to grab a pop!

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Orange Cream Pops

Oxmoor House
Orange Cream Pops Recipe
Make these easy orange popsicles with vanilla ice cream, orange juice concentrate and a little bit of whipping cream and satisfy your craving for an orangesicle.
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Chocolate Milk Punch Pops

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Chocolate Milk Punch Pops Recipe
These adult-only popsicles are a frozen version of the popular Southern bourbon-based punch.

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Vanilla Yogurt and Spiced Plum Ice Pops

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Vanilla Yogurt and Spiced Plum Ice Pops Recipe
These two-toned pops are as pretty as they are delicious. Greek yogurt lends a pleasant tang to the sweet spiced plums. Pure bliss.

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White-Chocolate Strawberry-Yogurt Ice Pops

Photo: timeincukcontent.com
White-Chocolate Strawberry-Yogurt Ice Pops Recipe
These frozen strawberry-yogurt treats are dipped in white chocolate and topped off with sprinkles.
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Watermelon Margarita Pops

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Watermelon Margarita Pops Recipe
These treats are just for the grownups and basically a frozen margarita on a stick. Serve with a side of sea salt to sprinkle on top.

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Chocolate Pudding Pops

Oxmoor House
Chocolate Pudding Pops Recipe
These rich, creamy chocolate pops will take you right back to the fudgesicles of your childhood.

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Peaches-and-Cream Frozen Pops

Photo: Dana Gallagher; Styling: Alistair Turnbull
Peaches-and-Cream Frozen Pops Recipe
Our version of the Creamsicle is silky, with distinct peachy flavor. It's a not-too-sweet pop that grown-ups will love but that's playful enough for all ages.
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Sparkling Strawberry Pops

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Sparkling Strawberry Pops Recipe
These frozen strawberry pops are made with sparkling wine, but you can make a kid-friendly version using sparkling white grape juice.

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