Lemon Popsicles Recipe

These lemon popsicles are a refreshing treat made with simple ingredients. They’re so good on a hot summer day. These delicious frozen treats are perfect for using up any extra lemons you may have kicking around. These lemonade popsicles have just the right balance of sweetness and tartness.

Serve these lemon ice pops on a hot day in the summertime or whenever you’re in the mood for something cold and lemony. They’re easy to make, budget friendly, and also happen to be vegan, paleo, and refined sugar free.

Ingredients in these lemon popsicles

Fresh lemon juice and zest give these lemon popsicles their bright, lemony flavor. This recipe works with other citrus too. You can substitute the fresh juice and zest of limes, grapefruits, or oranges if you prefer (but if using oranges you may want to reduce the maple syrup to taste so the end result isn’t too sweet).

A microplane zester works particularly well for removing just the yellow zest from the lemon, plus it does a good job of keeping the texture of the zest ultra fine, but any type of grater or citrus zester will work too. In a pinch you can omit the zest, but do include it if possible because it really boosts the fresh, lemony flavor of these homemade lemon popsicles.

To get the most juice out of the fresh lemons, use the palm of your hand to firmly press the lemons against a countertop before slicing them in half and squeezing out the juice. You can either use a citrus reamer, juicer, or just squeeze out the juice by hand.

I sweetened these lemon popsicles with maple syrup but you can substitute honey if you prefer. I think they have the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness as is, but for a lower sugar version of these lemonade popsicles, you can reduce the maple syrup to as little as 4-6 tablespoons or to taste.

For a creamy version of this lemon popsicle recipe, replace 1 cup of water with coconut milk.

How to make them

Start by adding the cold water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, and lemon zest to a pitcher, then stir well.

Pour that mixture into popsicle molds (this recipe makes six popsicles, so scale it up or down as needed).

Add the popsicle sticks, then freeze for at least five hours before serving.

Storage

Once these lemonade popsicles are frozen solid, you can either serve them or remove them from the popsicle molds and store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one month.

Optional additions

To add an extra layer of flavor to these lemon popsicles, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Or add one teaspoon of finely chopped fresh mint leaves instead.

More frozen dessert recipes to try

• This no-churn banana ice cream is a rich, creamy, summer dessert.
• These chocolate and banana popsicles are refined sugar free and vegan.
• This frozen chocolate fudge is an easy, nutrient-dense treat.