These Green Tropical Smoothie Popsicles are an amazing frozen summer treat for kids that are filled with a (not-so) hidden veggie – spinach! And because these popsicles are filled with nothing but healthy ingredients, you can feel good about serving them any time of the day – breakfast, snack, part of a lunch, and, of course, dessert on a hot summer’s night.
Green Smoothie Popsicles
Looking for an easy and healthy popsicle for your little ones, that also has spinach in them?
Then, I’ve got you!
I’m not going to lie to you—these popsicles are definitely the only way I am getting spinach into my kids during the summer months! The only reason I first started making these popsicles was because I had some leftover smoothie and I didn’t want to throw it away. So I grabbed a popsicle mold, poured it in, and froze it until solid. The results were naturally sweetened popsicles that my kids and myself devoured in minutes flat. They were just so good. Over the years, I tweaked my recipe and landed on this delicious tropical version.
These Green Smoothie Popsicles are made with 6 easy ingredients – spinach, pineapple, banana, chia seeds, honey and milk. And because these popsicles are filled with nothing but healthy ingredients, you can feel good about serving them for breakfast, snack, lunch, or dessert. Popsicles for breakfast on a hot summer day will pretty much blow any kid’s mind! 🤯
Here are a few reasons why we love these popsicles so much:
- not so hidden-veggie
- can be served to your baby if you omit the honey
- naturally sweetened
- 5-minute prep time
- great for picky eaters
Not only do they taste amazing, but the dino shapes 🦖 make these green popsicles so much fun to eat!
Smoothie Popsicle Video
Watch this video to see step-by-step instructions on how to make these popsicles.
Ingredients
A full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe card.
- Spinach: packed with iron, magnesium and vitamins A, C and K, spinach also makes these popsicles a fun green color. You can use 1/2 – 1 cup of packed spinach in this recipe. If your kiddos are new to green popsicles, I would start by using 1/2 cup of spinach as they won’t be able to taste it. You can add more spinach the next time you make these popsicles.
- Banana: full of potassium and fiber, adding a banana gives these popsicles a smooth and creamy texture.
- Pineapple: gives these popsicles a fun tropical flavor twist while also adding a huge amount of natural sweetness. You can use fresh or frozen in this recipe. I usually use frozen.
- Honey: is added to give these popsicles just enough sweetness to make them taste like a treat. Not to worry, they are not overly sweet. You should omit the honey if serving these popsicles to babies under 1 year of age. You can also use maple syrup or agave nectar if you prefer.
- Chia Seeds: are added to give these healthy popsicles a boost in added protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Once blended, your kiddo will never even know they are in there.
- Milk: is used to help combine all of the ingredients.
Diary-Free Tip: to make these popsicles dairy-free you can even use any plant-based milk you prefer – coconut, cashew, soy, oat, etc. Or you can eve use coconut water.
Into the Kitchen we Go
Fruit Tip: Feel free to substitute the pineapple with peaches, nectarines, or mango.
Tools Needed
You can easily have your kids help you make these fun popsicles.
Toddlers
- Toddlers can help measure and pour the ingredients into the blender.
- They can help put the lid on the blender and push start. Note: make sure to talk about not touching the blender blade while making something in the blender, as it can be sharp.
- Once blended, toddlers can help pour the popsicle mixture into the popsicle molds. You may want to pour the popsicle mixture into a smaller measuring cup with pour lip to make it easier on them.
- With help, they can place the popsicle molds into the freezer. My kids always spill the tray at this point, so just give them an extra hand.
Kids
- You can pretty much let older kids make this recipe by themselves.
- They can pick out and measure all of the ingredients. Note: make sure to talk about not touching the blender blade while making something in the blender, as it can be sharp.
- Kids can pour the popsicle mixture into the molds and place the popsicles into the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can use any plant-based milk you prefer in the recipe – almond, soy, oat or cashew yogurt.
Once frozen, these popsicles will last up to 3 months in the freezer inside the popsicle mold.
No. You can use small paper cups, a muffin tin, an ice cube tray, or another small container. Fill the small container 3/4 of the way up, cover in saran wrap and stick a popsicle or lollipop stick through. Freeze per the directions below.
Recipe Tips
- Spinach: you can add in 1/2-1 cup of baby spinach to this recipe. If this is your kiddo’s first time eating spinach, then I would start with 1/2 cup and add more if you feel the need.
- Sweetness: depending on the sweetness levels of your fruit, you may need to add in more maple syrup or honey (for over 1 year old) than the recipe states below. Taste the popsicle mixture after you mix in the yogurt it to see if you need to add any sweetener.
- Releasing from Mold: if you are having a hard time releasing the popsicles from the mold, then you can try running the mold under warm water for 15-30 seconds.
- Yield of Recipe: some molds are bigger or smaller than others. So it’s important to know that you may have to double or triple some recipes depending on the size of your molds and how many popsicles you are making. I have always found that if I make too much popsicle mixture, my kids are happy to drink it like a smoothie for me;).
- Outside Time: for babies and toddlers, eating popsicles is a great outdoor activity so you can avoid some of the mess.
- 1/2 cup milk, of choice
- 1/2 – 1 cup spinach (see notes)
- 1 cup pineapple, fresh or frozen
- 1 ripe banana
- 2-3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp chia seeds
Prevent your screen from going dark
Yield: this recipe makes roughly 12 ounces, which gave me 7 dino-size popsicles. Depending on your popsicle molds, you may have to double or triple this recipe.
Notes on Spinach: you can use 1/2 – 1 cup of spinach in this recipe. Using 1/2 cup of spinach makes for a super mild taste that your kiddo wont be able to tell is spinach. If you use a full cup you can barely notice the taste of spinach, but my kids didn’t seem to notice, so I usually load up the spinach for them. If this is your first time making these, I would start with 1/2 cup and work your way up.
Note on Milk: You can use regular, almond, soy, oat, ect. I used almond milk in this recipe. You can also use coconut water or water if you prefer.
Storage: Once frozen, these popsicles will last up to 3 months in the freezer inside the popsicle mold.
Serving: 1popsicle, Calories: 76kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.8g, Protein: 1.7g, Fat: 1.8g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 13mg, Potassium: 123mg, Fiber: 2.4g, Sugar: 10.1g, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg