Love cooling down with a Thai Iced Tea, but loathe the sugar rush that ensues?  These fragrant, subtly sweet Thai Iced Tea Quick Pops are made with minimal added sugar and loads of spice.  Best of all, they freeze up in fewer than fifteen minutes!

Disclosure: I received the Zoku Quick Pop Maker as a gift from the brand. I am not being compensated in any other way by Zoku, nor will you find affiliate links in this post off of which I would profit.  As always, recipes and opinions are my own!

When we're trying to cut back on salt, we hear the sage advice to add fresh herbs, spices, and zests to our dishes.  Cut a little sodium, add more flavor.  Makes sense, right?

Why not apply some of that wisdom when attempting to reduce sugar?  Hear me out.

The big S word, despite what you may read, isn't toxic.  Or evil.  In fact, I would say it's important to indulge your sweet tooth, within reason, on a daily basis.  When you're not missing something, you don't feel deprived. 

But sugary beverages?  Well, that's just not how I want to "spend" my sugar allotment for the day.  I keep my coffee sugar-free (with no other added sweeteners), sip water or seltzer throughout the day, and steer clear of the soda aisle.  And though I've enjoyed many a Thai Iced Tea in my day, I prefer to quell the fire of Drunken Noodles or a good curry with water (or a cocktail). 

Utilizing nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt, these Thai Iced Tea Quick Pops derive most of their flavor from - you guessed it - spice!  The three key players are cardamom, star anise, and clove.  Feel free to add ginger, cinnamon, and lemongrass (if you can find it) to your steeping liquid if that floats your boat.

About the Quick Pop Maker itself: ensure that the mold has been in the freezer for at least 24 hours before use.  The user's guide makes it VERY clear that artificial sweeteners should NOT be used with the mold, so keep that in mind as well.  It takes a bit of elbow grease to release the frozen popsicles from the mold, but all in all this is a user-friendly piece of equipment.  If you live in a house full of impatient popsicle lovers, the Quick Pop Maker is well worth the investment. 

Enjoy your food.  Enjoy your life!

Zoku Thai Iced Tea Quick Pops

Author: Nicole Rodriguez, RDN, NASM-CPT

Special Equipment: Zoku Quick Pop Maker (I used the Triple)

Ingredients:

1 C. boiled water

1 black tea bag (I used Lipton)

1 star anise

1 clove

1 T. green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

1 single-serve fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Kalypso Madagascar Vanilla)

Preparation:

The day before:

Pour boiled water over tea bag, cardamom, star anise, and clove in coffee mug or other heat-proof container.  Allow to steep and cool completely.  Strain liquid and place in refrigerator, and place Quick Pop mold in freezer.

Ready to make your pops:

Whisk tea liquid together with yogurt.  Remove Quick Pop mold from freezer, insert included sticks, and slowly pour yogurt tea mixture to fill line of each mold.  Allow 11-12 minutes before utilizing release tool to remove popsicles.  Repeat with remaining mixture.

Yield: 6 popsicles