In the past, I have made the argument that all sorts of absurd things, from fruit crisps to slab pies, pizza, salade lyonnaise, risotto, stuffing (!), latkes, cookie bars and even shamelessly decadent cakes rolled in brown butter and cinnamon sugar deserve inclusion in the first meal of the day. You might say I have no shame at all. I might say that I cleverly rail against the narrow confines of that which we know as breakfast. You might say I’ve gone too far this time, but I’m going to do it anyway: I’m going to make the argument that breakfast popsicles deserve to become a thing.
New York City theoretically has four seasons, but talk to anyone who lives here (or don’t, they will probably complain to you about this unsolicited, um, not that we know any New Yorkers like that) and they will tell you that we really only have two — face-freezing wintry mix and sticky concrete inferno, with about two weeks in-between of all that is good and glorious on this earth (a popcorn-like explosion of blossoms from treetops to sidewalks and fiery carpets of every color foliage imaginable), or in modern terms, the stuff of which “no filter” Instagrams are made. And, lo, not a minute after those spring petals hit the gutters, we had our first few days of eau de hot trash and a peculiar brand of cloying airlessness at which inner cities excel and I wanted to climb into the freezer and never leave.
So long, oven. Goodbye, hot lattes. Sayonara, casseroles, braises and soups. Hellooooo popsicle season! I’ve been trying to cool my heels (yikes, Deb) in the popsicle category ever since the Summer of 2013, when on such an epic popsicle bender that I was worried about me, too. But I can only stay away so long. Plus, I realized this site didn’t have the most classic of easy homemade popsicles, a yogurt and berry version, and very shortly after trying a homemade one, I realized I never wanted to eat yogurt from a bowl with berries again. Spoons: so very last year.
As with the Summer of 2013, I still firmly believe that nobody who enjoys popsicles should be without Fany Gerson’s Paletas book. I have never made a recipe from the book that fell short of exceeding every expectation of what an ice pop could be. Each is awash in fresh ingredients, not too much sweetness, a perfect texture from the freezer (she credits the use of simple syrup), and a yield that’s downright magical, always filling my popsicle molds with no shortages or excess (how does she DO it?). These were no different, and they’re the prettiest ones yet. Don’t fight it: summer breakfast is served.
One year ago: Soft Pretzel Buns and Knots (hot dog and hamburger buns!)
Two years ago: Greek Salad with Lemon and Oregano
Three years ago: Vidalia Onion Soup with Wild Rice
Four years ago: Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
Five years ago: Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta and Mint and Rustic Rhubarb Tarts
Six years ago: Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta and Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Seven years ago: Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake and Mushroom Streudels
Eight years ago: Homemade Oreos and Cellophano Noodle Salad with Roast Pork
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Classic Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Praline Sauce and Crispy Sweet Potato Roast
1.5 Years Ago: Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions and Apple-Herb Stuffing for All Seasons
2.5 Years Ago: Gingersnaps
3.5 Years Ago: Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Swirled Berry Yogurt Popsicles
Adapted, just barely, from Fany Gerson’s Paletas
Yield: 10 popsicles from these molds, which hold about 1/3 cup liquid each
2 level cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
1/2 lemon or 1 small lime
1/2 cup (120 grams) water
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt (1 cup fage = 227 grams)
If your berries are large, especially blackberries, cut them in half. Place berries in non-reactive (i.e. not aluminum or tin, which I suspect you weren’t using anyhow) bowl and squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice over it (save the peel; you’re about to use it). Add honey, stir to combine. Set aside.
Place lemon peel, water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, until it comes to a boil and sugar has dissolved. Gently simmer for 5 minutes more. Strain out peel and chill syrup completely. You can do this in the fridge, but I find it much quicker to set the bowl of syrup in a larger bowl of ice water. Within 15 minutes, it should be quite cold to the touch.
Whisk yogurt and chilled syrup together.
Place the berry mixture and any juices that have accumulated in a blender and whirl until desired texture. (I left a few tiny chunks throughout.) If you loathe the seeds from raspberries or blackberries, puree fully and press through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds. Assemble popsicles by alternating pouring a little of the yogurt mixture, then a little of the berry mixture into each popsicle mold, repeating as desired until you reach 1/4-inch from the tops (to leave room for expansion as they freeze). Use a skewer to lightly swirl the mixtures together.
If using conventional molds, snap on the lid and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (45 minutes to 1 hour), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
My popsicle molds: Can be found here.
These look delicious! Would they freeze properly with nonfat Greek yogurt?
Nikki — It wouldn’t keep them from freezing, but it might taste more icy/less creamy.
Great, thank you!
No joke, I once blogged about the Paletas cookbook, using this recipe, but with blueberries instead, and endorsed it for breakfast. Just checked my archives, August 5, 2011. Great minds…Hope you’re feeling good.
These look tasty, Deb. Does the added sugar help with freezing/consistency, or is it just for taste? Thanks!
This looks amazing!
Speaking of pregnancy aversions, my current aversion is to anything sweet. I can eat fruit, but only plain yogurt. I’m going to try this recipe without any sweeteners and will report back on how they turn out. I’ve had a craving for very tart frozen yogurt and this looks like it will hit the spot.
This looks so delicious Deb – I love the bright colour and maybe some fresh berries in there would be good too!
I swear by breakfast popsicles. It’s the only thing I can face at 5 a.m. in Texas in August, when it is already 94°F. I’m generally pretty sloppy about my ingredient mix, and make up for variable degrees of solidity by using those awesome silicone freezer pop tubes with a nice snug cap.
Pretty! I have the same mold. Any tips for quick, clean release of the pops?
Re, the sugar — It’s both for texture and that I hope you’ll trust me when I say that frozen treats taste much less sweet than their unfrozen counterparts. These popsicles, which, yes, I’m eating another one now, not sorry, are just lightly sweetened/surprisingly tart for the amount of sugar in them. I’m always eager to reduce sugar in treats, and wouldn’t touch it here.
Re, unmolding the popsicles — Well, I don’t do it the “correct” way. I gently (gently!) pop the individual plastic cups out of the holder and run them under warm water, just until they’ll release. You’re probably not supposed to do this. I’ve already cracked the upper edge of one of mine. But if you’re really careful, as I try to be, it does make it easy to just unmold what you need. Or, you can dip the whole rig in a bowl of warm water, unmold all of them, spread them on a tray lined with plastic wrap, put them back in the freezer long enough that they’re solid to the touch again, and then put them all together in one big freezer bag. They’ll be less likely to stick together if you do it this way.
Molly — I forgot to tell you that I’ve been craving, like intensely craving, broccoli-cheddar soup since you posted it. We found ourselves at a Panera a couple weeks ago (my very first time! what is up with those insane portions?) and I’m still a little traumatized that I ordered it there. Looking forward to making yours at home soon.
These look like just the thing for this weekend. If I happened to already have some simple syrup hanging around, how much would I use (i.e. how much syrup does 1/2 c of water and 1/2 c of sugar make)?
wow these look gorgeous!! I love the swirl in them and that they’re made with yogurt! :)
Summer on a stick. Love!!
Rad! In another month, definitely make a second batch and freeze it for post-partum meals. It’s really is a cinch to put together. Long gone are my days of making rugelach and that mango eggplant soba Ottolenghi dish. I’m hoping to get up a ricotta and (frozen) cherry cake tonight or tomorrow in time for Shavuous. Good recipe for little hands because it just requires some stirring. Incidentally, I meant to tell you that the Not Derby Pie Bars were great for little helpers: Pressing the food processor, spreading the dough out in the pan, and then some stirring. Is good recipes for little helpers a section in your recipes? I should probably make one of those…with ALL the spare time I have these days. Har har.
Oh man I cannot wait to make these. They will be perfect for my hour-long commutes!
Yes, yes, yes! These will be perfect for my oldest who is never full and has never met a sweet treat that she isn’t obsessed with. Seriously, I don’t know what we’ll do with her as a teen if she continues to eat like she does at 4 1/2. PS Friday is the last day to pack a lunch-can’t wait!
Breakfast popsicles are totally a thing! It’s a like a smoothie, in a popsicle!
We eat hot oatmeal every single morning because I prefer not to think about choices in the morning, and it fills everyone up nicely. But we’ve had a few warm days, and hot oatmeal on a warm day seems to linger and make me sweat on the inside – if that’s even possible. Only way I could think to describe it.
This will be the first summer in a long time that I’ll be able to walk both girls to summer camp each morning. I was thinking last week that I’d like to switch up to something cold that we can eat on our walks to school – and the idea of popsicles came to mind. I actually have four dozen push pop molds that I bought a few years ago for a birthday party and that I still use for ice cream get togethers. I think that will make these less messy for morning breakfasts when I just don’t feel like facing a second round of clothes changing!.
So thanks for encouraging me along this line of thinking. And now I need to pick up that cookbook for inspiration. I’d love some more savory pops too – I’m assuming she has some in that cookbook. How good would avocado pops be? I’m on a kick right now. Wonder if I could swirl some siracha in there! :)
Anyway, thanks for another great idea.
May I second the suggestion for a “good recipes for little helpers” suggestion? Carrot tahini salad would definitely go in there (the processor, the whisking the dressing, the eating of all the pistachios I JUST SHELLED). Just ordered my own popsicle molds!
Fage is such a delightfully dreamy, creamy Greek yogurt. In popsicle form, I can only imagine how delicious it must be! Thanks for the recipe, Deb!
The timing bites, because 2 days ago I threw out my (crappy, plastic) popsicle holders as part of my quest to make the cooking I do fit the kitchen I have. And these look really, really good. Maybe if I collected some yogurt cups…
I need to try these as soon as berries show up at our market! Though I’d probably use goat or coconut yogurt since my husband and cow’s milk don’t get along great.
Looking back through your popsicle archive is DANGEROUS
They look so good. It is chilly in Boston today but temperature doesn’t stop me from eating a frozen treat. Thanks!
Can I use regular yogurt instead of greek? My body cannot handle greek yogurt :-(. Thanks!
These looks amazing!
Thirding the “good recipes for little helpers” request! In particular would love to flag recipes that involve a lot of “dumping and mixing” (my preschooler’s favorite thing, so I try to avoid things that can be overmixed), use fun tools like the whisk, the lemon squeezer and/or the “garlic presser”, and that come together pretty quickly.
Question: Were i to mold these in dixie cups (have a 2.5 yr old at home that LOVES yogurt and LOVES blackberries, need portion controls) how many dixie cups do you think i’d need?
I made these in little Dixie cups and it came to about 20 popsicles.
