Being a chef can be challenging. Being around food all day definitely can stretch the limits of my ability to resist over-eating. Cooking professionally requires tasting what you’re cooking and for me, just a few bites of a yummy dessert can send my cravings into overdrive. These whole fruit pops can be a life saver.
I use fresh, whole, in-season fruits that are naturally sweet so little or no sweetener is needed. Using the whole fruit instead of juice retains the fiber and all the nutrients. When fresh fruit is not available, frozen fruit is a great option.
A blender or food processor will do most of the work for you. Just cut the fruit in chunks big enough to fit and push the button. Run the machine until the fruit becomes nearly liquid. At this point, I taste and decide if sweetener is needed. In addition to sugar, agave or honey, sweet juices can bring up the flavor and sweetness.
Whole Fruit Pops Flavors
You can make single flavor pops or combine flavors. In addition to fruit, lemon and lime are wonderful additions and can enhance the flavor of fruits that need some help. Coconut cream with a little sweetener is a great dairy-free option.
The recipe card below includes recipes for pineapple strawberry and mango-lime-coconut fruit pops. Here are are few more fun flavors:
- Raspberry-Orange (use orange juice)
- Watermelon
- Blueberry with Cinnamon Ice Cream (add 1/4 tsp cinnamon to 1 c vanilla ice cream)
Do you love Creamsiclesยฎ? Make your own by combining these fruit pops with some ice cream. Let the ice cream soften a little and layer in the molds with the fruit purees.
Chocolate Coating
Once the pops are frozen and out of the mold, coat them with chocolate for a special treat. My 2-ingredient chocolate magic shell is perfect for this. The chocolate will set up immediately. I recommend dipping twice for a thick coating.
Whole Fruit Pops
These whole fruit pops are so easy to make and are a perfect refreshing treat on a hot summer day. Puree the fruit and freeze, that's it!
Ingredients
Pineapple Strawberry Fruit Pops
- ยฝ pineapple
- 15 strawberries
- agave, honey or sugar to taste
Mango Lime-Coconut
- 2 ripe mangoes
- 1 c coconut cream
- 1 lime
- agave, honey or sugar to taste
Instructions
Pineapple-Strawberry Pops
- Cut the fruit into 1" chunks.
- In the blender or food processor, puree each fruit (separately) until it is smooth and no chunks remain,
- Taste. If you want it more sweet, start with 2 tsps of your sweetener. Add until you like the flavor.
- Layer the strawberry and pineapple into the molds. If you want a marbled effect, dunk the spoon in a couple of times.
- Freeze for 1 hour, then insert pop sticks. Freeze for at least 5 hours more.
Mango Coconut-Lime Pops
- In a small bowl, whisk the coconut cream, the juice of the lime and 1 Tbsp sweetener until smooth.
- Pour the coconut-lime mixture into the molds, filling each ⅓-½, and put in the freezer for 1-2 hours. While the coconut is freezing prepare the mango,
- Peel the mango and cut into chunks.
- In the blender or food processor, puree the mango until it is smooth and no chunks remain.
- Taste. If you want it more sweet, start with 2 tsps of your sweetener. Add until you like the flavor.
- Spoon in the mango puree and freeze for 1 hour. Then insert the pop sticks. Freeze at least 5 hours more.
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