Who doesn’t love eating popsicles during the summer?
With almost seemingly endless flavor combinations, there are so many ways to enjoy them, no matter how much diet culture tries to tell you that you should eat those diet popsicles they sell at the store in order to “stay healthy” (looking at you, WW.)
Although regular popsicles don’t have a hefty nutritional profile, it doesn’t mean that they can’t. So when you want a popsicle and also want a nourishing snack…what better way to satisfy hunger cues than with a cold treat that’s also packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals?
If you’re looking to up your popsicle game, you’ve got to try my favorite recipe for high protein high fiber popsicles. It’s incredibly customizable, so depending on your preferences and dietary restrictions or allergies, you can make it however you’d like! Here’s what I included in mine:
Greek Yogurt
Protein not only helps you stay fuller longer, but it’s essential for our body to repair and create new cells! It’s also fantastic for maintaining stable blood pressure, building strong bones, and increasing muscle mass.
Greek yogurt is a protein powerhouse, which is why I’ve included it as the base for my protein popsicles. As a fermented food, Greek yogurt is also a good source of probiotics, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. Probiotics are good bacteria that keep your gut, microbiome, and body healthy. They aid in digestion and can even help with bloating and discomfort.
Dates
Fiber is essential for helping you stay regular and for your overall health. It helps maintain a healthy microbiome, improves digestion, and aids in preventing or relieving constipation by helping waste move along through your digestive tract.
Dates are a tasty way to add fiber into your diet, either as a snack or added to a recipe, like my protein popsicles. Just about 3.5 ounces of dates have 7 grams of fiber and even 2 grams of protein! They also have a low glycemic index because they regulate blood sugar levels and slow digestion.
FLAX SEEDS
These mild, nutty-flavored seeds add texture and flavor to any recipe and a good dose of protein and fiber (around 7 grams of ground flaxseed has 2 grams of fiber.) They also are high in vitamins and minerals, like:
- Thiamin- metabolism and cell function
- Copper- brain development, immune system health & alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
- Omega-3 fatty acid- heart, lung & blood vessel health
Remember that although this recipe does have a lot of nutrients, you don’t have to include these if you don’t like them or have sensitivity. Feel free to replace it with whatever you like! You’ll find some suggestions below.
High Protein, High Fibre Popsicles
Serves 6 popsicles
Ingredients
- 2 cups Greek yogurt, plain, 2 or 5% M.F.
- 2 cups fruit, fresh or frozen (My favorites are mango, banana, figs, or blueberries)
- 3 dried dates*
- 2 tbsp flax seeds, ground
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 1-2 tbsp flavor of choice (ie: cocoa powder, unsweetened shredded coconut, nut butter, rose petals, chocolate chips …)**
*if you don’t have or don’t like dates, you can replace them with 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, but you will lose on some fibre
** for flavor & a higher protein content, you can add peanut or almond butter powder
Preparation
- Blend the fruit & dates in a food processor or blender on high speed until nearly liquified. Make sure they are not too liquified as we will keep blending them.
- Add the vanilla extract, ground flax seeds and your flavor of choice. Pulse them a few times until the mix is homogeneous.
- Pour the thick fruit liquid into a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix everything together with a whisk, or fold them in with a spatula. If you want a tie-dye, swirly look at your popsicles, do not fully blend the yogurt and fruit.
- Taste it. If you want it sweeter, you can add a little more honey or maple syrup.
- Pour mixture evenly into each popsicle mold and insert the stick.
- Freeze for a minimum of 5 hours.
You can, of course, mix fruits together: mango & banana or mango & pineapple will give the popsicles a tropical feel, banana & strawberry will take you back to childhood, and blueberry & pineapple will give you the most wonderful swirls.
For some extra sass, I like to drizzle some melted chocolate with a spoon within the mold before pouring in the mix. Y-U-M.
You can use these popsicles as a fun dessert on a summer day or take 2 or 3 of them as a fulfilling snack. Make a batch and store them in the fridge, so they’re ready whenever you want them!
You can even bring them to any summer get-together you have planned! In fact, if you want to drop some slices of whole fruits (like kiwi, strawberries, or raspberries) into the mold for a more sophisticated look, it will surely impress your guests! Though keep in mind that you may need more molds to fit all of the mixture.
Change up the recipe from time to time to try new flavors and combinations, and if you love this one (and any of my other recipes), let me know!
Let me know the flavors you’ve tried or any extra ingredients you’ve added to the recipe to give it a personal kick! Shoot me an email or DM me on Instagram!