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Learn how to make healthy homemade lollipops with all-natural ingredients. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and dye-free sucker recipe.
My kids love to have special treats because, well, they are kids. But finding ones made without artificial flavors and dyes is next to impossible.
It took a lot of trial and error to come up with the perfect lollipop recipe and my little taste testers didn’t seem to mind the process one bit. A few years ago, I came up with an apple sucker, and though it was delicious, we wanted to test out other flavors.
This time around, we came up with a strawberry lollipop recipe, and the kids loved it. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been on a bit of a strawberry kick, making homemade strawberry jam and healthy strawberry shortcake—and now this!
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Homemade Lollipops
To make homemade lollipops, you will need sucker molds and sticks. I found a set that had reusable sticks along with several different shapes and designs for the molds. These can also be made into hard candies using candy molds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fruit juice
- 1 tablespoon strawberry powder
How to Make Healthy Lollipops
- Place a sucker stick in each of the sucker molds and set it aside.
- Blend up freeze-dried strawberries in a blender to make strawberry powder.
- Add the sugar, syrup, and juice to a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil and leave on the heat until the liquid reaches 300 degrees. Check the temperature with a candy thermometer.
- Stir often to keep the bottom from burning.
- Once the liquid reaches 300 degrees, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add in the strawberry powder.
- Spoon the mixture into the sucker molds.
- Let them sit for about 30 minutes or until hardened.
- Pop the suckers out of the molds and enjoy.
How to Make Honey Lollipops
For this recipe, I am using honey. Honey is a great healthy replacement for corn syrup and can be substituted equally in recipes.
Maple syrup can also be used instead of honey in this recipe to give it a maple flavor.
Making Lollipops Healthy
Coming up with the right hard candy texture took me quite a bit of trying. It would either end up too soft, too sticky, or wouldn’t harden at all. My main goal for making lollipops was to eliminate the dyes, corn syrup, and artificial flavors.
Instead of using dyes, you can use food powders to obtain the color you want. I also found honey substituted equally for the corn syrup works quite well.
Natural Food Dyes
- Red: Beet
- Orange: Carrot
- Yellow: Turmeric
- Green: Matcha and spinach
- Blue: blueberries
- Purple: purple carrots, purple sweet potatoes, and blueberries
- Pink: Strawberries and raspberries
- Brown: Cinnamon, cocoa powder, and coconut sugar
Best Sugar to Use for Suckers
I am using organic cane sugar. Using organic ensures you are not getting any GMO or chemicals. Coconut sugar can be used too but will automatically turn the suckers brown. Still delicious and healthy, just not as easy to customize for the kids.
To make keto-friendly suckers, you can use monk fruit to replace the sugar. Monk fruit is made from the juices of the fruit and has zero calories. Monk fruit is low carb and often used in keto recipes.
Kid Approved Recipes
Homemade Strawberry Lollipops
Equipment
- blender
- saucepan
- molds
Ingredients
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fruit juice
- 1 tablespoon strawberry powder
Instructions
- Place a sucker stick in each of the sucker molds and set it aside.
- Blend up freeze-dried strawberries in a blender to make strawberry powder.
- Add the sugar, syrup, and juice to a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil and leave on the heat until the liquid reaches 300 degrees. Check the temperature with a candy thermometer.
Stir often to keep the syrup and sugar from burning. - Once the liquid reaches 300 degrees, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add in the strawberry powder.
- Spoon the mixture into the sucker molds.
- Let them sit for about 30 minutes or until hardened.
- Pop the suckers out of the molds and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Had no problem with them hardening and coming out of the molds. They taste like straight honey. I used strawberry powder and mango juice but they literally taste I’m sucking on a spoonful of honey and that’s it. Mine are also brown and I took the pan off heat the second it hit 300 degrees.
You could try a different food powder like beet for a more red coloring.
What flavor juice do you use with strawberry powder?
Any fruit juice that would complement that flavoring.