Celebrate summer holidays with these festive red, white, and blue popsicles made with real food ingredients you can feel good about!
Parades, Popsicles, & Play!
A sweet and patriotic tradition for our family since the girls were so young is heading to the 4th Of July parade every year, a fun day at the beach following, and then POPSICLES! These memories are priceless, and while I know this blog spans the world, I hope this post does 2 things.
- First, I hope it serves as some inspiration to my American readers to enjoy this age, and start some traditions of your own! It doesn’t have to be 4th of July popsicles every year, either! When I was knee deep in newborn-hood or 9 months pregnant, it was a little cup of chopped strawberries and blueberries with a little whipped topping! Find something…the kids will remember it, and you’ll look back on these kind of pictures and be thankful you did!
- Second, if you are one of my world-wide readers, let’s make some summer memories! It could be a special summer holiday your country celebrates! Tell us about them too! We would love to hear in the comments about how you are creating summer holiday memories! If you need some inspiration you can use my *brand new* ice cream book called “Simple Homemade Ice Cream” and start making some fun summer kitchen memories!
Simple ingredients, and a simple process
Because when you have little ones running around, simple is the name of the game! These festive little red, white, and blue popsicles are a snap to make and will “wow” your little ones with pretty stripes! All you will need is some red fruit (strawberries, watermelon, raspberries, or cherries work well), some coconut milk or raw milk/cream or yogurt, some blue fruit (blueberries work the best, but I think blackberries could work too), and a little sweetener of your choice. We typically keep it simple with local raw honey, but maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc works as well. You’ll also want some sort of popsicle mold. I have used this 10-pop popsicle mold since the girls were super little. It is a great, budget-friendly investment! If you are in a pinch, little paper cups will do just fine! If you have little ones in the house that need smaller popsicles, THESE kind of teething popsicle molds are fantastic for little ones and little bellies – my teething babies loved little popsicles in them, and they are the perfect size.
The Method :: The RED layer
You’ll want to start making your popsicles a day in advance, since each layer will need a good 30 minutes at least to freeze before adding the next layer. Start with the red by blending your red fruit with honey and then pouring it about 1/3 of the way up the popsicle mold. Perfection is not key here – do what you can! Strawberries are typically just going out of season when it is July 4th, so I try to use fresh, local strawberries. Cherries are also typically coming INTO season here on the 4th of July so cherries work well too! Watermelon is another great option, as is raspberries if you are picking those! If you don’t have access to any of these, frozen fruit works just fine. Thaw the fruit out before you blend so that it pours easily. Next, you’ll put the lid and popsicle sticks into the red layer, and freezer for a good 30 minutes to 1 hour before adding the white layer.
The Method :: The WHITE layer
Once the red layer is frozen or mostly frozen, you can add the white layer. You have a few choices here. I usually use full fat coconut milk or coconut yogurt since our household doesn’t tolerate dairy. Raw milk/cream, or dairy yogurt work just as good if you can tolerate dairy! I have also used whipped cream here. The So Delicious brand has a great coconut whipped cream, or you can whip your own with raw cream. I think the coconut milk/yogurt option pours easier so I like using that. The coconut milk layer is blended with honey and vanilla extract, so it really tastes like vanilla ice cream! Freeze this layer for a good hour before adding the blue layer.
The Method :: The BLUE layer
Blueberries typically are not quite in season around here the first week of July, so unless they are on sale, I use frozen. Just thaw them out before you blend so they pour easily. You can add honey to these to taste as well – if they are in season by you, they may be sweet enough to skip the honey! Freeze the popsicles for a good 2 hours before serving to ensure everything is completely frozen.
Simple storage!
Once your popsicles are frozen, you can wrap them up individually for easy grab and go! Run the popsicle mold under hot water for a minute to loosen them from the mold before pulling them out. Then you can wrap them up in parchment paper, plastic wrap, or stack in a freezer safe container. Happy Independence Day to all of my American friends!
Red, White, & Blue Popsicles! :: A Patriotic Fourth of July Tradition!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries Raspberries, cherries, or watermelon work too. If using frozen, thaw them first
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries If using frozen, thaw them first
- 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk Or raw milk/cream. Yogurt works too.
- Honey to taste for each layer Maple syrup works too.
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend the strawberries and taste for sweetness. Add honey to your taste and blend completely. If you have babies at home, skip the honey – they will be sweet enough without! Pour the strawberry puree into your popsicle mold, filling each one about 1/3 of the way up. Add the popsicle mold lid and popsicle stick, and freeze for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before adding the white layer.
- Blend the coconut milk, a good tablespoon of honey, and splash of vanilla. Taste for sweetness and add more if you wish. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the popsicle mold the second 2/3 of the way up, and freeze for a good 1 hour before adding the blue layer.
- Blend the blueberries and taste for sweetness. Add honey to your taste and blend completely. If you have babies at home, skip the honey – they will be sweet enough without! Pour the blueberry puree into your popsicle mold, filling each one the last third of the way. Freeze the popsicles for 2 hours to ensure they are completely frozen before serving
- To serve, run the popsicle mold under hot water for a minute before pulling them out. You can store individually in a container or wrapped in plastic for easy grab and go!
Notes
- Babies under the age of 2 shouldn’t have honey, so for the coconut milk layer, use maple syrup, date sugar, or coconut sugar. The fruit layers should be plenty sweet for a baby/toddler so you can skip the sweetener for those. You may also want to use smaller popsicle molds for little ones with little hands, and little bellies!
