Lemon Popsicles

Lemon popsicles (also called lemonade popsicles!) are the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Fresh lemon juice gives these lemonade pops a delightful tanginess that is so refreshing. You can prep these easy popsicles in only about 10 minutes, with only three ingredients!

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 special (if I do say so myself!).

After testing over TEN different variations of this recipe, I finally figured out my perfect ratio of lemon, water, and sugar that makes this tangy ice pop recipe so irresistible! It has the exact right amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice to give that pucker feeling in your mouth, without being overwhelmingly sour. And, the sugar balances out that tartness, but without being too sweet.

So, if you are in the mood for a frozen treat that will satisfy your sweet (and sour!) tooth on a hot day, you have to try this delicious homemade lemon popsicle for yourself!

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Jump to:

• Recipe ingredients
• Equipment needed
• Step by step photos
• Tips and tricks
• Storage instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe ingredients

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. The one I'm using is the PopsicleLab Popsicle Mold Set (affiliate link). 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!

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 lemonade popsicle mixture together until the sugar is fully dissolved. This may take a full minute or two of whisking.

If you're using a glass measuring cup like I am here, you can peek underneath to see if there are any sugar crystals remaining!

3. The next step is to simply pour the lemon 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 lemonade 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 lemon 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 for more tips on unmolding!

Tips and tricks

• 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 lemon 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).

• 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!

Storage instructions

• Once the lemon 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).

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

Recipe FAQs

Related recipes

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