These juicy pineapple cherry popsicles are fresh and delicious. With just four ingredients they are an easy homemade treat that's perfect to cool off on a hot day.
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I'm on a cherry kick at the moment. Possibly because they are so delicious, but it's so short so you have to make the most of the cherry season while it lasts! Here for a good time, not a long time, as we say 🙂 Pineapple and cherry is not a typical flavor combination but it works really well in these fruit popsicles. The juicy pineapple contrasts well with the fresh sweet cherries for an easy popsicle that kids and kids at heart will love.
I've kept things light and fresh by making these easy homemade popsicles dairy-free and refined sugar-free. This lets the natural fruit flavors shine and keeps them a vegan fruit treat the whole family can enjoy, no matter their dietary preferences 🙂
Love cherry popsicles? You'll love my cherry mango popsicles too!
Tips and tricks for making fruit popsicles
- Choose fruit that is very ripe, almost to the point of being overripe for maximum sweetness and flavor. Using very ripe fruit means you can get away with adding less sugar or leave it out altogether for a sugar-free popsicle.
- For smoother popsicles blend the fruit well. Soft fruit such as mango can go in whole however fruit with thicker skins such as stone fruit or with lots of fine seeds such as strawberries or raspberries will be nicer if you strain them. You can leave them unstrained if you like, but I recommend blending them really well. Even so your popsicles will be chewier.
- Remember the sticks! You can buy packs of biodegradable wooded sticks, or reusable stick as is your preference. Remember to add your sticks before freezing or they will be impossible to get out of the molds and very difficult to eat!
- Choose your popsicle molds. I like silicon ones as they are nice and flexible, so easier to get the popsicles out. And they wash well. The only downside is over time they can start to lose their shape a tiny bit, so the sides of your popsicles can end up a little uneven.
Ingredients
Pineapple: this is one instance where fresh is not actually best. A tin of pineapple works better here as the pineapple is cooked and softer. Look for pineapple in juice instead of syrup and with no added sugar. It doesn't matter if the pineapple is in pieces, slices or crushed as you'll be blitzing it up anyway.
At a pinch you could try using fresh pineapple so long as it's very ripe and juicy. You will need to blitz it really well and your popsicles will be chewier because of the uncooked fibers.
Cherries: I used wonderful fresh, in-season cherries in this recipe. Outside cherry season you could try using pitted frozen cherries, but you will need to defrost them before turning them into popsicles and freezing them again!
Maple syrup: some maple syrup helps add some sweetness to these popsicles without refined sugar and keeps them a vegan treat. You may want to add more or less syrup depending on how sweet your cherries are. You could substitute with honey for a non-vegan option or two to three tablespoons of white sugar if you are ok with refined sugar.
Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.
How to make pineapple cherry popsicles
See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.
First make sure there is enough room in your freezer for your popsicles molds with the stick sticking out, or there will be tears!
Pit the cherries and cut them in half. Put them into a deep jug and blitz them with a stick/immersion blender. Strain through a sieve, taking care to push through as much pulp as possible with a flexible spatula (a plastic cup works well too!).
Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the strained cherry pulp and mix well. Half fill the popsicle mold and freeze for thirty minutes to one hour.
While the cherry layer is freezing start on the pineapple layer. Put the whole tin, juice and all into a deep jug and blitz very well with a stick/immersion blender until smooth. The smoother the pineapple at this point the smoother your popsicles will be. If you want smoother popsicles you could strain the blended pineapple, but you will loose quite a lot of volume and may need more pineapple to make up the popsicles.
Pour the pineapple on top of the semi-frozen cherry layer. For distinct flavor separation leave them as they are. For pineapple cherry swirl popsicles gently mix poking into the semi-frozen cherry layer a bit and the edges.
Hot tip: I have made these popsicles in two different layers as they are prettier this way. For a even easier popsicles you can of course mix the cherry and pineapple together and freeze them all at once. Its up to you if you like the keep the flavors clean and separated, or all mixed in together.
Add the popsicle lid and sticks and freeze for at least four hours, or until frozen solid.
How to serve
To serve these fresh pineapple and cherry popsicles remove from the popsicle molds and enjoy!
How to store
These cherry pineapple ice pops will store well in an airtight container with some baking paper between them to stop them from sticking together for up to two months if they last that long!
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
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📋 Recipe
Pineapple Cherry Popsicles
Equipment
- Popsicle sticks and molds
- Stick/immersion blender or food processor
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 tin (15 oz/425gms) pineapple pieces, slices or crushed in juice
- 3 cups (550 gms) fresh cherries
- 1 & ½ tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
Instructions
- Pit the cherries and cut them in half. Blitz them well in a deep sided jug with a stick/immersion blender or food processor. Strain through a sieve, taking care to push through as much pulp as possible.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the strained cherry pulp and mix well. Half fill the popsicle mold and freeze for 30 minuites to one hour. While the cherry layer is freezing make the pineapple layer.
- Add the tin of pineapple with the juice to a deep sided jug or food processor untill very smooth.
- Pour the pineapple layer on top of the cherry layer. For distinct flavor separation leave them as they are. For swirled popsicles you can gently mix the popsicles at this point, poking into the semi-frozen cherry layer.
- Add the popsicle lid and sticks and freeze for at least four hours, or until frozen through.
- To serve these delicious homemade popsicles remove from the popsicle molds and enjoy!
Notes
- I made these popsicles in two distinct layers because they are prettier this way. For even easier popsicles you can mix the cherry and pineapple layers together and freeze them all at once. It's up to you if you like the flavors clean and separate, or all mixed in together.
- Make sure you have enough room in your freezer for your popsicle molds with the stick before filling them.
- Use very ripe fruit for maximum sweetness and flavor.
- If you are having trouble removing the popsicles from the molds run them under some warm water for a few seconds.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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Julie
These look fantastic! I'm so excited to make them, I too am a popsicle gal. I love the layers of color too : )
Sarah Brooks
Thanks Julie, popsicle girls unite! Yes they are such a fun color and perfect to cool off when its hot 🙂