Berry Banana Breakfast Popsicles

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(Note: this post was originally published on July 30, 2020. The date above reflects migration to the new platform.)

Wait... Popsicles for Breakfast??

Yes indeed, this is a post about BREAKFAST popsicles. All of your wildest childhood dreams have come true; this post gives you complete permission to have popsicles for breakfast.

Why a breakfast popsicle?? Other than the fact that these are adorable and so fun, they're also a great way to jump-start your morning with fruit. Made from banana and berries of your choice, and with the option to add some protein and crunch, these certainly make for a wholesome breakfast. If you have kids who are more interested in sugary cereal than produce at breakfast time, these pops are sure to be a hit. Although of course they're wonderful for adults too, and would be so fun at a brunch party.

These breakfast popsicles are also really easy and fast to make- no special equipment needed. Just blend up the ingredients and pour the mixture into popsicle molds. Small paper cups will work great too, if you don't have molds. Freeze for an hour, insert popsicle sticks, freeze overnight, and you have yourself the perfect, light, refreshing, and portable summery breakfast.

A Very Special Local Collab

You might be wondering where this crazy, fun, unique idea came from. It's all thanks to Arealles Ortiz, founder of Curly Girl Pops! Arealles combines her passion for frozen treats with her nutrition background (she has a BS in Nutrition and Food Sciences!) to create a rainbow of plant-based, nourishing, and delicious popsicles that are made with whole-food ingredients. Check out her website and Instagram feed (@CurlyGirlPops) for colorful popsicle inspiration and details about where to buy them if you're in central Vermont.

The idea for breakfast popsicles, as well as the recipe below, came from Arealles. We wanted to team up to bring you a popsicle that was easy to make at home, good for the body, and unexpected. Arealles is undoubtedly the Popsicle Master, so this is a great opportunity to experience her creations at home, especially if you don't live in the area.

(Note: after this post was published, these collaborative popsicles were featured by our local paper, Seven Days! You can read the article here. It was part of their "Home on the Range" series, in which the food writers choose a recipe to make and share).

Nutrition + Variations

You can really personalize this recipe with all sorts of variations. For the popsicles themselves, use your favorite type of berry or a mixture of numerous types. Add a dollop of yogurt for more protein. Add cinnamon, fresh ginger, or fresh herbs for an unexpected pop of flavor. You can even dip the finished popsicles in yogurt (as I've shown above!) or nut butter (see below!), and then roll them in granola, chopped nuts, chia seeds, or whatever else you can dream up.

Nutritionally speaking, you have a lot of control over these popsicles. They're easily vegan if you use your favorite plant-based milk or yogurt. They're sweetened primarily with fruit and just a dash of maple syrup, but you could use honey instead or omit the sweetener entirely. You can add as much or as little protein as you like.

Arealles (remember, she's a nutritionist!) notes that berries are loaded with antioxidants, yogurt is filled with good-for-the-gut probiotics, and maple syrup contains important mineral nutrients... as if you needed any additional excuses to make these???

Let's Talk Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions or exciting additions, we'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

  • Frozen berries. Use one kind or a mixture of multiple. In season, fresh, local berries are wonderful!
  • Frozen banana. Your final result will be creamier if you freeze the banana first and then blend it; however, if you're short on time, non-frozen banana works too.
  • Unsweetened plant-based milk. Use what you have on-hand, or even water in a pinch. A more luscious milk, like soy, will yield a creamier popsicle. If you omit the milk, add a dollop of yogurt to compensate.
  • Maple syrup. Feel free to omit this if you want an entirely fruit-sweetened pop. You could also use honey instead, or even blend a date or two into the mix.
  • Optional add-ins. Think things like cinnamon, fresh ginger, fresh herbs, dollop of unsweetened yogurt, dollop of your favorite nut butter.
  • Optional toppings: Unsweetened yogurt, drizzle of nut butter, granola, chopped nuts, chia seeds, etc. The sky is the limit!

Closing Thoughts

Popsicles for breakfast?!? Oh yes! Let's officially make this the breakfast trend of the summer. These beauties are creamy, delicious, so fresh, and way better for you than grabbing a packaged breakfast item out of the freezer. Plus they're adorable and sure to bring a smile to your face in the morning!

I love how customizable this concept is; I think you could create an infinite world of breakfast pops! Mixed berry basil? Strawberry peanut butter? Blueberry ginger almond butter? Raspberry mint? Oh my gosh I'm getting excited just thinking about all the possibilities. We're so excited to see what you create, so please do share photos and tag us both on Instagram so we can droll over them.

Thank you to Arealles of Curly Girl Pops (@CurlyGirlPops) for sharing this awesome idea!

Share It

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

Suggested Pairings

Blackberry Limoncello Gin Smash

Banana Bread Granola

Strawberry Thyme Granola Parfait

Fruity Brunch Salad

Wired Monkey Oat Flour Muffins

Berry Banana Breakfast Popsicles

Popsicles for breakfast?? Oh yes! It's definitely a "do" when they're made from whole-food, nourishing ingredients and are infinitely customizable. These pops are a fun, unexpected, and refreshing breakfast for summer.

Author:
Lee

Ingredients

  • 2 c frozen berries of choice
  • Frozen banana
  • 0.5 c unsweetened plant-based milk
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • Dash of water or more milk as needed
  • Optional add-ins: cinnamon, fresh ginger, fresh herbs, dollop of unsweetened yogurt, dollop of your favorite nut butter
  • Optional toppings: unsweetened yogurt, drizzle of nut butter, granola, chopped nuts, chia seeds

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a high-power blender and blend until you have a creamy, smooth texture. Add a splash or more of water or additional plant-based milk as needed to facilitate blending.
  2. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds or paper cups. This should fill about four regular-size popsicle molds, three large paper cups, or six small paper cups.
  3. Freeze the mixture for about an hour or an hour and a half, just until the top surface has barely solidified. Then insert popsicle sticks about two-thirds of the way in, making sure to keep the stick centered and upright.
  4. Freeze overnight. If using popsicle molds, run the molds under hot water for a minute before trying to remove them.
  5. If desired, dip the frozen popsicles into your yogurt of choice, then dip or sprinkle them with whatever toppings you like. Freeze again for at least an hour.
  6. Store your finished popsicles for up to a week in a tightly-sealed container in the freezer.

Leave a Comment

Please Share Your Thoughts!

Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.

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Anonymous
August 16, 2020
These are such fun! My kids loved them and thought it was a blast to have popsicles for breakfast. We added some greek yogurt for a protein boost. Thx!