Pina coladas are the perfect summer drink – easily turn them into a healthy summer treat with these pina colada pineapple popsicles. Pineapple rings are placed on sticks and frozen before being topped with whipped coconut cream to give you a fun way to cool off without a ton of sugar. Packed with fruit and healthy fats, this is a healthy summer treat you can feel good about enjoying.
When I was a kid, one of the best parts about vacation was being allowed to order a virgin pina colada when we went to dinner. It was a once-in-a-while kind of treat, but my parents were firm believers of filling vacations up with small treats and fun, so my brother and I were allotted a few expensive drinks with umbrellas and cherries skewered with plastic swords.
We would drink them and scream-sing “If you like pina coladas!” at the top of our lungs, never caring that we literally only knew that line from the old song.
As I grew up, I discovered the magic of not so virgin pina coladas – as someone who is just not into the taste of alcohol, fruity drinks are seriously my favorite. I’m way more likely to order a frozen, ‘girly’ drink than I am to order a glass of wine.
That being said, all things pina colada are appealing to me. With summer coming (hopefully!) soon, I’ve been daydreaming of fruity drinks, hot weather, and popsicles, which brings us to where we are today – Pina Colada Pineapple Popsicles.
Let’s talk about these – not only are they absolutely delicious and fun to eat, but they’re good for you! Full of real fruit, healthy fats, and zero added sugar, these pineapple popsicles are the perfect treat to serve your kiddos in the heat of summer – or any time of year! (keep reading, because I’m also going to give you an option for how to make it an adult treat!)
Tips for Making Pineapple Popsicles
- The smaller the stick, the easier it will be. I experimented with traditional popsicle sticks as well as paper candy sticks (usually used for cake pops) and the small, round sticks were much easier.
- Pierce entry and exit points when threading the sticks – this helps them go in easier as well as to prevent splitting.
- If your pineapple splits, press the edges together around the stick – it should freeze together.
- You can pipe pretty designs onto your pops like I did, or just spread the whipped coconut cream on them.
For this, I used coconut cream what I whipped with a little bit of maple syrup the same way you would whipped cream. You can just as easily use whipped cream or even Cool Whip, (add a bit of coconut flavoring to keep the pina colada taste going!) but if you want the coconut the easiest way is to grab a can of coconut cream at the store (NOT cream of coconut which is more sweetened condensed milk than cream) and refrigerate it. The cream will separate and harden so you can easily remove it from the liquid. Then just whip it up with either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer the same way you would with heavy cream.
Want to make it a bit more adult? Soak the pineapple in coconut rum before freezing!
Pina Colada Pineapple Popsicles
Pina Colada Pineapple Popsicles
Ingredients
- Pineapple rings
- 1 can of coconut milk seperated
- maple syrup to taste
- Toppings
Instructions
- Skewer your pineapple rings onto your popsicle sticks. Place on wax paper and freeze until solid, about 2 hours.
- Whip the coconut cream (separated from the can of coconut milk) with sweetener of choice. Start with 1 teaspoon and increase form there.
- Pipe or spread the coconut whip on your pineapple popsicles. Enjoy immediately or return to the freezer until ready to enjoy. Once the cream is totally frozen, you can add to a smaller container for storing.
Recipe Notes
If you are having issues getting the pineapple onto the sticks, pierce the entry/exit spots with the tip of a paring knife to help it along. If the pineapple breaks, just press together. It will freeze solid. You can easily just spread the coconut cream on the pineapples, but I piped it. Totally up to you. Topping ideas - sprinkles, mini chips, chopped nuts (macadamia would be great!), shredded coconut
Okay so tell me – do certain things make you sing a song? What’s the song? Let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed these Pina Colada Pineapple Popsicles, you may also like these..
Sugar Free Pina Colada Ice Pops
25 Healthy Popsicles to Cool Down With This Summer
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