Wow, breakfast popsicles sound like a divine idea! I need to buy a popsicle mold–it’s one of those things I’ll pick up at the store, carry around for a while, and then always put back before check out. But I think this recipe just inspired me to take the plunge! Thanks for sharing!
This looks incredible! Perfect treat for the warm weather!
Sarah
The popsicles looks divine but I must comment on your picture with the apron. You look radiant and soon to be big brother looks so happy. Wonderful picture! (great recipe, of course!)
Hooray for popsicle season! Love the beautiful swirls and it’s actually healthy and all natural too!
I think I’m going to try these in my ice cream freezer (no pop molds…poor me)!
The recipe looks tasty (it’s a pity the weather where I am has taken a turn for the grey, or maybe I would be making popsicles instead of digging out wool socks,) but all the melting-popsicles-on-counter photos make me twitch. They look more like photos of tragic popsicle-dropping accidents than appetizing photos meant to entice me into making the recipe. It just screams wastefulness to me – which is sad, as your photography is usually one of the things I love about your blog.
I don’t have any popsicle molds so I was wondering how firm these freeze; are they cut-able? I ask because I wondered if I froze the mixture in a loaf pan would I be able to place the skewers in once partially frozen then cut the loaf in half then into bars once completely frozen. Do you think this is do-able?
Wow i have to save these receipe for later – i still bought my ice-cream-forms :D
Kristin — She has a very popular recipe for avocado popsicles, but they’re not savory, I don’t think. Multiple people commented that they were licking the bowl they mixed it in.
Claudia — I don’t see why not. The only difference between regular and Greek yogurt is that Greek yogurt has been strained a bit, letting off water/whey, leaving it thicker. So, the popsicles just might be a little less creamy.
alexis — Dixie cups should be just fine. Not sure how much they hold. This makes a little shy of 3 cups popsicle “batter”.
Susan — I think they’d be cuttable, but you could also use small cups, shot glasses or even champagne flutes as popsicle molds.
Ruth — Yes, not my best photo work. Then again, this isn’t a professional photography studio, just my real-life kitchen. The long story is that I had the delight of having work crews replacing a block-long pipe outside my apartment last night which basically meant I got about 1 hour of sleep between jackhammers and machine motors. Gotta love NYC sometimes! I took these photos half-asleep this morning. When I plan better and am more alert, I freeze the plate or platter I’m going to take popsicle photos on so that they don’t melt so fast. Rest assured, I took the 10 photos I wanted and they went right back into the freezer, unwasted. Except the one that went in my belly because: breakfast. And the one a few hours later because today was the kind of day that required a second breakfast.
You and the big-brother-to-be look wonderful and happy. Thanks for letting those of us whose kids won’t get married and/or make us grandparents live vicariously. I was on the fence last summer about buying yet another kitchen gadget, ie, a popsicle mold. This convinced me.
Oooo! Champaign flutes sound perfect! It’d give them that (sort of) “rocket” look. I have just the perfect style of flutes. Dixie cups make them too fat..my kids always used to complain, but the cups themselves make good drip guards when you cut them down a bit and fit them over the popsicle stick. Only works for popsicle halves or possibly flute-molded popsicles. Thanks for the tip!
If I do go ahead and make these I will “completely chill syrup completely” :), honest!
Definitely one of the best treats in summer. This sounds lovely!
I love the picture! It screams summertime to me, and here in 44 degree Chicago that’s like heaven. No pity though – I’m off to New Orleans tomorrow where I hear I’ll make up for this cold streak with humidity (and the thunderstorms with lots and lots of beignets). And you can betcha that these and you insanely wonderful burger and fries will be on my to do list when I get home – cold or no! Thanks for another wonderful post Deb!
I often comment about your photos (as you know) and these are ALSO wonderful.The “melty” effect is GREAT! When will we be eating these anyway? Answer:when it is “sticky concrete inferno” ( LOVED that one! I’m humming “Disco Inferno” as I type) weather! I dare any popsicle to survive that for even the time it takes to get it from mold to mouth. I, for one, would gladly lick your kitchen counter clean at any point if you have no other closer volunteers for same. One vote for the realistic (if accidental) portrayal of a real summer morning- the mood created was fabulous.
Also thanks for the link for the molds. Amazon has it all set up with the book, the molds, and EXTRA STICKS!!! Gotta love it, how can you go wrong?
This… is… such a great idea!! I’m loving the trend of homemade frozen desserts :) Looks fantastic!
I can’t wait to buy a popsicle form! I’m saving this recipe for my inaugural freeze!
Siggi makes a very-lightly-sweetened blueberry yogurt in tubes … One day my daughter texted “Think this would be good frozen?” and then immediately texted a picture of the tube, where it actually says “Good when frozen.” It was the start of a new breakfast era. More of us on your exact wavelength, albeit a bit lazier … Yours are drop dead spectacular gorgeous.
I took your advice and pinned these to my breakfast page. These are so happening this weekend!
Two-fisted popsicle breakfast? This in one hand and a Vietnamese coffee popsicle in the other?
Whole-heartedly agree with you about Fany’s book–and not just because she’s my cousin ;). This post has been forwarded to our entire family, with great pride.
Lisa — We also love her Dough doughnuts. :)
As a Bostonian, I completet understand your seasons. As a colleague said the other day, Boston only has two seasons: winter and construction. I think Popsicles are the appropriate response to construction season as well!
You go girl – start the breakfast popsicle trend! They look and sound delicious!
