These lemonade popsicles are another one of my fruit-based popsicles recipes (see my lime popsicles recipe and orange popsicles recipe). These popsicles make excellent frozen treats and they are not only loved by kids, even adults enjoy them too.
I love making popsicles. And I love eating them too. I have a soft spot of frozen treats – ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, and popsicles and can eat these every day!
These lemonade popsicles are one of my favorite. They are so cooling and refreshing and make excellent desserts on a hot day. Making them on your own just makes them even better!
The best thing about making your own popsicles, just like any other treats, is that you get to choose and adjust what goes into them. And in the case of these lemonade popsicles, you can do just the same.
I call these lemonade popsicles because that is what they literally are. They are lemonade frozen in popsicle molds hence the name lemonade popsicles. It is worth mentioning here though, that despite these treats literally being lemonade in frozen form, the lemonade has to be in a slightly more concentrated form than it would as a lemonade drink. This is because frozen treats tend to become less intense in taste and so need to be in a more concentrated taste.
These treats are super easy to make. All you need is 3 very basic ingredients – lemon juice, water, and sugar. You mix these three and pour them into popsicle molds. Freeze them for a few hours and you have yourself, super refreshing, homemade lemonade popsicles.
Table of contents
How to Make
Ingredients
- Lemon juice (strained)
- Sugar
- Drinking water
Making the popsicles
Prepare your molds. I used 2 sets of 4-cavity popsicle mold for this recipe.
Wash and cut lemons into half and squeeze the juice. Strain, measure, and set it aside.
- Next, measure water in a measuring jug. Add half of the water into a medium-sized pot. Reserve the rest.
- Add sugar into the pot. Turn on the heat to low.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar. As soon as all the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat.
- Add the remaining water into the pot. This step helps to cool the syrup solution quickly.
- Next, add the strained lemon juice.
- Mix well.
Pour the lemonade into the prepared molds. Cover and insert the sticks. Freeze the popsicles for 6 to 8 hours until firm. It is best to freeze them overnight.
Optional:
If you prefer your popsicles to be smooth and of a sorbet-like consistency with finer ice particles (instead of frozen to an ice block consistency), the trick is to freeze the lemonade solution in 2 stages. There are 2 ways of doing this:
Ice cream maker churn method
- In the first stage, if you have an ice maker, you churn the lemonade solution in the ice cream maker until the ice particles have formed (but not fully frozen yet).
- Transfer the semi-frozen lemonade into a pouring jug.
- You then carefully pour that semi-frozen solution into the popsicle molds.
- Cover and proceed with the second stage of freezing by leaving the popsicles in the freezer for at least 4 to 6 hours to allow them to freeze completely before consuming.
No churn method
If you don't have an ice cream machine, you simply pour the lemonade solution into a freezer-safe container and let it freeze for about 3 to 4 hours.
- After 3 to 4 hours, remove the container from the freezer. Use a fork to break the ice particles that have formed or transfer that almost frozen solution into a blender.
- Squash or blend the semi-frozen lemonade for a few seconds until the ice is all squashed to a smoothie-like consistency.
Pour the solution back into the popsicle mold and continue to freeze for at least 4 to 6 hours before consuming.
Unmolding the popsicles
To unmold the popsicles, dip the molds into a pot filled with water for about 20 to 30 seconds. Do not submerge them in water. The water level should be well below the mold cover so as to not enter into the molds.
- Lift the popsicles out by holding the sticks and pulling them straight up, vertically. If they are still hard to come out, let the molds soak in the water for a little longer.
- Serve immediately or keep the popsicles in a container in the freezer.
Notes
Use drinking water to make the popsicles
- I use drinking water to make my popsicles. That is because the water used to make the lemonade does not get fully boiled when making these treats, hence it is advisable to use drinking water.
Adjusting the taste
- These lemonade popsicles start with the base of a lemonade solution. And as in most frozen treats, the taste of the lemonade always tends to become less intense after freezing. It is therefore worth taking note to make the lemonade solution slightly more concentrated than that prepared for a lemonade drink.
