Watermelon Popsicles

Homemade watermelon popsicles are so easy to make and so much healthier than store-bought. These fresh watermelon popsicles are the best treat during the summer months and a great way to use up watermelon when it is in season. With only a few ingredients, you can have these delicious and easy watermelon popsicles whipped up and ready to eat for a healthy dessert or snack this summer.

If you have been following me for a while, you know I love my homemade popsicles! I've made grapefruit popsicles, strawberry popsicles, and even fudge bars. You also know that I like easy uncomplicated desserts.

With the heat of Texas where I live, a nice refreshing sweet like these watermelon popsicles is just what I need on a hot day. The best part about these homemade watermelon popsicles is there are just a few ingredients needed and it helps make use of the watermelon I grow in my garden in summer.

If you have 5 minutes, you can make these fresh watermelon popsicles and have them in the freezer for when you need a little sweet but healthy treat. If you love freezer treats, try our cherry granita too!

Ingredients needed

1. Fresh seedless watermelon. I like using seedless watermelon for these watermelon popsicles because I blend everything up in the blender and don't want all the black watermelon seeds in the popsicles.
2. Honey. Watermelon is naturally sweet on its own but when you freeze it, it dulls the sweetness a bit so some additional sweetness is needed.
3. Limes. You do not need a lot of limes for this recipe but I have found that a little lime juice really brightens the flavor of the watermelon popsicles.

How to make watermelon popsicles

Making these fresh watermelon popsicles is so easy. Here is what the steps look like:

• Dice watermelon. The first thing you do is dice up the watermelon and then add it to a blender. Course chops are fine, you are just helping out your blender by doing this step.
• Add all ingredients to a blender. Now add all the other ingredients for the watermelon popsicles (honey and lime juice) to the blender with the diced-up watermelon.
• Blend until smooth. Blend it all together until it is completely smooth. You don't need a special high-speed blender since the watermelon is so soft and blends easily.

Tip: After blending the watermelon in the blender, you will notice a little bit of foaminess from the watermelon juices. You can strain this out if you like or just let the blended watermelon sit for a minute to allow this to dissipate.

Freezing your homemade watermelon popsicles

This is a popsicle recipe so you will of course need a popsicle mold to make these watermelon popsicles. Any brand or type of popsicle mold will work fine to make these.

Each manufacturer has their own instructions for how much to fill the popsicle molds and how to release them but here are my tips for making homemade popsicles:

• Filling the popsicle mold: Always only fill the popsicle molds to about a little over ¾ of the way. This ensures the top of the popsicle mold does not stick to the popsicles making it harder to remove them when they are frozen.
• How to get popsicles out of popsicle mold: To ensure the watermelon popsicles release easily, place the popsicle mold in a large high-sided baking dish filled with warm water. Try to make sure the water comes up at least halfway up the popsicle mold. Let the popsicle mold sit in the water bath for about 20-30 seconds and then remove it. Your homemade popsicles should release from the mold easier when you do this.

Pro Tips when making these homemade watermelon popsicles

• Make sure to use seedless watermelon. Seedless watermelon despite its name actually does have seeds but they are small and light in color and will easily blend up in the blender.
• Pick a ripe watermelon. Using a ripe watermelon makes all the difference in the World when making these fresh watermelon popsicles. More on that below!
• Make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for the popsicle mold you are using.

Variations And Substitutions

These homemade watermelon popsicles are amazing as is but you can totally customize it to your taste. Here are some ideas for you:

• Add basil simple syrup instead of honey for delicious basil watermelon popsicles.
• Add strawberries to make a strawberry watermelon popsicle. Just omit half of the watermelon for strawberry in the recipe.
• Add cherry simple syrup instead of honey for cherry watermelon popsicles.
• Add fresh herbs like mint or basil for a pop of flavor.

Recipe FAQS

Pairing Ideas

Here are some grilling ideas that pair perfectly with these popsicles: