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I have a serious sweet tooth, but it doesn’t always fare well with my health goals.
Thankfully, I have learned how to be creative. This summer, I invite you to get on the DIY bandwagon and make your own frozen desserts.
In this post, I will share my favorite recipes and tips for making your own low calorie frozen desserts. Some of them actually require no recipe at all.
By the way, if you try any of these, let me know what you think, OK?
1. Frozen fruit
This requires no recipe. All you need is fruit that doesn’t get too hard to chew straight from the freezer. My favorites are:
- grapes
- blueberries
- banana slices
- pineapple
- mango
- kiwi slices
- pitted cherries
- raspberries
- clementine sections†
You can experiment with any fruit you like. If you are feeling adventurous, try some veggies too. I am thinking cucumbers would do nicely.
How to keep frozen fruit from sticking together
Wash all fruit and pat dry with a paper towel. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place each piece of fruit on the paper so that it can freeze individually. Ain’t nobody got time for stuck together frozen fruit…
Once frozen, you can take the fruit off of the paper and store in a plastic freezer bag.
Store them in servings so you can grab a bag and nosh when you need a sweet treat. I recommend the snack-sized bags. You can keep the snack-sized bags in a larger freezer bag to keep it all organized.
2. Froyo (frozen yogurt) fruit bites
If you are a fan of yogurt and fruit, you’ll like this. Same basic principle as freezing fruit, but with some added ingredients.
You will need to select a yogurt that you enjoy. I am a fan of Greek yogurt. I usually get a brand without sugar or flavor added and then I work my magic. My favorite brands of Greek yogurt are plain Fage, Oikos and Chobani.
How to flavor your yogurt
Measure out a cup of plain yogurt and place in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite extract. My favorites are pure vanilla extract, imitation banana extract, imitation rum extract and pure lemon extract.
Next, sweeten the yogurt with your favorite brand of Stevia. I love Pyure Organic Stevia. If you’re a fan of Aldi, try the Sweet Additions Stevia. I think it’s pretty good. You have to find one you like. Some of them are bitter.
Experiment with the sweetness level. Start small and build. I recommend one tablespoon of stevia or two packets to start. Taste it and then judge if you want to add more. Mix everything well.
I also sweeten my yogurt with raw honey and I love Skinny Syrups as well.
Making the froyo bites
To make the froyo fruit bites, I usually use a heart-shaped ice cube tray I picked up at Target, but you can use any ice cube tray. You can also use paper mini cupcake liners and place them in a mini muffin pan. Another option is to use mini silicone cups arranged on a cookie sheet.
- Place a tablespoon of yogurt in the ice cube tray.
- Add your desired fruit (you can dice the fruit and add several types to your bites or just stick with one kind)
- Press fruit down into the yogurt with a spoon.
- Optional: cover the fruit with a layer of yogurt (not much is needed)
- Freeze overnight or at least until yogurt has set.
- Release bites from tray or muffin cup and store in a plastic freezer bag.
- Nom nom nom on that bite!
These should do well in the freezer for up to two weeks so get to biting! Any longer and freezer burn might start taking over. Be vigilant.
3. DIY fruit pops
This has to be one of my favorite treats because they turn out so pretty if you take your time. Plus, they taste great and you control the ingredients (scram high fructose corn syrup)! To make these you need a few items/gadgets:
- Popsicle molds
- Popsicle sticks (maybe)
- Fruit
- Blender or food processor (optional)
You will only need a blender or food processor if you want to make a puree of your fruit. If you don’t have either, you can still make these with some elbow grease. Just use a potato masher or potato ricer. You can even use the back of a fork and press the fruit in a bowl until it becomes mashed.
Before you make the fruit popsicles
Here are some tips before you get started. Just flow with it and experiment with flavors and you will enjoy these cool treats. Keep it fun and let children help make their own healthy treats.
Ripe fruit
Use ripe fruit for maximum flavor. You can even slice very thin pieces to put in the molds. They look so pretty to me. Lay them against opposite sides of the molds and then add your fruit pop mixture.
Consistency of fruit pop
Your homemade fruit pop mixture can be thick or fluid. It just depends on how you want it. To make it thick, make a puree of the fruit or try mashing it. This will give your pops a depth of flavor and something to bite easily. Too much liquid will make an icier pop, but if you prefer to lick it instead of biting it, then more liquid is just fine.
Liquid wise, I like to go with natural fruit juices without added sugar and free from high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. In my experience, good fruit juices to add are apple, mango, guava, grape and cherry.
You can even make your own lemonade or limeade to add to the molds. To keep calories down, sweeten your lemonade with Stevia, monkfruit or coconut sugar. One of my clients loves Just Like Sugar. I have not tried it, bust she swears by it!
Creamy fruit pops
If you want a creamy fruit pop, you can add yogurt or nut milk. My favorite nut milks are almond, cashew and coconut almond blends. You can mix the yogurt with the fruit puree/mash or blend the nut milk with the desired fruit or fruit blend. If keeping calories low, choose unsweetened nut milks and yogurts. Remember, you can always add natural sweeteners.
I highly recommend tasting your fruit pop mixture before placing in the molds. That way, you know you’ll like what you created.
Layering flavors
If you wish to layer your pops, just make different fruit purees/mashes and add them layer by layer into the mold. Want your creamy mixture at the bottom? Put that in the mold last. The more you make these the more you will become a pro.
If you want your layers to be defined and not mixed, simply add one layer at a time and freeze the pops for at least 20 minutes between layers. When you are done layering, put on the top of the popsicle mold and insert sticks if the mold doesn’t have built-in sticks.
Making the fruit pops
Many popsicle molds already include a stick, but if you are using a mold without one you can insert regular popsicle sticks or long cake pop sticks.
To keep sticks in place, you can use a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap across the top of the molds and gently press the sticks into it.
- Add slices or chunks of fruit, first.
- Next add puree or liquid (or a mix of both) and fill to the top of the mold.
- Place the stick into the mixture or just add the top of the mold which has a built-in stick.
- For best results, freeze overnight.
- For best flavor, consume within two weeks.
If you try any of these, will you let me know? If you have more tips and tricks, I would love to hear them.
Robyn Evans is an award-winning writer, author, speaker, singer and all around lover of all things health. She started her health journey in late 2015 and is always looking for information to help people live healthier lives. Currently, Robyn is a distributor for Total Life Changes. Visit sip2health.com to view her product line or get in touch.
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