Pistachio Matcha Popsicles

Did I mention that my freezer is stocked with homemade pops in my mango-coconut popsicle blog? Well, if I didn’t, then let me remedy the oversight – it is!

The downside of having a freezer full of homemade pops is that you need to keep inventing new flavors. Who am I kidding? It’s an upside – I love to experiment with ingredients and find new combinations I grow to adore. 

This time I decided to try my hand on pistachio matcha popsicles. 

How to Make Pistachio Matcha Popsicles?

Lets start with matcha....

Matcha is a fine powder made by stone grinding processed whole tea leaves. Its nutritional paybacks are legion, not the least of which is L-Theanine, an amino acid that helps slow your mind and wake it up simultaneously.

Matcha has a very soothing earthy taste, but what makes it intriguing to me is its detoxifying ability. A powerhouse of antioxidants, the powder naturally cleanses the body. 

That’s why I use it every once in a while. I have made matcha chocolate bark, smoothie (do give this one a try, it has mangoes!), chocolate cups, granola, cookies, etc. etc. You get the gist.

Pistachios I have only used for garnishing and adding oomph. So, I thought it was high time to put the nut (that pairs deliciously with sweets and savories alike) to some serious work.

Besides the culinary diversity of pistachio, it has the lowest calorie count of all nuts. Meaning you can munch an ounce of it (same as ½ a cup or 49 pistachios) and be guilt-free.

But that’s not what got me hooked on pistachios; it was the health benefits. The nut is packed with phosphorus, vitamin B6, thiamine, potassium, magnesium, fiber and more.

It also has carotenoids, which are great for your eye health (think of them as sunglasses that protect the eyes) and vitamin E, which is known as the beauty vitamin! And best of all, the nut has prebiotics that keeps the gut in top-notch shape.

So, with all these wholesome, nutritional benefits rolling around in my mind, I got to making pistachio matcha popsicles, which FYI took all of 5 minutes of prep.

I blended full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup, matcha, and pistachios with a tiny bit of rose water. That's what gives the popsicles an understated aromatic savor and amplifies the inherent taste of pistachios.

Once these five ingredients are blended, I added a few dried rose petals, poured it into molds, and left the popsicles to freeze overnight.

Quick notes:

The rose petals give the pale green hue of the pops a gorgeous peekaboo of color. You can leave them out or add pomegranate arils for that pop of red. 

The rose water and pistachio pairing remind me of middle-eastern flavoring that I crave now and then, but you can leave the water out. Though its taste is so mild that you don’t even notice it. 

If you don’t have coconut milk, use regular cream. Or another option would be half full-fat milk and half cream. If you’d like to keep the popsicles vegan and don’t have coconut milk, use coconut cream. It makes the pops richer and imparts a certain luxuriousness that’s so welcome.

Instead of maple syrup, you can use honey or agave syrup. Date syrup is another lovely substitute; just remember that the color of the popsicles will be a shade darker.

When a recipe is as simple as this, every ingredient matters. So, I highly recommend using only good quality matcha. And if you are one of those people who find the grassy taste of matcha to have a bitter after bite, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

The best stuff is not bitter in the least. That said, if there is no matcha at hand, simply skip it and enjoy the nutty flavor of pistachio popsicles.

After you blend all the ingredients, I recommend taste testing and adjusting the quantities as per your palate.

Enjoying the pistachio matcha popsicles

When I first used matcha, I was skeptical about it. Over the years, I have fallen in love with its grassy, fresh flavor. Combining it with the mellow, nutty taste of pistachio was a moment of genius. 

The outcome was an incredibly light popsicle with the right hint of rose that are so, so soothing to the eyes too!

My house gulped the pistachio matcha popsicles down the next morning, but the tasty treats are also a perfect antidote to a hot summer afternoon!

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