Naturally-Sweetened Key Lime Pie Popsicles
All the delicious flavor of key lime pie – even the buttery graham cracker crust – in cool, creamy popsicle form. Made with Greek yogurt and sweetened naturally with honey for a wholesome, sugar-free summer treat.
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The story of these key lime pie popsicles actually starts with a different treat. Well, not so different – just a standard-issue key lime pie.
You see, as I’ve mentioned probably too many times already, maybe because I’m ridiculously happy about it, my step-daughter is staying with us for a bit. For several years running her birthday request has been not a cake, but a key lime pie.
The first year, this required some research and experimentation on my part. (I was concerned that the filling was insufficiently vivid and in a scramble actually added green food coloring. It was, to be honest, hideous. Live and learn.)
Fortunately, at this point I’ve nailed down the perfect simple key lime pie recipe. So although her birthday was earlier in the year, I can’t miss this opportunity to make a belated birthday pie. The only problem? Insufficient graham crackers.
Now, living in Belgium, we don’t want for much. Local grocery stores like Carrefour and Delhaize carry everything you need, and the farmers markets are incredible – amazing fruit and veggies, plus bread, eggs, meat, and cheese from relatively small local vendors. The only thing we miss is the occasional “American” goodie – most of them decidedly not great for you, ha! We’re talking Oreos, Triscuits, and …. graham crackers.
Now we can buy all those American treats at a base not too far away where we are lucky to enjoy shopping privileges, but given the distance (and the toddler) we try not to make that trip more often than necessary. Also I have an amazing recipe for DIY graham crackers that could come through in a pinch, but, well, said toddler has been sleeping even less than usual, and I just haven’t had the time or energy to make multi-component desserts, like graham crackers and then the pie.
Thus I found myself with a serious and urgent desire to produce creamy key lime dessert goodness, and about four graham crackers left in the house – well short of what I’d need for a full pie crust.
Fortunately a few weeks earlier I’d spied these absolutely gorgeous popsicles over on Erin’s blog, The Wooden Skillet, and still had them on the brain. The solution was clear.
I made a few changes to the recipe to use ingredients we normally keep on hand – namely plain Greek yogurt – and because my family has no dairy sensitivities.
Key lime pie popsicles aren’t exactly a revolutionary idea, but a lot of the most popular recipes on the interwebs rely on sweetened condensed milk. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for that particular form of deliciousness (like pie!) but these popsicles are so delicious with much healthier Greek yogurt. Why not make a treat you can feel good about?
Add a few tablespoons of honey – more or less to taste, of course – some like it tart! – lime juice and zest, whisk, and go. The graham cracker “crust” isn’t strictly necessary, but makes a supremely satisfying crunchy treat when you get to the bottom of the popsicle. I had just about 4 graham crackers, remember? That turned out to be the perfect amount for a batch of popsicles. It was fate!
Is it just me, or does anyone else physically shiver every time they see a picture of a popsicle with a clean bite out of it!? Brrrr! I got a chill just thinking about it.
One final recipe note: frozen treat molds are great – I have and love this one – but don’t be deterred if you don’t have one. Wondering how to make popsicles without a mold? Here’s a list of 5 simple ideas.
Enjoy!
If you try these popsicles or any other recipe on the blog, please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
Naturally-Sweetened Key Lime Pie Popsicles
Ingredients
- 4 large graham cracker rectangles
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 6 tablespoons key lime or regular lime juice from about 12 key limes or 3 regular
- 3 teaspoons key lime or regular lime zest
Instructions
- Place graham crackers in a food processor or tightly-sealed zip-top bag and crush into fine crumbs. Pour out into a small bowl, add melted butter, and stir with a fork to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, lime juice, and zest. Whisk until smooth and evenly combined.
- Divide the yogurt mixture evenly between popsicle molds, leaving about 3/4 inch at the top of each one. Spoon a small amount of the graham cracker mixture onto the top of each popsicle (which will, of course, become the bottom) and pack it down lightly with your fingers. Cover, insert popsicle sticks, and freeze until solid, at least 3-4 hours.
Notes
- Be sure to zest the limes before juicing them, otherwise zesting will be much more difficult.
- Adapted from The Wooden Skillet
Nutrition Estimate
