Healthy Homemade Fudgesicles

Craving a fudgesicle? This healthy fudgesicle recipe is sweet and creamy like the classic treat you’re used to, but made with just 6 simple real food ingredients, plus options to boost the protein.

When I was a kid and was offered a popsicle, I ALWAYS chose a fudgesicle. Whether it was from an ice cream truck or a choice of treats from the freezer, the fudgesicle always won.

It’s like creamy, chocolate ice cream on a stick, and it’s the perfect cold treat on a hot summer day.

I still love fudgesicles, and with this homemade fudgesicle recipe, I can have them whenever I want, WITHOUT worrying about the sugars and additives in the store-bought version!

What are fudgesicles made of?

With its simple mixture of creamy coconut milk and two kinds of chocolate, combined with a few pantry staples, homemade fudgesicles are a classic sweet treat that tastes like chocolate pudding!

WHY WE LOVE THIS CREAMY FUDGESICLE RECIPE

Both of my kids DEMOLISHED these homemade fudgesicles the first time I made them. I gave them to their friends the second time, and everyone LOVED them!

I can see why, too. And making homemade fudgesicles couldn’t be any easier!

• Easy. No cooking involved!
• Quick. A few minutes of hands-on work and they’re ready in just a few hours.
• Refined sugar-free. The best part of making them at home is that I can control the sweetener!
• Allergy-friendly. They’re also dairy-free and gluten-free and perfect for an allergy-friendly dessert.
• Rich, fudgy, and delicious!

I’m always surprised that my kids love this healthy fudgesicle recipe because it’s packed with nourishing, wholesome ingredients. Then again, I shouldn’t be, because they taste just like those chocolate popsicles we grew up with ourselves!

WHAT IS A FUDGSICLE MADE OF?

Have you looked at the ingredients in a store-bought Fudgsicle® recently? Here are a few of the ingredients we’re trying to avoid:

• Sugar
• Corn syrup solids
• High fructose corn syrup 
• Carrageenan

Click here to learn more about why we avoid these ingredients.

The sugar-free version isn’t that great either. While they don’t have “sugar,” they have several other artificial sweeteners:

• Sorbitol
• Polydextrose
• Aspartame
• Acesulfame Potassium (I cover the dangers of aspartame and acesulfame potassium extensively in my book High Protein No Powder)

Thankfully, this homemade fudgesicles recipe uses just 6 real food ingredients, all of which you likely already have in your pantry!

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE FUDGESICLES

You only need a few basic ingredients to make fudgesicles:

• Full-Fat Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream. For fudgesicles, I like the kind from a can more than the drinkable kind you’d pour over cereal. You also want full-fat milk. Both coconut milk and coconut cream will work in this recipe. BUT, if you don’t have canned coconut milk on hand, you can use regular milk (or a dairy-free substitute like almond milk) and add 2 Tablespoons of nut butter. (Low-fat canned coconut milk is not thick enough.)
• Chocolate Chips. I like dark chocolate, but semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips work too. Use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep these vegan.
• Cocoa Powder. I used raw cacao, but you could use unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa (the kind at most grocery stores) instead.
• Vanilla Extract. You just need a little bit of vanilla to help mellow out the chocolate flavor.
• Salt. Salt helps to bring out the sweetness.
• Maple Syrup. Maple syrup adds natural sweetness without adding flavor to contrast the chocolate. If you use honey, you will taste it in the final frozen popsicle. I used 3 Tablespoons per batch, but you can reduce this if you’re using chocolate chips with a higher sugar content.
• **Banana (optional). Another natural sweetener option, but it also adds a creamy factor! If you don’t like the taste of bananas, you can use a very green banana OR substitute ½ cup of Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla) or ½ of an avocado.

SUPPLIES FOR HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE POPSICLES

You need just a few supplies to truly pull off chocolate popsicles, or any homemade popsicle recipe for that matter.

• Popsicle Molds. I bought these popsicle molds from Amazon a few years ago and highly recommend them. You can see if you can find a similar set of popsicle molds at Walmart.
• Ice Cream Sticks or Popsicle Sticks.* You can find popsicle sticks at Walmart, too, but I bought them from Amazon when I bought the popsicle molds.

*Note: The popsicle molds come with a handle, so you don’t HAVE to buy sticks. However, using sticks is best when you’re giving fudgsicles to the kids. That way, they can eat them outside while playing, and you don’t have to worry about getting your popsicle mold handles back.

If you want to use the wooden popsicle sticks, let the fudgesicles freeze for about 45 minutes. Then place the wooden sticks in the popsicles and continue to freeze them until they’re completely solid.

HOW TO MAKE FUDGESICLES

Step 1. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend on low until well combined. Taste and add more cocoa or maple syrup if desired (usually 1 Tablespoon will do the trick). You want the mixture to be a little too sweet, as the sweetness will get muted once the fudge pops are frozen.

Step 2. Pour the chocolate mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3. Run the mold under warm water to remove the fudgesicles easily, and enjoy!

FUDGESICLE VARIATIONS

Flavor	Adjustments	Result
Peanut Butter Fudgesicles	Add 2-3 Tbsp of peanut butter	Nutty and sweet
Triple Chocolate	Melt 2-3 Tbsp of additional chocolate chips and stir into the batter along with cocoa powder and chocolate chips	Rich, chocolatey flavor
Zebra Fudgesicles	Melt 2-3 Tbsp of white chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the frozen fudge pops	Extra sweet and pretty to look at
Avocado Pudding Pops	Substitute ½ of an avocado for the banana	Creamy with extra fiber and healthy fat
Yogurt Fudgesicles	Substitute ½ cup of plain or vanilla yogurt for the banana	Creamy and tangy
Protein Fudgesicles	Substitute ½ cup of Greek yogurt for the banana, and add protein options below	Protein-packed treat

HIGH PROTEIN FUDGESICLES

These fudgesicles are a great way to include healthy fats in a treat. But if you’re also looking to hit your protein goals, you have a few options to boost the protein.

• Add collagen. 1 Tablespoon of collagen boosts the protein in the batch by 6g, about 1g per fudgesicle. I like this brand.
• Add protein powder. You’ll bump up the total protein by 15-30g per Tablespoon, depending on the brand. This French Vanilla kind is my favorite.
• Mix in nut butter. Peanut butter adds 4g of protein per Tablespoon, and almond butter adds 3.4g.
• Use peanut butter powder and nonfat milk. You’ll still get some of the creamy factor, but lower the overall fat content. Peanut butter powder contains 3-4g of protein per Tablespoon.
• Use Greek yogurt. Opting for Greek yogurt instead of (or in addition to) the banana adds 6g of protein.

FUDGSICLE PUDDING POPS FAQS

OTHER DELICIOUS POPSICLE RECIPES

In case you’re not a fan of chocolate and want a summer treat, try one of these favorite homemade popsicle recipes:

• 3-Ingredient Easy Yogurt Popsicles
• Homemade Ice Pops – 100% Real Fruit
• Cherry Limeade Popsicles
• Coconut Cream Popsicles