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    Home » Recipes » Ice Cream Treats

    Easy Lemonade Popsicles (just 3-ingredients)

    Published: Jun 8, 2022 · Last Modified: Aug 29, 2022 by Emma · Leave a Comment · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
    Lemon Ice Popsicle lain over lemon slices.

    These homemade Lemonade Popsicles are an absolute delight. Tangy, sweet and refreshing, they are everything you need on a hot Summer's Day to cool you down. Made with only 3-ingredients, you'll never buy a Lemon popsicle again!

    Lemonade popsicles onto of a bed of ice.

    These Lemon Ice Pops are a fun, simple tasty summer treat. When the temperature soars outside, grab one of these from the freezer to instantly cool down. For kids and parents alike, if you love homemade lemonade you are going to LOVE these popsicles. They have that perfect sweet and sour combination that is totally addictive. You'll just want more!

    For more summer frozen dessert ideas, Pecan Praline Ice Cream, Créme Brûlée Ice Cream and Chocolate Semifreddo are all perfect options.

    Lemon Ice Popsicle lain over lemon slices.
    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients needed
    • How to make lemonade popsicles
    • How to keep the wooden sticks standing straight up
    • 2 ways to remove the popsicles from the molds.
    • Variations
    • Pro tips
    • Frequently asked questions
    • More lemon recipes to enjoy
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Uses basic ingredients. With only 3 ingredients, one of which is water, this is a super simple recipe to make last minute.
    • Intense natural flavour. Using all-natural ingredients guarantees super intense, fresh flavour.
    • Simple to make. Juicing the lemons and dissolving the sugar are the two main steps to making the lemonade. Super easy.

    Ingredients needed

    Individual ingredients needed to make lemonade popsicles.

    Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice is my go-to when making anything that uses lemon juice as a predominant flavour. You just can't beat that mouth-puckering, sweet lemon taste.

    Sugar - Granulated or caster sugar is best here. I prefer these sugars over light brown or brown sugar as I want the taste to be clean and refreshing. The molasses in brown sugar would alter the taste a bit.

    If you prefer, substitute the sugar for runny honey or maple syrup but note that this will change the overall taste.

    Water- There definitely needs to be some form of liquid to dilute the stronger taste of the lemon juice to make it more palatable.

    Optional: Lemon slices - Add a lemon slice into each popsicle - it adds to the flavour as the lemonade freezes, but also looks super pretty!

    Can you use bottled lemon juice rather than freshly squeezed lemon juice?

    The answer is yes you can if you don't have access to fresh lemons. Bottled lemon juice is more concentrated so you may have to increase the amount of sugar to balance out the sourness.

    My preference is to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for that unbeatable freshness.

    How to make lemonade popsicles

    The steps involved in making these lemon popsicles are incredibly simple- but let me show you how.

    *Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

    How do you juice a lemon without an electric juicer?

    warming lemons in microwave or hot water.

    Heat the lemon. Pop the whole lemon in a microwave and heat it for 20-30 seconds (Image 1). The heat helps some of the membranes inside the lemon to burst and juices to run freely when cut. Careful though when cutting into it, as the juices may burst out!

    Alternatively, place the lemon in a bowl of hot water for a couple of minutes until the skin is warm (Image 2).

    Always roll a lemon to get the juices going.

    Roll the lemon. Once warm, roll the lemon back and forth on a work surface, gently pressing it with the palm of your hand (Image 3). This helps break and loosen the membranes inside. Works a treat for limes too.

    2 ways to juice a lemon- squeeze it or press over a lemon juicer.

    Squeeze or press firmly. Cut the lemon in half, then squeeze firmly until you've pressed the lemon in half and all the pulp inside has squashed speeding out all the juice. Tip: put your hand cupped underneath to catch the pips, or squeeze over a strainer (Image 4).

    If using an all-in-one juicer, put your weight behind pressing the lemon down on all sides to extract the juice (Image 5). The juicer cup catches all the juice which is brilliant.

    Make the lemonade

    It's so simple to make this recipe that I kind of feel bad calling it a recipe! It's definitely one of the easiest recipes on my site. But I guess the ratios of lemon juice to sugar to water are important to get the right balance for the taste of these Lemonade Popsicles.

    Adding sugar and water and heating in a saucepan to create sugar syrup.

    Heat water and sugar together until dissolved Add the sugar and half the water into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the water is simmering. Stir until the sugar has dissolved (Image 6 & 7).

    Adding lemon juice to sugar syrup to create lemonade.

