These Watermelon Popsicles are a healthy homemade snack, made with 4 simple ingredients and require only 10 minutes to prep. Bursting with peak-season watermelon, this recipe makes fresh-from-the-freezer fruit ice pops that are a deliciously cool, warm-weather treat (and low calorie too!)
Summer Superfood: Watermelon Popsicles
Watermelon is a true summer superfood. Known as a nutritional powerhouse, it is loaded with amazing health benefits, especially during the summer season. That’s why I LOVE these watermelon popsicles, because clearly there is no better time to indulge in this fresh, juicy produce. With its refreshing and colorful juice, each pop is full of vitamin C, vitamin A, and antioxidants and its high water content is especially hydrating on hot summer days.
There is no reason that any popsicle recipe should be much more than fresh fruit, juice, and just a little added sugar for extra sweetness. Unfortunately, most of those store-bought sweets are nothing more than water, sugar, and artificial food coloring. The good news is, these homemade watermelon popsicles are super easy to make with fresh fruit, no preservatives, and without ingredients that you cannot pronounce!
This recipe is everything I want in a popsicle: it has an array of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, they are low in sugar, and they are absolutely delicious!
Why do these popsicles taste so good? It’s the watermelon. When it’s good, it’s really good, and when frozen, it needs little else to satisfy a thirst for a cool, sweet treat. The addition of lime juice adds a tart complexity that brings out the sweet watermelon flavor. I like to add a bit of agave nectar because it really enhances the melon’s natural sweetness and makes it taste like the treat that it is. And when it’s all blended together and frozen, these popsicles are the most hydrating healthy summer snack that are truly the easiest way to beat the heat.
Why We Love These Watermelon Popsicles
- Easy to make and quick to prepare (just blend, pour, and freeze)
- Refreshing and hydrating for hot summer days
- Made with real fruit and no artificial ingredients
- Gluten-free, fat-free
- Freezes friendly – make a batch and eat them for days
- Kid-friendly
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Watermelon: Use seedless watermelon because it will create a smoother texture than the seeded variety.
- Agave nectar: Feel free to switch this out for maple syrup or honey.
- Granulated white sugar: You can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or another sweetener that you prefer.
- Lime juice: You can use either fresh juice or from concentrate. Switch out for lemon juice if you don’t have lime.
Substitutions / Add-Ins
- Fruit: Instead of watermelon, you could use cantaloupe, honeydew, papaya, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango, pineapple, or kiwi.
- Make it with Mint: Add 4-5 mint leaves to the watermelon mixture before you blend it.
- Creamy Popsicles: To make creamy watermelon popsicles, add canned coconut milk to the watermelon mixture.
- Adult Ice Pops (Boozy popsicle): Add tequila, vodka, or champagne for a boozy twist on the traditional treat! Just don’t add too much or they won’t freeze.
- Add-In Ideas: Feel free to add whole frozen berries (blueberries would look like watermelon seeds!), or layers of frozen pureed fruit to make these pops even more fun.
Useful Tools
- Blender – this is the mother of blenders!
- Popsicle Mold – this set comes with the mold, sticks, and bags!
- Popsicle Sticks
- Popsicle Bags – these are self-sealing bags! Perfect for making a big batch and storing them in the freezer.
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How To Make Watermelon Popsicles
It is so easy to make a refreshing frozen treat for a hot summer day.
- Add all of the ingredients into a blender.
Pro-Tip: Use the best, perfectly ripe watermelon. Look for a watermelon that sounds hollow when you hold it up to your ear and knock on the side. Also look for a yellow spot to show it’s been sitting in the sun for awhile.
- Blend until everything is well pureed.
Pro Tip: I used the smoothie cycle on my blender twice. - Pour mixture into popsicle molds.
Pro-Tip: When you pour the watermelon puree into the popsicle molds, leave a ¾ inch gap at the top of the popsicle to allow for expansion. - Freeze.
Pro-Tip: To easily get your popsicles out of the mold, make sure your watermelon popsicles have had at least 4 hours to freeze so they’re totally solid. - Remove your popsicles from the molds when completely frozen and enjoy!
Pro-Tip: Gently run the outside of the popsicle mold under cold water for a few seconds to help loosen the popsicles. Hold one stick and gently move it horizontally side to side while running the mold under the cool water and it should slide out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cover these popsicles with plastic wrap or use a popsicle bag to avoid freezer burn and leave them in the freezer for up to six weeks.
Sometimes when making these watermelon popsicles, the watermelon and liquid will separate during freezing, making it two-toned. This won’t affect the flavor at all, but it will change the appearance slightly. In order to avoid it, you can stir the popsicles 1 hour into freezing to help disperse the separated liquid before reassembling the mold. While the color may be affected, it still tastes just as good, so you can totally skip that step if you don’t feel like stirring mid-freeze!
If you have a simple blender with the spokes at the bottom, cut your watermelon into small pieces and put them in very first. This way, your watermelon will liquefy easier, and once there is enough liquid, the rest will be juiced quite easily. Otherwise, you might spend half the time pushing the chunks of melon down to the bottom of the blender. Fancier types of blenders won’t require much help.
Other Easy Watermelon Recipes
- Fresh Watermelon Cake
- Watermelon Salad
- Watermelon Cake Pops
- Watermelon Doughnuts
- Watermelon Coconut Slush
- Watermelon Lemonade
Watermelon Popsicles
Ingredients
- 7 cups seedless watermelon cubed (about ½ a large watermelon)
- 3 tbsp agave nectar
- 2 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 3 tbsp lime juice (about one lime)
Instructions
- Place watermelon, agave nectar, granulated white sugar, lime juice, and lemon juice into a blender. Blend until everything is well pureed, about 2-3 minutes. I used the smoothie cycle on my blender twice.
- Pour into your favorite popsicle molds and place in the freezer for 4-5 hours or until completely frozen.
- Remove the popsicles from the molds immediately before serving and enjoy.
Jenn’s Notes
freezer for up to six weeks. Tips:
- Use the best, perfectly ripe watermelon. Look for a watermelon that sounds hollow when you hold it up to your ear and knock on the side. Also look for a yellow spot to show it’s been sitting in the sun for awhile.
- To easily get your popsicles out of the mold, make sure your watermelon popsicles have had at least 4 hours to freeze so they’re totally solid. Then, gently run the outside of the popsicle mold under cold water for a few seconds to help loosen the popsicles. Hold one stick and gently move it horizontally side to side while running the mold under the cool water and it should slide out!
- When you pour the watermelon puree into the popsicle molds, leave a ¾ inch gap at the top of the popsicle to allow for expansion.
