Here are three recipes for hidden vegetable popsicles – and they contain plenty of fruit too!
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I’ve been making a lot of popsicles so far this summer, and after reading the fabulous book Ice Pop Joy by Anni Daulter, I was inspired to try my own combinations. I was particularly keen to sneak in some vegetables, now that F has started trusting my homemade fruit popsicles.
Here are three recipe suggestions; although I encourage you to try your own combinations and ratios. I’ve used mild tasting vegetables like baby spinach and yellow squash, and sweet ones like baby carrots. The dairy base for all three popsicles is Greek yogurt – it’s a great source of protein and also high in probiotics. The sweetener I have used is light agave nectar. I only started using agave after reading Daulter’s book and so far I really like it. It is thinner than honey which makes measuring and mixing easier.
I make my popsicles either in my Zoku mini pop mold or some larger pop molds that have drip-guard handles.
Blackberry, Blueberry and Spinach Popsicles
- ½ cup blackberries
- ½ cup blueberries
- ¼ cup fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tbs agave nectar or honey, to taste
Add all the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Test for sweetness, add more agave if necessary. Pour into pop molds and freeze.
This popsicle is stuffed full of superfoods! The sweetness of the berries blend well with the savoury spinach, and if your child doesn’t like green food then they won’t even be able to see the spinach. F loves helping get the pops out of the mold – the silicone makes it SO easy. As these are mini pops he often asks for two of them!
Strawberry and Yellow Squash Popsicles
- 8-10 fresh strawberries, hulled
- 1 yellow squash, peeled and diced
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tbs agave nectar or honey, to taste
Add all the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Test for sweetness, add more agave if necessary. Pour into pop molds and freeze.
The squash is pretty much undetectable in these popsicles, either in texture or flavour. I just tell my son that it is strawberry ice cream and he eats it very happily!
Raspberry and Baby Carrot Popsicles
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 15-18 raw baby carrots, peeled and trimmed
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tbs agave nectar or honey, to taste
Steam the baby carrots. I use a microwave vegetable steamer and it only takes a few minutes to cook until soft. Add the cooked carrots, raspberries, yogurt and agave to a blender, and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness, add more agave and blend again if necessary. Pour into pop molds and freeze.
F refers to these ones as strawberry ice cream, and somehow I never corrected him, even though he likes raspberries. However after he ate (and enjoyed) his first one, I did tell him they had carrot in too, and that didn’t stop him asking for more!
[bctt tweet=”Sneak some veggies into homemade popsicles for the kids! So clever!”]
This snack is now part of the YUM! Healthy Recipes for Kids book! Check out the other amazing ideas!
