Yogurt and Fruit Popsicles
In the peak of summer children ask for the colourful ice lollies displayed at the shop, and many contain nothing but sugar, water, flavours, and artificial colours. These popsicles solve the problem at home: simple moulds you fill with yogurt and fresh blended fruit, producing a cold treat in a beautiful pink colour that children love, while you are reassured that every spoonful contains an ingredient you recognise.
Prepare them in 15 minutes in the evening, and they firm up in the freezer overnight, ready for the next day. It is a quiet way to accustom children to the flavour of real fruit instead of manufactured flavours.
Wash the strawberries well and remove their green tops, then halve them. Make sure they are free of leaves and mould before blending for a clean flavour and uniform colour.
Place the yogurt, banana, milk, honey, vanilla, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a blender and blend on medium speed for one minute until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous with no lumps. A smooth mixture prevents the formation of coarse ice crystals after freezing.
Set a third of the mixture aside, then add the strawberries to the remainder in the blender and blend for half a minute until the colour turns pink. Separating the two portions gives you two layers with different colours — making the popsicle look more attractive to children.
Pour a layer of the pink strawberry mixture into each mould up to the halfway point, then fill with the plain lighter mixture, leaving about half a centimetre empty at the top. Leaving the space is necessary because the mixture expands slightly when frozen and needs this gap to avoid overflow.
Cover the moulds with their lids and insert each popsicle stick in the centre. If the moulds have no fixed lids, freeze the popsicles for one hour first until the surface sets, then insert the sticks so they stand upright without tilting.
Leave the moulds in the freezer for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until completely frozen and the texture is firm to the touch. Complete freezing is necessary so the popsicle separates cleanly from the mould without crumbling.
Submerge the outside of the mould in warm water for 10 seconds then gently pull the stick for the popsicle to come out whole. Serve immediately — it begins to melt quickly in hot weather. The warm water melts only the layer touching the mould so the popsicle slides out easily.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Yogurt and Fruit Popsicles, and how to fix them:
Usually from too little fat or an insufficiently smooth mixture. Use full-fat yogurt and blend the mixture for a full minute until silky smooth before pouring.
Submerge only the outside of the mould in warm water for 10 seconds then gently pull the stick. Do not use hot water as it melts the whole surface and causes collapse.
Freeze the mixture for one hour first until the surface sets, then insert the stick in the centre and it will stand upright and hold in place.
Pour the pink strawberry layer first then freeze it for 20 minutes before pouring the white layer on top, keeping the separation clear.
Leave half a centimetre empty at the top of each mould — the mixture expands slightly when frozen and needs this space.
Unripe strawberries are usually the cause. Taste the mixture before freezing and add an extra half teaspoon of honey if needed to balance the flavour.
Keeps in their covered moulds for up to two weeks with good quality. After that the texture begins to coarsen though they remain safe.
After removing from the mould, wrap each popsicle in parchment paper and place in a sealed freezer bag to last about a month without sticking together.
The blended mixture keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 24 hours, so you can prepare it in the evening and pour it into moulds in the morning.
Do not re-freeze a popsicle that has completely melted, as re-freezing ruins the texture and may create an environment for microbial growth in a product containing dairy.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-fat Greek yogurt | Plant-based coconut yogurt | 1:1 | Dairy-free alternative for those with lactose intolerance. Texture remains creamy but flavour leans slightly toward coconut. |
| Natural honey | Mashed dates or date molasses | 2 tbsp honey equals 3 pitted dates mashed | A fruit sugar substitute. Honey should not be given to children under one year old, in which case replace with dates. |
| Strawberry | Mango, blueberry, or peach | 1:1 | Any blended fruit works. Mango gives a vivid yellow colour and blueberry gives a purple colour that children love. |
| Liquid milk | Unsweetened almond or oat milk | 1:1 | Only thins the mixture for easier pouring. For those avoiding dairy entirely choose an unsweetened plant-based alternative to control sugar. |
| Banana | Ripe avocado | half an avocado per banana | Same creamy texture with less sugar, though it reduces sweetness so you may need extra honey. |
| Ingredient | 6 popsicles | 12 popsicles | 18 popsicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek yogurt | 400 g | 800 g | 1200 g |
| Strawberries | 200 g | 400 g | 600 g |
| Banana | 1 piece | 2 pieces | 3 pieces |
| Honey | 2 tablespoons | 4 tablespoons | 6 tablespoons |
| Milk | 60 ml | 120 ml | 180 ml |
Choose full-fat Greek yogurt rather than low-fat for this specific recipe, as the fat gives a creamy texture that reduces ice crystal coarseness and makes the popsicle gentler on the tongue. To control sugar, start with one tablespoon of honey and taste the mixture before freezing; the ripe banana alone sweetens considerably and you may find you do not need the second tablespoon at all.
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