Strawberry-Coconut Cream Paletas (Popsicles) are reminiscent of the paletas my daughter fell in love with in Mexico, but with a dairy-free and refined-sugar free twist.

Strawberry-Coconut Cream Paletas (Popsicles)

Hey, it's my birthday today! So I say what better way to celebrate than with a recipe for another icy-cool treat. Today's recipe for strawberry-coconut cream paletas (popsicles) is one that takes me back to my summers in Mexico.

For years growing up, my family and I would load up our big van and make the 16-hour journey to Chihuahua (the very place where I was born so many years ago). Our visits were usually only about a week, but each day was filled with family, food, shopping, and lots of treats.

Many people dream of the tacos at the taco stands when they think of Mexico, but I dream about the paleterias! A paleteria is a popsicle and ice cream shop offering popsicles of all different flavors, more flavors than you can probably imagine.

Ever present in those dreams of mine is always a paleteria called La Cascada. A small, colorfully-adorned shop, just a short walk from my grandparents' home, right past the neighborhood plaza and across from their church.

It was there that every summer, my mom, sister and I would excitedly order a variety of treats from elotes, to Dorinachos and of course paletas. With mouths watering, we would peruse the paleta coolers, choosing our favorite flavors. Delighted with our choices, we would eagerly eat our icy treats as we made our walk back, carrying extras for the others back at the house, especially for my wonderful grandmother who loved sweets.

Why fresas con crema?

A more recent memory of visiting that very same paleteria came about three years ago. That time it was not just my mom and my sister picking out their favorite paletas with me, but my then two-year-old daughter and husband were there too.

I discovered on that trip how much my little girl also loves paletas, especially fresas con crema (strawberries with cream). I am not sure if it's because of the flavor or because of the color (that girl loves pink), but that's the one she goes for to this day.

So in honor of my daughter and her very first trip to my birthplace, I recreated a fresas con crema paleta but with my own twist. These strawberry-coconut cream paletas (popsicles) use coconut milk and honey, making them dairy-free and refined-sugar free. The ingredients are very simple as is the process to make them, but the results are fantastic.

Click here for a dairy-free, refined-sugar free and ridiculously easy one-ingredient ice cream.

How to Make Strawberry-Coconut Cream Paletas (Popsicles)

To begin, place a can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for about an hour before making the paletas.

Next, medium dice one cup of strawberries. Set these aside.

Then, chop another cup of strawberries. Add these to a food processor or blender.

Add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla and 4 tablespoons of honey.

After that, open the can of coconut milk. Notice the thick coconut cream has risen to the top of the can, leaving the coconut milk at the bottom. Add one cup of coconut cream and half a cup of coconut milk to the blender.

Blend the strawberries, vanilla, honey and coconut cream together until smooth.

Next, fill each of the popsicle molds ¾ of the way. Fill the rest of the molds with the medium-diced strawberries from before. If you prefer bigger pieces of fruit in your popsicles, you can thinly slice the strawberries and add them to the sides of the molds before pouring in the mixture.

Another option is to leave the strawberries out altogether if your prefer smooth paletas without any chunky fruit. Just note that if you choose to leave the strawberries out, the recipe will yield less popsicles.

Finally place them in the freezer until completely frozen, usually about 3-5 hours.

To easily remove the frozen popsicles from their molds, run the molds under warm water for 20-30 seconds. Then carefully pull on the sticks and the popsicles should easily come out of the molds.

A Treat for the Heat

These strawberry-coconut paletas (popsicles) are not overly sweet so they are a perfectly refreshing treat for these hot summer days. Both my kids devoured them and enjoyed every second.

I hope you enjoy!

If you are looking for another tasty strawberry paleta recipe, click here for a delicious strawberry, mango and banana one from Lola's Cocina.

Recipe