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Refreshing Drink Recipes Just for Kids

Why buy packaged lemonade or expensive smoothies when you can let the kids cool off with one of these refreshing non-alcoholic summer drinks you make yourself? The nice thing about these recipes is they are quick to prepare and easy enough for kids to make if they want to.

And because these drinks are homemade, you can control the quality of the ingredients (frozen organic fruit is a favourite of mine) and the amount of sugar.

Chocolate Strawberry Smoothies

princessdlaf/Getty Images

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 2 servings

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This chocolate strawberry smoothie recipe is refreshing and healthy. If you have a blender with an ice-crusher feature, you can make these smoothies in there. Otherwise, you may want to use a food processor, since the frozen strawberries can be tough to crush​ or consider investing in a Vita-Mix blender.

Ingredients

• • 2 cups frozen sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup non-fat milk
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
  • 1 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Steps to Make It

1. Place frozen strawberries in the blender or food processor first.
2. Add milk and juice. Top with remaining ingredients.
3. Puree until smooth, stopping to push the ​fruit down into the blades of the blender, if necessary.

By Stephanie Gallagher

No Sugar Added Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Brenda Bennett

• • Total: 3 mins
  • Prep: 3 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 2 servings

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

What would the spring and summer seasons be without fresh lemonade? Making homemade sugar free lemonade at home is fabulously easy! All you need is your favourite sugar free substitute and have at it. Throwing in some fresh strawberries in this recipe makes it even better. But if you’re not a strawberry fan sub another fruit like blueberries or raspberries. Honestly the recipe is easily adaptable to choose whatever fruit you fancy. Even frozen fruit would work here but I would suggest removing 1 cup of the ice in the recipe because frozen fruit should make the mixture cold enough and you certainly don’t want a watered down frozen lemonade.

This lemonade is of the frozen kind. More like a slushy then a typical lemonade. If you’ve ever been to Chick-Fil-A then you know what I’m talking about.

While this recipe isn’t completely sugar free, it is made without sugar so it’s the best and tastiest made over healthy version of a sugary frozen beverage you can have!

With only 3 ingredients not counting water of course this is a special treat on any hot day that I’m sure your family will swoon over!

Of course, if you don’t want this to be sugar free you can use another less refined sugar substitute like honey or maple syrup. But please note those changes in the sweetener will increase your carbs, your calories and might possibly trigger sugar cravings if you’ve been gradually eliminating it from your diet. If sugar free is your goal, keeping clear of it in all foods and especially as added sugar is the way to keep those cravings down.

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon lemon liquid stevia
  • 1/2 cup Swerve sweetener
  • 1/2 cup strawberries
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cups ice

Steps to Make It

1.  Add lemon juice, water, liquid stevia and Swerve to your high powdered blender.
2. Remove stem of strawberries and wash them then add to the blender.
3. Give the blender a quick whir then add ice.
4. Continue to blend until ice is thoroughly incorporated and lemonade is thick and slushy.
5. Taste and adjust sweeteners if needed.
6. Makes 2 servings.

By Brenda Bennett

Strawberry Milkshake

The Spruce

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 2 servings

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

While it’s not necessary to soak the strawberries in the sugar before blending, the sugar really pulls out the berries’ natural juice and intensifies the sweetness in a way that gives your milkshake amazing flavour. You could also use strawberry ice cream instead of vanilla for even more strawberry punch.

Ingredients

• • 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Garnish: small whole strawberries

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

Cut the tops off the strawberries and slice them into a few pieces.

In a medium bowl combine the sliced strawberries, sugar, and vanilla extract and stir to combine well.

Set aside and allow to sit, if you have time, for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Place the strawberries with any juices, ice cream, and milk in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into large glasses, and if desired put a strawberry on the rim of each glass.

Serve immediately.

Tip 

In place of fresh strawberries, you can use frozen strawberries, either ones that you buy already frozen in the freezer aisle or you can freeze fresh strawberries and use those if you want a very thick shake. You may need to add a bit more milk if the shake is too thick. Feel free to use any kind of milk you’d like, from 1% to whole, although whole would make a richer milkshake.

Recipe Variations 

• • If you are looking to add some more flavour to your strawberry milkshake, try adding a banana, for a strawberry banana milkshake.
  • Include other berries in addition to—or with—the strawberries for a mixed berry shake. Try blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
  • Add a scoop of malt powder for a malted strawberry shake.
  • Drizzle it with chocolate syrup for a strawberry chocolate milkshake.
  • Put whipped cream on top, and maybe some chocolate shavings or sprinkles.
  • You could also substitute dairy items with non-dairy milk and ice cream.

