Treat the kids to the creamiest homemade Fudge Pops that are one of the best frozen desserts I’ve ever made. These are packed with nutritious ingredients and the texture is identical to a classic pudding pop. They are SO darn good!
I love popsicles 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! This fudge pop recipe is an easy homemade option when you’re craving a pudding pop or Fudgsicle—and want less added sugar and more nutrients.
These creamy fudge popsicles are also so easy to make. There’s no cooking involved, 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.
(You may also like my Vegan Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas, and my Pineapple Popsicles for more yummy options.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make these homemade fudge pops, 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 fudge pop recipe. Scroll to the end of the post for the specifics.
Step 1. Peel the avocado and add to the blender with the yogurt.
Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender.
Step 3. Blend very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender if needed.
Step 4. Portion the fudge pop mixture into your popsicle mold. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
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.
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“My little guy furiously signed “more!” after having one of these! This recipe is a real winner!! Yum!” —MA Thomas
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 fudge pops 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.
I never write reviews but had to because this was so good! I used the culina dairy free Greek style vanilla yogurt that’s already sweetened – only did 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and added a little coconut milk because my blender was struggling to mix everything. It turned into a perfect pudding consistency and my kids were happily eating it right out of the blender. I’m sure they’ll be great once they’re frozen too! 🙂
These are so tasty and perfect summertime recipe! Curious if you have a hack for cleaning the silicone popsicle molds? Anyone else notice they quickly start to absorb a “freezer-like” odor?
Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter or is that too strong of a taste?
Should be fine as long as you enjoy the flavor.
Amy!! I’ve been making these for around two years now and I’ve got a bone to pick with you. You did not tell me my munchkins (4 and 20 months) would hound me every week to make them. They are that good!
These are amazing!! Question about the cocoa powder — would the amount of caffeine in 2 small popsicles (mold the size of the one you show) be likely to affect the sleep of a 3.5 year old toddler if eaten at 6/6:30pm?
I can’t say for sure but I would doubt it. Also you can use dutch process cocoa powder in the future which has 1/3 less caffeine than the regular kind. I hope that helps!
It does! Thank you for the response and suggestion!!
These are delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, and added a touch more maple syrup at the end. So good!
So glad to hear that!
How do you get it to blend? It’s so thick and such a small amount, it didn’t blend well. I feel like I would’ve had to mix and scrape the sides down 50 times. Would a food processor be better? I used a vitamix.
If your Vitamix came with a stick, that is the easiest way to do it—so push it down as it blends with the stick.
Hi Amy! First I want to share that I looove your recipes!!! My 9 months old is also CRAZY about them. He’s a foodie like his mama!
Would it be ok if I asked something for this (and future) recipes? A lot of the fruits/veggies I use are frozen, which means I need another form of measuring that’s not the whole veggie. Would you be able to say how much they yield in weight or cups? For example, the avocado. Is that like a cup of diced avocados? 1/2?
Thanks you and keep doing the amazing job you’re doing!!!
Hi- There’s a metric toggle in the recipe that you can look at for a weight option. If you don’t see it on a recipe, just comment there and I’ll figure it out for you!
My little guy furiously signed “more!” after having one of these! This recipe is a real winner!! Yum!
Awe, yay!
Do you think vanilla whole milk yogurt would work with this or throw off the flavor too much? I have some leftover from another recipe. Thanks!
That should be just fine, enjoy!
Made these with cashew Greek yogurt and they were aaaammmaaazing. Definitely adding to the rotation!
I was skeptical of the taste until I tried it and it’s so yummy! Licked the spatula! My chocolate loving toddler will love these.
I’m curious if this could work as a replacement for chocolate pudding mixes for chocolate cream pie. Would the avocado brown still?
Amy, another great recipe! I appreciate your creativity and it shows to incorporate avocado w cocoa for a tasty treat. Great way to use avocados that are about to spoil or not perfect ripe (we struggle w grocers). I added a little coconut oil for digestive health and subbed a pinch of sugar for syrup. Toddler enjoyed “licking” spatula and will enjoy when pops are frozen tomorrow.
Will honey work instead of Mable syrup
yes
Do you think peanut butter could work in place of almond butter? Thanks!
Sure!
These are so good and easy
So good!!! Creamy, sweet, delicious, and easy!
These tasted so good. I spooned them out.
They were not coming out of the molds, any idea why? I left them out a bit or put hot water. They were just fudgy & yummy but didn’t budge
What kind of molds were they?
These are phenomenal!!
My son absolutely loves these. Will be making again. I used a little more cocoa powder since it was still a little green in color from the avocados. Greek yogurt gives it a great tang and these popsicles aren’t nearly as sweet as the store bought ones. Love the recipe!
Anything healthy I can replace the avocado with? My girl is allergic 🙁
You can use ripe banana
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!