Lava Flow Popsicles – A creamy pineapple layer swirled with a fresh strawberry puree. You’re going to LOVE these! (Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Post updated May 2018. Originally posted May 2015.
Have you tried a lava flow? Basically it’s a really awesome pineapple-coconut drink with a strawberry swirl layer. It’s ahhhhmazing. Fresh, creamy, light, and perfectly sweet all at once.
It’s an awesome drink, sure, but in my opinion, they make even better popsicles. I love the creaminess of the pineapple coconut layer swirled with the bright, fresh strawberry layer. My mouth is watering just typing that out!
These lava flow popsicles have been MEGA summer favorites for the last several summers, and we loved making our first batch of the season over the weekend. They’re as pretty and delicious as we remembered!
We’ve been making homemade popsicles for about six years now, and it’s one of my favorite warm-weather traditions. I love that we can make them from fruit and there are no dyes, refined sugar, or any “extra” ingredients. They’re a snack I can feel great about enjoying any time of day. (And we’ve literally tried them at any meal of the day–including breakfast!)
These lava flow popsicles are one of those recipes that looks tricky but really isn’t. They’re as easy as can be! It’s really just as easy as blending up two batches of smoothie and alternating them in your popsicle mold. It’s an easy one for kids to help with, and I love that they’re naturally sweetened (only 1 Tbsp of honey or agave for 10 popsicles–and that’s if you choose to add it!).
They’re GORGEOUS (especially these ones!), but they’re also as delicious as can be. We crave them all summer long! Easy-peasy. All my best tips are below!
NOTES FOR LAVA FLOW POPSICLES:
MY FAVORITE POPSICLE MOLD. I own several, but my favorite popsicle mold is this one. I love the lid (it has slots for the popsicle sticks and holds them in place while your popsicles freeze). It’s been going strong for several years and is the one I recommend most. (You can see my other favorite popsicle molds here)
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT SWIRL: don’t think about it too much! I’ve tried a lot of things but, simply going slow and adding a spoonful or small drizzle at a time gives you great layers. It’s okay if they’re not all perfectly equal or look identical. That’s part of the magic!
SWEETNESS. I’ve found these strawberry pineapple popsicles are perfectly sweet for my taste, but depending on your fruit and your own preferences, you may want to add a little drizzle of honey or agave. Let your tastebuds be your guide!
FRESH VS. FROZEN FRUIT. You can make lava flow popsicles with fresh or frozen fruit (or a combination). Your proportions will be the same. If you’re using frozen fruit, you’ll want to let it thaw slightly so it blends easier. Otherwise, you’ll need slightly more liquid to blend frozen fruit than fresh.
HOW DO I STORE LAVA FLOW POPSICLES? After they’re totally frozen solid, I typically remove them from the mold and put them into a zip-top freezer bag. It works like a charm! Popsicles will keep 2-3 weeks, though I doubt they’ll last that long without being eaten!
LOVE THESE LAVA FLOW POPSICLES? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
- Pineapple Dole Whip Popsicles
- Strawberry Watermelon Popsicles
- Healthy Homemade Fudgecicles
- Raspberry Sorbet Popsicles
- (Virgin) Blackberry Mojito Popsicles
- Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
Lava Flow Popsicles
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
For the Pineapple Layer:
- 1 1/2 cups cubed pineapple
- 1 cup diced mango
- 1/2–3/4 cup coconut milk (I prefer full-fat canned)
For the Strawberry Swirl:
- 2 1/2 cups strawberries
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 Tbsp honey or agave (optional–only as needed)
Instructions
MAKE THE PINEAPPLE LAYER: Place ingredients in a blender and puree until completely smooth. Add additional coconut milk as needed.
Transfer pineapple coconut mixture to a liquid measuring cup or a small pitcher while you make the strawberry layer.
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY SWIRL: Place ingredients in a blender and puree until completely smooth.
TO ASSEMBLE: Alternate scoops of pineapple and strawberry smoothies into popsicle molds. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze until completely solid. (Mine typically take at least 3 hours)
Notes
IF YOU DON’T HAVE A POPSICLE MOLD: You can use paper cups. If you use paper cups, freeze the popsicles about 30 minutes, then insert the popsicle sticks. (The sticks will shift less this way.)
FRESH OR FROZEN. You can make these with fresh or frozen fruit (or a combination). Your proportions will be the same. If you’re using frozen fruit, you’ll want to let it thaw slightly so it blends easier. Otherwise, you’ll need slightly more liquid to blend frozen fruit than fresh.