By Katie Workman

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Leah Maroney

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 4 drinks (serves 4)

Life is better with chocolate! Especially during the winter months, when we can indulge in one of the most iconic beverages: hot chocolate. But there are times during the remaining three seasons, when we crave this decadent drink, but it’s too warm outside to warrant making it. But what to do then? Well, we’ve come up with a recipe just for you: Frozen hot chocolate!

Simply add hot chocolate packets to ice and milk and you’ve got a delicious frozen hot chocolate treat!

It was made famous by Serendipity 3 in New York City, but you don’t have to leave your kitchen or wait in a ridiculously long line to enjoy all of its deliciousness. Instead, all you need is a blender to make this happen. It is refreshing in the summer but can be enjoyed any time of the year.

Ingredients

• • 3 cups of ice
  • 2 cups of whole milk (skim, 2 percent, and dairy-free milks can also be substituted)
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
  • 3 hot cocoa packets
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate shavings
  • Garnish: chocolate syrup

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Create the chocolate shavings ahead of time. Use whatever kind of chocolate you wish. It’s easiest to create the shavings from a bar of chocolate. Use a grater or special chocolate shaver to create the shavings.
3. Add the ice, whole milk, chocolate syrup, and hot chocolate packets to a blender. Use a blender that can easily crush ice or make smoothies. Crush until smooth.
4. Drizzle chocolate syrup around the rim of four glasses so that the syrup will drip down the sides.  Pour the frozen hot chocolate into each glass. Top each glass with a generous amount of whipped cream. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the top of the whipped cream and serve with a straw immediately!

Recipe Variations 

• • You can use any type or variety of hot chocolate packets, but the sugar content may vary packet to packet, so you may need to add a little more milk and ice if the sweetness is too much for you.
  • Try out different flavours, like peppermint hot chocolate, and garnish with crushed peppermint sticks.
  • Or you can try a Mexican hot chocolate variety by adding cinnamon.
  • If you are looking to reduce the sugar, look for sugar-free hot chocolate packets or check your health food store for lower sugar alternatives.
  • If you are over 21 and want to add a little party to this decadent treat, try a boozy adult version by substituting half a cup of milk for half a cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream! You can also add things like Kahlua or Frangelico to put some spirit into your frozen hot cocoa.
  • You can use dairy-free milk for this recipe, like almond milk or coconut milk, however the hot chocolate packets typically contain dried cow’s milk, so this recipe still won’t be vegan.
  • If you are looking for a vegan option, we recommend trying to find vegan hot chocolate packets and pairing it with a diary-free milk.

By Leah Maroney

Tropical Raspberry Smoothie

Leah Maroney

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 1 Large Smoothie (1 Serving)

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Raspberries, oranges, and pineapples blend together beautifully in this tropical smoothie. Whether it is winter or summer a fresh and tropical tasting smoothie is an excellent way to start your day!

We could eat smoothies for every meal! They are packed with fruit, can be full of protein, and are easy to make and to take on the go! Raspberries are full of delicious flavour and are a little more interesting than the basic strawberries. They also create a beautiful colour for the smoothie! You can replace the raspberries with blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries if you like!

This smoothie uses a nice tropical flavour base of orange pineapple juice. It gives a nice flavour, similar to an ​Orange Julius! You can, of course, use solely pineapple or solely orange juice if you would like! We like to use frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit with ice. We find it gives the smoothie a much better texture!  The banana does not have to be frozen. Either way, it helps to thicken the smoothie and make it nice and smooth!

Some blenders work better than others for making a smooth smoothie. Usually the ones with blades that run all the way up the blender help to blend the smoothie appropriately. Our blender works very quickly to blend this smoothie. If yours does not handle frozen foods well, it may take a little bit longer.

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 cup of orange pineapple juice
  • 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup of yogurt (optional)

Steps to Make It

1. Add the frozen raspberries, frozen pineapple chunks, banana, and orange pineapple juice to a quality blender. If you are adding yogurt, add it at this time as well. It is not necessary to cut up the banana if it is fresh. If it is frozen, you may want to cut it in half. It’s also helpful if you are freezing bananas yourself to freeze them in chunks!
2. Blend the fruit and juice on high for a minute or so. Make sure the lid is securely placed on top of your blender, so you don’t have an explosion! Then turn the blender speed down to a lower setting for a minute or so to help create a smooth texture.
3. Pour the smoothie into a large glass or to go container and use a smoothie straw to drink it up!  You can probably share this smoothie with someone else, but we can drink this recipe in one sitting!