Deb they look delicious! I can’t wait to try them. I want to get some moulds, would you recommend the ones you have and can you tell me where you got them please? Thanks
Oh, wow, it looks so good! Do you know where on the internet I can buy the kind of molds you use. I can’t find it anywhere here in Canada.
Thanks for all your good recipes!
This looks amazingly delicious.Will definitely try it out. Just hope the results will be as awesome as it is on your pics
I wholeheartedly support your popsicles for breakfast campaign. These are gorgeous!
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing! Your blog is a favorite of mine!
I love challenging received wisdom so am all for yogurt popsicles for breakfast, too. Plus, I love the humor! After all, eating is one of life’s most pleasurable undertakings. It would be nice to add a Pin It button to the lovely pictures.
I’m thinking about making your strawberry rhubarb soda syrup this weekend, what do you think about using that remaining pulp for some strawberry rhubarb yogurt popsicles?
Yes!! A Pin It button!! These are gorgeous!!
Love it! So much better than a regular boring old bowl of yogurt ;)
MUST get myself a copy of that popsicle book.
These are so beautiful!
Marie-Jose, Jeanne — I have a link to the popsicle molds I used at the end of the recipe. The link goes to Amazon and there are many more as well there.
Natalie — I could see that working. Let us know how it goes, if you can. Maybe not be as swirlable, but you could also pour a little of the syrup back in for looseness.
Great idea to use my fruit. I am trying this with pineapple.
Beautiful photos! Cannot wait to try these at the beach next week :) thanks Deb!
Breakfast popsicles can *definitely* be a thing! These look absolutely divine, so much that I’m looking at popsicle molds online right now. And your description of 2 seasons with brief periods of transition is SO true.
That’s my favourite flavour by far and I envy the hot weather you’re having right now, not that the colder temps here could keep me from ice cream (mine was a less modest mascarpone with strawberries). But for breakfast…you’re a pro, Deb.
Nicole
I’m completely with you on anything can be breakfast, even popsicles or ice cream (I believe the yogurt popsicle argument could be easily extended to fro yo…). My husband has this absurd rule about not having dessert after 10pm. Pshhh, I say! Dessert is always acceptable! Also, I love the Paletas book and bought it shortly after you went on your 2013 popsicle bender. I, too, went on a bender and cannot/will not stop. Thank you, always for being you (aka awesome).
These look delicious. My husband cannot have refined sugar (that includes honey, agave, etc.) He can have fruit – in limited amounts. I use no-sugar-added jam to sweeten yogurt. One day I realized those jams are sweetened with fruit juice. So now we add a spoonful of frozen juice concentrate as well. Apple juice concentrate is easily scooped when frozen. Will have to try this substitution. Living in the Phoenix area, we love chilled treats.
These are just gorgeous Deb, and I adore the way you’ve styled them. Yum!
Hey Deb! I have a question. Could you use frozen berries instead of fresh?
Yum! Can’t wait to try these. Maybe I missed this in the recipe, but how much lemon peel should be used in making the sugar syrup? Is it the peel from the entire half of the lemon (or lime)?
Yummy…love the ingredients!
I basically always make raspberry sauce with frozen berries these days – the bags I buy are about 2 cups and I add about 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and a couple splashes of lemon juice, then simmer until the berries break down (about 10 minutes). Switching from sugar/honey to brown sugar totally changed the berry sauce game for me. I eat it with yogurt all the time and it’s definitely what I would use to make these popsicles. :)
Can’t wait to try this recipe soon, but even more important – YOUR APRON!!! I love it.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. Popsicles are such perfect treats for these hot summer days. Thanks a bunch!
Jessica — Absolutely.
beh72 — The whole peel you have left, i.e. for a lemon, half.
Deb, I’d love to get a copy of my new cookbook (Yogurt Culture) in your hands without being all smarmy, markety, etc. since I just think you’d really like it. Lots of recipes for eating yogurt NOT in a bowl and NOT with berries. I’m a long-time reader and am fairly sure you wouldn’t accept it so I won’t send it without your permission, but if you’d like a copy, please let me know! You obviously like yogurt :)
It’s all your fault that I just bought the popsicle molds. Our kids are grown and gone, so I don’t even have them as an excuse.
I read the recipe, walked into the kitchen, and made these immediately, using 1 1/2 cups chopped mango and 1/2 cup raspberries. Delicious!
Mmmm. This looks so yummy! And refreshing. Such a awesome recipe (and alternative to store-bought popsicles)!
I believe I could easily make this with my own homemade yogurt, if I just strain it a bit because it is not as thick as Greek yogurt. Or I could just not use as much of the lemon syrup so it stays thick enough. Sounds so yummy, but all your popsicles do. My favorite so far was the key lime pie popsicles. A different popsicle for each week of summer seems just about right. Thank you for your help in making it happen!
Great idea they look so yummy! Perfect to grab on a hot day!
You are a genius! I am practically in the yogurt – we call it curds – capital of the world here, every house sets its own curds everyday, every meal ends with curds, rice and pickle, spicy fast foods are doused in curds and we drink curds on a reglar basis, yet I never considered making popsicles with it! We make popsicles out of everything as a rule, fresh juice, diluted squashed and even Tang!
I made popsicles with mango – we don’t do berries in hot steamy chennai – and magnifier indica is native and in season at the moment.
