These refreshing Spicy Pineapple Popsicles (Paletas) are layered with a spicy, salty spice mix that enhances the fruity freshness and sweetness even more!
The dog days of summer mean a lot of ice cream, sorbet, and popsicle recipes! But it also means a lot of fruit desserts, because of the bounty of fresh fruits at the grocery store.
Easy fruit sorbet, fruity soda syrups, fresh fruit syrups (like this grilled pineapple syrup, lychee syrup, rhubarb syrup, lemon syrup etc.), and fruity popsicles like this lychee cantaloupe popsicles, peach melba popsicles, and mango coconut popsicles are frequent guests in our household during summer months.
Spicy pineapple popsicles
One of my favorite memories of my childhood in Sri Lanka is buying fresh mangoes from wayfaring street vendors carrying a big basin full of fresh fruits like mango and pineapple over their head.
They would then peel and cut up the fruits for you, and toss in a spicy chili powder and sell in little plastic bags.
That practice of eating fresh, ripe, sweet, juicy fruit with a spicy chili powder mix is so common in Sri Lanka, that it’s now ingrained in my DNA. For a just as uniquely delicious drink/cocktail version of this popsicle, check out my pink peppercorn pineapple margarita shandy recipe!
There’s something just so satisfying about snacking on sweet fruits like that. The mangoes taste even sweeter and more refreshing when paired with a spicy kick like that, and we’d even turn the bags inside out and lick off all the chili powder inside!
Mango, guava, olives, bilimbi cucumbers, jambu, lime, gooseberry, wood apple, pineapples were all routinely enjoyed by young and old alike this way.
While I still love to dip my fresh fruits in an extra spicy chili mix from time to time, I decided to turn this combo into summer-worthy popsicle recipe with these sweet, spicy pineapple popsicles (Paletas)!
These spicy pineapple popsicles are really easy to make, and super refreshing. The spice mix isn’t too spicy (although we do add more cayenne pepper for our own consumption), and they’ve got a very distinct salty, spicy, sweet, cool flavor contrast with a little heat and a kick of course.
Tips to make perfect spicy pineapple popsicles (paletas)
You can make the spice mix as spicy as you like. The recipe here gives you a moderately spicy mix, but if you generally don’t like it too spicy, then reduce the amount of cayenne and black pepper. Otherwise, you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper to about 1 – 1 1/2 tsps if you like it extra spicy.
When you sprinkle a thin layer of the spice mix over a pineapple layer, make sure to mix it in gently with that pineapple layer. If it’s not mixed in and instead you have a thick layer of spice separating the pineapple layers, this will create a weak point in the popsicle and may break easily when you unmold the frozen popsicle.
The reason I make “layers” of pineapple and spice mix like this, instead of mixing the pineapple puree with all of the spice mix is that this way I have clear layers of sweet and spicy.
Mixing all of the spice and pineapple puree together would overwhelm the fruity flavors with the spices and heat. But layering them lets me enjoy the best of both worlds!
Alternatively, you can make plain pineapple popsicles, and then sprinkle the spice mix all over the frozen popsicles later!
And for those of you who grew up eating fruits mixed with chili powder like Achar (Achcharu) or Tajín, – these spicy pineapple popsicles have your name written all over ’em! They are truly refreshing with a lovely twist on regular pineapple paletas!
Recipe
Spicy Pineapple Popsicles (Paletas)
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Pineapple Popsicles
- 500 g Fresh Pineapple 17.6 oz fresh pineapple (from about 1 medium pineapple)
- 50 g granulated white sugar ¼ cup / 4 tbsp. If the pineapple is very sweet, you can reduce the sugar to your taste
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Spice Mix
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper use less to make it less spicy
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions:
Pineapple Popsicles
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.500 g Fresh Pineapple, 50 g granulated white sugar, 1 tbsp lime juice
- Taste and add more sugar and lime juice to taste. Set aside.
Spice Mix
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside.3 tbsp white sugar, 1 tbsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp fine sea salt
Assembly
- Make sure you stir the pineapple mix before you pour, since the pineapple may settle to the bottom and form separate layers.
- Pour the pineapple mixture into 8 popsicle molds – about 1/3 of the way up. Sprinkle a small layer of spice mix and swirl it into the pineapple layer. Pour another pineapple layer over this (another 1/3) and repeat with the spice mix.
- Pour the final layer of pineapple on top and finish off with another layer of the spice mix, WITHOUT swirling it in.
- Place the popsicle sticks in the molds and freeze overnight.
- When ready to unmold – run the popsicle molds under hot water for a few seconds. Carefully remove the popsicles and return to the freezer until needed (if you’re not going to eat them immediately).
- Sprinkle a little extra spice mix over the popsicles before eating. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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