Dark Chocolate pudding pops have plenty of rich, chocolate flavor. These pops make for the perfect summer cool-down treat that will be a hit with adults and kids alike!
The Best Pudding Pops
There’s just something about pudding pops that ice pops just can’t duplicate. Besides being cold and refreshing, they’re also a bit more substantial and satisfying.
They’re creamy, almost like ice cream, and make a great snack to hold kids (and adults) over till dinner time. This recipe focuses on chocolate pudding pops, but with a little ingenuity, you can adapt just about any flavor of pudding into a frozen pop. Hmmmm….that gets my creative mind going!
Ingredients
- Whole Milk & Egg Yolk: These make the pudding pops creamy. The milk is the base, and the egg yolk thickens it. Use whole milk for extra creaminess.
- Sugar, Cocoa Powder, & Dark Chocolate Chips: These add sweetness and the rich chocolate flavor. I use Dutch-processed for a more intense and smoother chocolate flavor.
- Cornstarch & alt: Cornstarch helps the pudding set and thicken. Mix the cornstarch with cold ingredients first to avoid lumps.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla improves the overall flavor of the chocolate.
- Optional Garnishes (Melted Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Berries, Coconut): Prepare your garnishes ahead so they’re ready to use as soon as the pops are out of the freezer.
How To Make Pudding Pops
- Make the pudding: The pudding is so easy to make! We add milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolk to a pot and whisk until thickened.
- Add chocolate and vanilla: Once the mixture is removed from the heat, the dark chocolate and vanilla are stirred in until melted.
- Chill: After the pudding is finished, it needs to chill before it can be frozen. The pudding needs time to thicken and cool so that the popsicle sticks stay in the center.
- Freeze: Once the pudding has chilled through, it can be transferred to miniature cups and a popsicle stick can be added into the center. Once the pops are frozen through, they’re ready to eat–or you can garnish them!
- Garnish: More on this below!
Fun Garnish Ideas
- Drizzle pudding pops with melted dark chocolate. I like to melt a few tablespoons of dark chocolate in the microwave and then drizzle the melted chocolate over the pop. The chocolate hardens very quickly onto the frozen pudding.
- Add toppings: When pops are drizzled with chocolate they can immediately be topped with just about anything you’d like. Our favorites: crushed coconut, crushed freeze-dried berries, and miniature chocolate chips. Some other ideas: a drizzle of melted peanut butter baking chips, crushed nuts (pistachios, pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.), hemp seeds, sprinkles, and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.
Storage
Pudding Pops Storage
- With Toppings: If you’ve already added toppings, wrap each pop individually in plastic wrap to protect the toppings and ensure freshness.
- Without Toppings: If the toppings aren’t added yet, you can simply wrap the top of each cup with plastic wrap.
More Frozen Treats:
- Chocolate Frozen Yogurt 5 simple ingredients
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Cake with the best Graham Cracker Crust
- Readers favorite Churro Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Mango Sorbet
- Ice Cream In A Bag
Pudding Pops
Equipment
- 3-ounce plastic or paper cups
- Popsicle Sticks
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg yolk (discard or save whites for another recipe)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate, miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, crushed freeze-dried berries, flaked coconut, or other favorite toppings, if desired
Instructions
- PUDDING: Place the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolk in a medium to large pot. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking briskly and constantly. Whisk for 7-9 minutes or until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
- PUDDING CONT.: Remove the pan from heat and immediately add in the chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Pour and press the mixture through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap touches the top of the chocolate pudding (so a film doesn't form). Refrigerate until completely chilled through, about 1 hour.
- FORM ICE POPS: Spoon the mixture into 3-ounce cups and then place a wooden stick in the middle of the cups. Freeze until solid, about 6-8 hours. Remove from the freezer and use scissors to cut the paper cup off the pudding pop.
- OPTIONAL GARNISH: If desired, garnish the pudding pops! They melt quickly, so have everything ready to go as soon as you pull them out of the freezer. We like to drizzle the pops with melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with crushed freeze-dried strawberries, coconut flakes, or miniature chocolate chips. Work quickly when adding toppings as the melted chocolate hardens quickly on the cold ice pop.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.