Craving Something Cool? Try These Better-For-You Frozen Treats and Smoothies

Summer brings sunshine, sports, road trips, backyard fun, and plenty of time outdoors.  But rising temperatures also increase your body’s need for fluids. Staying hydrated helps regulate body temperature, supports energy levels, promotes focus, and keeps muscles working properly — making it especially important during active summer days.

The good news? Hydration can be flavorful and refreshing. Frozen fruits, smoothies, refrigerated beverages, and homemade popsicles make it easy to stay cool while enjoying nutrient-packed ingredients.

Why Hydration Matters in Summer

When temperatures climb, your body works harder to stay cool, increasing the need to replenish fluids lost through sweat. Staying hydrated helps support healthy body temperature regulation, energy levels, concentration, and muscle function—all important during active summer days.

Some groups may need to pay extra attention to hydration, including:

• Kids playing outdoors, who may be having so much fun that they forget to stop and drink
• Athletes and active teens, who can lose fluids rapidly through sweat
• People who work outside, especially for extended periods in the heat
• Older adults, whose thirst signals become less noticeable with age
• Travelers, who can become dehydrated during long days in cars, airports, amusement parks, or at the beach.

Make hydration a summer habit so you can stay recharged and enjoy every moment of the season.

Try these simple habits to stay ahead of hydration:

• Sip fluids consistently throughout the day
• Add hydrating foods like smoothies and frozen fruit treats
• Keep frozen fruits and frozen smoothie ingredients stocked and ready
• Blend smoothies or other beverages ahead of time for grab-and-go convenience.

Refreshing Hydration with Frozen and Refrigerated Foods

When it comes to staying hydrated, refrigerated and frozen foods offer a simple way to add both flavor and fluids throughout the day. Frozen fruit creates thick, frosty smoothies without needing extra ice, while refrigerated juices, dairy foods, and plant-based beverages provide endless ways to mix and match flavors. Keeping a variety of these ingredients on hand can help you create refreshing drinks and snacks the whole family will enjoy.

These ideas make staying hydrated easy and delicious:

• Make Homemade Popsicles. Blend frozen fruit, yogurt, refrigerated juice, your preferred milk, or coconut water, then pour into molds and freeze. Kids can help choose the flavors, layer colors, or add fruit pieces before freezing. For a cool summer snack with extra staying power, try Strawberry ’N Cream Pops, which combine fruit and cottage cheese for a creamy source of protein and hydration. Tea lovers can cool down with Two-Ingredient Popsicles, a frozen treat that transforms tea into a summer refresher.
• Mix Up a Festive Summer Refresher. Combine 100% refrigerated or frozen fruit juice with sparkling water, frozen fruit, citrus slices, or herbs for a colorful summer drink perfect for cookouts, family picnics, pool parties, or backyard movie nights. Try a red, white, and blue refresher like this Pomegranate-Blueberry mocktail or a Pot-O-Gold sipper for a taste of summer that both kids and adults will enjoy.
• Prepare Smoothies Starter Kits. Stock your freezer with Make-Ahead Smoothie Packs to make busy summer mornings easier with pre-portioned ingredients ready to grab, blend, and enjoy. They’re convenient for parents and simple enough for kids to make their own smoothies, too.
• Boost Nutrition with Frozen Veggies. Enhance your favorite smoothie with frozen riced cauliflower for a velvety smooth texture without altering the flavor. Go green by blending frozen spinach, kiwi fruit, green apple chucks, fresh or frozen avocado, coconut water, and lime juice. Another option is to combine oranges, mango, and pineapple with frozen sweet potatoes, plus a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for a tropical taste. Remember, any leftover smoothie can be frozen into popsicle molds for a refreshing, no-waste treat later in the day.
• Create a Bowl. Turn a smoothie into a more filling meal or snack by pouring it into a bowl and topping with fruit, granola, nuts, seeds, or coconut. A colorful option like the Powerhouse Açaí Bowl layers frozen fruit with crunchy and creamy toppings for extra texture and staying power.

Fill Your Freezer with Convenient Summer Options

For options that are ready to grab-and-go, stock your freezer with real-fruit or 100% juice bars and popsicles, Greek yogurt bars, frozen chocolate-dipped fruit (like banana or berry bites), and miniature frozen novelties that offer built-in portion control. These convenient options make it easy to cool down after sports, yardwork, pool time, or a hot afternoon outside while adding more fruit, dairy, and refreshing fluids to the day.

Keep Cool All Summer Long

Hydration does not have to feel like one more item on the summer to-do list. With frozen fruits, refrigerated beverages, yogurt, dairy and plant-based milks, and homemade frozen treats, there are plenty of ways families can sip, blend, and freeze their way through the hottest days of the season.

Annette Maggi, MS RDN, LD, FAND

Annette is a registered dietitian and nutrition expert who helps people and brands turn credible nutrition science into practical, everyday food choices. With experience working with major retailers and food companies, she’s known for making complex health topics approachable, relevant, and actionable—always grounded in science and real-world eating.