The flavor of these cherry lemonade popsicles is pure, vibrant, fresh cherry with a touch of citrus — they’re super healthy and one of the joys of summer!
cherry lemonade popsicles are packed with fresh fruit
A popsicle doesn’t have to have a lot of bells and whistles to be gloriously delicious, and these cherry lemonade popsicles prove it. The cherry flavor is intense, and that’s because they’re made from nothing more than pure cherry puree with the tiniest touch of sugar, and fresh lemon juice.
should you add sugar to fruit popsicles?
In this case a little bit of sugar is used to enhance the flavor rather than to sweeten. I don’t add much, just enough to bring out that intense cherry flavor. I’ve never had a more vivid tasting, utterly refreshing popsicle!
method for making cherry lemonade popsicles
This is a formula you can apply to lots of summer fruit, and I plan to do just that, but it’s cherry season right now, so these need to happen asap.
- Grab your cherry pitter and a pound of cherries and remove the pits from the cherries. You can also use frozen thawed cherries for convenience.
- We’re going to puree the pitted cherries, sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. I strain it, but you don’t have to if you’d like more texture. I like to taste it at this point to adjust if necessary.
- The puree goes right into the popsicle mold, it’s that simple.
- Freeze until solid.
the popsicle mold I use
I love my popsicle mold, I use it at least once a week during the hot weather and it’s a life saver. It’s probably the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I make all kinds of fruit pops, of course, but I also make ice cream bars in it. You can get as healthy or as decadent as you want with your mold, it does both equally well.
The cherry flavor in these pops is really spectacular, I hope you try them. A simple frozen treat like this can make all the difference on a hot day! And because these pops are low in calories and high in nutrients, there’s no guilt involved.
cherry lemonade popsicle making tips
- Be sure to taste your puree and adjust it with more sugar or lemon if necessary. As always, the quality of your fruit will affect your final product, trust your instincts! Add a touch of vanilla or almond extract if you like. Even a bit of cherry liqueur would be fun to try.
- If you don’t have a popsicle mold you can make these with paper cups, just peel the cup away when you’re ready to eat.
- If you can’t get fresh cherries, use frozen, thawed cherries.
- Cherry pitters are inexpensive and worth their weight in gold, you can find them here.
it’s cherry season!
- Cherry Almond Crisp Dump Cake
- Sour Cherry Almond Bars
- Fresh Cherry Dessert Sauce
- Whitefish with Cherry Salsa
- Sweet Cherry Almond Bars
Cherry Lemonade Popsicles
Equipment
- popsicle mold purchase here
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh pitted cherries (you can also use frozen thawed cherries)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the machine as necessary.
- This next step is optional, but I did it — push the puree through a mesh sieve. Press firmly with the back of a spoon so you get as much as possible through.
- Fill the popsicle molds almost to the top. The puree will be thick enough that you can stand the sticks right in, without using the top to hold them.
- Freeze the popsicles until solid. To remove from the mold, immerse the mold up to, but not over, the top lip for just a few seconds in a sink full of hot water.
- To store the popsicles wrap well in plastic.
Nutrition
Could you freeze the popsicle recipe in a metal loaf pan instead of making popsicles?
Then I’m not sure how you would be serving it, it would be like a block of ice. You could do the granita scraping technique with it and serve it in bowls!
And if you want popsicles but don’t have a mold, try paper cups.
Our cherry tree gave so many cherries this year that I needed new recipes to enjoy our cherries on the longest time. We gave, and baked and made jams and preserves but nothing beats these ice lollies. It’s like biting into the fresh fruit picked seconds ago from the tree. The lemon adds a nice kick of freshness.
I have the same mold. When I remove popscicles from the molds, I put them in Ziploc snack bags. The fit is perfect for the popscicles.
Great point!
Hi
Beautiful!
Could you do this with strawberries or other fruit too?
Absolutely, almost any fruit, I’ve done peach and plum already on the blog. Just search under Popsicles in my recipe index.
I just made the puree for these popsicles using frozen cherries and man, they are delicious! Can’t wait till they are frozen. My son and I maaaay have been eating it with a spoon!
Gorgeous pictures, by the way!
Thanks Valerie, I’m so glad you liked these, I just got a big bag of fresh cherries at the supermarket!
Now I wish I would have picked up that bag of cherries at the market this morning! Pinning for my next shopping trip 🙂
Gorgeous pops, that color is stunning!
How can something so simple with 3 power ingredients look and sound this good! Awesome work here!
You are the popsicle girl! And I am so happy! Anther awesome recipe, Sue!