Looks like our brains were on the save wavelength! (I just made some similar) These look awesome, I’ll have to try them with blackberries!
Hi! I have a better way I do this. Instead of the big popsicles, I make bite sized ones that are easier to eat. I buy little plastic shot glasses and popsicle sticks at the dollar store. I lay the glasses out on lipped cookie sheets. I fill, then freeze. I wait 30 minutes, then put the sticks in the shot glasses. I freeze until firm then store in ziploc sandwich bags. I usually make watermelon ones. I put watermelon in the food processor. No sugar is necessary. This is what they look like. https://plus.google.com/photos/115595538956150447583/albums/6151725228238081777. 7 calories a pop! :)
omg, yes. the “four seasons” bullshit. i live in boston and it’s the same here – six months or more of winter, about 14 days total of spring & fall, and three months or more of hazy, hot, and humid. and i’m tired of people that live in texas or arizona saying they have it worse when it’s dry there and, more importantly, places are all air conditioned. properly. like, even places where people live and go to school. incredible!
anyway, i digress. but i have a confession to make. when i had dogs, i made these popsicles for them. and i never ate one myself. well, okay, it was just yogurt and pureed fruit, but still. and i froze it in foil cupcake liners. but clearly it’s time i gave myself one of these treats, too.
also i almost forgot to look for the jacob photo and omg your apron! amazing.
pps, anything eaten for breakfast can be breakfast. but…especially if it has fruit ;) them’s the rules.
These look amazing! My kids can’t eat sugar. If I wanted to replace the sugar with honey do you have any suggestions for how much? Thanks!
I made these Popsicles yesterday with my favorite five year old. We used frozen raspberries in place of the blackberries and Trader Joe’s non-fat Greek yogurt. The consistency of the yogurt part was still nice and creamy, but possibly a bit too sweet. I’m thinking the thinner, fat-free Greek yogurt requires a bit less of the simple syrup mixture. Also I made a 1/2 recipe with a yield of 5 pops from my Zoku Popsicle maker.
I am totally blaming you, Deb, for the Popsicle molds I just ordered on Amazon! I have mountains of jam and jelly left over from last summer, so we have to get through it fast before new fruits and berries pop up this season. Seems like this would work with jelly or jam instead of berries.
So, is it the 2% Fage yogurt you’re using?
Michelle — No, I use the full-fat Fage.
Darling Girl,
Sit down, put your feet up…Take a few days off. We will understand. -DB
As they say on the radio…I’m a first time, long time.
I just made these for my pregnant wife and she LOVES them. They remind us of the popular frozen yogurt places that are everywhere now.
Strawberry will definitely be our next flavor.
Keep up the great work!
oh my goodness my children will LOSE THEIR MINDS! (i will too!)
Yumm :)
I made these with non-fat Greek yogurt, and they were great-not icy at all. I have to say that the blackberries I’ve gotten this year are excellent, so if I make this again, I’ll leave out the honey. It wasn’t needed.
And thanks for the links to the molds and the book-I bought both.
The ingredients say breakfast to me. Brilliant idea! Love it!
Wow, never thought of making a yogurt popsicle. Brilliant. I love the combination of recipes. I think strawberries or mangoes will be great, too.
Has anyone made these with leftover soda syrup pulp? I need to use mine up from the soda syrup kick you started here.
Rochelle — You can try a 1:1 swap with sugar.
Great, thank you!
Thanks!
It looks fantastic! Yummy :)
I made this this weekend, but instead of blackberries, I made them with Strawberry and lime juice (with lime zest as well) and they were DELISH!!!! :) Thanks for the recipe!!!
I made a cheater version of this using the leftover lemon curd I bought at Trader Joe’s mixed with the last of my yogurt and a the remaining cherry/berry frozen mix. I was able to clear out my fridge and freezer and get the most amazing popsicles! I’ll have to share this recipe with my mommy friends for fear of my 2 year old sharing that he ate popsicles for breakfast – we all know the glances I will get!
Thanks for the recipe idea. I took a midterm on Saturday and as a treat for myself stopped at W-Son the way home and bought a popsicle mold. I made peaches and cream popsicles with Nancy’s Honey Yogurt and a little vanilla and they turned out great! I’m looking forward to making some healthier popsicles for my other half who can’t have so much sugar. (It’s not really very warm here yet in the PNW but I figure I’ll just put on a jacket and eat popsicles.)
Home made ice cream? Lovely. And I bet delicious. You made me want trying it by myself.
I made these with farmers market strawberries, a small handful of finely chopped mint from window box herb garden, and a teeny tiny hit of balsamic. Maybe just a touch sweet owing to berry ripeness but truly excellent! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for adding in the other side of the world in your past recipes! They all look scrumptious.
These look delicious! I’m gonna have to try them with the new coconut milk yogurt I made. It’s popsicle weather…yay!
I’m sorry Deb, not enough sleep, but is the peel peeled or zested?
AH yes!!! When I was younger I went through extremes when it came to breakfast–only one thing, forever, until I got unbearably sick of it. This once meant s’mores pop tarts (I am unashamed) but it also meant pure-fruit grocery store ice pops! My mom consented by figuring that though sugar-loaded, it was probably a better option than the pop tarts. Not feeling NYC summer, but definitely feeling these! Thanks for sharing!
