Who doesn’t love a frozen fudge pop? I was a BIG fan of them when I was younger so I worried that a knock-off “real food” version wouldn’t taste as good as what I remembered…but, oh was I wrong! And in case we need any proof my 8-year-old actually told me I was “acting like a kid” while we were eating them together for the first time. Oops – I must have gotten a little messy and proclaimed how good it was one too many times. :)
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Homemade Fudge Pops
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer the "special dark" variety)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain yogurt (plus an extra 1 tablespoon)
- 1 1/4 cups milk
Instructions
- Pour into the popsicle molds, add a popsicle stick, and freeze. When you are ready to dig in, run a little bit of warm water on the outside of the molds to loosen them up so the popsicles come out easily. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
They’re in the freezer right now! I loved the taste of the liquid before freezing it; very different than chocolate milk or even melted fudge pops- slightly tart from the yogurt, yet sweet and sticky from the maple syrup. I used raw cacao powder and full fat greek yogurt, making this a pretty nutritious, albeit sweet, treat. I used the silicone squeeze pop molds recommended on this site for freezing smoothies, and then the remainder into a silicone ice cube mold that makes big, perfectly square (2 oz.)ice cubes…thinking about putting them into a long, tall glass with some club soda and whipped cream for a chocolate Italian soda. YUM.
They were awesome (once they set :-)! We all loved them. Kids thought they were fantastic. I agree with someone else that for us a a touch less cocoa may be better or use the dark cocoa suggested but still delicious. Skim and 0% were just fine!
Hi – I made these today and they should be frozen now or they seem frozen but the popsicle stick just slides out. I am wondering if it is because I used 0% Greek yogurt and skim milk? Or my freezer is just not freezing as fast I think it does.
Hi there. Did they turn out okay. It sounded like they just needed more time to freeze through.
My wife made these today and the kids are anxiously waiting to eat them after dinner! Thanks for sharing and we will update on the verdict. We can only imagine they are delicious! Enjoy France.
Where can I purchase good Popsicle molds? I have returned all the ones I have purchased because they just don’t work well.
Thanks
Hi Melani. There are links to all the molds Lisa uses in this post. Just click on the highlighted words. ~Amy
Can you tell me what brand of maple syrup you use?
Hi Stacey. No particular brand. Just look for one that is 100% pure maple syrup.
Has anyone tried to replace the maple syrup with fruit puree? I thought it would reduce the overall sugar and increase the fiber… Maybe I will try this weekend and see how they turn out. My daughter loves chocolate!!
Will plain Greek yogurt work too? I
Hi Abbey. Yep, it will. :)
I am allergic to maple syrup. Is honey an ok substitute (in the same measurements)?
Hi. Honey should work, too. :)
We made these for the first time and we loved them! I didn’t have the Popsicle molds so I put them in a muffin tin with liners. It filled up the entire 12 tins. I am happy to have a couple in the freezer for when the ice cream truck drives by on Saturdays. And one other plus was that I already had all of the ingredients on hand!
Any idea of trying this with carob powder…daughter has food allergies and trying to find things to make as she already feels left out due to her extent of allergies…Thank you for your site..been very informative!!
We make these often. My kids just enjoyed them for a little treat. I made them with almond milk and soy yogurt. I also added all the ingredients to my vitamix and added some chia seeds, flax seeds and some spinach…whirled it up and they never know! Thanks for a great recipe!
I wanted to tell you, first, how much I love these fudge pops. Second, that I just discovered that the cocoa and syrup mixture is perfect for chocolate milk!! We are big chocolate milk fans and I always thought there was something “off” about Hershey’s syrup flavor. I’ve told my husband to enjoy his last bottle of it, as I will be making and bottling my own from now on. It actually taste like cocoa (go figure)!
Isn’t there a lot of sugar in this recipe? How is that healthy?
Hello Kayla. The sweetness in this recipe comes from maple syrup which is a far better source of sugar than any refined choice. These are considered a treat and not an everyday indulgence. ~Amy
This is the only way I have figured out how to ask questions. I cannot find another way to contact you. What kind of drinks (juices, etc) do you give your kids to drink?
Hi Kristi. For school lunches, we typically just pack water. At home Lisa’s kids usually have milk or water with meals and, very occasionally, 100% juice. My kids typically drink water or sparkling water with a splash of juice, almond milk, and fresh orange juice, at times, for breakfast. ~Amy
Made these and tasted them today…hate to say they were not a hit. Followed exactly and they just tasted like cocoa powder.
I just made these for the 4th time. We used soy milk due to a dairy allergy. This time though – I added an avocado instead of yogurt. The batter tasted delicious! I can’t wait to try them frozen. What a great way to sneak in even more nutrients!
Will they work without the maple syrup? Wasn’t sure what purpose it served and pure maps syrup can be a little expensive.
