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If you’re a fudgesicles fan, these homemade fudgesicles are right up your alley! They are made with simple ingredients and no pudding mix. This nostalgic treat just got more fun for all my chocolate lovers!
Today’s recipe is something that you might associate with all the best things from your childhood. A mightily chocolate popsicle! I recreated this frozen chocolate dessert so you can make something the whole family will absolutely adore! It gives me the same frozen hot chocolate vibes as my Crumbl frozen hot chocolate cookies.
This classic treat comes together super quickly. To be honest, the hardest part is waiting for them to set. If you need a chocolate fix while you wait, my chocolate no churn ice cream with brownies is the richer, scoopable cousin.
Quick Look: Homemade Fudgesicles
- 🍫 What it is: Creamy frozen chocolate pops made from a quick stovetop cocoa pudding, with no pudding mix.
- ⭐ Why it works: Cornstarch thickens the milk so the pops freeze smooth and fudgy instead of icy.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: A nostalgic summer treat made with a handful of pantry ingredients.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Whisk constantly while it cooks so the cornstarch doesn’t clump or scorch.
- 🍳 Pan notes: Plastic or silicone popsicle molds both work; set them on a sheet pan to freeze.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Wrapped in wax paper, they keep up to 2 months in the freezer.
Table of Contents
This is the best homemade fudgesicles recipe!
If you ever craved these delicious chocolate frozen treats but didn’t find them in stores, or maybe wanted to make them a bit healthier and know exactly what they contain, then I got you.
It is a good choice for those hot summer days or right after you’ve gotten some dental work done. I mean, I’ll take any excuse to enjoy some frozen creamy fudgesicles! Especially when they do not require too much effort. Keep a batch in the freezer next to my healthy pineapple popsicles with Tajin and your summer freezer is set.
If you have a Ninja Creami, my Ninja Creami chocolate ice cream is another easy chocolate fix, and when you want something fruity, my 2-ingredient raspberry sorbet is so refreshing.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is a super simple recipe.
- These homemade fudge pops use only a handful of ingredients.
- Each one is much better for you than the store-bought version, especially since you’ll know exactly what it contains!
- This recipe can easily be made vegan if needed (and if you want more dairy-free chocolate, try my vegan chocolate mousse).
- You can also choose your preferred popsicle mold sizes, making them bigger or smaller to fit your needs.
- You will know exactly what is in every one of your popsicles, unlike store-bought ones.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for full, detailed ingredient measurements.
- Cocoa powder– Use regular high-quality cocoa powder, not dark cocoa.
- Granulated sugar- will sweeten our treat a little more.
- Corn starch- Corn starch is used to thicken the mixture before freezing it.
- Milk- Use whichever kind of cold milk you have, just know that the more fat it has the creamier the fudgesicles will be. You can also use heavy cream for something even more creamy, it tastes almost like a frozen chocolate mousse!
- Vanilla extract – This will add a little extra depth of flavor.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Use high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips or even milk chocolate chips for these chocolatey fudgesicles.
Ingredient substitution
- Corn starch– tapioca starch
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips– white chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar– brown sugar
- Milk– Heavy cream, whole milk, 2% milk, nonfat milk
How to Make Homemade Fudgesicles
- Whisk it all together. Whisk the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, then pour in the milk and set it over medium heat.
- Cook until thick. Keep whisking constantly until the mixture thickens into a glossy, pudding-like consistency.
- Melt in the chocolate. Take it off the heat, add the vanilla and the chocolate chips, and stir until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Fill, freeze and unmold. Let the mixture cool, pour it into your popsicle molds and add the sticks. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight, then dip the molds in warm water for a few seconds to pop them out.
Expert Tips
- Whisk the dry ingredients first. Mixing the cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, and salt before adding the milk keeps the cornstarch from clumping.
- Whisk constantly over medium heat. Pull it off the heat as soon as it’s thick and glossy, like pudding.
- Use whole milk or cream. The more fat in your milk, the creamier your fudgesicles. Heavy cream makes them taste almost like frozen chocolate mousse!
- Let the mixture cool fully. Pouring it into the molds while hot can warp plastic molds and makes the pops icier.
