These super-easy Mexican ice pops are creamy, crunchy, and packed with bright lime flavor — an ideal treat for hot summer days.
Living in North Carolina, where the summer months are long and humid, I make paletas (Mexican ice pops) frequently. Along with paletas I often make other cool treats like single-serve no-churn ice cream and German Eiskaffee. These desserts are fast to prepare, refreshingly cool, and perfect for serving individually for a crowd or for a single-person snack.
My first paletas for the blog were Strawberry Cream Paletas, made with Greek yogurt for a lighter option. Since then I’ve experimented with flavors such as lemon curd, Rote Grütze, and French hot chocolate — all delicious variations to try.
This year I wanted to learn more about authentic Mexican paletas and test new flavor ideas, so I turned to the cookbook Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Augas Frescas by Fanny Gerson. It’s an excellent resource with many recipes, beautiful photography, and cultural background about paletas and aguas frescas.
A few fun facts from the book: paletas are popular across Mexico; the word paletas comes from “palo,” meaning stick; and there are two main styles of paletas — paletas de agua (water-based) and paletas de crema (milk- or cream-based).
Creamy Lime Paletas — Three Ways
The recipe below is adapted from Fanny Gerson’s book. These are paletas de crema, made with half-and-half, sweetened condensed milk, fresh lime juice and zest, and optionally coated in crushed graham crackers for a lime-pie-style finish.
If you prefer, skip the graham-cracker coating and enjoy plain creamy lime ice pops. You can also pour the mixture into a shallow dish and freeze it as a no-churn creamy lime ice cream — scoop and top with graham crackers for the same flavor profile without molds.
I tested all three approaches and they were all excellent. Whether you make classic paletas, graham-coated paletas, or no-churn lime ice cream, the bright lime and creamy base make a refreshing summer treat.
What You Need to Make Lime Pie Paletas
Ingredients:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Half-and-half
- Fresh lime juice and lime zest
- Pinch of salt
- Coarsely crushed graham crackers (optional)
Kitchen Tools:
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Measuring cup with a spout or a funnel
- Measuring cups/spoons or a kitchen scale
- Paleta or ice pop molds (or small glasses / ice cube trays as alternatives)
Tips:
- Use a pouring cup or funnel to fill molds neatly and leave a little headspace to allow for expansion during freezing.
- If you don’t have molds, pour the mixture into a shallow dish, freeze, and scoop like ice cream.
- For the graham-cracker coating, crush the crackers coarsely and place them in a shallow bowl for dipping after unmolding.
- Because these paletas are creamy, they melt faster than water-based pops. Serve immediately after coating, or return briefly to the freezer to firm up again.
- Store finished paletas wrapped in plastic or in plastic sleeves to protect them from freezer burn.
Lime Pie Mexican Paletas (Creamy Lime Mexican Ice Pops)
These super-easy Mexican ice pops are creamy, crunchy, and full of lime flavor. Perfect for summer!
5 minutes
5 hours
5 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz (396 g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (227 g) half-and-half
- 3/4 cup (170 g) freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 large limes)
- 2 tsp lime zest
- Pinch of salt
- 3 cups (426 g) coarsely crushed graham crackers (for coating, optional)
Instructions
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, half-and-half, lime juice, lime zest, and a pinch of salt to a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Pour the mixture into paleta molds, leaving a little space at the top to allow for expansion during freezing.
- Freeze for about 5 hours, or until solid.
- To coat: crush graham crackers and place them in a shallow bowl or on wax paper.
- Unmold the paletas and dip them in the crushed graham crackers to coat. Serve immediately or return briefly to the freezer to firm up.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice & Augas Frescas.