The next time you need to cool off from the sun then these orange hibiscus popsicles should do the work. Made with freshly squeezed orange juice and hibiscus leaves, these are fun to eat but also a healthy alternative to ice cream, especially without any additional sugar.
Other hibiscus-related recipes you will enjoy making are this hibiscus syrup and this very refreshing hibsicus and passion fruit chiller. Also, this very popular drink Sobolo is definitely one to try.
Ingredients
The ingredients for these popsicles are few. The sugar is optional and depends on the sweetness of your oranges.
Instructions
Getting these popsicles ready is easy. As these popsicles are a mix of orange juice and hibiscus leaves, the first step is to squeeze the oranges for their juice.
The next step is to put some of the hibiscus leaves in water to get all their beautiful colour out. Alternatively, you can place the leaves directly into the orange juice for a few minutes and then sieve them out.
The advantage here is that you do not have that extra water that "dilutes" these colourful popsicles. The disadvantage? If you forget the hibiscus in the orange juice for too long, it will become overly tart.
The final step is to sieve out the leaves and then mix the hibiscus with orange juice. At this point, you will want to taste and see if you need to add a sweetener like sugar or honey. If your oranges are very sweet then you can skip adding sugar. Transfer the liquid into a popsicle mold and freeze until solid.
If you are worried about these popsicles being healthy, you don't have to. Firstly, these popsicles do not contain a never-ending list of ingredients and the additional sugar is optional.
You can also swap sugar with honey or other sweeteners of your choice. Compared with ice cream, these are definitely the healthier choice. As with all things, if you eat them in moderation then you can indulge every now and then without feeling guilty about it.
Substitutions
- Tangerines- if you have a bunch of tangerines and do not know what to use them for then they are a great substitute for oranges.
- Pineapples - if you have delicious sweet pineapples, why not juice those and make these popsicles instead of using orange juice.
Storage
As long as you have these popsicles frozen, there should be nothing to worry about. If the weather is hot and you have popsicles in your freezer though, why are you keeping them there for ages?
Tip
Sometimes taking the frozen popsicles out of the mold can be a bit of a struggle. To make this easier, dip the mold in some warm water for a few seconds. After this, the popsicles will be much easier to remove.
Orange Hibiscus Popsicles
Ingredients
- hibiscus leaves/flowers
- 300 millilitres orange juice without pulp
- sugar optional
Instructions
- Add 1½ teaspoons of hibiscus to 200 milliliters of water and leave for about 5 minutes. See notes 1.
- Strain the hibiscus solution and add it to the orange juice.
- Add sugar if the hibiscus and orange mix is not sweet enough. See notes 2.
- Pour into popsicle molds and leave to freeze.
- Once the popsicles are frozen, dip the mold briefly into warm water so that the popsicles come out easier. Alternatively, leave them to thaw briefly before pulling them out.
Notes
- The longer the hibiscus remains in the water the darker and the more acidic the solution becomes.
- The sugar is optional but if your oranges aren't as sweet as you would like them to be, you can some sugar. The sugar also helps with the popsicle not becoming extra hard when frozen. If you are an adult then adding alcohol will have lower the freezing point and have a similar effect.
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