By Leah Maroney

Lemonade Recipe

TheCrimsonMonkey/Getty Images

• • Total: 25 mins
  • Prep: 20 mins
  • Cook: 5 mins
  • Yield: 1 pitcher (6 servings)

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This lemonade recipe makes the freshest, tastiest lemonade you’ll ever try. Indeed, once you try this lemonade recipe, you’ll never go back to bottled or powdered lemonade again.

Feel free to adjust the sweetness of this lemonade recipe by adding more or less sugar to suit your taste. A sprig of fresh mint makes the perfect garnish for this lemonade recipe.

Ingredients

• • 1-1/4 cups sugar (granulated)
  • 6 cups water (cold, divided)
  • 5-8 lemons

Steps to Make It

1. Combine sugar and 1 cup of the water in a medium (2- or 3-quart) saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate this mixture (simple syrup) while you make the rest of the lemonade.
3. Juice the lemons over a strainer, until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.
4. Add the lemon juice to the remaining 5 cups of cold water. Stir in the refrigerated simple syrup (sugar and water mixture).
5. Garnish with lemon slices or fresh mint, if desired.
6. By Stephanie Gallagher

Virgin Pina Colada Recipe

The Spruce

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 servings

See Full Nutritional Guidelines

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Next time you’re having a spring or summer party, try making this virgin Pina Colada recipe. This drink is so refreshing and rich-tasting, you won’t even miss the alcohol.

The Pina Colada is a blended or iced cocktail originating from Puerto Rico. It’s usually made with white rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, but in this easy virgin recipe, just nix the rum and use coconut milk instead of the coconut cream.

Since we are using frozen pineapple chunks, you won’t really need to add as much ice to these Pina Coladas. Start with 1/4 cup and add more if you want a frostier drink. Blend it up until the consistency is smooth and creamy.

The traditional Pina Colada is garnished with either a pineapple wedge, a maraschino cherry, or both. Feel free to garnish with what you like, including a little paper umbrella!

Ingredients

• • 1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened pineapple chunks
  • 1/4 cup ice
  • 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • Optional: 1 to 3 tbsp. brown sugar
  • Garnish: Fresh pineapple wedges
  • Garnish: Maraschino cherry

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

Place the frozen pineapple chunks and ice in the bottom of a blender.

Pour the pineapple juice and coconut milk over top. Add the brown sugar if using. Puree until smooth. Taste to test desired sweetness.

Pour into glasses, and garnish with fresh pineapple wedges or a maraschino cherry. For an extra special touch, chill the glasses by filling classes with crushed ice or ice water before pouring Pina Coladas in.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tips 

For easy clean-up, rinse the blender with water and pop into the dishwasher before the sugars in the drink have a chance to solidify and get sticky. If your blender is not dishwasher safe or you don’t have a dishwasher, simply add a bit of soap and warm water into the dirty blender, pop back onto the base for a quick mix, then rinse out with water.

By Stephanie Gallagher

How to Make an Oreo Milkshake

The Spruce

• • Total: 5 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 0 mins
  • Yield: 2 large milkshakes (2 servings)

A beloved classic recipe used in restaurants the world over, this Oreo milk shake is the ideal sweet treat. With a bit of cookie crunch, rich chocolate sauce, and creamy body, it’s no wonder why people are so fond of this dessert.

Ingredients

• • 1 pint vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 10 Oreo cookies (or any chocolate sandwich cookie, 2 are for garnish)
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce​​

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

Place the ice cream, milk, 8 of the Oreo cookies, and the chocolate sauce in a blender, and puree until smooth.

Crush the remaining Oreo cookies by placing them in a zipper-sealed plastic bag and pounding on them a few times with a rolling pin until they crumble.

Pour the milkshakes into two glasses, and top each with crushed Oreo cookie crumbs.

Serve the shakes immediately, with a straw, and enjoy!

Tip 

You can use whatever milk you want for this recipe, from 1% to whole, but we find that the creaminess of whole milk makes it the best additive. It’s a milkshake after all!

By Katie Workman