Not only does this look absolutely delicious, but it looks so pretty! I can’t wait to try these at a Summer Part! :)
Another one of those “long time reader, first time commenter” but here goes! I had some greek yogurt that needed to get used up and, having seen this recipe, I thought I’d try it (seemed a little healthier than those yogurt cakes I always make).
I didn’t have a popsicle mold so I got the one you recommended. About the metal lid… I found that it doesn’t work with the popsicle sticks they send you after you soak them in hot water like they recommend because the sticks get too big. You try to fit the sticks through the metal openings and they scrape against the metal, pulling the wood fibers apart… splinterville. So anyway, I just didn’t use the metal lid and it was a-ok.
Moving on to the more important part: I don’t even really like popsicles that much and probably eat like 2 a year but THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE MY FRIEND because this recipe was so amazingly delicious (and easy). I didn’t think a popsicle could be this good. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to check out your other popsicle recipes, which I had always (for shame!) ignored.
I used a bag of mixed frozen berries, thawed. The blended berry mixture was AMAZING. I put microplaned lemon zest in the berry mixture, rather than in the simple syrup mixture since I had leftover plain simple syrup, which I used 1/2 c of in case anyone is still wondering how much simple syrup to use. I had extra berry mixture, which will be so delicious over ice cream or whatever. I ate it off the spoon. If anyone doesn’t have the time to wait for the popsicles to freeze (last minute guests?) or doesn’t want to buy a popsicle mold, I’m guessing you could easily make parfaits with the berry mixture + yogurt, or just spoon the berry sauce over the yogurt.
I’m having guests over tonight and I think they will love these as dessert :)
Looks fantastic and will definitely be made this weekend. I presume the lime can be substituted for the 1/2 lemon? Didn’t see any comments to that effect.
Bought the book, too, and plan to surprise my Mexican friend who cleans for me with some fresh paletas when she gets back from her trip in two weeks. :)
I like the melty photos! It’s not really hot yet where I am but they made me oddly enticed by the thought of one of these on a hot sticky morning!
These were so pretty! Next time I’m going to mix together the berry purée and yogurt before putting into molds, though it will be less pretty–with the light swirling, the berry part was too tart and the yogurt part was too sweet. I used trader joes European style (semi-strained) whole milk yogurt and would recommend seeking out Greek yogurt–mine are icier than I like. Thank you for a great kickoff to this Popsicle season!
This post inspired me to buy Popsicle molds so I made these this past weekend (using the remainder of last season’s frozen blackberries). Yum! My daughter and the neighbor kids were happy, happy, happy. Please keep the Popsicle recipes coming.
I need it to be NOT cold in SF so I can actually enjoy popsicles!!
I have wanted to get popsicle molds ever since you did popsicle week last summer and last month I finally got it together and spent that $11 on a 6-pack. I made these last night – I’ve never had paletas before and I was still skeptical even after all your posts about how good can a popsicle REALLY be?!? Obviously I was wrong (again) to be so cynical! the yogurt part is really creamy and sweet, and the berry part is tart and a bit icier…soooo good and nothing like the frozen orange juice pops we had as kids too! I am next up going to try Fany Gerson’s corn paletas recipe I found on Serious Eats – just too curious!!!
These are pretty great. My wife said, “We got to get these molds!” So I ordered them from Amazon and made a batch. Summer has arrived.
We both agree with you that it would be nice to separate the molds independently of the aluminum holder. I actually like the idea of unmolding the entire batch at once, so one can go ahead and make more! But I don’t feel like filling the entire sink with hot water just to get them all out. Plus, I get lazy and don’t feel like wrapping them all up. And trying to get just one or two popsicles out of the mold was a hassle.
So what I did was cut the aluminum so that I could slide the plastic molds in from the side. I heated up the plastic molds with hot water and popped them out. Then went at the aluminum with a saw, cutting along the side of the holder to make 6 slots. I then cleaned up the rough edges with a file. Works great. If you ask me, the manufacturer should really just make the mold this way. I see no reason why not.
Just unmolded these, and they’re wonderful! I couldn’t be bothered to blender, so we just mashed up the fruit (blueberries and strawberries) a little, so they’re less swirled and more chunky. I strained regular whole fat plain yogurt and used 340 grams of the product. Lime instead of lemon. 4 year old and daddy are outside eating them for breakfast now!
I just came in from sitting on the front porch in 95-degree weather with one of these. Delectable! Like E, who commented above, I might mix the berry and yogurt together next time, as the light swirl I gave these didn’t mix it up enough, and I ended up with layers of each section, rather than swirls. Even so, it was delicious, and my kids are going to love them.
Can I use vanilla yogurt instead of plain? Not sure if it will be too sweet. Maybe eliminate the simple syrup?
Allison — You can, but the simple syrup also improves the texture of the popsicle.
How do you pour into your molds so neatly? I made the key lime pie popsicles and made a huge mess. these look delicious, but alternating pouring into each mold? sounds like a recipe for disaster in my hands.
Becki — Put your puree and yogurt mixture in spouted measuring cups/bowls. Or, that’s what I did to make it neat to pour.
Oh wow, these look great. I’m putting this recipe on my ‘must try’ list! Thank you for sharing! :)
Do I put in the entire half lemon? Do I juice it first?
How much peel?
claire — You’re using the peel leftover from squeezing out the lemon or lime juice over the berries in the step before. [I just edited it to hopefully make it more clear.]