    Add in the lemon juice and stir. Into the saucepan, add the remaining water and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix altogether. (Image 8)

    Pour the liquid into a large jug or container with a spout and leave the lemonade to cool (Image 9). Having the liquid in the jug will make it easier when it comes time to pour the lemonade into the popsicle molds.

    Pour lemonade into popsicle molds and freeze

    Filling popsicle holders from a jug.

    Pour the lemonade into each individual mold. Using the jug makes the process super easy (Image 10).

    Did you know that liquid expands once frozen? Make sure to leave a ½ cm (¼ inch) at the top of the mold (Image 11). This gives enough room for the liquid to expand without touching the popsicle cover (or foil). If the liquid touches the top, it can get a little tricky to pull the top of the foil off as the foil tends to stick to it.)

    Freeze the popsicles for a minimum of 6 hours, they may well take longer depending on your freezer. Tip: placing food at the back of the freezer will help it freeze quicker!

    How to keep the wooden sticks standing straight up

    3 ways to keep popsicle sticks in place - with a popsicle cover, with pegs or with foil.

    There are varying ways of doing this depending on what type of popsicle maker you have. Some have a flat plate cover with slots for the stick, some have individual covers, whilst others have none.

    1. Individual plate covers: The popsicle make I have uses a small metal cover with a rubber slit to slide the wooden stick through. Quick and easy way to hold the sticks in place. (Image 12)
    2. Pegs: A wooden or plastic peg, clipped around the popsicle stick and lain over the opening of the mold will hold the stick steady. (Image 13)
    3. Foil: A sneaky little trick with one sheet of aluminium foil. Wrap the foil over the top of the mold, then with a sharp knife, cut small slits where you want the sticks to go. Then simply pierce the sticks through the hole. Simple right?! (Image 14)
    Filled popsicle holders decorated with sliced lemons.

    Decoration: For a cute effect, I added a lemon slice into each popsicle. When testing the recipe I found that the lemon made the popsicle have a bitter aftertaste around where the slice was.

    So, if you decide to add a lemon slice into the popsicle, then add the slices into the sugar syrup, just when the sugar has dissolved. Let the slices soak up the sugar syrup for 5-10 minutes. Pull them out of the lemonade and carry on as per the recipe. Then add the lemon slices into the popsicles before freezing.

    I liked them poking out the top, so I used pegs to pinch them to the popsicle stick and hold them both in place. This trick worked a treat! (Image 15 & 16)

    2 ways to remove the popsicles from the molds.

    1. Room Temperature: Leave the popsicles out at room temperature before gently pulling them out of the molds.
    2. Warm water: Or run the mold under warm running water for a couple of seconds and then pull the popsicles out gently.

    Variations

    There are so many add-ins that you can incorporate into these ice pops. The lemon flavour works so beautifully with a variety of different ingredients. Here are a few options.

    Three varieties of lemon ice lollies- with raspberry, thyme, blueberry and edible flowers.
    • Strawberry Pink Lemonade Popsicles: Hull a handful of strawberries and pop the lemonade and strawberries into a blender then pulse until smooth. Once frozen the lemon strawberry flavour shines through but also makes the prettiest coloured popsicle!
    • Raspberry Lemon Popsicles: Crush some raspberries and pop them into the mold along with the lemonade. The colour will seep into the popsicle resulting in a gorgeous looking and tasting ice pop (Image above).
    • Blueberry Lemon Popsicles: Pop a few blueberries into the lemonade for a juicy pop when you bite down. The kids will love how they look! (Image above)
    • Lemon Lime Ice Pops: Lime juice adds a twist to the flavour and an extra layer of sweetness in a tangy way! You get what I mean!
    • Lemon Yogurt Popsicles: If you want a creamier version of these popsicles, then add 60g (¼ cup) of yogurt when you add the lemon juice whisk together until combined.
    • Lemon and Thyme Popsicle: I adore thyme and lemon together and they work perfectly in sweet as well as savoury dishes. Add a couple of thyme sprigs into the saucepan with the sugar so that it can infuse into the water as it heats up. Add a couple of fresh thyme leaves into the popsicle holder for a really pretty effect. (Image above)
    • Lemon Popsicles with Edible Flowers: Perfect for a garden party, pop in your favourite edible flowers to see them peeking through the frozen lemonade. (Image above)

    Pro tips

    • Pour lemonade into the popsicle holder with a jug. This is by far the easiest way of filling up the popsicle molds and cutting down on mess and spillages. If you don't have a large enough jug, then mix the lemonade in a large bowl and decant it into a small jug bit by bit. Alternatively, use a funnel to pour the liquid through.
    • Leave space in the mold for the lemonade to expand. Liquid expands when frozen- don't be caught out with overflowing molds and leave a ¼ inch gap at the top.
    • Freeze for an hour before putting the sticks in. This is relevant if your molds don't have a lid that holds the stick in place. By waiting an hour for the liquid to partially freeze, the part frozen lemonade will hold the sticks in place. Alternatively, use pegs to hold the sticks in place.
    Stack of lemonade popsicles.

    Frequently asked questions

    What's the best popsicle mold to use?

    There are numerous types of molds on the market - some silicon and some metal. I have both. The stainless steel ice lolly mold has 6 compartments which work better for smaller freezer compartments and is extremely durable.
    I also have a silicon popsicle tray that holds 10 lolly molds. Fantastic for making a larger batch.

    How many popsicles does this recipe make?

    The yield produces 6 lemonade ice lollies. This recipe is brilliant for doubling up if you'd prefer more.

    How to store frozen popsicles

    These popsicles will last well in the freezer. Once removed from the mold, individually wrap each popsicle with baking paper. Then pop them into a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. The paper will stop the popsicles from sticking together.

    More lemon recipes to enjoy

    • Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
    • Lemon Biscotti
    • Lemon Madeleines

    If you tried this easy Lemon Popsicles recipe or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how you go in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Also, please leave a star rating whilst you're there!

    Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter, so that you don’t miss out on more delicious food, tips and news but also the chance to download your FREE DESSERT E-BOOK! Happy baking friends!

    📖 Recipe

    Lemon icy pops on bed of ice.
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    5 from 1 vote

    Easy Lemonade Popsicles Recipe

    Lemonade Popsicles made with only 3 ingredients are unbelievably refreshing. With that sweet-tangy lemonade flavour, both kids and adults will LOVE these on hot summer days.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Freeze Time8 hrs
    Total Time8 hrs 10 mins
    Category: Ice-cream & Popsicles
    Cuisine: British
    Servings: 6 popsicles
    Calories: 69kcal
    Author: Emma Duckworth

    Equipment

    • 6 compartment popsicle mold
    • Saucepan
    • jug optional

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 120 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed, (approx 3-4 lemons)
    • 100 g granulated sugar
    • 480 ml water

    Instructions

    • Juice the Lemons: Warm the lemons in a microwave for 20 seconds on high or place in hot water until the skin is warm. (This step is optional but recommended to get the most out of your lemons)
      Firmly roll the lemons around on the counter, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand. This will help release the juices and make your job a lot easier. Cut the lemon in half lengthwise, then squeeze out the juice by hand or with a juicer. 
      Make sure to juice the lemons over a large measuring cup so you can see exactly how much liquid you have. 
    • Make a sugar syrup. Add the sugar and half the water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
      Remove pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice and remaining water to the saucepan and stir. Pour liquid into a jug and set aside to cool completely.
    • Pour lemonade into popsicle holders and freeze. Give the lemonade a quick stir then fill each mold leaving a ½ cm (¼ inch) at the top. Add the sticks and freeze for a minimum of 8 hours.
      Once ready to eat, run the popsicle mold under warm water for a couple of seconds and pull gently to release the ice pop. Enjoy.

    All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.

    Notes

    Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
    To Freeze: These popsicles will last well in the freezer. Once removed from the mold, individually wrap each popsicle with baking paper. Then pop them into a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. The paper will stop the popsicles from sticking together.
    TIP 1: Pour lemonade into the popsicle holder with a jug. This is by far the easiest way of filling up the popsicle molds and cutting down on mess and spillages. If you don't have a large enough jug, then mix the lemonade in a large bowl and decant it into a small jug bit by bit. Alternatively, use a funnel to pour the liquid through.
    TIP 2: Leave space in the mold for the lemonade to expand. Liquid expands when frozen- don't be caught out with overflowing molds and leave a ¼ inch gap at the top.
    TIP 3: Freeze for an hour before putting the sticks in. This is relevant if your molds don't have a lid that holds the stick in place. By waiting an hour for the liquid to partially freeze, the part frozen lemonade will hold the sticks in place. Alternatively, use pegs to hold the sticks in place

    Nutrition

    Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
    Have you tried this recipe yet?Mention @emmaduckworthbakes or tag #emmaduckworthbakes! I’d love to see what you are getting up to in the kitchen!

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