BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Fruit Ice Pops

Photo: Burcu Avsar and Zach DeSart

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED August 16, 2024

This is an easy, refreshing summer dessert that requires no churning, scraping, or multitasking. You don’t even need a mold—paper cups will do the job. Think of this recipe as a template for nearly any fruit or vegetable combination you can think of, and see the variations for some jumping-off points or try it with any of the sorbet and granita recipes or variations.

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

Fruit Ice Pops

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 to 8 pops 1x

Time 5 minutes, plus time to freeze

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped ripe fruit
  • 3 tablespoons sugar or honey
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Use a blender or food processor to purée the fruit, sugar, and lemon juice if you’re using it; add 1 tablespoon water at a time as needed to get the machine going.
  2. Divide the liquid evenly among plastic molds or small paper cups. Freeze for about 45 minutes, then insert a wooden stick into each; the pops will have frozen enough that the stick will stay upright. Freeze for another 2 hours or until solid. These can stay in the freezer for up to 2 weeks; any longer and they may get freezer burn. Run the molds or cups under cool running water for a few seconds to loosen the pops and serve.

Recipe variations

Watermelon-Basil Pops
Purée 2 cups chopped seeded watermelon and 124 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves with the sugar and lemon juice.
Cucumber-Melon Pops
Purée 1 peeled and seeded small cucumber and 1 cup chopped honeydew melon with the sugar and lemon juice.
Mango-Coconut Pops
Purée 1 1/2 cups chopped mango (push it through a fine-meshed strainer if you want to remove any fibers) and 1/2 cup coconut milk with the sugar and lemon juice.

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.