12 Frozen Treats You Can Make With Fruit From Your Garden

As spring turns to summer, your garden starts producing crops in abundance. Sometimes it can be challenging to eat all the produce that you grow in your garden before it goes bad, which is why you must get creative. You can dehydrate some vegetables and freeze others. You can even make frozen delicacies made from fruit in your garden that you can enjoy all summer.

Some popular and delicious frozen treats you can make using the fruit you grow in your garden include classic fruit ice pops, smoothie bars, sorbet, and ice cream. You can create more unique desserts like Italian granita or semifreddo. For cocktail lovers, consider making a frozen sangria or blended fruit margarita. You can also make fresh fruit ice cubes to liven up alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

If you planted a lot of fruit in your garden, you’ll need to find creative ways to use it. Frozen fruit is often more refreshing than fresh fruit in the summer months. If you need inspiration on how to create delicious and invigorating foods using your harvested fruit, then you’re in luck. Below is a list of the tastiest ways to make frozen desserts, beverages, and snacks using fruit from your garden.

12 Frozen Treats You Can Make With Fruit From Your Garden

1. Sorbet

One classic way to use up fruit from your garden, especially berries, is to make a sorbet. Making sorbet from scratch might sound intimidating if you aren’t a chef, but the truth is, it’s one of the easiest desserts to make.

Simply blend your ripe fruit of choice in a food processor with sugar and a small amount of lime or lemon juice, and possibly a bit of water. Place this mixture in a casserole pan and freeze it. Once mostly frozen, you can then remove it from the freezer and mix it again until it forms a smooth consistency. You can serve it fresh or freeze it for a later date.

2. Fruit Ice Cubes

One fun way to use up any fresh fruit is to freeze the fruit in ice cube trays. Add the fruit with a bit of juice made from the fruit, or a bit of lemonade or juice from a citrus tree that freezes well. These fruit ice cubes act as a wonderful flavor booster to any beverage.

You can add color and flavor to a cocktail, or add it to a simple lemonade to make it look much more exotic and elevated. These ice cubes can last more than a month as long as you store them in an airtight container and do not expose them to the open freezer air.

3. Popsicles

The classic frozen treat most people associate with fruit and fruit juice is the popsicle. While many popsicles are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients, you can use the fruit in your garden to make farm-to-table and healthier popsicles the entire family can enjoy.

All you need to make fresh popsicles is a food processor and some popsicle sticks. The job is made much easier if you have popsicle molds, so consider buying some if you plan to make them more than once. 

4. Chocolate-Covered Fruit

Chocolate-covered anything is usually pretty tasty. Chocolate-covered frozen fruit is not only delicious, but it’s also easy to make. Frozen fruit freezes chocolate easily, which means it won’t take long to solidify on the fruit while it sits on wax paper. Once it’s ready, you can serve them still frozen on a hot day, and the chocolate won’t melt in anyone’s hands (as long as they eat it quickly).

Bananas and berries are the best fruits to dip in chocolate, but feel free to get creative.

5. Frozen Pie On A Stick

If you want to make an indulgent and fun dessert using fruit from your garden, try making frozen pie on a stick. This concept became popular with key lime pie in the Florida Keys, but has caught on in other areas. You can find banana, strawberry, and just about any other pie turned into a frozen dessert pop.

This is a fun option that allows you to express plenty of creativity. If you have strawberries and rhubarb, why not make a tasty frozen strawberry rhubarb pie on a stick? You can even fold in some vanilla ice cream to make the pop extra creamy.

6. Agua Fresca

If you are looking for a way to use your garden fruit that is both tasty and thirst-quenching, then consider agua fresca. Agua fresca is a beverage that originated in Mexico, and is a simple beverage that blends a sweetener, fresh fruit, and water. 

Watermelon and other melons like honeydew make great agua fresca, but you can use just about any fruit. This is a fantastic non-alcoholic beverage to serve at parties, and by using frozen fruit, you can cut down on the ice you use, making a more concentrated and flavorful agua fresca.

7. Granita

Granita is a classic Sicilian dessert that is essentially a marriage between a slushie and sorbet. It is sweet, cold, and arguably the perfect treat to have in the middle of summer.

You can make this frozen dessert yourself using fruit from your garden, which is great since a trip to Sicily can be quite costly. 

Strawberry, lemon, and any other citrus from your garden would make great granita. There are several methods for making granita, so choose the method that suits you best.

8. Smoothie Bars

Smoothies are a great way to use fruit from your garden. But if you’re looking for something less filling than a large smoothie, why not make smoothie bars? 

To make smoothie bars, you can use fruit from your garden and any other ingredients you typically put in your smoothies, like yogurt and plant-based milk. Then use popsicle molds to freeze them, and enjoy a smaller portion of smoothie on a stick on a hot summer day.

9. Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream maker, then you should use the fresh fruit from your garden to make some extra-special ice cream. There are endless ice cream flavors, and just about any fruit can be used to make ice cream. People even love avocado and other savory ice cream flavors — so get creative with your harvest. 

10. Semifreddo 

If you want to try something even more decadent and sinful than ice cream, then semifreddo is a great choice. This is another tasty Italian dessert. It’s similar to ice cream or gelato, but has a lighter and almost velvety and air-like texture.

Blueberry, strawberry, passionfruit, and mango are all popular and divine options for those interested in making semifreddo with garden-grown fruit. 

11. Frozen Sangria Or Blended Margaritas

If you enjoy a fruity cocktail from time to time in the summer, then you should try using some of the fruit you grow to make a tasty summer cocktail. When you think of cocktails with fruit, sangria is probably the first thing that comes to mind. 

You can use your frozen fruit ice cubes in sangria, or even take it one step further and blend frozen fruit like berries with the sangria to make a blended frozen sangria. 

Fruity margaritas are another option. Fruits like strawberry, mango, and passion fruit are all great twists on the classic Mexican cocktail. 

12. Frozen Fruit Kebab

A simple yet fun, frozen, and nutritious way to enjoy fruit is to cut it up and skewer it. Colorful fruit kebabs are a healthy and delicious treat. Frozen fruit on a hot day is a blessing. This is a great snack to have by the pool or at a July 4th barbecue as a healthy dessert option.

Final Notes On Frozen Treats You Can Make With Garden Fruit

Summer is a time when gardens begin yielding crops, including fruit. This harvest can come in abundance, and it usually arrives with the hottest days of the year. This is why it’s a good idea to turn some of the fruit in your garden into refreshing frozen treats. 

Sorbet, ice cream, popsicles, and chocolate-covered fruit are some classic options. If you want to get a bit more exotic, use your garden’s fruit to make Italian granita or semifreddo. You can make fruit-filled ice cubes or even mix them into cocktails like frozen sangria or a fruity blended margarita. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different recipes and try unique combinations to make your frozen fruit delights.

Related Guides:

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• Ten Fruits That Last A Long Time In The Freezer
• Why Isn’t My Banana Tree Growing Bananas?