17 Colorful Popsicle Recipes to Help You Beat the Heat

Whether you were partial to Bomb Pops or Fudgsicles, chances are, you had a favorite popsicle growing up. The summer treat is a staple that can be found in ice cream trucks and the freezer aisle alike—and it can be made easily at home. In this roundup, we celebrate all-things popsicle with some of our favorite recipes, including colorful strawberry-mango paletas from La Newyorkina and raspberry, lime, and toasted coconut pops from Emma Galloway—plus, a few booze-infused recipes, in case you’re looking for Campari in frozen form. Read on for more popsicles we’ll be making this summer.

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Strawberry-Mango Paletas

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When crafting new paletas for her company La Newyorkina, Fany Gerson’s rule of thumb is this: If the colors of her ingredients go together, the flavors will, too. These bright, red-and-orange-hued ice pops are perfect to make in May when juicy strawberries are at their peak.

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Cucumber-Lime Pops with Gin

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Tim Love freezes all kinds of cocktails on sticks for backyard parties, but his cucumber-mint version is especially good on a blazing-hot day. To prevent the pops from melting too quickly, he adds gelatin to the mixture.

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Blueberry-Peach Tequila Popsicles

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Make these sweet and boozy pops for your next barbecue.

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Ruby-Grapefruit-and-Campari Ice Pops

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Using fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice makes all the difference in these sweet-and-tart pops.

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Coconut-Lime Ice Pops

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Chef Rick Bayless combines coconut milk, lime juice and sugar to create a simple and luscious Mexican ice pop, or paleta. This recipe comes from his book More Mexican Everyday.

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Raspberry, Lime and Toasted Coconut Pops

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Using just a handful of ingredients, these pops are something to crave as the weather warms up.

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Nectarine-Buttermilk Pops

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Refreshing and delicious, these nectarine-buttermilk pops are all you need during hot summer months.

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Pineapple Paletas with Chiles

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In Mexico, sweet fruit and spicy chiles go hand in hand. These beautiful paletas (Mexican ice pops) from La Newyorkina’s Fany Gerson are studded with diced pineapple and sliced chiles as a nod to the traditional Mexican snack of mango dusted with chili powder.

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Marbled Smoothie Pops

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This recipe proves that smoothies have so much potential beyond breakfast. Swedish bloggers David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl layer two simple smoothies in ice pop molds before swirling and freezing to create an impressive frozen dessert. The recipe is in their book Green Kitchen Smoothies.

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Creamy Mocha Ice Pops

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Actress Debi Mazar and her chef husband, Gabriele Corcos, give these mocha ice pops a silky, ice cream–like texture by folding whipped cream into the coffee-infused chocolate before molding and freezing.

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These popsicles are a great fat-free snack, made with lots of naturally sweet watermelon and only a little sugar. They can be frozen in special popsicle molds or in standard ice cube trays (three cubes equals one serving).

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Creamy Avocado Paletas

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These tangy, luxurious paletas (Mexican ice pops) from La Newyorkina’s Fany Gerson are completely dairy-free: avocado and coconut milk give them a supervelvety texture. The pops are incredible as is or dipped in chocolate and coated with toasted coconut (like we do here).

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Frozen Strawberries-and-Cream Pops

Greg Dupree

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The sweet orangey flavor of Grand Marnier accents the fresh, juicy strawberries for a fruity flavor that’s perfectly balanced by tangy crème fraîche. Combining the ingredients in a blender helps them come together for a creamy, cool pop.

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Whole-Fruit Rocket Pops

Jennifer Causey

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Gail Simmons makes her grown-up Rocket Pops with strawberry-lime, coconut-banana and ginger, and blueberry-mint layers. Making the simple base for the layers is easy using a home blender; just be sure to freeze each layer sufficiently before pouring in the next, and use a small funnel to get even layers and keep the sides of your popsicle mold clean.

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Prickly Pear Paletas

Victor Protasio

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Prickly pears, the fruit that grows on cactus plants, are a common ingredient in Mexican cuisine. The fruit yields a bright pink juice that lends its color to Justin Chapple’s fun, summery ice pops. To prepare, use a paring knife to scrape off thorns. Then cut off the ends of the fruit and score it lengthwise. Slip your thumb under the skin and peel the fruit, discarding peel and thorns.

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Mojito-Watermelon Pops

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Boozy pops are desserts that double as cocktails. This one layers a minty mojito with vodka-spiked watermelon juice.

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Riesling-Pear Pops

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This recipe yields six pops, and they can be frozen for up to one week.

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17 Colorful Popsicle Recipes to Help You Beat the Heat

1 of 17

Strawberry-Mango Paletas

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Cucumber-Lime Pops with Gin

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Blueberry-Peach Tequila Popsicles

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Ruby-Grapefruit-and-Campari Ice Pops

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Coconut-Lime Ice Pops

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Raspberry, Lime and Toasted Coconut Pops

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Nectarine-Buttermilk Pops

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Pineapple Paletas with Chiles

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Marbled Smoothie Pops

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Creamy Mocha Ice Pops

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Creamy Avocado Paletas

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Frozen Strawberries-and-Cream Pops

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Whole-Fruit Rocket Pops

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Prickly Pear Paletas

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Mojito-Watermelon Pops

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Riesling-Pear Pops

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