Creamy Keto Strawberry Popsicles are the best way to beat the heat. With fresh summer berries and no added sugar, they might be the only thing standing between you and the ice cream truck. And they have only 3g net carbs per pop!
Have I ever mentioned how much I love making my own sugar free popsicles? We cannot get enough of them in my house. And there are so many delicious options, like Sugar Free Fudge Pops and Keto Peanut Butter Popsicles.
I first made these Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles way back in 2013, as a way to battle the ice cream truck that ensnared my young kids’ imaginations. They were a huge hit back then and they remain so to this day.
We make multiple batches every summer!
Why make your own popsicles?
One of the advantages to making your own popsicles at home is that it’s remarkably easy. It often takes a few short minutes to whip up the mixture. The hardest part is waiting for them to freeze properly!
Another advantage is that you can make them to suit your own tastes. You can switch up the flavors and sweeten them to your liking. And you can adapt them for various dietary restrictions as well. If you need some inspiration, I have multiple recipes for keto popsicles that you can play with.
You can also add a boost of nutrition in the form of protein powder, collagen peptides, or electrolyte powders. I am trying to increase my protein these days, so I added some whey protein isolate, and they were just as good as ever.
If you don’t own a popsicle mold, I suggest you hightail it to your nearest cookware store. At this time of year, good popsicle molds are widely available and inexpensive, so there is simply no excuse not to have one. I really like this popsicle mold on Amazon.
Once you have the mold, the rest is easy peasy. It’s an inexpensive way to make delicious treats all summer long.
Reader reviews
“I’ve made this a number of times, using different fruits. It’s so good! Grandson loves helping Nana make these treats. The only problem is telling him he has to wait for them to freeze! I appease him with whatever doesn’t fit into the molds 🙂” — Maureen
“Love these! Great substituting blackberries and adding the juice from one medium lemon. Thanks for this!” — Sean
“Came across this on pinterest a couple days ago and made today. SO GOOD! Definitely going to be a favorite treat from here on out.” — Elizabeth
Ingredient Notes
- Strawberries: I prefer fresh berries for these popsicles but you can use frozen berries too. Just make sure to thaw them completely before adding them to the blender.
- Cream cheese: Soften the cream cheese properly so it blends in well.
- Heavy cream: This gives the popsicles a texture that resembles ice cream.
- Sweetener: I like to use Swerve Confectioners but almost any powdered sweetener will work.
- Lemon: A little lemon zest and lemon juice give the popsicles a delightful tanginess.
- Protein powder: This is entirely optional and simply boosts the nutrition of these keto popsicles.
Step by Step Directions
1. Combine ¾ cup of the strawberries, the cream cheese, heavy cream, sweetener, protein powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a large blender. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust sweetness as desired.
2. By hand, stir in the remaining chopped strawberries. Divide the mixture evenly among 6 popsicles molds.
3. Push wooden sticks about ⅔ of the way into each popsicle. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
4. To un-mold, heat water in the kettle and run it over the outside of the mold for 5 to 10 seconds, and then tug gently on the stick to release.
Expert Tips
Make sure your cream cheese is properly softened so that it blends up well. Cold cream cheese will leave unblended chunks in the popsicles. And be sure to chop up your strawberries before measuring them out. Whole strawberries don’t fit well into a cup and you will mis-measure the amount.
I always recommend wooden popsicles sticks when making any kind of keto popsicles. Plastic sticks often come with cheap molds but they also tend to slide out of the popsicles too easily. The rough surface of the wooden sticks helps them stay in the popsicles as you un-mold them.
Sweetener Options
This recipe is extremely forgiving so you can use any sweetener you like best. However, you should choose powdered or liquid sweeteners to avoid grittiness in the cheesecake popsicles.
How to release popsicles from the molds
I get this question frequently. Here’s the best way I’ve found to release homemade popsicles:
- Heat water in a kettle to almost a boil.
- Stand over the sink with the popsicle mold.
- Run hot water up and down the outside of the popsicle you want to release for a few seconds.
- Be sure not to allow any water into the popsicle itself.
- Gently tug the stick, twisting slightly.
- If it doesn’t release, run a little more hot water over it.
I like using my kettle so that I don’t waste water waiting for the faucet to heat up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most popsicles are not keto-friendly, even if they say they are sugar free. But making your own keto popsicles is easy, delicious, and cost effective. These Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles are very low in carbs and completely appropriate for the keto diet.
This recipe for keto strawberry popsicles has 3.6g carbs and 0.6g fiber per serving. So each popsicle has 3g net carbs.
You can store the popsicles in the molds in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also remove them from the molds and store in an airtight container.
More delicious keto cheesecake recipes
New York Style Keto Cheesecake
This is the best keto cheesecake recipe! So rich and creamy, it will make you swoon at the first bite. With only 3g of carbs per slice, you can dig in with gusto!
Keto Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
These creamy keto cheesecake bars feature the decadent combination of salted caramel sauce and toasted pecans. So heavenly, you’d never know it’s healthy and sugar free!
Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
Keto Instant Pot Cheesecake is extra creamy and delicious! And this low carb lemon cheesecake is so smooth and rich. It’s the perfect sugar-free dessert for lemon lovers. Oven instructions included.
Keto Strawberry Cheesecake Popsicles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries divided
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener (or other sweetener to taste)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup protein powder (optional) Can use any unflavored protein, as desired
Instructions
- Combine a three-quarter cup of the strawberries, the cream cheese, heavy cream, sweetener, protein powder, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a large blender. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust sweetness as desired.
- By hand, stir in the remaining chopped strawberries. Divide the mixture evenly among 6 popsicles molds.
- Push wooden sticks about ⅔ of the way into each popsicle. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
- To unmold, heat water in the kettle and run it over the outside of the mold for 5 to 10 seconds, and then tug gently on the stick to release.
Laurie Porter says
I made these a couple days ago. Delicious! I didn’t have any Swerve, so I used 8 packets of powdered Stevia. I like it to be less sweet, but may try 10 packets next time. I used frozen strawberries. These would probably be great with raspberries or blueberries, too! The recipe only filled 5 or my 6 popsicle molds, so rather than leave one empty, I threw in a couple tablespoons of leftover lemon juice and added one Stevia packet and filtered water to make one lemonade popsicle. Thanks for this great recipe!
Tom Morton says
These get made and disappear as fast as I make them.
A+++++
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Doreen says
In the recipe at the bottom it says 1 cup strawberries. But above where it’s spelled out it says put in 1-1/2 cup of the strawberries to the blender.
There is a mistake somewhere, can you please clarify? Thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s fixed. The original recipe made 12 but I cut it down to 6 and forgot to adjust that. Thanks!
Nicole B says
these look great, if I chose to leave out the protein powder would I have to replace it with something else?
Carolyn says
Just skip it.
Sherry says
Wonderful! Wondering if one could sub cottage cheese for the cream cheese?
Carolyn says
No idea but you’re welcome to experiment.
Dani says
I made these last week… I am so thrilled how yummy they were and how easy. I decided to add a bit of strawberry extract as well for an extra kick. I’m going to try them next time with different berries. I did have to run a butter knife inside around the edges to release, but no big deal. I might try to release all next round and wrap individually with plastic wrap or in a ziploc. Thanks again Carolyn.
Luann Ragonesi says
Made these the other day for me to have while the rest of the family had store bought ice cream bars. So good; I didn’t feel deprived at all! I did add a few more strawberries than called for as I am not full blown keto, just trying to cut down on carbs. I’m sure I will keep these stocked in my freezer for the rest of the summer!
A. Kristina Edmark-Cargill says
I believe there’s an error on this post. The ingredient list says 1 cup of strawberries divided AND in the how to section it states 1 1/2 cups.
Carolyn says
You are correct, sorry. The original recipe made 12 popsicles but I felt like cutting it back to 6 was more accessible for folks. 🙂 Fixing the instructions now!
Nicole Slokken says
What a great recipe! I can’t wait to try it! One question…can you replace protein powder with collagen powder? Thank you!!!
Carolyn says
As always… answered in the blog post! 🙂
J says
What does that mean? What is a “blog post”? Is that a yay or nay??
Carolyn says
The whole article that goes with the recipe is a blog post. And I answer all the questions there so it’s easy for people to find.
Tricia says
I can’t believe it took me so long to try this recipe. I have loads of strawberries and we have humid weather, so the time was perfect. My husband’s comment, ” That was tasty.” I agree. The flavors of cream cheese, strawberries, and lemon combine so well. My only problem was that I had it all prepared and in the molds but couldn’t find my new box of popsicle sticks. I guess we’ll have to eat the last couple of popsicles with spoons. This is my new favorite recipe.
Ariadna Castaneda says
What can I use for sweetener extract? I do not have any. I have allulose in liquid form. Would that work?
Carolyn says
Just use more powdered Swerve, about another 3 tablespoons.
Carol says
I love all your recipes sos far, and am going tomato these today. Can’t wait!
Thank you, and Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Julie says
I see the recipe to add cream cheese but what other cream are you adding on your ingredient list?
Carolyn says
Always heavy cream.
Sean says
Love these! Great substituting blackberries and adding the juice from one medium lemon. Thanks for this!
Lisa says
I posted in the wrong place haha. Can you tell me what 1 serving is in ounces so that I can log my carbs in my app? Thank you!!
Carolyn says
ARgh, sorry. The nutritional thingy does some weird stuff at times. A single serving is about 3 ounces total (that’s how much my popsicle molds hold in each popsicle).
Isabel Wright says
I made these and they are delicious! I added fresh chocolate mint from the garden and my oh my, what a refreshing treat! I didn’t have monkfruit extract on hand and they still turned out great. I will order the extract for the next batch. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Gina says
Excellent! I didn’t add the zest. Thank you Carolyn!
Susan says
Made these with raspberries, delicious. Now have a strawberry batch freezing. Also gooey butter cake in the oven which I can’t wait to,try.