3 AMAZING Fruit and Veggie Popsicles. Kid-approved!

When Piper turned two I found myself facing an issue many parents at some point on the parenting journey must confront: picky eating. My happy toddler that loved everything from avocados to kale began turning his cute two year-old nose up at every meal.

My first response? Panic!

As a first time parent panic was usually my first means of coping. But, panic only gets you so far (actually no where). Solutions had to be found. I searched the internet, talked to our pediatrician, and curiously listened to advice at playdates. I was desperate.

Finally, I discovered a cookbook that encouraged sneaking veggies into homemade meals. The whole process required a ton of work. First, there was the cooking of the hated veggies. Then, the pureeing, freezing, defrosting, and sneaking. A ton of work for a bowl of butternut squash disguised as mac and cheese.

Three AMAZING fruit and veggie popsicles every kid will love

I’ll admit the whole process got old, fast. After two weeks, I finally decided enough was enough. My senses kicked in after the twentieth bowl of pureed spinach. Questions started to arise: “Is this really sustainable? How is this encouraging Piper to develop a taste for veggies if he doesn’t even know what he’s eating?”.

Then, there was the moment Piper caught on to what was happening and suspicion set in at every meal. “Just eat it, honey. It’s yummy! Mac and cheese is your favorite.” The realization that a huge disservice was being performed out of a true desire for Piper to thrive and eat “healthy” halted my sneaky behavior.

Three AMAZING fruit and veggie popsicles every kid will love

I’ll be honest, the past two years haven’t always been easy when it comes to Piper’s food choices.

Despite our real food lifestyle and a mom that spends lots of time preparing delicious food, Piper still prefers a slice of homemade bread over 95% of veggies. But, he’s slowing blossoming into a diversified eater. We don’t force food on him. We simply ask that he at least try a bite at every meal. If he doesn’t care for a particular food he doesn’t have to eat it.

I’ve converted from a panicked parent with a huge pile of dishes and purees to one that encourages eating as a family, involving Piper in preparing meals, and talking about the various ingredients used. I’m continually amazed at the new food he hesitantly tries because he’s aware of the ingredients and carries a sense of pride in helping to prepare the meal.

Three AMAZING fruit and veggie popsicles every kid will love

Today, I bring you three popsicles loaded with fruits and veggies. Although they contain some surprising “hidden” ingredients, there’s no sneaking around with these pops.  Piper and I make veggie popsicles together, adding the ingredients to the blender and pouring each mixture into our favorite popsicle molds.

I encourage you to get your kids involved in making these veggie-packed popsicles.

Three AMAZING fruit and veggie popsicles every kid will love

Here’s to the end of summer (say it isn’t so) and enjoying veggies together as a family without being sneaky.

3 AMAZING Fruit and Veggie Popsicles. Kid-approved!
4.30 from 10 votes

Veggie-Packed Popsicles

Today, I bring you three popsicles loaded with fruits and veggies. Although they contain some surprising “hidden” ingredients, there’s no sneaking around with these pops.  
Kristin Marr
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Popsicles
Calories 242 kcal

Ingredients

Orange Delight Popsicle

  • 3 carrots cut into chunks and steamed until soft
  • 1 cup strawberries fresh or frozen
  • 1 mango sliced
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 TB honey

Green Dinosaur Popsicle

  • 1 cup spinach raw
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup pineapple
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or canned coconut milk
  • 2 TB honey

Tickle-Me-Red Popsicle

  • 1/3 cup roasted beets
  • 1 cup strawberries fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 TB honey
  • 1 banana

Instructions

  • Place the ingredients for each smoothie (or smoothie of choice) in a high-speed blender.
  • Blend ingredients.
  • Pour the liquid into popsicle molds and freeze for at least four hours (this time will vary depending on your freezer).
  • To remove the popsicles, run the molds until cold water for 10 seconds, pulling the popsicles away from the molds.

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 3gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 66mgPotassium: 549mgFiber: 3gSugar: 47gVitamin A: 5965IUVitamin C: 58.4mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 0.8mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

1veggiepops7

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23 Comments

  1. 1 star
    I made all three of these and my grandchildren, who typically eat fruits and vegetables, really didn’t care for them. I spent a lot of time and energy. I would advise against these

    1. Hey Marian, I’m sorry to hear that. What did they not like about the popsicles? The veggie flavor shouldn’t be very strong, so curious what they didn’t care for as this helps with our recipe development. Any specifics you can provide would be great.

      I hope you’re able to enjoy the popsicles so they don’t go to waste.

  2. These are delicious and so easy to make! One question, if there is leftover liquid, can this be refgrigerated? If yes, for how long?

    Thank you!
    Amanda

  3. These look so good! I am wondering if I can substitute the milk for almond milk or something else that is dairy free?

  4. I have a child that eats nothing but pb&j an cheese pizza. I wanna make Popsicles that have baby food veggies in them. He’s 11 an can’t never know that there’s food in there. I just bought baby food veggies, plain yogurt, juices, banana, coconut milk an water. What can I possibly make, can u help me????

  5. I noticed in a lot of the smoothie recipes there seems to be a lot of yogurt. Is there a substitute for the yogurt? I’m very sensitive to dairy.

  6. It’s Thanksgiving in Montreal and I want to say THANKS for your amazing site. Your writing style and content and pics just make my heart happy 🙂 So thanks. Now about these crazy popsicles–any idea if I can get away with using raw kale instead of raw spinach in the Green Dinosaur? Or maybe you’ve tried and it’s just too strong with the the kale? Just looking in my fridge and other than the spinach we have everything to make it so just thought I’d check. Cheers!