July 4th Popsicles

When I was younger, I used to have these pretty red, white, and blue popsicles. They were of course full of sugar and artificial colors, but I loved them. This year I wanted to recreate that memory with a healthier version of those popsicles. These July 4th popsicles have 3 yummy layers, all made with natural fruit flavors. The red is made with pureed strawberries. The white is made with coconut milk. And the blue is made with pureed blueberries.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Strawberries – The red is made with strawberries which are a personal favorite of mine. If you want to use a different fruit, you can also use raspberries.
• Coconut milk – The white is made of coconut milk. Coconut milk is extremely easy to work with, and it freezes really well. You can substitute coconut milk with Greek yogurt.
• Blueberries – The blue is made with blueberries. I don’t think there are any other blue fruits out there, but you can substitute with other fruits and use blue food coloring.
• Granulated sugar – I used granulated sugar to sweeten these layers, but you don’t have to use it if you think the fruit and coconut milk are sufficiently sweet. A good substitute for sugar is agave sweetener.

Making my July 4th popsicles

There isn’t a ton of cooking in this recipe. It’s honestly mostly waiting, but the waiting is well worth it. The first step is to puree your strawberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar together. Divide the puree evenly among 10 popsicle molds. Put in the freezer to freeze for 3 hours. Next whisk together coconut milk and another tablespoon of sugar. Pour this over the frozen strawberry puree. Let it freeze for another 3 hours. Each time you do this you are ensuring each layer doesn’t mix in with the next layer, creating a clear separation between the 3 colors. Lastly, puree blueberries and the last tablespoon of sugar together. Pour over the coconut milk and let it freeze for 3 more hours or overnight.

Below are my other July 4th recipes:

1. Portobello Fries
2. Korean BBQ Burgers
3. Asian Hot Dogs

Tips on how to make the perfect July 4th popsicles

Use a liquid measuring cup to pour your purees into the molds

I find that using a liquid measuring cup is the cleanest way to pour your liquid into the molds. When I tried it without the measuring cup, the division between the 3 colors wasn’t as clear cut.

How to release stuck popsicles

I’ve had this problem before making popsicles. Sometimes, the popsicles stick to the mold after freezing. The easiest way to get it out is to dip it in hot water for a few seconds, and firmly pull them out. Definitely need some arm strength here!

Add fresh fruit to the popsicles

I didn’t do this, but I’ve seen popsicles where fresh fruit is added to the popsicles. It looks really cool, and it can be a great textural contrast.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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