This is good
Hello Deb, I hope you hade a get Birthday and here in Canada it’s very warm , I would like to ask you if you can put a recipe together with fresh peaches…Please let me …P. S. love all of the popsicles:)
One of my daughters is now your biggest test kitchen cook! Popsicles for breakfast was her inspiration to make these..delish! And nutrious!
Rosa Meggie – I made these with (thawed) frozen peaches and they were awesome. Four adults ate an entire batch in one sitting.
Once again, WOW! You’re recipes never fail to amaze me. I have slowly been going through the old recipes knocking some of the dessert ones out, and my co-workers are loving it, as I take in all the extras. Simply amazing! I will continue to follow and keep working on your extremely delicious recipes!! :)
I’ve made these twice now, once with leftover raspberry puree from your pink lemonade recipe, and once with the leftover strawberry rhubarb pulp from the strawberry rhubarb syrup. The flavor of both batches was really amazing, but the rhubarb pulp and strawberry seeds left a little to be desired in the texture category.
…Don’t be worried, we still ate all of them really quickly, and I think it’s possibly the best use of the really fibrous rhubarb bits.
This recipe prompted me to order some popsicle molds and try out popsicles at home for the very first time. I too, was shocked at how perfect the yield was. I held back and only filled 9 at first, but sure enough, there was room for all ten.
I made mine with 2% Fage, a pint of fresh blueberries and got confused by the lemon peel / half a lemon rind, and so just peeled a whole lemon and added the strips to the pan. Worked great! So excited to try them tomorrow….Day 1 of Braces As An Adult.
I have these in my freezer now and experiencing something of a tragedy – the popsicle sticks don’t seem to want to freeze in the popsicle! The pictures were both so delicious I was really excited for the popsicle. Do you think I did something wrong in the making of the popsicle, or do I just have really terrible popsicle molds? Any ideas about how to get the Popsicles out of the mold, so I can enjoy them even if not on a stick?
Julia — Did you use wooden ones or some other material? If wooden, it might just need more time to fully freeze in the center.
I’ve found the easiest way to remove Popsicles from the molds is to take a rounded end knife- like a diner knife with a rounded tip- and slip it down one inside edge. It will release the Popsicle and they slide right out,with no melting or damage. This can be done immediately upon removing them from the freezer.
Julia, have you tried placing aluminum foil over the mold tops, and making a very TINY hole in the center of the foil where you want the Popsicle stick to go, and then gently pushing the stick through the hole in the foil? the sticks will stay in place until the Popsicle freezes completely.
Deb, I just made these with raspberries in (belated) honor of National Ice Cream Day – thank you for the inspiration and the super-easy recipe! I was very, very tempted to eat the yogurt with syrup before proceeding further – yum. Having resisted and completed the task, I’m now very popular with my three-year-old. Also, good luck with your baby’s arrival! Hope it’s smooth, and quick, and soon!
I’m usually careful about eating cold stuff, but those popsicles look ridiculously mouth watering! Cant wait to share this with my wife. Gonna try that recipe out, then I’m gonna binge for an entire afternoon… get it out of my system.
These were great! I just ate one for breakfast. I accidentally used traditional plain organic yogurt, but they turned out magnificent. Used blueberries and they were still pretty tart even with the honey. I’m contemplating doing Stoneyfield’s chocolate underground yogurt with raspberry swirl next….
I just wanted to say I was feeling completely uninspired while trying to meal plan for the coming week. This is particularly sad because making dinner after work is my usual pick-me-up. Anyway, while looking through my saved bookmarks I came upon this recipe and immediately made it. Suffice it to say, I’m excited about cooking again, and can’t wait to chomp down on these tomorrow morning. Thanks Deb!
Do you grease/pam/spray your popsicle molds in any way before filling?
ck — No, it shouldn’t be necessary.
I have made these several times this summer, with blackberries and With raspberries. They are totally delicious, and I justify making them because they are portion-controlled, so we eat just one, rather than dishing up a big bowl of ice cream. Plus, last time I had more of the fruit mixture than would fit in the molds, so I mixed it into some yogurt for lunch. Delicious!
just made these wih strawberry-mango puree. And per others’s comments will mix the puree and fruit puree more per kids’ requests. Wonderful popcicles.
Can you use almond milk? I normally use unsweetened almond milk because there is half the sugar.
Lanie — I mean, it would make a different popsicle, not thick or tangy. But it still might be good.
I am allergic to yogurt, would goat or sheep work?? If not are there any other substitutes that might?
Betty — I haven’t tried it with others but see no reason why it wouldn’t work.
Made these this past weekend. Mmmmm
Good!!!
I totally let my 3 year old have homemade popsicles for breakfast.
Might be to cold right now to try these where I am but I will definitely try it. The kids would love it
Delicious stuff
looks very tasty
Very very delicious food if mixed with yogurt
Hi Deb! Heads up, the “epic popsicle bender” link is broken. Anyway, these popsicles look beautiful and amazing and I want them now.
Every year during the short sour cherry season, I buy as many as I can fit in my fridge. This year I had a small amount left after making pies and freezing a stash for winter, and I had a vision of sour cherry and sweet frozen yogurt popsicles. So I came looking here, and as usual, smitten kitchen didn’t disappoint. These were completely amazing — incredibly delicious, and gorgeous to boot. I want to make them with every kind of fruit possible.
looks and sounds wonderful! thank you!