HOW TO STORE THEM: After they’re totally frozen solid, I typically remove them from the mold and put them into a zip-top freezer bag. It works like a charm! Popsicles will keep 2-3 weeks, though I doubt they’ll last that long without being eaten!
Good Heavens. This may be the most beautiful popsicle I’ve ever seen!
These look amazing! They’re definitely going on the summers “to eat” list!
Can you use the canned coconut milk for this or does it matter?
Rene – That’s what I use! Canned coconut is preferred! I’ll put that in with my notes. Best of luck!
These look delicious, I’m going to give them a try this afternoon! Your pictures look beautiful, too 🙂
We’re on a huge popsicle kick this summer and these will fit in perfectly!
Where did you find your popsicle molds?
Maria – I put a link in the post to the popsicle mold I ordered. It’s from Amazon. I’ve seen similar ones on Zulily or at World Market. I love it!
Do you have a suggestion for an alternate to coconut milk? Have some relatives allergic to coconut.
Amanda – The coconut is pretty important for the flavor, but if you are working with a coconut allergy, I’d suggest dairy milk.
Would almond milk work?
I only recommend it in cases of allergies, since it won’t be as creamy or have quite the same flavor. 😊
Hello, can I use boxed coconut milk or does it have to be canned? I have both either way, just curious. Thank you!
Boxed will work, but it will be slightly less creamy than canned. Great question!
These look amazing! Curious, how long do these need to freeze for before they are ready to eat?
Bethany – Great question! It’ll depend on what popsicle mold you use, but for the one pictured, about 2 1/2-3 hours is perfect.
I’m allergic to mangoes, oranges, (as well as lemons, lines, grapefruit). Any suggestions for substitutes in the recipe?
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Michelle – It sounds like this might not be the right recipe for you since the substitutions would change the flavor fairly significantly, but if I were to make some suggestions, here’s what I’d do: you could leave out the orange juice in the strawberry layer, and substitute banana in place of the mango. I do hope that helps! I know allergies make things so hard sometimes!
Why did you rate the recipe 2 stars, just because you can’t have what’s in it? I have dietary restrictions too, but I don’t go around downgrading recipes because of it! 😑
Super simple, healthy, and kid approved!
★★★★★
YAY! I love hearing that. My kids just LOVE them!
Do you skim the coconut cream off the top of the can or reintegrate it with the milk?
Keegan – I usually reintegrate it with the milk. (I’ll often shake the can before opening, otherwise a whisk will do the job!)
This is such a pretty treat and these two flavours are amazing together! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
MY pleasure! We LOVE them!!!
This is look so delicious, I can try it my home
We can’t do fruit juices here is the orange juice important in the strawberry layer?
It does add a bit of sweetness and brightness. But you could probably get away without it. You’ll just need to add another liquid instead (like water) to help it blend.
I’m happy to have finally found someone who shares my obsession with homemade popsicles! Love this recipe! We also love your coconut lime popsicles!
Ah! I love hearing this! Aren’t homemade popsicles THE best!? I LOVE THEM!!! So glad you do too 🙂
Hi! Does these have a coconut flavor? Not a big fan of things that taste like coconut?
Gabby – They don’t to me. 🙂 The strawberry and pineapple is really what comes through to my tastebuds (and my husband’s, who’s not big on coconut). The strawberry layer is bright and fresh (lots of berry flavor) and the pineapple layer just tastes creamy and luscious (kind of like a Dole Whip pineapple soft serve). We love it! If you tolerate dairy, you could sub in some whole milk or cream for the coconut milk if you’re nervous. 🙂
I have no idea how you got those strawberries to blend with only a 1/4 cup of orange juice????
If I use frozen strawberries, I usually let them soften a bit. Thawed frozen strawberries or fresh strawberries usually blend right up for me! 🙂
These look are delicious and soooo healthy and easy to make. I’m gonna try to make it this weekend for sure. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
All these popsicles look amazing. My question is can I substitute some other sweetener for the honey or agave?
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April – What did you have in mind? I’m sure you could do sugar if you prefer!
I wanted to know if I could use splenda. I have a diabetic friend that these would be amazing as a snack for her and my kids.
April – I haven’t used Splenda before, but I think it would work! You’d likely want to start small, as Splenda runs sweeter than natural sweeteners. Just sweeten to taste 🙂
cool!