Grapefruit, Chile & Lime Paletas
Ice pop. Popsicle. Paleta. Paletas are Mexican popsicles made with real fruit (usually local) and not any of that artificial nonsense. These treats are sure to delight anyone looking for a light and refreshing way to cool down. These aren’t your average Otter Pop or artificially flavored popsicle. No, ma’am. These are made with 100% fresh squeezed (or store bought, if you must) juice from grapefruit and lime. Add a little sugar and voila!
Truth be told, you can use a store bought grapefruit juice and limeade if you are looking to make these quick as can be. We do recommend getting at least one fresh grapefruit so you can remove the flesh (use a grapefruit spoon to easily remove the segments from a halved grapefruit) to add to the paletas to make sure you get some chunky grapefruit bites. We also recommend one fresh lime for zesting. Another fun trick is to zest the grapefruit on top of the paletas before serving.
You’ll need popsicle molds + sticks for this recipe and a grapefruit spoon would sure come in handy, although you can use a spoon too.
Takes: 5-25 minutes + time for freezing (2-3 hours)
Makes 8 Paletas
2 cups grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed (about 5-6 grapefruits depending on how juicy they are)
1 grapefruit, halved, pulp removed with grapefruit spoon
1 lime, zested
½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
½ cup simple syrup
OR, use 1 cup limeaid instead of lime juice and simple syrup
Combine all ingredients into a large glass measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout and stir to combine. As noted above, you can use store bought limeade instead of making your own. (We like the limeade from Trader Joe’s and from Simply Limeaid.) We suggest you juice your own grapefruit, but you can buy 100% grapefruit juice at the store too that is close to as good!
Pour into paletas molds making sure that each mold has some grapefruit chunks. Place in the freezer. After one hour or so, insert wooden sticks after the liquid has begun to freeze and is slightly slushie. Inserting the sticks after the paletas have frozen slightly makes it easier to keep them in one place. (You can also gently mix the liquid a bit at this point to ensure the grapefruit chunks, lime zest, and chile powder are more evenly distributed. This might also introduce some air bubbles so do not mix too vigorously.)
Cook's notes: Fun Fact! The origin of the paleta may be traced to the early 1800s. Mexico was celebrating its independence, and that meant Spain’s monopoly on ice and the sky-high taxes on it were over. Common folks could afford it and were able to experiment, adding fresh fruit to create something delicious and practical for beating the heat.