So after years of daydreaming about all these gorgeous popsicles on your site, I finally went ahead and impulse-made them on a Monday evening after work (I actually went home from work early so that they would have enough time to freeze and be ready for an after-dinner snack). They turned out delicious and they won’t last long, that’s for sure. However, it seems that the two fillings somehow.. separated? Even though I poured the mixtures in layers very carefully, all of the berry mixture seemed to go to the top of the mold, with the yogurt staying at the bottom. I don’t see that in any of your photos and I wonder what could have happened. Could it be because I strained the pits from the berry mixture to remove the seeds – could that have made the berry mixture too thin? It’s the only explanation I can think of.
Hi Deb,
It’s popsicle season again, and I pulled out my molds (the same kind you have), having forgotten what happened last summer. After using the molds only twice, I found that I was left with a block corrosive bloom on the metal frame. I tried cleaning it with everything under the sun, but no luck. Finally I shoved them into a drawer in frustration, only to forget about them until now. Did this ever happened to your molds? And if so, what did you use to clean them?
Thanks!
This happens when the aluminum frame goes into the dishwasher — it’s supposed to be hand-washed. Do I use mine anyway? Yup. Am I supposed to? I honestly don’t know but I’m not going to sweat it.
These are too wonderful for words. Thank you for the recipe. We are a happy household tonight.
Can you use Splenda in lieu of the granulated sugar?
Here it should probably work fine.
Made these with strawberries and they are SO good! Love the tangy greek yogurt. Also fully plan to put that lemon simple syrup to use in cocktails in the future.
This was my toddler’s first popsicle and he adored it; blackberries are his favorite. I did add lemon zest to the blackberry purée (which I also strained), because I’m crazy about lemons. So refreshing!
Deb, how perfect for refreshments for my piano recital Sunday afternoon. Small children. “Don’t dress up”. August. Texas. Banana Nutella. Pink lemonade. And berry yogurt swirl and key lime. Thanks for these ideas.
I made a couple of variations that turned out pretty yummy. I happened to have some left over ginger simple syrup from another recipe and used that in lieu of the lemon simple syrup. I also replaced the lemon juice in berries for lime. Incredible!! Thank you so much!
This blog makes me want to make these Popsicle right now. The pictures on this blog make the Popsicle look so good. I like how you listed all the steps to making this popsicle. Good job on blog.
Can this recipe be made as a frozen yogurt? If so, changes would be made to the recipe.
Yes. You can freeze it once the mixture is fully chilled. I’d only add the berries at the end, and hand-stir them halfway. You will probably find it a lot less sweet than frozen yogurts.
Can I use frozen berries?
Yes.
I used this as a jumping-off point. But I didn’t have lemons, and I’m trying to cut back on sugar. So here’s what I did:
~2.5 C strawberries, cut in half or quarters, depending on size
1-2 Tbs honey (didn’t measure)
1-2 Tbs water–just to get things going.
Put all into large pot, and heat slowly until berries start to release their juice. Then increase the heat to med (or med-low). Cook about 5-10 min, then mash with potato masher.
Remove from heat and stir in either some yogurt (~1/3 cup) or ~2 Tbs heavy cream. Pour into molds.
It’s yummy no matter what you add, or even without any dairy. My new summer treat! Thanks Deb!!!
So easy and tasty…
Hit the spot on these hot days during the pandemic..
I make your recipes regularly — I have made these popsicles and they are delicious. Just wondering if you have any hints on how to remove the individual popsicles from the frame of the mold. I have “accidentally” removed them but have not been able to do it consistently. 😂. I love the result from the mold, I just wish I could take them out of the frame easily.
I agree — they’re kind of a pain. I haven’t found any perfect tricks, but just try to do it carefully with no big movements so I don’t break the plastic molds.
I fill a glass with hot water and dip the mold into it for a short while, being careful to get very close to but not over the top. Start with 10 seconds or so and experiment to find the ideal time. When the popsicle slips out I put it in a plastic container or baggie. That way you have them ready to eat and can make more (or one of Deb’s other recipes) right away.
Yum, these were delicious. I halved the recipe and used one small tub of Fage greek yogurt. i ended up with a little extra yogurt and enough of everything else for 4 pops; which is perfect for our 2 person household. I will definitely make again and try other berries.
I made these using fresh strawberries, date syrup instead of honey, and whole milk Greek yogurt. They are DELICIOUS. They taste like strawberry cheesecake. My fiancé always threatens to have a second one each time he eats one. I will say the lime flavor didn’t come through at all. I might try adding some zest next time. Overall, great recipe, I will definitely be using this recipe as a guide to try other types of fruit yogurt popsicles as well!
Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh?
Me and my big kid LOVE these popsicles for breakfast. The little one wants all berry. I’m trying to be efficient with time and freezer space. How would this berry mixture freeze on its own? Alternatively, how would the berry mixture in your strawberry-lime-black pepper popsicles taste with this yogurt?
These are the very best popsicles I’ve ever made, used wonderfully sweet blackberries from farmers market. I have had the Norpro for a few years but it is very frustrating to use. Even though it pained me to pay $41 (including tax, Amazon) and it’s only 6, not 10 molds, the Onyx is 1,000 times better, stands upright, releases like a dream, quickly, made of stainless steel. I’m going to order a second one.
My toddler just had a popsicle we made yesterday for breakfast and I thought – why don’t we do this more? Deb, you read my mind with this recipe!!
Can I replace some of the yogurt with heavy cream to make it more like a Jonny pop?