Warm weather calls for swinging in the hammock and sipping ice tea, but when it gets really hot, slurping on a popsicle is an even better treat.  While I love me some popsicles, I know too much to feel good about the typical sugary, colored offerings available at the grocery store. It occurred to me that I could combine my love of great, organic herbal tea with my love of frosty frozen desserts and come up with healthy, refreshing, and fun recipes for folks of all ages.  I am thrilled to share a few of my best recipes!

There are a few things to know as you make popsicles from tea, whether using my recipes or as you get inspired and create your own:

• You need to make the tea about three times as strong as what you would normally drink. Use more tea and let it steep a bit longer.  You can then add in other flavors and sweetness to balance it, but for flavor, you will want a good, strong brew.

• When adding fruit and herbs: if you want bits of fruit or chopped herbs to be distributed throughout the popsicles, partially freeze your tea mix until it is slushy, then mix in the bits and pour into molds.  I don’t mind having layers of fruit or herbs so I put them into the mold and pour the tea mix over.

• You can substitute a light sugar syrup for the honey if you choose: 1 part sugar to 3 parts water

• Any of these recipes can be consumed as a hot or cold tea beverage too!  I actually made up extra of the Ruby Freedom Pops and added some sparkling water and served it over ice for a yummy iced tea.

Cherry Vanilla Tea Pops 

These popsicles are positively decadent—a little sweet, a little tart, and with vanilla undertones.  Plus, there are the frosty bits of cherry to chew…

Pour 2 cups boiling water over:

½ cup organic Honeybush Tea

2 Tablespoons dried organic Rosehips

Let steep for 10 minutes and then add:

½ organic Vanilla bean (slice open the pod and scrape seeds into the tea using the flat edge of a knife)

3 Tablespoons local, organic honey*

For each popsicle mold, chop one ripe Bing cherry (you could use other cherries or try other fruits too!) and drop into mold.  Pour tea mixture into mold and freeze.

Frosty Mint Lemon Pops

These pops really do taste like frozen minty iced tea. For the lemon flavor, I first explored lemon juice, but found the lemon extract gives it a more consistent lemon-y zip. I like them without the honey, but if you expect a popsicle to be sweet, the honey helps make that happen…

Pour 2 cups boiling water over:

½ cup organic Mint Tea

Let steep for 5-10 minutes and then add:

2 teaspoons organic Lemon Extract or fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 Tablespoons local, organic honey*

For each popsicle mold, chop ½ - 1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves of choice and drop into the mold.  Pour tea mixture into mold and freeze.

Fruity Floral Pops

I thought of these as like a little tea party in a frozen pop!  The lavender is subtle, but goes well with the Jasmine Green Tea.  These do taste better with the sweetness of the juice and honey…

Pour 2 cups boiling water over:

½ cup organic Jasmine Green Tea

2 Tablespoons dried organic Lavender

Let steep for 5-10 minutes and then add:

3 Tablespoons local, organic honey*

¼ - ½ cup fruit juice (I used organic mango lemonade, but you could try any sweetened or unsweetened juice you choose)

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Ruby Freedom Pops

You will taste the licorice and the sweet-tart of hibiscus in these deeply-flavored popsicles.  There's also quite a bit of nutritive quality to this tea and it would be a good soother for a day when you really need a medicinal treat.  These are also the most gorgeous deep ruby color!

Pour 2 cups boiling water over:

½ cup Women’s Freedom Tea

2 Tablespoons organic Hibiscus flowers

Let steep for 10-15 minutes and then mix in:

¼-1/2 cup organic lemonade (you can use prepared or make your own or experiment with other juices)

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

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About Kori: 

This post comes to us from Kori, our Public and Media Relations Coordinator! A West Coast native, Kori is a seasoned nonprofit activist and community organizer. Having launched six adult kids, she spends her free time in her burgeoning organic and very urban “farm”—taming Heritage chickens, building top-bar beehives from reclaimed materials, baking, brewing, and preserving.