Ice lollies are a summer staple, and if there’s ever an occasion for one, it’s during a heatwave. The recent hot weather has had us reaching for the freezer almost constantly and it won’t be long until our supplies are exhausted! While sometimes you just can’t beat an ice cold Calippo (other ice lolly brands are available), we think that homemade ice lollies often have the edge over a store-bought option. Plus, making your own ice lollies is a great kid-friendly activity for the summer. We’ve collected some of our top recipes, from replicating bought favourites to creative and unusual flavour combinations.
What you’ll need before you start
Of course, you can’t make homemade ice lollies without freezer space and a good selection of ice lolly moulds. And, let me tell you, the lolly mould game has changed a bit since I last checked in! Ice lolly moulds now come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. From the traditional lolly to silicone calippo-style popsicle moulds, there’s a lot of variety to choose from! We recommend buying moulds that review well and have sturdy handles to make sure your lollies will come out in one piece!
Top tip: When your lollies are ready, run them, in their moulds, under warm water. This melts the edges a little to stop them sticking to the mould so they come out easily and don’t snap the handles!
6 of our favourite recipes for homemade ice lollies
The beauty of a homemade ice lolly is that they can be as simple, or as complicated, as you want to make them. Our favourite recipes cover the full scale, from simplicity at its best to feats of culinary genius.
Simple squash ice lollies
These ice lollies are as simple as they come. All you need are your moulds, a bottle of squash or cordial in your flavour of choice, and some water. Make up the squash, pour it into your moulds, then pop them in the freezer. Leave them for a couple of hours, and they’ll be frozen and ready to enjoy! These lollies make for great popsicles or push pops. Give them a whirl!
Pro tip: Make your lollies with sparkling water or lemonade to give them some extra fizz.
Homemade mini milks
Angel Delight is a classic dessert to children of the 90s. But what does it have to do with mini milks? Well, these homemade ice lollies made from frozen Angel Delight are a dead ringer for mini milks. All you need to do to make them is make up the Angel Delight, in a flavour of your choice, according to the instructions, then pour the mixture into your lolly moulds and freeze. Give them a good four hours or longer, and
Milkshake ice pops (by BBC Good Food)
Image courtesy of BBC Good Food
These ice lollies are a creamy dream. They’re still easy to make, but they’re a step up our first two ideas. Blend together a 405ml can of light condensed milk with a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, a ripe banana and either 10 strawberries or 3 tablespoons of Nutella. Pour the mixture into your moulds, freeze for 4 hours, and enjoy!
Pro tip: Once you’ve mastered simple flavours, get creative! Why not try crushed Oreos or other biscuits for a cookies and cream ice pop?
Strawberry ice lollies (by Jamie Oliver)
A great way to get some fruit into resistant youngsters and adults alike, these strawberry ice lollies by Jamie Oliver are packed with the good stuff. Simply blend together 250g strawberries (without their green stems…), 100ml of yoghurt OR apple juice, depending whether you like your lollies creamy or not, and honey to taste. Divide the mixture between four ice lolly moulds, pop them in the freezer for at least four hours, then enjoy!
Pro tip: Experiment with different berry combinations to up your flavour game. Try blending raspberries, blackberries, cherries (stoned) and blueberries in your homemade ice lollies.
Blueberry yoghurt lollies
Image courtesy of home.bt.com
Now we’re getting gourmet. These layered blueberry and yoghurt take a little, but not much more prep work, but boy, do they look (and taste!) impressive. To start, add 300g of blueberries to a saucepan with 75ml of water and 65g granulated sugar and simmer over a low heat until the blueberries burst and the mixture looks a bit like jam. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. In the meantime, mix 500g Greek yoghurt with two tablespoons of water, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and runny honey to taste (about 8 tablespoons should do it). Spoon alternate layers of the yoghurt and blueberry mixtures into 4 lolly moulds, pop the sticks or handles in, and freeze until solid.
Related: Four Top Tips To Help You Save For Summer
Mock mojito freezer pops
Image courtesy of thespinachspot.com
The classic mojito combination of mint and lime is insanely refreshing on a hot summer day. These mock mojito freezer pops will give you all the zing of the cocktail combo with none of the headache the day after! In a bowl, muddle a bunch of mint leaves, then add them to your blender with 3 tablespoons of honey and 120ml lime juice. This would take a lot of limes, so we suggest buying bottled lime juice to save your wallet and your hand strength! Blend the mixture until the mint leaves are chopped to your liking, then mix in 300ml of soda water. Pour the mixture between four ice lolly moulds, and then if you want extra fancy lollies, drop thin slices of whole lime into the moulds. Pop in sticks or handles, and freeze until solid.
Pro tip: If you’re using wooden lolly sticks with your moulds, then pop your lollies in the freezer, stick-less, for half an hour or so before you add the sticks. This will stop the sticks setting at an angle in the lollies and make them much easier to extract and eat!