Hi Elizabeth. The maple syrup provides the sweetness. You could try honey instead. ~Amy
I can’t believe how simple these seem. Can’t wait to try them out for my kids. Thanks!
We just made our first batch. They taste bitter to me. We may try honey next time, plus maple syrup is costly, but having my kids eat healthy is worth the extra cost. We milk our own goats, so we have plenty of milk and yogurt on hand. Our yogurt is a tad bit runnier than stir bought, so we’ll see how that effects them. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made these several times and love them, but since they call for a cup of maple syrup and I get the jug from Sams (for $13), it still works out to a tray of fudge pops costing around $4, which seems like a lot to me for homemade. Are there any better deals on maple syrup?
The recipe calls for 2/3 cup and we cut it back to 1/2 cup with little difference in taste. After the first few times we also stated making half batches cuz the full recipe makes way too much, but now its more affordable
Thank you thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!! My husband and four year old have been asking for a chocolate pop and I had no idea how I could make them “real.” So excited and will be trying these ASAP, I have all the ingredients already.
The recipe calls for 2/3cup but I cut it back to 1/2 cup and there’s not a huge difference in taste!
Sorry that was supposes to be a reply to another comment.
Your reading my mind. My kids have been asking popsciles lately and I can’t find ones that are real food. I have taken to making apple sauce and juice popsciles but they are getting bored of that. Fudge ones are perfect!!! Thanks so much!!
I just made these with all yogurt (half plain, half vanilla stonyfield), and the “batter” tasted delish! Can’t wait until they freeze! I also put them in Dixie cups with sticks, because that was what I had. We will enjoy them after a sprinkler run this afternoon! :)
Just ordered some Zipzicle sleeves and will have to try this in them. I’m sure it will be great. Thanks!
Those are the cutest napkins! Did you make them?
Hi Shay. You can find a link to the napkins here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/24/my-favorite-school-lunch-supplies/. ~Amy
Thanks Amy! I think I’ll make some!
I made these for my kids and they loved them (ages 5 & 3). My husband thought they were awful and I found them bitter. Taste nothing like the fudgecicles I grew up eating. However, they are healthier, easy to make and the kids enjoyed them, so I’ll keep making them.
What kind of cocoa do you use? Brand? And do you happen to know if it (or something comparable) is available on Amazon? Thanks!
Hi Nikki. Lisa has used Hershey’s Special Dark. If you do a quick search for organic dark chocolate powder on Amazon, you will find many options. ~Amy
They were a little too bitter for me. I could really taste the maple syrup. My neighbor’s kids loved them, though.
Sounds delicious! Has anyone tried to sub almond milk in these?
Hi Pj. Almond milk should work just fine. ~Amy
Homemade fugde pops. Can you substitute honey for syrup?
Hi Jackie. I think that will work. Enjoy. ~Amy
Just found your website a couple of days ago and I am so happy I did! We are trying some of your recipes this week (some will be modified due to food allergies and family preferences); but I love that they are Real Food and simple to make! I will definitely be picking up the ingredients to try this one too! Thank you for the inspiration!
Can agave syrup work?
Hi Jonathan. We do not use agave in our recipes. Here is some information on why:http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/. ~Amy
Boy do I feel like a dummy! I’ve been using agave because I thought it was natural. How can they get away with labeling it raw agave when it isn’t?
I know absolutely nothing about labeling laws but do know that marketers can be pretty shrewd. I am married to one. :) ~Amy
Enjoy your vacation! If you are visiting the Netherlands, you are welcome to join us (mom, dad and three year old girl) for dinner. Been following you on Facebook and love it!
I want to love this website so much…. I really do! And I’m finding great ideas for my kids, but it’s hard to feel good about what *I* eat when my choices are dictated by an allergy. Does anyone know if this recipe will work with milk alternatives?
Has anyone tried to use this in an ice cream maker? mmmmm Might have to try it.
These are pretty good although I prefer to put chocolate avocado pudding in my Popsicle molds. They don’t melt as quickly and so not as big of a mess and I like the taste better–just another option :)
Do you think I could use honey instead of maple syrup?
Hi Kathy. I think that should work. Let us know. ~Amy
I just made some with these 3 ingredients and the kids LOVED them: bananas, nutella, and coconut or almond milk! EASY and delicious!
I have made these twice and they are awesome, way better than the store. My kids think they taste like B&J Brownie icecream. I used Cacoa Barry Extra Brute (Dark) cocoa powder (ordered from amazon, stoneyfield organic whole milk plain yogurt, and organic whole milk. My mother in law made them with the same yogurt and milk but with Hershey Dark cocoa and my kids say they weren’t as good. Invest in quality chocolate! The only problem I had was the sticks pulled out, even after freezing overnight. I ran them under cold water a little but that made them melt. I never have this problem with ice pops, so it must be the dairy. Next time I will try just leaving them on the counter for a few minutes. Awesome recipe!