My kids love the show Top Chef Junior, and nearly every weekend they head into the kitchen to create their own masterpieces. I let them run with it, until I realized that they were choosing the sweetest possible splurge recipes from my grain-free, real food cookbooks. There was not a kale chip in sight, y’all.
I want them to make amazing memories together while honing their cooking skills, but the same time I wanted to reign in the focus on super sweet recipes. To allow them some freedom while also guiding the process from a distance, I gave them carte blanche approval for just a handful of cookbooks that focus on nutrient-dense recipes – The Nutrient Dense Kitchen and The Healing Kitchen to name a couple. I also reminded them of old favorites like these key lime popsicles.
Oh right, the popsicles. Full of nourishing fats, juicy lime and just the right amount of sweetness, these frosty treats are quickly becoming a rediscovered favorite. They only take a few minutes of hands-on time to make, and they’re the perfect way to cool down after an afternoon of playing in the sunshine.
Using these silicone popsicle molds, which I love because they’re on the smaller side, this recipe makes 7-8 servings. If you’re using different popsicle molds and want to calculate about how many this recipe will make, the total amount of liquid is around 1 3/4 to 2 cups.
Also, if you love lime as much as I do, you can increase the intensity of the flavor by adding grated lime zest to taste. My kids make them without the zest, so that’s what’s in the photos, but both ways are delicious. I hope you love them!
Key Lime Pie Popsicle Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lime juice
- raw honey or maple syrup to taste -about 1/3 to ½ cup where to buy raw honey
- ¼ cup coconut milk how to make your own coconut milk
- 1 cup avocado chunks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt where to buy mineral rich salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil where to buy high quality coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon grass fed gelatin optional, where to buy grass fed gelatin
Instructions
- Place the gelatin in a small bowl.
- Heat the coconut milk so that it is very hot to the touch, then add it to the gelatin and whisk until completely dissolved. Mash any lumps that form.
- Place the lime juice, honey, avocado, vanilla, salt and coconut oil in the blender.
- Add the coconut milk/gelatin mixture and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours, or until solid.
Lee
June 18, 2012 at 1:24 PMI have fond memories of a vacation to the Keys where we had Key Lime Pie at least once a day. We had to decide just who made the BEST pie of course! Now I always buy a bag of those little yellow key limes every summer when they show up in my grocery store. I will have to make these popsicles with them this year!
Heather
June 18, 2012 at 4:22 PMWe used to do the same thing, Lee! Several of the ones we bought were partially frozen when we got them home, which is how I got the idea for these pops!
Nicole Rice
June 18, 2012 at 2:32 PMThink I could use cream in the place of the coconut milk, or will the lime juice curdle it? I’m out of coconut milk- but would love to make these today!
Heather
June 18, 2012 at 4:24 PMWell, you are the classically trained chef so if you don’t know I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that if you blend the avocado and lime juice first it would neutralize the reaction.
Heather
June 19, 2012 at 4:05 PMThanks for your question, Edie! I meant to include instructions for preparing the marrow but forgot. Will update now!
Kimberly
June 29, 2012 at 9:07 AMSteph,
These look great, I’ve never made them but I plan on replacing the gelatin with dissolved agar flakes, which is a vegetarian gelatin. Agar is produced from sea vegtables, and it gels up the same way gelatin would. I also plan on leaving out the bone marrow. Just my two cents.
Heather
July 3, 2012 at 2:49 PMHi Rae! This is the one I use and love: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R4AHTK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003R4AHTK&linkCode=as2&tag=wellpress-20
linda
April 25, 2013 at 5:50 AMLove the sound of this recipe! Do you think it would work well as an ice-cream instead of a popsicle?
Heather
April 25, 2013 at 9:12 AMProbably, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure 😀
Crystal
July 13, 2013 at 4:43 PMI’ve been wanting to make these for awhile now and finally got around to it today. They aren’t frozen yet, but I’m entirely serious when I tell you, I was trying to figure out how to lick my blender clean…that’s how amazing it was (or I am just super weird)! Love your blog. I follow nourishing traditions, but we aren’t there 100% yet. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to think about making all the changes we still need to make. How do you find time? I have two girls under two and don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen (a lot, just not all!)…any advice?
Heather
July 13, 2013 at 9:52 PMYay! I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Crystal! I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, either, so I have a collection of quick recipes (like my gummy stars) and crock pot recipes (which take a long time to cook but require very little hands-on time). I also tend to make things in double batches and freeze some for a day when our schedule is crazy. Hope that helps!
Rebecca
August 30, 2013 at 7:05 PMI just found this recipe and I am curios if the 1cup avocado is chunks or mashed up? Love your blog and recommendations. Thanks!
Heather
August 30, 2013 at 11:44 PMChunks 🙂
Katie
October 3, 2013 at 3:05 PMCan’t wait to try these!!
Gwen Belanger
May 28, 2014 at 11:07 AMWe’re all in for these. Maybe even this weekend.
Julia Mosack
May 28, 2014 at 11:20 AMMaking these! I’m pregnant and craving key lime pie!
Angel Anderson Morrison
May 28, 2014 at 3:43 PMTiffany Violet Leigeber just for the kiddos
Heather
July 12, 2014 at 11:01 PMI’m sorry they didn’t work out for you, Jenna!
ShelFish
June 11, 2018 at 9:32 AMI tried the recipe and thought it was great. I added a little too much gelatin and also added the lime zest from all 8 limes. It was difficult to get out of the molds…but the taste was awesome!
Kate
March 20, 2019 at 2:38 PMI made this so many times and love it! Sometimes I add extra gelatin and eat it like a rich pudding. We travel to the Florida Keys often and sample the different key lime pies there. I actually prefer this over those! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Heather
March 22, 2019 at 11:01 AMOh, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to let me know, Kate. 🙂
Delia
May 9, 2019 at 11:58 PMI love it how you sneaked some avocado in there and some healthy fats from the coconut milk. This is a great recipe. My kids absolutely love popsicles and since we try not to give them a ton of sugar, I always make frozen yogurt and fruit popsicles. I’ve never tried lime flavor so it’s on my list now. Thank you!
Gary Rosi
May 13, 2019 at 11:09 AMVery smart and creative indeed Heather! Keep the great recipes coming 🙂