With summer just around the corner, it’s time to think about different ways of cooling down. And no, I’m not referring to getting a new air conditioner or fan. It’s time to clear out our freezer space to hold enough popsicles to last the entire season. So, how big is a popsicle?
A popsicle measures 5-7/8 inches long from the bottom of the stick to the top of the popsicle. Rectangular popsicles are 1 inch in width from the bottom up and roughly half an inch in depth.
Of course, homemade popsicles can be any size you want, depending on the popsicle mold you have on hand. In the following sections, I’ll go into greater detail about popsicles, popsicle sticks, and how you can make your own delicious popsicles for the upcoming summer months.
What Is a Popsicle?
Popsicle is actually a brand of ice pops that are sold in the United States. The name popsicle has become synonymous with ice pops, so if anyone refers to a popsicle, they might not be referring to Popsicle-brand popsicles. For the remainder of this article, we will refer to ice pops as popsicles for simplicity’s sake.
A popsicle is simply a summertime snack that consists of ice or ice cream and a wooden stick. The ice is flavored with fruits and sweeteners to give them a pleasantly refreshing taste during the hot summer months.
Popsicle Dimensions
If you look at the exact measurements of a Popsicle-brand popsicle, you’ll find that they measure 5-7/8 inches long from the top of the popsicle to the bottom of the stick, 1 inch wide, and roughly half an inch in depth. It will usually require around 2 fluid ounces of popsicle mix to create a single popsicle.
However, if you plan on making your own popsicles at home, the size of your popsicle is limited by the size of the mold. As such, you will have to modify your recipe to produce enough popsicle mix to fill each section of the mold.
How Long Is a Popsicle Stick?
The stick of a popsicle typically measures 4-1/2 inches long and 3/8 inches wide. That said, you can use any wooden stick you have on hand to turn into the handle for your popsicle.
How Do I Make Healthy Popsicles at Home?
Popsicles are inherently unhealthy snack treats. The stuff you buy from the grocery store is packed with sugar, artificial flavorings, and preservatives that are nearly impossible to pronounce.
That’s why you should consider making homemade popsicles, especially if you want to give your children a nice, healthy treat to cool them down in the summer.
The only real pieces of equipment you will need to make popsicles are:
- A popsicle mold
- Popsicle sticks
- A blender
- A freezer
If you have all of these items, you can begin making fresh, healthy popsicles for your entire family to enjoy.
However, there are several types of popsicles you should know about. Below, I’ll give you instructions on how you can make fruity popsicles, veggie popsicles, and creamy popsicles.
Fruity Popsicle Ingredients
A homemade fruity popsicle is a popsicle that is packed with fruit. The great thing about fruity popsicles is that you can use any fruit that is available to you in the summer.
Some of the more traditional fruity popsicles will contain strawberries, mangos, bananas, peaches, and watermelon, though you can add anything more exotic if you want.
To begin making fruity popsicles, make sure you have the following ingredients on hand:
- 1 cup of fresh orange juice
- 2 cups of fresh or frozen berries
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- The zest of one lemon
- 3-8 tablespoons of sugar or honey
Veggie Popsicle Ingredients
Are your children picky eaters? Do they say no to every piece of broccoli or spinach that you place on their plates? If so, the best thing you can do to introduce more fiber-rich vegetables into their diets is to trick them by eating veggie popsicles.
A veggie popsicle is a popsicle that uses veggies in place of fruits, though you are more than free to combine fruits and vegetables to create a delectable mix of sweet and healthy. To make a healthy popsicle that is rich in spinach, here are the ingredients you will need.
- 2 cups of orange juice
- 1-1/2 cups of fresh or thawed frozen spinach
- ¾ a cup of honey
- 3 ripe bananas
Creamy Popsicle Ingredients
While fruity and veggie popsicles taste delicious, they are nowhere near as tongue-pleasing as creamy popsicles. A creamy popsicle is a popsicle that uses milk, yogurt, or cream in place of orange juice. It isn’t rock-solid like the other types of popsicles, which makes them melt in the mouth to quench your thirst.
The base for a good creamy popsicle will require the following ingredients.
- 2 cups of full-fat Greek yogurt or 3 cans of full-fat coconut milk
- ½ a cup of lime or lemon juice
- The zest of a lime or lemon
- ½ cup of honey
How to Make Healthy Popsicles at Home
Do you have your ingredients ready? If you do, then you’re ready to move to the following steps, which are mixing the ingredients and assembling the popsicles before popping the mold into the fridge.
Let’s get started!
Step 1—Combine all the ingredients in your blender. Please feel free to adjust the liquids, fruits, and veggies as you see fit. After all, you are the king or queen of your popsicles!
Step 2—Blend the popsicle ingredients to the consistency you want. If the mixture is too thick, add water, more juice, or more cream. If the mix isn’t at the chunkiness level you want, add in more fruits and/or veggies.
Step 3—Pour the popsicle mixture into the mold. Make sure that each mold is filled to the appropriate level according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 4—Stick a popsicle stick into each section of the mold. Make sure there is enough of the popsicle stick sticking out of the popsicle mix so as to not dirty your hands when holding the popsicle.
Step 5—Freeze the popsicle mix for at least four hours. However, leaving the mold in the freezer overnight is best.
Step 6—Demold the popsicles from the mold. You can do this by running warm water on the mold’s exterior to loosen the frozen popsicle mix from the sides.
Step 7—Eat and enjoy! It doesn’t get easier and more fun than that!
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