These lemon popsicles are made from scratch using just 3 ingredients and prepped in just a few minutes. Enjoy a delicious lemonade popsicle on any hot summer's day, and you're in for a real treat!
Winter is officially over here in Florida, and the heat is rising. So we're looking for all of the best frozen treats to help us stay cool this year.
These homemade lemon popsicles have really hit the spot. Made with only 3 ingredients these citrus popsicles are super simple and easy to throw together.
Check out our Southern Sweet Tea Popsicles and Peach Iced Tea Popsicles for more frozen favorites.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's refreshing! Lemonade and summer go together like a perfect pair. You're going to love this frozen variation of a summertime favorite.
- Not too sweet. We have just the right amount of sweet and tart in every popsicle. Be warned. They're addictingly good!
- They're easy to make. Grab your kids and have them lend a hand with making these DIY lemon popsicles or make them yourself and surprise them with a delicious lemonade popsicle.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
Fresh Lemons- You will need fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to really get a great flavor in every popsicle. Tip: zest the lemons BEFORE juicing them.
Granulated sugar- You'll need some sugar to cut down on the tart lemon flavor.
Water- This is the base of the lemonade mixture.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Popsicle Mold (the exact one that I used)
- Popsicle Sticks
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make lemon popsicles with these simple step-by-step instructions:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water over medium heat and whisk together until the sugar is completely dissolved. About 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in 1 cup of cold water, fresh lemon juice, and add lemon zest too.
Taste the mixture and adjust as needed (more sweetener, lemon, etc.)
Carefully pour the liquid into the popsicle molds and freeze for 1 hour.
Add popsicle sticks to the popsicle molds.
Continue to freeze for a few more hours until they are solid (usually 4-8 hours).
After frozen, remove from popsicle mold. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in baggies before freezing longer.
🧾 Substitutions
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
Yes, bottled lemon juice can be used for this lemonade popsicle recipe. The biggest difference is that bottled lemon juice is more concentrated and can give you a more tart or sour popsicle. Perfect for those of us that enjoy puckering our faces a little bit.
What can I use instead of sugar?
If you don’t want to use granulated sugar, you can select a healthier sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave. You will want about 5-6 tablespoons worth, but add it a little at a time and adjust to your taste preferences.
What to use instead of plain water
If you don't want to use water, you can replace it with coconut water for a more tropical flavor. Juices like orange juice or pineapple juice work well in this lemon popsicles recipe too. For a creamier flavor, you can even replace 1 cup of water with milk.
How to make these into boozy popsicles (adult-only version)
Replace up to ¼ cup of water with vodka. I would suggest plain vodka or a complementary flavored one such as whipped cream or vanilla flavors.
📖 Variations
Homemade lemonade popsicles are super versatile and can include just about anything you want and still taste great!
If you’re looking for some deliciousness, add in any of these tasty suggestions in your refreshing treat:
- Fresh berries or fruit - kiwi, banana, peaches, papayas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
- Lemon slices
- 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves
- 4-5 fresh mint leaves
- ¼ cup of creamy vanilla yogurt or greek yogurt
- Food coloring- drop in 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring to really help make your popsicles look lemon yellow.
- Gummy bears or gummy worms (the sour kind would be great!)
- Sprinkles
🍴 Recipe Tips
Reduce the mess
I recommend using a funnel or some sort of pitcher with a pour spout to make the lemonade pour more easily into the tight popsicle molds without making a mess.
Leave space at the top
Make sure that you leave a little unfilled space (about ¼- ½ an inch) at the top of the molds to accommodate the liquid slightly expanding in the freezer. This also helps to make it easier when transporting the filled molds to the freezer.
Wait before adding the stick
We wait for one hour before inserting the popsicle sticks into the molds because the sticks are less likely to become crooked when the water is slightly frozen.
How to remove from mold
To remove the popsicles from the mold, either place the mold on the counter for about 5 minutes to soften and come to room temperature or run the base of the mold under warm water for about 15 seconds to help loosen the sides of the popsicles. Be very careful as to not get any water into the actual popsicle mold.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Keep your popsicles stored in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper between them, or keep them stored in a large freezer bag for up to 2 months. My popsicle mold came with popsicle sticks and little baggies for storing popsicles individually.
💭 FAQs
If you don't have a citrus juicer handy, then take your lemons and heat them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Press a lemon under the palm of your hand and roll it on the counter while pressing down and away from yourself (much like when you are kneading dough). Press the lemon onto a cutting board and slice it in half lengthwise. Squeeze the lemon into a bowl. Try to get as much juice out of the lemons as possible.
If properly stored, your popsicles will last up to 2 months in the freezer. Perfect for enjoying all summer long, but I doubt you'll have popsicles living this long in your freezer!
You can find popsicle sticks just about anywhere, including Walmart's craft section, craft stores like Michaels and Joann, and even online retailers like Amazon. You can even find popsicle sticks in your local Dollar Tree.
If you enjoyed these frozen lemonade popsicles, you'll love these great summer recipes too!
- No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
- Frozen Whipped Lemonade
- 2 Ingredient Lemon Cake Bars
- Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake
📖 Recipe
Lemon Popsicles
Ingredients
- ½ cup Fresh squeezed lemon juice ($0.62)
- ½ cup Granulated sugar ($0.11)
- 2 cups Cold water, divided ($0.00)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest ($0.04)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 1 cup of water over medium heat and whisk together until just dissolved. About 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of cold water, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Taste the mixture and adjust as needed (more sweetener, lemon, etc.)
- Pour the liquid into the popsicle molds and freeze for 1 hour.
- Add popsicle sticks to the popsicle molds and then continue to freeze for a few more hours until they are solid (usually 4-8 hours).
Notes
- I recommend using a funnel or some sort of pitcher with a pour spout to make the lemonade pour more easily into the tight popsicle molds without making a mess.
- Make sure that you leave a little unfilled space (about ¼- ½ an inch) at the top of the molds to accommodate the liquid slightly expanding in the freezer. This also helps to make it easier when transporting the filled molds to the freezer.
- We wait for one hour before inserting the popsicle sticks into the molds because the sticks are less likely to become crooked when the water is slightly frozen.
- To remove the popsicles from the mold, either place the mold on the counter for about 5 minutes to soften and come to room temperature or run the base of the mold under warm water for about 15 seconds to help loosen the sides of the popsicles. Be very careful as to not get any water into the actual popsicle mold.
- Keep your popsicles stored in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper between them, or keep them stored in a large freezer bag for up to 2 months. My popsicle mold came with popsicle sticks and little baggies for storing popsicles individually.
Jen says
This is such a quick and easy treat for my kids now that the weather is warming up! Love it!
Nicole says
So glad to hear it! 🙂