Pineapple Coconut Popsicles

Pineapple Coconut Popsicles are a delicious and refreshing frozen treat that will transport you to the Islands with every bite. They're made with fresh pineapple and coconut juice — the perfect combo for a simple popsicle recipe dessert.

For someone who always has healthy homemade popsicles in the freezer and loves to come up with different combinations, I wonder why I never thought to combine pineapple with coconut before. I mean, what goes better with pineapple than coconut? 

The flavor idea came about after I had just bought some organic pineapple coconut juice. You can find this easily in nearly every local grocery store these days. The juice itself is a tad thicker than your regular orange or apple juice, but it is incredibly hydrating and refreshing and has a nice subtle sweetness to it. 

In itself, it is not quite perfect enough to make a great popsicle recipe. But it is fantastic when blended with the sweeter juice of fresh cubed pineapple. When you mix in a little juice with your popsicle fruit, it actually causes them to melt more slowly. You don't want to use water because then they're icy but fruit juice is perfect.

So it is long overdue that I share this ultimate tropical refreshing popsicle recipe that will wipe out any hot summer afternoon. Well, at least for a short while. 

We have been going through popsicles like crazy this year. Even though we only have one (each) every couple to three days, it still seems like they go fast. There might be three left in the freezer right now, so I'd better take a few minutes tomorrow and make us some more wonderful and refreshing popsicles. I hope you do, too!

Pineapple Coconut Popsicle Ingredients

• Pineapple - Fresh, ripe pineapple is exceptionally juicy. It has a beautiful and vibrant tropical flavor. Perfectly sweet enough to make healthy homemade popsicles. And it can’t hurt either that it is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Hydration and beauty on a stick? Who can resist?
• Pineapple-coconut juice - You can find pineapple coconut juice with pure juice and no added sugars or flavors easily enough. It comes with a distinct coconut taste, which is why I used it in this recipe. The thicker consistency is probably due to the coconut milk and cream, and not only will it make these popsicles refreshing and hydrating but also a tad creamy.
• Maple syrup - I added some maple syrup to the recipe, but you can taste it first and decide for yourself. It is sweet enough to omit the maple syrup. But I have noticed that kids often like popsicles better with a few tablespoons of extra sweetness. Your choice!

How to Make Pineapple Coconut Popsicles

1. Cut. Skin and cut the pineapple into chunks. (Follow the How to Cut Up a Pineapple tutorial below for help!)
2. Blend. Blend the fresh pineapple chunks in a blender or food processor. Keep blending until it turns to a puree.  
3. Strain juice. After you have your pineapple all blended, pour it through a fine mesh sieve. Keep swishing it around in the sieve with your fingers. It goes fast, and there is hardly any pulp left at the end. 
4. Discard pulp. You should be left with just the juice–no need to worry about exact measurements. Discard the pulp. By removing the squeezed pulp, you simply extract the sweetest part of the fruit and get that thirst-quenching effect in your popsicle. 
5. Mix. All that's left is to mix the fresh juice with the pineapple-coconut juice and a tad of maple syrup. That last part is optional, though. Pour all of the ingredients back into your blender and mix again to blend. 
6. Mold and freeze. Pour the mixture into your popsicle mold and freeze for at least 6 hours. Depending on how many popsicle molds you have, you may have a couple of popsicles worth of extra filling. Put the mixture in the fridge and save to make more popsicles after you remove the first set, or ... drink it as a smoothie. Delicious! 

7. Unmold and enjoy! To get your pineapple popsicles out of the mold, run hot water on the sides first. They slide right out really easily. Take the frozen popsicles out of the mold and enjoy them right away or put them in a freezer bag and replace in the freezer.

How to Cut Up a Pineapple

It's visually much easier to explain, so take a look at the photos as I explain: 

Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple:

Stand the pineapple on its bottom and start to cut straight down trying to get a lot of the 'eyes' as you go. When done you can individually cut out any 'eyes that were left behind:

Stand on its end again. You can see the hard-ish core in the center of the pineapple. Cut straight down again next to the core trying not to get any of the hard center. Throw the core away and cut the pineapple into chunks. Now you're well on your way to enjoying Pineapple Coconut Popsicles:

How to Store 

Freezing. As with all frozen treats, your homemade popsicles are best kept in the freezer at all times! You can simply leave the popsicles in the molds until you want to enjoy them. Or, if you’d prefer to repackage your popsicles, wrap each popsicle individually in plastic wrap or wax paper, then place them in an airtight container or resealable freezer-safe bags. They’ll keep fresh for up to 3 months–if they even last that long! They go pretty quick, so thank goodness pineapple coconut popsicles are easy to make.

📋 Recipe