Drowning in cucumbers from the garden? Juice a few to make these cucumber lemon lime-ice pops. They’re a refreshing way to chill out this summer!
I know. A cucumber doesn’t exactly elicit excitement in the treats department. But I was desperate.
You see, I pick up vegetables at the farmer’s market each week, and for about the past five weeks, my CSA share has included at least a dozen cucumbers.
I can only drink so much cucumber-infused water. I can only eat so many pickles. Help.
Somewhere along the line, I got the idea that cucumber-based ice pops were a good idea. (That longer, more familiar word that starts with “pop” is trademarked, so I’m calling these “ice pops” instead).
The first variation I tried was a chili-cucumber pop. Not for me. The next was a mixture of cucumber juice and lemonade. Getting closer.
The recipe I ultimately liked best was virtually the same but with a shot of lime juice. These cucumber lemon lime-ice pops are refreshing, and enjoying one or two makes me feel a little lighter than eating a pint of ice cream. 😉
Cucumber Ice Pop Recipe Notes
How do I juice a cucumber?
I don’t own a juicer, so I extracted juice by running cucumber pieces through a food processor and then pressing that pulp through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. This takes some time and muscle.
You’ll want to process the cucumbers to the consistency of a chunky applesauce so you can squeeze the pulp through the strainer to capture the juice. If the cucumber chunks are too big, you won’t be able to extract as much juice. Getting the right consistency required I load up the bowl of the food processor with pieces of cucumber, then swiping down the bowl once or twice during processing to make sure all of the pieces were incorporated. Note, I peeled and seeded the cucumbers before doing any of this.
How much mixture do you need?
The ice pop mold I use holds just over 3 cups of liquid and makes 10 pops. I wrote this recipe to yield 4 cups of liquid, but you may need to modify the quantities of this recipe based on your ice pop mold. If you have leftover juice that you don’t care to freeze into a second round of pops, you can drink the leftover juice with some sparkling water or add a splash to a gin and tonic.
How do I make a simple syrup?
Simply dissolve equal parts sugar in equal parts water. Heat some water in a saucepan (you don’t need to bring the water to a boil) and stir in the sugar until dissolved. If you want to make extra to flavor an iced tea or other concoction, store the extra in a glass container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
Vary this recipe
You know what else goes great with cucumbers? Watermelon and mint. Pineapple and yogurt. You have options!
Maybe you add some watermelon juice to your ice pops. Its sweetness is cut particularly well with lime. Add some zest for a little extra citrus flavor.
Or add a handful of mint leaves to your simple syrup. When infusing your mixture with flavor, allow the mint to steep for 24 hours, strain out the leaves, and then use as you normally would.
I added some sliced cucumbers to give these pops a fun look, but frozen cucumbers aren’t particularly fun to eat. You’re probably well served to just leave those cucumber wheels out.
When the ice cream truck pulls up outside, I’ll go for an ice cream bar over an ice pop every time. Yet I’m still enjoying one of these cucumber lemon-lime ice pops nearly every afternoon. They’re a delicious way to find a little piece of chill in the summertime heat. Enjoy!
Cucumber Lemon-Lime Ice Pops
Cucumber, lemon, and lime juices sweetened with simple syrup and frozen into ice pops are a refreshing way to beat the heat.
Ingredients
For the simple syrup
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
For the ice pops
- 2 cups cucumber juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ cup simple syrup
Instructions
- To make a simple syrup, simply heat the water over medium heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
- To make the ice pops, mix the cucumber juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and simple syrup together in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Pour the mixture into the ice pop molds and freeze until solid.
Notes
To "juice" a cucumber, first peel and seed your cucumbers (slice in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds). If you have a juicer, you know what to do. If you don’t, break out the food processor, a fine mesh strainer, and a large bowl.
Cut the peeled and seeded cucumbers into chunks, then process to the consistency of a chunky applesauce (if the cucumber chunks are too big, you won’t be able to extract as much juice). Squeeze this pulp through the mesh strainer over a large bowl to catch the juice. I used a rubber spatula and a lot of muscle!
To yield the juice quantities in this recipe, I used:
10 small to medium cucumbers (about 6 inches in length)
3 big Sunkist lemons
2 small limes
We also are not super crazy about cucumbers but the heat is also crazy and this is one perfect way to cool … Thank you so much 🙂