Sugar-Free Popsicles: Watermelon Raspberry Pops

Today I have a recipe for easy — naturally sweet — sugar-free popsicles!

Popsicles are simple to make, and you can really have fun with the flavors.

Of course homemade popsicles are also much healthier than store-bought that typically add sugar – as well as artificial colors and flavors.

While it’s easier to find fruit-sweetened popsicles now, they can be pricey, and sometimes the flavors don’t appeal to our kiddos (or maybe that’s my experience). 🙄

When you make pops at home, you can choose the fruits you and your kids like, and then choose to sweeten if needed.

When summer is in swing, it’s a prime time to make sugar-free popsicles.

Fruits like berries, melons, and stone fruits are especially sweet because they are ripened locally (or closer to home).

Unless fruits are not fully ripe – or are naturally more sour (ex: some citrus), you don’t usually need added sweetener.

In Plant-Powered Families, I offer quite a few natural popsicle recipes.

From melon freshers, to piña cooladas, peach-split, and a few others… including these Watermelon Raspberry Pops (aka pink-sicles)!

In addition to these recipe, I share some steps and tips for making popsicles.

While homemade pops are easy to make, there are some tricks to make it simpler.

I’ve noted a few relevant tips in this Watermelon Raspberry Pops recipe, but refer to the book for more details – and of course, more refreshing, sugar-free popsicles!

Enjoy the pops and the summer sun!

Blessings… x Dreena

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Watermelon Raspberry Popsicles

Refreshing sugar-free popsicles that taste like summer!

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 6 pops

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed watermelon
• 1 cup raspberries (or sliced strawberries)
• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean optional

Instructions

• Puree the watermelon and berries in a blender until smooth (a high-powered blender works best, but standard blender works fine too). If using the vanilla bean seeds, use a sharp knife to slice the bean lengthwise. Open the bean and use a dull knife to scrape out the seeds. Add to the blender and briefly pulse/puree to incorporate. Pour into ice pop molds (see notes) and freeze until set.

Notes

• A good blender is very useful for pureeing whole fruits smoothly. A high-powered blender (ex: Blendtec) is best, but a standard blender or even an immersion blender—will work.
• Use seasonal and ripe organic fruits. If certain fruits are out of season or not available fresh in your area, choose frozen organic.
• Molds with individually set ice pops are easier to use than molds that group all the ice pops together. You can then remove one at a time by running the mold under warm water, rather than trying to remove a single pop from a joined tray. Also, molds that offer sticks with adjoined “drip trays” make for cleaner pop-eating! Here are some BPA-free molds that will work well.
• When filling molds, leave about 1/4” of space at the top of the mold, as the mixture will expand slightly when freezing.
• On average, pops take 4–5 hours to set.
• If you do want to sweeten more, try 1-3 teaspoons of pure maple syrup

photos credit: Nicole Axworthy