Papaya Cream Popsicles (Papaya Paletas)
Popsicles, again?
Yes, always.
Orange popsicles, that is, since I apparently that’s my specialty. (See these creamsicles and mango yogurt pops for the proof.)
While cleaning out the fridge last week, I came upon half a papaya that needed some love (aka I didn’t have the heart to throw it out.) Usually I buy papaya strictly for juices (it’s anti-inflammatory and ya’ll know I need some of that!) but it looked past it’s juicing prime. So popsicles seemed the obvious choice in the heat of summer and because for some reason I couldn’t just cut it up and eat it like a normal person.
I could have made them straight papaya, but I love to add a bit of creaminess to my pops. I was out of any useful coconut products, so I used the cream from the top of the raw milk jar. It was a wise choice, believe you me. A little bit of lime, vanilla and honey and BAM- papaya pops comin’ at ya.
Next time you have half a papaya sitting alone in your fridge, this recipe can be your go-to. I assume that probably won’t happen to most of you, but a girl can dream.. someone out there thinks my blog is useful and actually makes my recipes, right? haha 😉
Really, though- I love you guys. Thanks for reading my crazy popsicle posts and sticking around Oven Love for all these years. You’re the bees.
- ½ large ripe red papaya, peeled and seeded
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk (or omit all together, if you like)
- juice of one lime
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons raw honey (optional)
- Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour into popsicle molds and add popsicle sticks.
- Freeze for 3-5 hours or until firm. Run warm water over the mold if the popsicles don’t come right out. Serve immediately.
How big was that papaya? I used 3/4 of a regular-sized one, followed the recipe to the letter otherwise, and got 2 small pops out of it. I live in Hawaii, so I have access to papayas the size of soccer balls, and the recipe probably should have called for one.
You may have access to a different type of papaya.. I used the larger one with the red flesh, not the small one with the yellow flesh.
My sister and I are going to try this out! We have done a few of you other pops! They were very good. I made pops with a friend and we did strawberry pineapple raspberry. I’ll have to rate this after I try it. 🙂