What’s a fruitsicle?? 

Fruit + popsicle = fruitsicle

But, a fruitsicle is ONLY fruit. No added sugar or sweeteners or fancy food coloring, so it’s healthier than a traditional popsicle, making it the perfect summer treat. And, that’s what makes it PERFECT for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kids!

Add in the fact that fruitsicles are easy to make at home with our little ones and we have even MORE of a reason to bust out the blender. Plus, they’re a cool, tasty treat for a hot summer day.  Let’s get started! 

Supplies:

• Blender (or food processor)
• Popsicle molds or small dixie cups and popsicle/craft sticks
• Fruit

Recipes

Straw-Orange-Nana

• 1 banana
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup grapes
• 1 orange

Orange Plus

• 1 apple
• 1 cup grapes
• 2 oranges

Pine-Kiwi-Nana

• 1 cup pineapple
• 2-3 kiwis
• 1 banana

Directions:

Prepare the fruit (wash, cut, remove stems, etc). Add to the blender. Blend until it’s a nice puree. Pour into popsicle molds or dixie cups. Freeze until frozen. Enjoy!

Our little ones can learn a lot from helping us in the kitchen! They learn how things are done, why they’re done, get practice following directions, and get to help implement the steps in a process (like following a recipe).

How to have the kids help:

• Rinse the fruit.
• Take the grapes off of the grapevine/destem the grapes.
• Measure the fruit. Hint: it doesn’t need to be exact! You could even tell them that you need 10 strawberries and 12 grapes and have them count the fruit for you as they put it in the blender.
• Peel the orange.
• Take apart the orange slices and put in the blender (they don’t need to be taken apart, but it’s great fine motor skills practice for toddlers and preschoolers).
• Push the buttons on the blender.
• Hold the molds/cups as you pour the pureed fruit in.

Note: any combination of fruit that your child likes is a great combination to try for fruitsicles. The possibilities are endless! You could even try mixing in some vegetables… If you use fruits that aren’t as liquidy as grapes and oranges, you might need to add some liquid, so have some juice nearby (or water), just in case. 

Still introducing solids to your baby?

Blend one fruit at a time (or two, if you have other fruits that you know your baby can have) and follow the directions above, using only one type of fruit. Both of my kids LOVED plum fruitsicles when they were babies- bitter plum skin and all!

Looking for some fun this summer?

Find out more here!