Treat the kids to the creamiest homemade Fudge Pops that are one of the best frozen desserts I’ve ever made. Seriously, these might be packed with nutritious ingredients, but the texture is identical to a classic pudding pop and they are SO darn good. The only hard part of this recipe is waiting for them to freeze!
Fudge Pops
You may know this about me, but if not: I love Popsicles. I love them for snacks, desserts, and every eating opportunity in between. I find that they are a fun way to serve up ingredients the kids may not otherwise want to eat—which is where this recipe comes in!
After I shared my Chocolate Avocado Pudding recipe, a few people told me on Instagram that they were great as pudding pops. I tried it myself and WHOA, they were so right! They are an easy homemade option when you’re craving a pudding pop or Fudgsicle.
These creamy fudge popsicles are crazy easy to make. There’s no cooking or need to simmer, so they are very fast to whip up—and they freeze into the most delish popsicles. They are a decadent chocolate dessert that is packed with healthy fats, protein, and the creamiest texture without even using cream.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make these homemade fudgesicles, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Avocado: You’ll want them to be ripe and just soft to the touch as it’s the primary source of creaminess in the recipe.
- Plain whole-milk yogurt: You can use regular or Greek yogurt here. It provides additional creaminess in the popsicle recipe.
- Cocoa powder: I use Hershey’s special dark, but any unsweetened cocoa powder will work.
- Vanilla extract: A little vanilla balances the flavor of the cocoa powder nicely.
- Maple syrup or honey: This balances out the flavors in the cocoa powder and avocado with a little sweetness. (Avoid honey for babies under 1 year.) If you prefer to avoid added sugars, you can add a small ripe banana.
- Almond butter (optional): I like to add the almond butter since it makes them just a little creamier, especially if I’m using regular yogurt, but you can omit it if you use Greek yogurt.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process of making this recipe. Scroll to the end of the post for the specifics.
- Add the ingredients to the blender.
- Blend smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender if needed.
- Spoon into popsicle molds.
- Freeze until firm, then enjoy!
TIP: These need to freeze for at least 4-6 hours, so make them in the morning of the day you want to serve them or the day before.
Best Popsicle Molds
I like the Zoku popsicle molds best since they are durable, reliably easy to get out of the molds, and are easy to clean. We like this classic mold shown throughout this post and these mini ones. (This recipe is a little decadent, so the smaller molds would be a great option!)
TIP: Find my full list of favorite Popsicle Molds so you can choose the best one for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, just use a dairy-free yogurt.
I like using plain whole milk Greek yogurt but a regular one will work too.
If you start with creamy ingredients, that helps. Then you’ll want to transfer the frozen popsicles to a freezer bag for longer term storage. Letting them sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before eating can help them have a perfect texture, too.
How to Store
Transfer frozen popsicles to a zip-top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Best Tips for Success
- Use ripe avocado that’s just soft to the touch. You can also use slightly thawed frozen avocado.
- Use regular plain whole-milk yogurt or Greek style.
- To make these dairy-free, use a Greek-style dairy-free yogurt.
- If you use regular plain whole-milk yogurt, I like to add the optional almond butter to ensure ultimate creaminess.
- You can use vanilla yogurt to make them slightly sweeter. Or, you can omit added sugar by skipping the maple syrup or honey and adding a small very ripe banana.
- Taste the mixture before you spoon it into the molds and add more sweetener as needed. (Some cocoa powder is more bitter than others.)
- You can use popsicle molds, ice-pop molds, or small disposable 3-ounce cups and popsicle sticks.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it. I love hearing what your kids think of my recipes, so please comment below to share!
So Good Fudge Pops (with Avocado!)
Ingredients
- 1 medium avocado (pit and peel discarded; about ½ cup avocado flesh)
- ½ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt (or regular style)
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon smooth unsweetened almond butter (optional)
Instructions
- Taste the mixture and add a little additional sweetener if needed.
- Spoon into popsicle molds.
- Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight until firm.
- Remove from molds and serve cold. (You can let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes so they soften just slightly before serving if desired.)
Video
Notes
- Use ripe avocado that’s just soft to the touch. You can also use slightly thawed frozen avocado.
- Use regular plain whole-milk yogurt or Greek style. If you use regular plain whole-milk yogurt, I like to add the optional almond butter to ensure ultimate creaminess.
- The amounts listed are my preference for ensuring that these taste like fudge pops, but you can reduce the maple syrup and/or the cocoa powder to 2 tbsp if you prefer.
- Taste the mixture before you spoon it into the molds and add more sweetener as needed. (Some cocoa powder is more bitter than others.)
- Dairy-free, use a Greek-style dairy-free yogurt.
- Store frozen popsicles in a freezer bag, sealed with as much air removed as possible, for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
This post was first published May 2020.
My youngest and myself loves these popsicles. It tastes like chocolate pudding. So delicious!
These came out okay – I’m thinking our cocoa powder isn’t strong enough or our avocado was too big? Added more cocoa and syrup than what it called for and still a bit tangy from the yogurt and avocado-y. Unfortunately these weren’t a hit with our 6 year old but our 2 year old loves all popsicles! I’ll keep feeding them to him 🙂
Do you think you could make this into more of an ice cream if didn’t freeze it as long? This recipe is perfect for my 16mo old but he hasn’t quite grasped popsicles but LOVES ice cream
I bet!
Interested in making these! How long will they lay in the freezer?
If you transfer them to a freezer bag, they are fine for about 6 months or more.
So good!
These look great! At what age can you introduce popsicles? Would you think there is a choking risk for a 16 month old that may bite the popsicle?
If you are concerned about that, you can use a wider popsicle mold that is harder to bite. We always did them from when the kids were babies and I have never seen a kid bite off a piece, but do what you prefer.
These are delightful – my husband, two-year-old son and I all love them! I love how nutritious they are, and very easy to make.
These were a massive hit with my 3.5 yo twin boys! I’ve made them a couple of times now and they LOVE them. I confess I haven’t mentioned anything about the avocado but hopefully they’ll forgive me when they’re older for hiding it from them
I recently made these a d had a good amount of leftover mix since I didn’t have enough popsicle molds. Any recommendations on what to do with the extra mix? Anyway to add some oats etc. and then make into muffins? Thanks!!! I love your recipes <3
Hi- I would probably just eat it as pudding. I’m not confident about baking it so I don’t want to guess at something that might not work well.
We haven’t had the frozen popsicles yet but my toddler ate all of the leftover pudding in one sitting. hah! She isn’t a picky eater but hasn’t showed much interest in avocado. I’m happy to get some of that good fat into her this way! I appreciate your recipes so much! Ingredients I usually have on hand, healthy, and things my entire family will eat without complaint 🙂
My toddler thought these were the best thing ever. I had leftovers since my popsicle mold is small and put them in the fridge for a bit before serving as a quasi-pudding, huge hit. Then gave him the actual fudge pop from the freezer after the dinner that was equally as popular. Will be making again for sure!
I’m so glad to hear it!
My toddlers first ever chocolate anything. It was a hit!
Hooray!
I didn’t use a blender. I just put the ingredients in a deep sized bowl and used a potato masher and a fork and it came out looking like a similar texture. I will find out if we had success in 4-6 hours!!
Hi. Can I replace the yogurt with full-fat coconut milk?
I bet that would work just fine!
Hi- if I’m out of maple syrup is honey something I can use to substitute?
Sure!
Wow! These are great! I made them into freezies and added a little almond milk to thin them out so I could funnel them easily into my freezie wrappers. Absolutely delicious!
Making these! I have some hot cocoa powder on hand so I’m going to give that a whirl.
I hope they worked out!