Creamy Banana Popsicles

Homemade Banana Popsicles are the perfect sweet treat for hot summer days! These tasty popsicles are made with ripe bananas, creamy yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. They are healthy without refined sugars, easy to make, and you can customize them with chocolate, peanut butter, raspberries, and more. 

Have you ever heard of “nice cream” aka ice cream made from bananas? It’s gained explosive popularity in recent years among the health foodie community, and for good reason. After they are frozen, bananas become super creamy when blended, resulting in a final product that is incredibly similar to ice cream.

With this in mind, I naturally had to create a recipe for homemade banana popsicles. While bananas already blend into a creamy texture, this recipe calls for adding Greek yogurt to add protein and make the popsicles even MORE creamy.

Although these popsicles are delicious without any added sugar, I like to add a touch of maple syrup to bring out the bananas' natural sweetness. Our final ingredient is vanilla extract, which pairs perfectly with the pops' creaminess.

The final result is a popsicle that you won’t even believe is good for you and the best part? It’s 100% kid-approved!

Serve these Creamy Banana Popsicles as a midday snack between meals, an after-dinner dessert for the kids, or a refreshing treat for guests at your next pool party. They are wholesome, easy to make, and wildly delicious.

Get ready to make your new favorite homemade popsicles! Popsicle lovers also won’t miss these Lemon Lime Popsicles, Watermelon Popsicles, and Homemade Healthy Fudgicles.

Key Ingredients and Easy Swaps

To make these tasty frozen treats, you will only need 4 simple ingredients:

• Bananas: These nutrient-packed fruits are the star of the show! When blended, bananas become ultra creamy and make the perfect base for our popsicles. The riper the banana, the sweeter the popsicle. 
• Greek yogurt: Protein-packed Greek yogurt makes our popsicles extra rich and creamy. Any yogurt will work, and flavored yogurt is a great option to switch up the flavor. Think Strawberry Banana, Coconut Banana, or Chocolate Banana. You could also use coconut milk, almond milk, or regular milk.
• Maple syrup: This acts as a natural sweetener to enhance the sweetness of our popsicles. You can swap it out for honey, brown sugar, agave, stevia, or leave it out if needed. Or add another sweet fruit like mango or pineapple. If you use sweetened yogurt, skip the added sweetener. 
• Vanilla extract: This ingredient enhances the rest of the flavors in our popsicles, and I highly recommend that you don’t leave it out! We also love adding some cinnamon to these popsicles.
• Mix-ins: These popsicles can be made with so many extras. Consider adding a swirl or peanut or almond butter, shredded coconut, chocolate chips (or a chocolate dip), blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, or caramel chips.

How to Make Homemade Banana Popsicles

All you need is a blender and five minutes to prep these delicious popsicles. 

1.  Blend the ingredients

Add the bananas, yogurt (or milk), maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a blender. Blend until very smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed. 

If you are adding more flavors to your popsicles, add ingredients like nut butter, cinnamon, cocoa powder,  frozen fruit (if you want it smooth), or protein powder to the blender with the bananas so they get smooth and creamy. 

Fold crunchy ingredients like chocolate chips, berries, coconut, nuts, and spinkles into the mixture after blending to add texture to the popsicles.

2. Freeze until solid

Pour the banana mixture into your popsicle molds and place the popsicle sticks in the center. Make sure not to overfill the popsicle molds so they don't overflow when they freeze. The mixture will expand as it freezes. 

Once the popsicles are completely frozen, after about 4 hours, they are ready to eat! Run the molds under warm water to help release the popsicles from the molds. 

Flavor Ideas

There are so many ways to make these banana popsicles even more delicious. These are some of our favorites!

• Chunky Monkey: For a “Chunky Monkey” style popsicle, add peanut butter to the mixture and then either fold in chocolate chips or dip the popsicles in melted chocolate after freezing. 
• Tropical: For a delicious tropical twist, try using full-fat coconut milk instead of Greek yogurt and adding pineapple or mango to the mixture. 
• Add crunch: If you want a bit of a crunch and added flavor, leave some room at the bottom of the popsicle mold and add shredded coconut, chopped nuts, granola, or chocolate chips.
• Berry banana: Add fresh or frozen berries for extra flavor and nutrition. You can blend them right in or add them whole. 
• Chocolate magic shell: One of our favorite variations is to cover the outside of the popsicle in a chocolate magic shell. Once the popsicles are frozen, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tbsp coconut oil until just melted (about 45-75 seconds in the microwave). Dip the popsicles into the magic shell. It will harden almost immediately. This works with vanilla chips as well. Dust with walnuts, sprinkles, or coconut. 
• Peanut butter magic shell: Once the popsicles are frozen, melt 1 cup peanut butter with 1 tbsp coconut oil until just melted (about 45-75 seconds in the microwave). Dip the popsicles into the magic shell. It will harden almost immediately. Dust with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, or coconut. 
• Protein packed: Add 1-2 scoops of your favorite protein powder to add some extra protein to your pops.
• Snickerdoodle: Add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon to your banana mixture and instead of maple syrup, add sweetened condensed milk.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Here are some of my top tips and tricks to help you make this dish:

• Make a large batch: Feel free to double or even triple this recipe if you have enough popsicle molds to make more. They keep well in the freezer for 3 months. 
• Ripe bananas: Try to use the ripest bananas possible. The riper they are, the sweeter they will be!
• Vegan: For a vegan-friendly option, swap out Greek yogurt for coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut yogurt, or any other dairy-free milk or yogurt.
• Mini popsicles: For little ones and toddlers, consider making smaller popsicles that are easier to finish before they melt! 

How to Store Homemade Popsicles

Homemade popsicles should be frozen for at least 4-6 hours before being removed from the popsicle molds. I recommend transferring the popsicles to an airtight storage bag or container within a day or two of freezing them. Once properly stored, the popsicles can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Are Bananas Good For You?

Because bananas are fairly high in sugar and carbs, many wonder whether they are actually good for you. If you’re a banana lover, you’re in luck!

While bananas contain higher amounts of sugar than some other fruits (like berries), they are natural sugars, which is very different from artificial sugars like high fructose corn syrup that are found in most storebought popsicles.  Plus, bananas contain vital nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6. They are also low in calories and relatively high in fiber.