Best Lemon Popsicles

This is the BEST recipe for lemon popsicles (in my opinion!). While this easy popsicle recipe has only 3 ingredients, I tested over 10 different versions of this recipe to get the perfect ratio of sugar, lemon, and water. The result? A lemon popsicle with just the right amount of tanginess and sweetness, that's satisfyingly bite-able (not hard and icy!).

Note: this post was originally published in 2023 and updated in 2024 with improved instructions.

Lemon popsicles have to be one of the most refreshing summer treats out there! And, even though there are only three basic ingredients (fresh lemon, cold water, and sugar), I think this easy lemon popsicle recipe is really the best (if I do say so myself!).

Jump to:

• The secret to the best lemon popsicles
• Recipe ingredients
• Equipment needed
• Tips and tricks
• Step by step photos
• Storage instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📖 Recipe

The secret to the best lemon popsicles

After testing over TEN different variations of this recipe, including researching the ratio of sugar in store-bought lemon popsicles as a comparison, I finally figured out the secret to making the best homemade lemon popsicle: you need way less water than you would think!

When I tried making a popsicle mixture similar to lemonade that you would drink, the result was a hard, icy popsicle with an underwhelming lemon flavor.

Instead, what we need is a super-duper concentrated popsicle mix that turns the dial way up on both tartness and sweetness! Increasing the ratio of both sugar and lemon juice (beyond what you would want to drink as lemonade) gives you that satisfying lemon pucker feeling in your mouth that you expect from a great lemon popsicle. But, that bright lemon flavor is perfectly balanced with just the right amount of sweetness.

And, just as importantly, I found that as I increased the ratio of sugar and lemon to water, the texture of the popsicles became way more satisfying: less icy and way more bite-able! (A win-win!).

Recipe ingredients

As I mentioned above, you only need 3 basic ingredients for this recipe: water, lemons, and granulated sugar!

Ingredient notes

• Lemons: you just need regular old lemons from the grocery store. I would not use Meyer lemons, because they are less tart and it will throw off the sweet/sour ratio!

Equipment needed

Although these lemon popsicles are quite easy to make, you will need a few pieces of equipment. But, if you don't have any of the following, don't worry. I will also provide alternatives:

• Popsicle mold: I recommend a silicone popsicle mold because they are much easier to unmold than a rigid plastic or metal mold. If you don't have a popsicle mold, check out this article on 5 DIY popsicle molds!

• Whisk: this is really useful in getting the sugar to fully dissolve into the liquid. If you don't have a whisk, you can use a wooden spoon but it will take longer to combine.

• Large liquid measuring cup (or pitcher): the spout on these make it super easy to fill the popsicle molds. But if you don't have a container with a spout, you can use a small funnel to help fill the molds neatly.

• Citrus juicer: this helps extract as much juice from the lemons as possible. But, you can just squeeze the lemons by hand, no problem!

Tips and tricks

• This lemon popsicle recipe makes approximately 3 ½ cups of popsicle mix. That is enough to make about 10 - 11 popsicles, depending on the size of your mold.

• It's up to you if you want to include some lemon pulp in the popsicles, they will taste great either way so it's a personal choice!

• And, if you enjoy the slightly bitter and floral flavor of lemon zest, you can try adding in 1 - 2 teaspoons of fine lemon zest into the popsicle mix as well!

• As I explained in my mango popsicles post, if your popsicle mold doesn't have a holder for the sticks, you can freeze the popsicles for about 2 hours, then add in the popsicle sticks once the popsicles are semi-frozen.

• To more easily unmold the popsicles, you can let the popsicle mold sit at room temperature for 2 - 3 minutes.

• Alternatively, you can dip the popsicle mold in a deep tray filled with warm (not hot) water for 20 - 30 seconds. Just be sure to leave the top of the mold out of the water (don't fully submerge it in the water).

Step by step photos

Here is the step by step breakdown on how to make the lemon popsicles. If you would also like to see a brief slideshow of these steps, check out my lemonade popsicles web story!

1. First, you need to squeeze the fresh lemon juice.

2. Then, just mix the lemon juice together with the cold water and sugar. Whisk the popsicle mixture together until the sugar is fully dissolved. This may take a full minute or two of whisking.

3. The next step is to simply pour the popsicle mixture into the popsicle mold, and add the sticks. (If you got a little popsicle mix on the outside of the mold like I did, you can do a quick wipe up with some paper towels.)

4. Place the mold in the freezer until the lemon popsicles are fully frozen. This will take at least 4 hours, or up to 6 hours. Of course, you can leave the popsicles in the freezer overnight or for a few days even, until you are ready to enjoy.

When you are ready to eat one of your delicious homemade popsicles, you can unmold the popsicles by pressing them up from the bottom, if using a silicone mold like this one. Check out the Tips and tricks section above for more tips on unmolding!

Storage instructions

• Once the popsicles are fully frozen, you can store them in the freezer in the popsicle mold.

• Or, you can unmold the popsicles and store them in a single layer in zip-top bags (with as much air removed from the bags as possible).

• The popsicles will keep well in the freezer for 4 - 6 weeks.

Recipe FAQs

Related recipes

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