Ice lolliesare loved by kids (and adults!) but most of those sold in shops are full of artificial flavourings, additives and sugar. It’s actually super easy to make them yourself and you can then control what goes in them.

How to make homemade ice lollies

• Ice lollies are usually made from fruit juice or fruit purée, so you can simply purée or juice some fruits and you’ve got your ice-lolly base! Fruits that work best are: mango, pineapple, kiwi, melon, watermelon, peach and all berries & citrus fruits.
• Kids normally prefer smooth ice lollies, with no “bits”, so after puréeing the fruits, do strain or filter them! But for adults and older kids be more creative e.g.  add fruit pieces (such as berries) chopped nuts, chocolate bits  or even fresh herbs herbs (such as mint)!
• If you don’t have any fresh fruits, just use shop-bought fresh fruit juices or smoothies.
N.B. fruits taste less sweet when frozen, so it is important to sweeten them further before freezing – you can use sugar, honey, maple syrup or agave syrup. To make them more healthy, combine very sweet fruits with less sweet ones (pineapple, mango and watermelon make good bases).
• Ice lollies can be made with creamy yoghurts (such as Greek or Skyr) and with custard or coconut cream too –  these will have less ice crystals and will melt more slowly.
Moulds:  you can buy different kinds and shapes of moulds very cheaply in most supermarkets, or you can use use silicone moulds and special lolly makers. For small children, it is best to make smaller ice lollies – for this purpose you can even use patterned ice cube holders, small plastic caps, artisan chocolate moulds etc. Serious ice-lolly lovers might consider investing in an instant ice-lolly maker such as theZoku Quick Pop Maker.
• If you’re using classic wooden or plastic sticks, push these into the lollies when they are half frozen. Some sticks come with a lid which can be immediately inserted in the mould –  the lid will ensure that the stick is straight whilst it protects the lolly.
Alcohol: for adults, you can add a spoonful of liqueur or vodka to the fruit purée, but remember, the ice lolly will be slightly softer so you have to eat it rather quickly! Try ourPimm’s ice lolly recipe>>
• Always place the ice lollies on the coolest shelf of  your freezer. Fruit-juice based lollies are in about 2 hours, the creamy versions can take up to 3-4 hours to freeze.

Here are a few deliciousIce lolly recipes:

• Melon ice lolly recipes
• Watermelon ice lolly recipes
• Raspberry ice lolly recipes
• Rainbow ice pops
• Cherry ice lolly recipes
• Plum and peach ice lolly
• Mango and lime icy lolly
• Home-made popsicle recipes