In my opinion, it isn’t summer until you make the first frozen treat of the season! I’d love to say I have the energy and time to bust out the ice cream maker every week throughout the summer. I don’t. Homemade ice cream is good, but just so much work and there are so many steps. Honestly, popsicles are my favorite! Always an easy way to celebrate the season and all of it’s beautiful, fresh offerings. I also love that if you are smart with your ingredients you can make popsicles that will work for just about everyone at your party, no matter their eating style or preferences. No need for an ice cream maker or anything besides popsicle molds and you can even skip on those, just pour these into paper cups, add a popsicle stick and call it a day. Easy!

If you haven’t been able to tell by the 5 years of posts up until now, I am slightly obsessed with roasting. OK a lot obsessed. It’s my easy answer to bringing out the best in foods. Fruit or veggies, there is just something about roasting, even in the dead of summer, I refuse to deny myself. Especially when it concerns fruit, roasting brings out the inherent sweetness, it provides pretty bursts of color and flavor and it’s a simple way to maximize all that juicy, saucy, sweet goodness. So yes, I am complicating something meant to be simple, by adding the extra step with the oven here, but you have to just trust me on this one.

These popsicles have the perfect mix of sweet and tart, one of my favorite combos. I tend to go light on the sweetness myself, so if you want them more sweet than tart, you may want to add a bit more coconut sugar when roasting and/or more maple or honey. I like to barely fold in the roasted berries, to keep the gorgeous swirls of purple, violety blue.

I opt for my homemade coconut yogurt to keep these popsicles dairy-free/vegan, but you can also go with Greek yogurt, regular yogurt or goat’s milk yogurt. I just suggest whatever you choose, to go with full fat if you can, this give you the rich creaminess and the extra fat which cuts down on the icy factor.

These popsicles are the perfect choice for any get together, a summer BBQ, backyard picnic or best yet, a baby shower! They are naturally gluten-free and vegan (if made with coconut yogurt) and they are also paleo, too. Basically they are perfect for accommodating everyone. I’m serving these up today at our Surprise {Virtual} Baby Shower for our sweet friend, the lovely Catherine McCord of Weelicious. Catherine is expecting her third wee one and we decided the best way to celebrate her and her beautiful family’s new addition, was with a naturally colorful party full of beautiful, vibrant, rainbow-inspired hues! Check out all of the other colorful dishes at our baby shower with the links below this recipe and of course, be sure to share your well wishes with Catherine!

[print_this]Roasted Blueberry and Lemony Yogurt Popsicles {Gluten-free + Vegan}
Makes 10 (3-ounce) popsicles, I used this mold

• 12 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (raw sugar or other granulated sugar)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (regular yogurt, greek yogurt or goat’s milk yogurt will also work)*
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or raw local honey, or to taste
• pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the blueberries with the coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Toss well to combine, then spread into an even layer on the parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 10-15 minutes, tossing them once or twice to ensure even roasting. Roast until just bubbly, juicy and fragrant. You want them to retain their shape and not turn into a mushy sauce.

While the blueberries roast, add the yogurt to a large bowl, add the remaining lemon juice, the lemon zest, maple syrup (or honey) and a pinch of sea salt. Stir well. When the blueberries are done, allow to cool for about 10 minutes before adding the berries and juices to the yogurt mixture. Gently fold the blueberries in. Taste and adjust sweetness, if necessary.

Carefully pour the mixture into your molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

NOTES: whatever type of yogurt you choose, I suggest you opt for full fat yogurt to avoid icy popsicles.

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Check Out All the Delicious Rainbow-Inspired Weelicious Baby Shower Recipes:

Mini Strawberry Rosewater Pavlovas from Beard and Bonnet
Pink Lemonade Thumbprint Cookies from Fifteen Spatulas
Skillet Cherry Pie from FoodieCrush
Frozen Lemonade with Rose Water from The Lemon Bowl
Grilled Carrots with Mint Almond Pesto from Heather Christo
Persian Saffron Pudding from Tori Avey
S’more Brownies from What’s Gaby Cooking
Jicama Pops from ¡Hola! Jalapeño
Roasted Broccoli Pesto on Pumpernickel from Bev Cooks
Farmer’s Market Vietnamese Steak Salad from Alex T Cooks
Peachy Pineapple Green Smoothie from 100 Days of Real Food
Rainbow Smoothie from Daisy At Home
Chocolate Beet Cake from I Am Baker
Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting from Deliciously Organic