Cherry Limeade Frozen Pops
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put the pitted cherries, lime juice, and raw honey in a food processor or blender.
- Blend until the cherries are fully pureed and the honey is evenly dispersed, with no large fruit pieces remaining.
- Divide the mixture among frozen-pop molds. Leave the headspace required by the selected mold rather than overfilling it.
- Insert the mold handles or sticks.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until each pop is firm through the center.
- Serve frozen.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Fresh cherries, lime juice, and raw honey make a three-ingredient frozen pop. Blend them until smooth, divide the mixture among the molds, and freeze for at least four hours. On Full GAPS, enjoy a pop between meals after raw fruit is tolerated.
There is no cooking step at all here, just a blender and the freezer. Once the cherries are pitted, the whole mixture comes together in a couple of minutes, which makes this one of the simplest frozen treats to put together on a warm afternoon.
A raw fruit pop like this is an easy way to use a good batch of summer cherries while they are in season, without turning on the stove or committing to a bigger canning or preserving project.
I homeschool and work second shift, so I pay attention to the active work a recipe needs. Pit and measure the cherries first, then blend and fill the molds. The long part is the freezer time, with no cooking step to fit around the rest of the day.
Yield: About 5 to 6 pops, depending on mold size
Freeze time: At least 4 hours
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh cherries, pitted
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
The cherries supply the fruit, color and most of the mixture. Fresh lime juice adds tartness, while raw honey adds sweetness. Each is measured at three tablespoons for the four cups of pitted cherries. A smooth blend distributes both through the fruit.
Pitting four cups of cherries is the most time-consuming part of this recipe, and a simple handheld cherry pitter makes the job much faster than doing it with a knife. Sweet cherries such as Bing work well here, since the fruit is supplying most of the sweetness alongside the measured honey.
Method
- Put the pitted cherries, lime juice, and raw honey in a food processor or blender.
- Blend until the cherries are fully pureed and the honey is evenly dispersed, with no large fruit pieces remaining.
- Divide the mixture among frozen-pop molds. Leave the headspace required by the selected mold rather than overfilling it.
- Insert the mold handles or sticks.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until each pop is firm through the center.
- Serve frozen.
Check the mixture after blending. The honey should be evenly dispersed and no large cherry pieces should remain. Small skin flecks can remain in a smooth fruit puree; you do not need to strain away the skins or keep blending solely to remove every visible fleck.
Pour the blended mixture into the molds, leaving their required headspace. Use a pitcher or the blender vessel to control the pour, and fit the sticks or handles before freezing.
Keep the Measured Balance
Four cups of cherries give these pops their body. The lime juice and raw honey are equal three-tablespoon measures; keep both measured so the finished mixture stays bright and lightly sweet.
Do not substitute maple syrup or add an unmeasured liquid. The cherries supply the fruit body for this exact formula.
Why This Belongs on Full GAPS
This recipe fits Full GAPS after raw fruit is introduced and tolerated. Enjoy the fruit pop between meals, as the current GAPS guidance recommends for fruit. The absence of a cooking step does not, by itself, establish a new stage or meal placement.
Because it leans so heavily on the cherries themselves, this is a good one to make when good fresh cherries are actually available, rather than a year-round staple.
FAQ
Are the Cherries Cooked First?
No. Pit the fresh cherries, then blend them directly with the lime juice and honey.
Can I Replace the Honey with Maple Syrup?
No. Maple syrup is not the Full GAPS sweetener here. Keep the measured three tablespoons raw honey.
How Smooth Should the Mixture Be?
Blend until no large cherry pieces remain and the honey is evenly dispersed.
How Long Do the Pops Freeze?
Freeze for at least 4 hours, until the centers are firm.
How Many Pops Does the Recipe Make?
About five to six pops, depending on mold size.
Do I Need to Remove the Cherry Skins?
No. Pit the cherries only. The blender fully purees the skins along with the flesh, so no large pieces remain.
Can I Use Frozen Cherries Instead of Fresh?
Use the fresh pitted cherries named in the recipe for its four-cup fruit measure.
What Is the Easiest Way to Pit Four Cups of Cherries?
A handheld cherry pitter speeds up the job considerably compared with cutting each cherry open with a knife. Either way, work over a bowl to catch the juice.
Storage and Serving
Serve the pops straight from the freezer, right after the freeze is complete, while they are firm all the way through.
Keep extra pops frozen in their molds or a covered freezer-suitable glass container until serving.
Serve a pop once the center is firm after at least four hours of freezing. Keep the remaining batch frozen rather than relying on an unmeasured cooler or transport duration.
Related Recipes
Try Full GAPS Layered Firecracker Fruit and Yogurt Pops for a yogurt-and-fruit treat, or Full GAPS Orange Coconut Creamsicle Pops for orange, coconut milk and homemade vanilla.
Recommended Equipment
- A food processor or blender
- A cherry pitter
- Stainless-steel frozen-pop molds with wooden sticks
- Measuring spoons
- A bowl to catch juice while pitting the cherries
Next Steps
The Frozen Treats Cookbook is coming soon, with more ideas for GAPS treats made in the freezer. While you wait, explore all recipes for another family meal or snack.
Leave a comment