Frugal and Healthy Popsicle Ideas

Need some cool treat ideas for this summer? Here are some yummy frugal and healthy popsicle ideas so that you can skip the store and make your own!

Frugal and Healthy Popsicle Ideas

This summer feels like it’s already been a long one. We had big plans for projects (which I now see as a little bit of overkill), but things are getting worked on and some of the projects that we’ve been working on forever are getting finished up.

Since we don’t have air conditioning in our home we do what we can to keep cool…the house has been staying at a fairly reasonable temp on the main floor, and we have a little stock tank pool for outside that we get to play in on the hot days. Of course, we also make as many meals that don’t need the oven turned on to make them as possible. (Here are more Ways to Beat Summer Heat Without Air Conditioning)

But one thing that every little family needs in the summer are some tasty, cold popsicles!

In the past, I’ve made Homemade Fudgesicles  (which tastes SO good!) and Frozen Yogurt Popsicles. While both are delicious, this summer I was looking for some all-fruit with no added sweeteners options for our dairy-free kids. I also wanted to use more fruit because well, that’s what I have canned so it’s a cheaper and easier option for us. I love any kind of new recipes to use my home canned goods!

For popsicle molds, we used these great Norpro Silicone Popsicle Molds. They are easy to keep clean, they actually fit in my tiny freezer, and they tend to make less of a mess than a regular popsicle-shaped mold because you push up the frozen treats as you go. Plus they are inexpensive and will last a long time because they can’t break like regular plastic molds.

*Note: We do not add any sugar to our popsicles, fruit is sweet enough!

Healthy Homemade Popsicles

The simplest and most frugal of all popsicle ideas is just to use fruit juice to make homemade fruit popsicles. This can either be home-canned or from the store. If we are getting juice from the store I try and find the not-from-concentrate or nectar variety since it usually won’t have added water and is generally a thicker, or flavorful juice that works perfectly for any of these healthy popsicle recipes! I also use these types of juice to make Homemade Gelatin.

Some of our favorites are:

• Peach Nectar
• Apple Juice (unfiltered)
• Pear Nectar
• Apricot Nectar
• Orange Juice (fresh)

Another great way to create delicious healthy popsicle recipes without refined sugar is to use pureed fruit that you have at home. Occasionally I have fruit that we don’t eat right away and it gets a little mushy, this is perfect for popsicles! Simply stick the fruit in the blender and puree, then pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

You can either do straight pureed fruit or you can add in juices as well. (Blend the fruit and juice together.) If you don’t have fresh fruit you can also use home canned fruits which are very easy to puree since they are already cooked down.

 Here are some of our favorite juice and fruit combos:

• Pureed Strawberries and Pear Nectar
• Pureed Peaches or Pears and Apple Juice
• Grape Juice and Applesauce
• Apple Juice and Cantaloupe or Watermelon
• Pineapple Pureed with Mango Puree and Apple Juice

Popsicle Flavor Combination Ideas

Peach Nectar + Pureed Strawberries

Peach Nectar + Pureed and Grapes 
(I don’t strain the grapes, too much nutrition in the peels!)

Apple Juice + Pureed Grapes

Pureed Strawberries + Apple Juice

Pureed Strawberries + Pear Nectar

Applesauce + Pear Nectar

Pureed Pears + Blueberry Nectar
(Can use Pearsauce too!)

Pureed Peaches + Blueberry Nectar

Pureed Peaches + Apricot Nectar

Applesauce + Apricot Nectar

Pureed Pears+ Apricot Nectar

The possibilities are truly endless and you can make your little ones’ new favorite snack by simply combining some of their favorite fruits into their popsicle treat.

Creamy Popsicle Ideas

If you want your popsicles to be a little more creamy than just the typical fruit juice or fruit puree popsicles, here are some things you can add to achieve that.

Add in some pureed banana or avocados. Depending on the flavor profile, either of these could work along with some fruit juice or pureed fruits. They are both good dairy-free/vegan options.

You could also add in greek yogurt, regular yogurt, or a bit of cream, coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk. None of these are going to be the most frugal option but if you want that rich creaminess, this is the way to go!

Adding Sweeteners

We feel like the pureed fruit and juices are plenty sweet enough for our family but you could also add in some maple syrup or honey to your mixture depending on the flavor you are trying to achieve.

To keep it as frugal as possible, use the fruits you’ve already canned or whatever you can currently pick up from the farmer’s market or grocery store that is affordable. Juice popsicles tend to be a little bit more on the frugal side, however, we’ve found that the juice + puree combos have the best flavor. But of course, both types are a great way to beat the heat!

What are your favorite healthy popsicle recipes or fruit combos to make in a popsicle?

This blog post on Frugal and Healthy Popsicle Ideas was originally posted on Little House Living in July 2014. It has been updated as of July 2022.