Glorious summer days are upon us! And with those hot days, our meals are transforming into lighter meals. I’m reaching a lot more often for my blender to make smoothies for us all, and ice cream sounds just about right on a hot afternoon.
With me pulling out various recipes from my recipe index, I thought I’d compile some of my favorite summery and sweet recipes here so that you all can find them easily too!
There is surprisingly little need to stock up on sugar-y ice cream, dye-filled popsicles, and other typical store bought treats with these easy homemade treats on hand! But you will notice, that just for fun, I’ve linked to some fun add on products that you can buy for special treats (like gluten-free ice cream cones!). I’ve used affiliate links when possible.
1- Frozen Grapes: Before I get to the recipe links, I have one very simple “recipe” to suggest for summer. Frozen grapes. These are so delicious and freezing them changes them in surprising ways. Try it on the next hot day. You won’t be sorry.
Refreshing Smoothies
2. Creamy Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie: The vanilla and kombucha in combination with coconut milk really make this recipe splendid. Plus, it’s lower carb and banana-free, for those who don’t want a high in carb recipe.
3. Healthy Shamrock Shake: Very fun, very green, and sweet with dots of dark chocolate and plenty of mint flavor. Yum!
4. Orange Mango Smoothie: Still one of my favorite combos – orange and mango.
5. Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie: Protein-rich, creamy, and makes me think of Nutella. Need I say more?
Fun and Healthy Popsicles
Keep in mind that any favorite smoothie recipe can also be used to make popsicles! I have been using these silicone popsicle molds recently and they are a lot of fun, as well as these star popsicle molds . But I’m thinking of getting these mini popsicles for my toddler to enjoy!
6-10. Five Healthy Popsicle Recipes (shown above): Get Chocolate Peanut Butter, Mango Green Monster, Strawberry Cream, Carrot Apple and Pina Colada recipes here! All of them sweetened naturally, and dairy-free.
11. Creamy Tropical Popsicle: Banana, mango, and coconut make a delicious popsicle.
12. Strawberry Creamsicle: Super creamy and naturally sweet, we love this beautiful popsicle!
Gelatin Treats
I loved it when my mom made me Jello back in the 80s when I was little. Now I make gelatin based desserts for my kids without the higher sugar amounts and the artificial dyes. One good brand of gelatin to try is this one.
13. Tart Cherry Fruit Snacks: Take five minutes and 3 ingredients, and make this fun and much healthier treat for your kids (or yourself!). Tart cherry juice is also supposed to help you sleep well at night, so there are added benefits, too.
14. Fruit Juice Gelatin: “Jello” without the dyes and sugar!
15. Tangy Orange Lemonade Gelatin: So refreshing and flavorful too.
16. Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows: With some gelatin and honey you can make super fun homemade marshmallows. How fun is that?
17. Kombucha Jello: Light on the tummy, and very flavorful and bright.
Dairy Free Ice Cream
We just got our ice cream maker out of storage and I’m thrilled to have it back! Ice cream is delicious all on it’s own, but very occasionally I buy my kids these gluten-free ice cream cones and dye-free sprinkles for a special ice cream treat. Yum! I buy them locally, but the brand I buy has a set that they sell on Amazon which looks very fun, it has gluten-free cones, sprinkles, and edible ice cream bowls!
18. Simple Banana Ice Cream: No ice cream maker needed, just frozen bananas and a couple of other ingredients!
19. 3 Ingredient Pineapple Whip: Same idea as the chocolate banana ice cream, but this one uses frozen pineapple for one of my favorite Disneyland lookalike recipes.
20-31. 12 Amazing Coconut Milk Ice Cream Recipes: Everything from vanilla, to Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, to Mint Chocolate Chip, these dairy-free ice cream recipes are the bomb!
Whipped Cream
You’ll, everything improves with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Dip whole strawberries in them, top your ice cream with it, or top iced homemade coffee shop style drinks with them. For those who tolerate cream, here are a couple of recipes (and for those who don’t check out the following coconut cream ones!)
32. Strawberry Whipped Cream: Strawberries and cream belong together.
33. Chocolate Whipped Cream: My husband grew up having this with angel food cake for his birthday. I also love it with fresh strawberries.
34. Maple Whipped Cream: Classic flavor with sweet notes of maple.
Coconut Milk Whipped Creamy (Dairy-Free, with ISI Dispenser)
35. Maple Coconut Whipped Cream: Sweet with notes of maple, this dairy-free whipped “cream” is a treat!
36. Chocolate Coconut Whipped Cream: Same as above but enriched with cocoa powder. Because cocoa makes everything better.
37. Stevia Coconut Whipped Cream:
Fauxccinos
These blended coffee styled drinks are yummy, refreshing, dairy-free friendly, and save you a trip to the local coffee shop too.
38. Vanilla Bean Crème Fauxccino: Ultra creamy and sweet.
39. Salted Caramel Mocha Fauxcchino: Need I say more?
40. Chai Fauxccino: When you don’t want yours hot, drink it ice-y cold!
Freezer pie
41. Banana Coconut Freezer Pie: This fancy looking dessert is very easy to make and is sweetened only with bananas! It uses coconut milk for a creamy dessert that is dairy-free, and has a grain-free nut crust. Yum!
Enjoy!
Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn a small commission on items purchased through my links.
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Thanks for reminding me of my own recipes that I need to make again! 🙂 I need to make more Dole Whip again too!