If you clicked on this blog post, that means you are probably in need of a nice cold treat. You’re hot, sun-kissed, and ready for something refreshing. Well these Blueberry Lavender Ice Pops are just the thing for those hot summer days. I love these ice pops because they are so easy (my favorite quality of any recipe), so delicious, and made with quality ingredients so I won’t feel bad having two (or three). There are only five ingredients! I’m using New Barn Barista Almondmilk so there’s just touch of organic cane sugar from the almondmilk (around 1g per pop!) plus a little maple syrup (three tablespoons in the entire batch of 10 pops). Combine those for a naturally sweet pop with less than 6g of added sugar each.
Since the base of these Blueberry Lavender Ice Pops is New Barn Barista Almondmilk, that means creamy, organic almonds are the foundation for this recipe. Almonds are one of those foods that I always buy organic because studies have shown conventional almonds to contain NINE different pesticide residues. No thank you! For this recipe, I chose New Barn’s Barista blend because it is thicker and creamier than their regular almondmilk and because it doesn’t separate easily which helps with the ice pops’ consistency.
And because it’s summer, I’m using local blueberries that I froze earlier in the week. Pro tip: freeze berries in a single layer on a baking pan for an hour or two and THEN add them into a ziplock bag. This way, they won’t clump up and will be easy to break apart later. You can also use fresh berries if preferred.
I’m all about simplifying recipes and I’ve always found those that include lavender to be lengthy and intimidating. A lot of recipes that include lavender call for steeping it in the liquid and then straining the flowers out. While this method works great and provides a clean flavor, it just isn’t always realistic for me to steep lavender, strain it, and let it cool for an hour before making a recipe. I’m just not that good at thinking ahead! So in this recipe, I’m putting the lavender straight in the blender with the almondmilk so there is no heating and no waiting to cool. Who wants to turn the stove on this time of year anyway? Simply blend it up, pour it in the molds, and freeze! If you are worried about the lavender flavor being too strong or bitter, start with half of the amount, blend, taste, and then add more if desired. (Find dried lavender in the spice section of Whole Foods or other health food store.) Oh, and side note, unless you are some kind of lavender-aholic, DON’T sprinkle flowers on your popsicles (I just did it for the photo).
This recipe of Blueberry Lavender Ice Pops yields ten 3-oz pieces, but if you only have a six-cavity mold, feel free to keep the leftovers refrigerated and save for a future batch. Once your first round is frozen, store the popsicles in baggies to free up the pop mold for another batch.
As always, let me know if you try this recipe by tagging me @hashtagvegan and using #hashtagvegan on Instagram so I can see your creations!
A big thank you to New Barn for sponsoring this post! Recipe and opinions are 100% my own, and I only work with companies whose products I genuinely use, love, and recommend. For more info, check out my full disclosure here.
For the animals,
Julianne
P.S. The ice pop molds I use are from Amazon; click here to get yours (affiliate link).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups New Barn Barista Almondmilk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
- 2 teaspoons lavender, dried
- 1 cup blueberries, frozen, divided
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine Barista almondmilk, lavender, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a blender; blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until no large pieces of lavender remain.
- Add 1/2 C frozen blueberries to the almondmilk mixture and blend on low for another 10-20 seconds. Some small chunks of blueberries should still remain.
- Pour into popsicle molds, distributing evenly and leaving about an inch of space on top of each mold.
- Freeze for 30 minutes.
- While the pops' bases are freezing, blend the other 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries with the other 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and lemon juice. Blend on high for 30 seconds until mostly smooth.
- Remove ice pop molds from the freezer. Carefully spoon about one tablespoon of blueberry mixture on the top of each mold. There should still be about a quarter or half-inch of space for each popsicle to expand.
- Using the tip of the spoon, gently press the blueberry mixture into the almondmilk mixture so the layers mix slightly. Do not over-stir.
- Insert popsicle sticks and freeze again for four hours or overnight.
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