Cool and creamy, these strawberry cheesecake paletas are made with whole foods and are very easy to make. Kids love them and it’s satisfying knowing that you’re offering them real food instead of chemicals.
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This recipe is dedicated to my sweet little great-nephew. We’ve established our little ritual that when he comes to visit us at the beach, I have a BIG supply of these paletas in the freezer for him. He loves them and I love making them for him. But really, what’s not to like about strawberry cheesecake paletas?
IS A PALETA REALLY JUST A POPSICLE?
Not really. The popsicles that we ate as children are, and were, made from sugary, flavored water and maybe a little bit of juice. They have fun names like “electric blue”, “neon green’, and ‘blue razzberry’.
Paletas are made with fruit, cream, sometimes chocolate in smaller batches. They’re usually less sweet than a popsicle and handmade.
WHAT DO I NEED FOR THIS RECIPE?
- Cream cheese – room temperature to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients
- Granulated sugar and powdered sugar – granulated for the cheesecake base and the powdered sugar will sweeten the berries
- Greek yogurt – any yogurt will work, but Greek yogurt is thicker and more nutritious
- Vanilla
- Strawberries – pick deep red, ripe berries. If you can’t find fresh berries, buy them frozen. They work wonderfully. Just thaw them before you mash them. Don’t buy the sliced berries in syrup. They’re way too sweet.
WHAT OTHER FLAVOR COMBINATIONS CAN I TRY?
Let your mind go wild! You can experiment with adding chocolate, herbs, or even tequila for an adult treat. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Switch up the fruit in this recipe – mango, blueberry, pineapple to name a few
- Spice it up by adding a pinch of cayenne or chili powder
- Vary the base or liquid – use nut milk, whole milk, fruit juice, heavy cream, or even coffee or tea
- Play with the sweeteners – brown sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, pureed banana or date will all change the flavor profile of your paleta
DO I HAVE TO BUY A SPECIAL MOLD?
Silicone popsicle molds make this recipe much easier, but NO you don’t have to use one. Paper cups (like the ones we use in the bathroom) make cute little pops. I’ve also used coffee size styrofoam cups as well. The big ice cube trays used for specialty cocktails also work, plus they come in fun shapes like big squares or spheres!
If you like this recipe, here are a few more to try:
- Homemade Orange Creamsicles
- Fresh Watermelon Sherbet
- Caramel Macchiato Gelato
- Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE PALETAS
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 paletas 1x
Description
Cool and creamy, these strawberry cheesecake paletas are made with whole foods and are very easy to make. Kids love them and it’s satisfying knowing that you’re offering them real food instead of chemicals.
Ingredients
1 brick (8-ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
25 ripe strawberries
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, yogurt, and vanilla.
Use a hand mixer to whip the ingredients together until very smooth. Set aside.
In another medium glass bowl, mash the strawberries and powdered sugar together until almost liquified, but still has small chunks.
Drizzle ¼ cup of the cream cheese mixture into the strawberry mixture and stir to combine.
Scoop each mixture, alternately with each other to make layers, into silicone popsicle molds.
Add the popsicle sticks to the mold and freeze until fully frozen – about 6 hours. If you’re using paper cups or your molds don’t have a way to add a popsicle stick into the mold itself, cover your mold with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours when it hits a slushy stage, but not solid yet. Remove from the freezer and poke the popsicle sticks through the plastic wrap and return to the freezer. The plastic wrap will help keep the sticks upright and straight.
When frozen, unmold and serve or slide into a cellophane popsicle bag or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freeze
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: strawberry cheesecake paletas, Mexican paletas, homemade popsicles, strawberry ice cream bars, frozen desserts, cheesecake
