This post contains affiliate links.

Stay cool with a creamy strawberry popsicle recipe that make a gorgeous, satisfying treat. Use fresh or frozen strawberries as well as all plant-based ingredients and enjoy this elevated treat with your closest friends.

These creamy, dairy-free pops are one of my favorite healthy popsicles for summer — if you love that same rich, creamy texture, my Creamy Lime Popsicles are worth a try too, or go lighter and fruitier with my Watermelon Popsicles, and either one is a sweet finish to a summer cookout.

creamy strawberry popsicles on ice surrounded by fresh strawberries.

What's in this post

Strawberry Popsicles Ingredients

Popsicles don’t have to be loaded with sugar to be sweet, and strawberries are an excellent ingredient to naturally sweeten a snack. Use them in the spring or summer for the sweetest, most flavorful versions.

  • Cashews: The ultimate plant based ingredient for a silky smooth result. I use both raw cashews and cashew milk in this recipe for the creamy layer.
  • Maple syrup: I love the buttery sweet taste of pure maple syrup and use it for both layers in my strawberry popsicles recipe.
  • Lemon juice: This ingredient brightens up both layers nicely.
  • Fresh or frozen strawberries: Either work great in this recipe, just thaw frozen strawberries a bit before making the puree.
  • Arrowroot powder: This unique ingredient helps thicken up the strawberry puree. Find it in the baking isle of most grocery stores.
Ingredients for creamy popsicle including plant milk, arrowroot powder, cashews, lemon juice, and fresh strawberries.
It's free!

Blend the Rainbow

Smoothie Challenge

I’d love for you to blend it up with me! For 5 days, I’ll send you a daily smoothie recipe along with a shopping list so you’re ready before day one.

a plate of strawberry popsicles sitting on a pile of ice surrounded by fresh strawberries.

Ingredient Swaps

  • To make this nut free, swap out the cashews + cashew milk with coconut cream. It’s less watery than full-fat coconut milk (though that would work as well).
  • Maple syrup can be swapped with honey (not a vegan option) or the natural sweetener of your choice.
  • You can also swap arrowroot powder with cornstarch.
  • If you need any other ingredient swap suggestions then just drop them in the comments section below!
blue popsicle molds with wooden sticks sticking out the top.

How to Make Strawberry Popsicles

These lovely layered popsicles take a bit of work yet the creamsicle like texture that results is totally worth the effort.

Creamy Base

steps to making strawberry popsicles recipe including adding cashews, plant milk and vanilla extract to blender, then showing texture after blending.

Using a blender, pulse to finely chop the cashews. Then add in the plant milk of your choice, maple syrup, vanilla extract, lemon juice and sea salt and blend until pureed. You want it to be as smooth as possible since no one wants a gritty popsicle.

If using a non-high powered blender then feel free to soak the cashews up to 4 hours before blending to ensure the creamiest result.

Strawberry Swirl

The strawberry swirl is basically a thick strawberry compote.

strawberries in a sauce pan then more ingredients added, then whisking to combine and finally a finished strawberry sauce.

Using a small saucepan, heat strawberries with arrowroot powder, maple syrup, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk frequently to ensure the ingredients don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once heated, the sauce should thicken up (thank you arrowroot powder!), then you can mash the strawberries to create a sauce-like texture. They don’t need to be completely pureed in the pan as you’ll blend the mixture before adding to the molds. My go-to mold doesn’t have enough spots for 10 popsicles, so I grabbed a new, bigger popsicle mold for this recipe.

I like the messy look of these fresh popsicles, so after layering the popsicle molds with the cashew base and the strawberry swirl, I mix the 2 a bit with a knife. Yet you can achieve a more defined layered effect by skipping the last mixing part.

More Popsicle Recipes

Common Questions

How do you make popsicles creamy and not icy?

My secret to creamy (yet dairy free!) popsicles is my cashew mixture. It adds the perfect amount of creaminess without overwhelming the strawberry puree.

How long can you freeze popsicles?

My popsicles can be frozen up to a few months. Yet… you’ll probably not have to worry about them sitting that long; they’re hard to resist.

What’s in a strawberry popsicle?

My creamy strawberry popsicles are dairy free and swirl a cashew cream with a strawberry puree into the perfect summertime treat.

Recipe Card

Creamy Strawberry Popsicles

Jen Hansard
4.3 (3)
These strawberry popsicles start with blended raw cashews, cashew milk, vanilla and lemon for an ice cream-smooth base, and a maple-sweetened strawberry puree swirls through each one. Makes ten dairy-free pops that freeze in about eight hours.
Review Save Print Pin
Creamy strawberry popsicles swirled with red and white
Serves10
Serving size1 popsicle
Prep30 minutes
8 hours
Total8 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 cup non-dairy milk cashew or almond work best
  • 1 ½ cup raw cashews
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juiced
  • ¼ tsp sea salt, unrefined

For Strawberry Swirl

  • 1 lb strawberries fresh or frozen + thawed
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1 tsp lemon juiced
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Place the cashews in a blender and pulse several times until finely chopped. Add the nondairy milk, maple syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and salt and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until very cold.
  • Make the strawberry swirl: Mash the strawberries and place them in a saucepan with the maple syrup, arrowroot, lemon juice and vanilla. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and cook until thickened. Let cool, then puree in a blender until smooth.
  • Spoon a little strawberry puree into the popsicle molds, letting some drip down the sides. Add some of the creamy base. Repeat the layers until the molds are full, then swirl with a chopstick or skewer.
  • Freeze until very firm, at least 8 hours or preferably overnight. Unmold and serve immediately.

You’ll want it later

Save this recipe

Drop your email and I’ll send it to you.

Share with a friend

Equipment

Vitamix blender blending green smoothie with fresh ingredients on white counter.
1 Vitamix blender
popsicle molds
silicone popsicle mold
black and gold saucepan
Caraway saucepan
Set of four gold-handled whisks on a black grill pan for cooking.
stainless whisk set

Recipe Notes

  • Quick Version: Make and cool the strawberry puree first, then blend it into the cashew base and pour into the molds. The popsicles will be light pink instead of swirled.
  • Blender Tip: If you’re not using a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in water for at least 20 minutes first so they blend smoothly.
  • Nut-Free: Use oat milk in place of the nut milk and coconut cream in place of the cashews. Cornstarch works in place of the arrowroot.
  • Freezing: Once frozen, unmold the popsicles and store them in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories177 kcal
Carbs21 g
Protein4 g
Fat9 g
Fiber2 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g | Sodium: 127 mg | Potassium: 236 mg | Sugar: 13 g | Vitamin A: 6 IU | Vitamin C: 27 mg | Calcium: 92 mg | Iron: 1 mg