Orange Creamsicles were one of my favorite treats as a child, and since I’ve learned how bad the ingredients are in them, I’ve really missed them. Thankfully, I’ve figured out how to recreate this summertime staple with 100% real food ingredients which are actually healthy for you!
The ingredients in store-bought Orange Creamsicles are horrendous.
I used to LOVE when my mom bought Orange Creamsicles as a child and ate them all summer long. Back then, we had no idea how bad the ingredients were in those little suckers!
Orange Creamsicles are PACKED with seven different types of refined sugar: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, sugar, fructose, corn syrup solids, and orange juice “concentrate”.
Did you know that juice “concentrate” is juice that is boiled down to a syrup? This heating process destroys beneficial nutrients and turns it into a refined sugar. Some experts say it is similar to high-fructose corn syrup!
Then they add in several controversial emulsifiers, “natural” flavors, and conventional milk. Check out this comparison:
There are many reasons why my homemade organic “Creamsicle” is a zillion times better than the store-bought version…
- It’s sweetened only with real fruit, instead of all that high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, concentrated juice, and fructose added to the original version.
- It’s made with organic ingredients, instead of conventional ingredients made from pesticide-laden GMO corn.
- It’s made with real food, instead of thickened with cellulose gel, carrageenan, cellulose gum, and all those risky additives linked to gut inflammation.
- It’s flavored with fresh pressed oranges and vanilla extract, instead of processed juice concentrate that is boiled into a syrup and “natural” flavors concocted in a lab.
- It’s vegan and made with coconut milk, instead of conventional nonfat milk that is raised on a factory farm that feeds their cows GMOs, antibiotics, and uses synthetic hormones.
To make homemade “Creamsicles” you only need a handful of real food ingredients:
Real food ingredients for homemade orange creamsicles:
- Fresh-Pressed Orange Juice: Juice your oranges with a juicer or citrus juicer like this one or you could use a really great brand of Orange Juice like Evolution Fresh or Uncle Matt’s.
- Culinary Coconut Milk: This is the type of coconut milk that is meant for cooking with and typically comes in a can. Buy one that doesn’t contain additives (just coconuts and water!) and is in BPA-free packaging, such as Native Forest brand.
- Bananas
- Vanilla Extract: The real stuff, and not imitation vanilla flavoring that is made from from petrochemicals and wood pulp.
- Sea Salt
How to make these orange creamsicles:
First, you’ll need a good popsicle mold that isn’t made of plastic. I like these stainless steel ones.
Then, you’ll simply blend the coconut milk, bananas, vanilla extract, and sea salt in a blender until smooth. This is your “cream” for the creamsicles.
To assemble, add one tablespoon of fresh pressed orange juice to each popsicle mold (6 to 8 of them) and top this with one tablespoon of your cream mixture. Stick a popsicle stick in it and freeze this first layer for a hour. Now, repeat the process and build your second layer with one tablespoon orange juice and one tablespoon of cream mixture per creamsicle and pop it in the freezer for 2 more hours. That’s it!
- 3 large oranges, juiced
- 1 cup culinary coconut milk
- 1½ bananas, peeled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- Place the coconut milk, bananas, vanilla, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Using popsicle molds, fill each mold with 1 tablespoon of orange juice. Top with 1 tablespoon of coconut milk mix. Place the popsicle sticks in the center of the molds and let freeze for at least 1 hour.
- After 1 hour take the popsicle mold out of the freezer and repeat with 1 tablespoon of orange juice and 1 tablespoon of coconut milk mix in each mold. Place back in the freezer for at least 2 hours to freeze.
I hope you get to make these healthy orange “creamsicles” soon. If you know anyone who might still be buying Orange Creamsicles full of high fructose corn syrup and other nasty ingredients, please share this healthy swap with them!
Xo,
Vani
This recipe looks delicious.
Gotta say though I’m disappointed you mentioned it being vegan as if that was beneficial thing. Balance is key in everything, including diet. Veganism is so far off healthy it’s not even funny. A lot of vegan foods look good on paper but bioavailability in the human body is not even discussed. It’s a real problem…Especially for children whose vegan parents don’t give them a choice.
Vegan diet is extremely healthy when done the right way. Just as any traditional diet, care must be taken to use natural, healthy, organic ingredients. There’s a ton of misinformation when it comes to eating vegan.
Veganism is so far off healthy? Sorry but that’s just not true. All of the nutrients necessary are in plants. That’s just biology/Nutrition. I do not ever need to consume meat to get my necessary nutrients, I can if I like though.
Looked really look great, thanks! I’m curious if the cream mixture tastes like bananas?