- Fill the molds the easy way. The mixture is thick, so use a measuring cup with a pour spout, a piping bag, or a zip-top bag with the tip snipped off. Set the molds on a sheet pan so nothing spills on the way to the freezer.
- Unmold with warm water. Dip the molds in warm water for a few seconds and the pops slide right out!! While they freeze, browse the rest of my homemade ice cream and frozen treats.
Homemade Fudgesicles FAQs
Keep homemade fudgesicles in their molds in the freezer for up to a week. For longer storage, unmold them, wrap each one in wax paper, and freeze them in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Yes! Make dairy-free homemade fudgesicles with almond milk, unsweetened coconut milk, soy milk, oat milk, or coconut cream, and use dairy-free chocolate chips.
I used plastic molds for these homemade fudgesicles, but silicone molds work great too and make unmolding even easier. Fun-shaped molds are a cute way to make them for kids.
Homemade fudgesicles need at least 4 hours in the freezer to set, or you can leave them overnight. To unmold, dip the molds in warm water for a few seconds.
Icy homemade fudgesicles usually mean the mixture wasn’t cooked until fully thickened, or you used low-fat milk. Whisk until it’s thick and glossy, and use whole milk or heavy cream for the creamiest pops.
More Frozen Summer Treats
If you made these homemade fudgesicles, tell me who got the first one (no judgment if it was you)! Leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below, it helps other chocolate lovers find this recipe. Stay cool!!
Homemade Fudgesicles
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, corn starch, and salt together.1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt
- Pour the dry ingredients into a medium saucepan, top it all with the milk, and cook on the stove on medium heat stirring constantly.1 cup milk
- Once the mixture is thick, remove from the heat, add in the vanilla extract and the semi-sweet chocolate, and mix until the chocolate is fully melted and combined.1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Let the mixture cool down fully before pouring it into a popsicle mold and freeze for 4 hours or overnight before enjoying.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
haven’t tried these yet, but was wondering if i could add kahlua to the recipe for an adult popsicle? thanks.
Absolutely you can! I’d recommend starting with about 1–2 tablespoons for the whole batch so you still get that creamy fudgesicle texture without affecting how well they freeze. Too much alcohol can keep popsicles from fully hardening.
I’d add it at the same time as the vanilla extract and chocolate chips after removing the mixture from the heat. The coffee flavor from the Kahlúa would pair really well with the chocolate!
I love these fudgsicles! They are way better than store bought and so simple. I use heavy cream with a little milk, so creamy. I need more than the recipe calls for since I have 6 moulds but it makes no difference in the flavour. I also substitute lacanto instead of sugar to keep the glycemic numbers down.
Thank you so much for sharing!! I love all of the tips and pointers you shared about using Lacanto too! I love using it as well and will be trying your version this summer 🙂
So rich and creamy! This filled 4 small molds for me. I used gelatin instead of cornstarch (half as much).
Glad you like it !!
Do you know the calories count for these?
about 90 each 🙂
Soo fudgy. I used pure gelatin instead of cornstarch because I didn’t have any cornstarch (1/2 tbsp)
Thank you for giving the measurements for the gelatin!
really excited to try this soon!
Delicious! Better than the store bought version. Will definitely be making this many times this summer!
So glad you like them so much !!
just made these with my 6yr old grandson. they smelled soooo good when making them…stay tuned will let you know tmw how they were.
Aww so cute! I hope you both enjoyed them 🙂
Can you tell me why you need semi sweet chocolate chips if you’re already adding cocoa powder?
For texture. Both add the same flavor, but without the chocolate chips it would just be powder mixed with milk. The melted chocolate chips are what make it fudgy.
WOW! These were Great! Such yummy chocolate flavor and so easy to make. I have 6 molds and this recipe filled 3. I’ll double the recipe next time. Thanks so much for sharing
So glad to hear you loved these Colleen!
They were easy to make and came out well, but they were a bit too intense for me. I doubled the recipe to get 6 popsicles.
Thanks for trying them out! I’m glad they came out well, but I totally get that they can be a bit intense. You could try adjusting the sweetness or adding a little more milk next time to tone it down to your taste. Enjoy! 😊