Frozen Fruit Cups
There are a zillion fruit cup recipes out there, but this one’s no-added-sugar, freezer-friendly, and grandkid-tested.Whether it’s snack time for your grandkids or sangria o’clock for you, these fruit cups deliver. Stir with a tiny spoon, or sip from a big glass. Your call.Pro tip: tastes even better when stirred in a bowl older than you.
Servings 24 dixie cups
Ingredients
- 12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
- 12 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate thawed
- 20 ounces frozen sliced strawberries or 1 qt fresh strawberries or combination of fresh and frozen thawed and undrained, to taste
- 10 ounces frozen mixed fruit like peaches and berries thawed
- 20 ounce can crushed pineapple undrained
- 4 bananas sliced
- 1-2 liters diet 7 up soda to taste
- 5 ounce paper Dixie cups
Instructions
- Set up 5-ounce Dixie style cups in a large shallow baking sheet with edges. You should be able to fit around 24. Get out a large plastic mixing bowl. If you can find one of those old school, green Tupperware bowls from the 1970s, even better!
- Slice the bananas into thin, bite-sized pieces. If you have a plastic-edged knife, this is a great step for children as young as 2 to 3-years-old.
- Slice the strawberries, if using fresh. Dump all the fruit, canned pineapple, and juice concentrates together. You can experiment with the juice and fruit flavors to fit the tastes of your snackers. Stir everything together until well mixed. Cut large fruits into bite-sized pieces.
- SLOWLY pour the diet soda into the bowl and gently stir. Pour too fast and you'll have a fizzy mess. Using a large spoon, divide the fruit mixture into the dixie cups. No matter how careful you are, some will spill. You'll be happy you have the tray to catch the mess.
- Carefully place the whole tray in your freezer and let the fruit cups sit. If you have a small freezer, you might have to do a smaller batch or use smaller trays and plates to keep the cups upright while they freeze.
- Minimum freeze time is 1 hour and the fruit will be barely frozen and slushy. Best is to freeze them longer or overnight. Once completely frozen, you can take them off the tray and store the cups in gallon size freezer zipper bags.
- When ready to serve, set a cup on the counter for about 30 minutes, until slightly thawed. Pour into dessert dishes or eat right out of the cup. Or microwave one cup for about 15 seconds, until slightly thawed.
Notes
These are also great to have in the freezer and use as a large ice cube in a glass of wine for an easy sangria, use several in a punch bowl or large drink dispenser to keep drinks, water, or cocktails cold for a party.
You’re always alone in the kitchen...
...so go ahead and lick the spoon, bend the rules, and turn mistakes into magic. I won’t tell if you don’t.