- Having said that, there is no hard and fast rule about how concentrated the solution should be. It is all a matter of personal taste and preference.
- My lemonade solution for the popsicles on this page is concentrated enough to give the popsicles a pleasantly intense lemonade flavor. They have a balanced mix of tartness from the lemons and sweetness from the sugar.
- You can adjust the taste of the lemonade solution if you like. And the best way to do it is to taste the solution before freezing it. You can add more water, juice, or sugar to adjust the taste, but do it before freezing the popsicles.
Best way to juice the lemons
- For best results, and for effective juicing of the lemons, I always soften the fruits lightly before cutting. I do this by rolling them on my kitchen countertop with my palm. Apply some pressure on the fruit as you do this. That way, the skin becomes softer and the pulp inside the lemon loosens up. This makes pressing the fruits for juice a lot easier.
- You can then cut the lemons into 2 and squeeze out the juice. For this, you can simply squeeze the lemon in your hands and collect the juice in a measuring jug. Or you can use a manual handheld juicer. I personally prefer to use a citrus juicer as it does not require as much energy in pressing the fruits for juice as compared to squeezing by hand or a hand juicer.
Can you replace the sugar with other sweeteners
- Yes, you can. Sugar can be replaced with brown sugar or even honey. Do take note that the final taste of the popsicles will vary. Even the color might vary.
- Also, do take note that the amount of the sweetener used would need to be adjusted accordingly as the final taste of the lemonade might vary. The measurement provided in my recipe on this page is for white sugar.
How long do the popsicles last
- These frozen treats will not go bad in the freezer for a few months. However, I recommend that these popsicles be consumed within 1 month.
Like this homemade popsicles recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
- Lemonade Sorbet
- Lime Popsicles
- Orange Popsicles
- Lemonade Recipe - 3 Easy Methods
- Brown Sugar Lemonade - Flavorful & Refreshing
- Frozen Lemonade Concentrate - A Homemade Recipe
Recipe (Printable)
Here is the full printable version of my lemonade popsicles recipe.
📖Recipe
Lemonade Popsicles
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Instructions
- Measure water into a measuring jug.
- Pour half of the water into a medium-sized pot. Add sugar into the pot and turn on the heat to a low flame.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar. Turn of the heat and add the remaining water. Set aside.
- Roll lemons on your kitchen counter to soften the pulp inside. Cut each lemon into 2 and squeeze the juice. Strain to remove pulps and seeds and measure.
- Add the measured lemon juice into the sugar syrup solution and mix well.
- Pour the lemonade solution into prepared popsicle molds. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. Overnight freezing is better.
- To unmold the popsicles, dip the mold in a pot filled with water. The water level should not be above the mold cover, to avoid water getting into the frozen popsicles.
- Leave the mold in the water for about 30 seconds. Remove the popsicles by holding the stick and pulling them upwards, vertically. Keep the mold in the water a little longer if the popsicles are still stuck to the mold.
Notes
- If you prefer the popsicles to be smooth and of a sorbet-like consistency with finer ice particles (instead of frozen to an ice block consistency), freeze the lemonade solution in 2 stages.
- In the first stage, churn the lemonade solution in an ice cream maker until the ice particles have formed (but not fully frozen). Pour the semi-frozen solution into the popsicle molds and proceed with the second stage freezing for at least 4 to 6 hours before unmolding and serving.
- Without an ice machine, pour the lemonade solution into a freezer-safe container and freeze for about 3 to 4 hours. Use a fork to break the ice particles that have formed or transfer that almost frozen solution into a blender and blend for a few seconds until the ice is all squashed to a smoothie-like consistency. Pour the solution back into the popsicle mold and continue to freeze for at least 4 to 6 hours before unmolding and consuming.
Nutrition
And that's that. My easy, homemade lemonade popsicles recipe.
Enjoy!
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