Popsicles are one of the most popular snacks in the Summer. Nothing beats homemade popsicles though, which are much healthier (and cheaper!) than the shop-bought ones. They are really very easy to make too! Rainbow ice pops are an especially delicious and pretty version, they are made from at least three different fruits. Here are some tropical rainbow ice-lolly recipes:

Kiwi-melon-pineapple ice cream

Ingredients:1 peeled kiwi, about a half cup of pineapple juice, about half a cup of watermelon, honey to taste Preparation:purée the fruits separately in a blender. Add sugar syrup, honey or agave syrup to them. Pour the kiwi purée into the mould to one-third, freeze for 1 hour. Then add the mango, about two-thirds of the way up the mould, then freeze for another hour. Finally fill the mould up with the watermelon purée and insert the stick. Freeze for another two hours.

Kiwi-mango-raspberry ice cream

Ingredients:9 Tbsp of water, 2 Tbsp sugar, 150g peeled kiwi, 200g mango flesh, 200g raspberries. Directions: cook the water and sugar until syrupy, leave to cool. Puree the fruits separately. Sweeten these with the syrup. Pour the kiwi purée into the popsicle moulds – about a third full, freeze for 1 hour. Add the mango, up to two-thirds full, freeze for two hours, then add the raspberry purée. Freeze for 3-4 hours. Tip:healthier option is to use agave syrup or honey instead of sugar!

Kiwi, pomegranate-tangerine ice cream

Ingredients: half a cup of freshly-squeezed tangerine juice, 1 kiwi (peeled), half a cup of pomegranate juice, 1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional). Honey or agave nectar, to taste. Directions:pour the tangerine juice into moulds – about one-third full, freeze for an hour.  Blend the kiwi,  add to the mould up to two-thirds, put back in the freezer. After about an hour, add the pomegranate mixed with honey, then sprinkle a few pomegranate seeds on the top. Freeze.

Lime, grapefruit and blood orange ice cream

Ingredients:half a cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, 1 lime, half a cup of blood orange juice. Honey or agave nectar. Preparation:Grate the lime peel and squeeze its juice. Mix with a little water and sweetener. Juice the other two fruits. Pour the grapefruit juice into the mould – about one-third full, freeze for an hour. Add the lime juice, two-thirds full then, after an hour of freezing, the blood orange juice. Freeze for 3 or 4 hours. Tip:add half a teaspoon of chopped mint leaves or 1 Tbsp of gin to the lime juice.

Tips

• If you put the mould into the freezer slightly tilted, then you can get a zebra pattern. And, if the layers don’t freeze completely, a marbled pattern is formed.
• The above recipes are free of dairy and eggs, so they can be enjoyed by many with allergies. They can also be eaten within the rules of many diets.
• Tropical fruits are naturally sweet, so there really is no need for a lot of extra sweetener.
• You might want to push the fruit purée through a sieve – some kids don’t like bits in their popsicles.
• For adults, the recipes can be complemented with fruit liquor, rum, vodka etc.
• If you dilute the fruit purées with a little water they will freeze faster but there will more crystallized ice in them and they’ll melt more quickly.