Healthy Fudgesicles

Chocolate lovers, rejoice! With all the rich chocolate-y flavors you love and none of the artificial ingredients you don’t, Healthy Chocolate Fudgesicles are the perfect guilt-free indulgence. It’s the ultimate way to get your chocolate fix in the summertime.

It’s no secret that I am a major dessert fan. From cookies to smoothies, I love them all. So many people think that eating healthy means giving up desserts and I take an enormous amount of pleasure in showing them that that’s not the case at all!

You can eat healthy and still enjoy all the mouthwatering desserts your heart desires, just take it from me. By swapping out store-bought treats for homemade ones, you can make healthy swaps to lighten up your favorite desserts in health-conscious ways. Popsicles are a great place to do that, swapping in real fruit, yogurt, and natural sweeteners.

That’s what I did with these Healthy Fudgesicles. I used to love the ones you could buy at the store, but those are filled with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar, which I definitely did not love. Once I realized I could make my own version from home that had the delicious flavors I loved but without those unnecessary additives, it was a no-brainer!

Whether you’re looking for sweet treats for your chocolate-loving kids or the perfect way to top off a backyard barbecue with friends, these delicious homemade fudgesicles are just what you need.

Key Ingredients and Easy Swaps

Not only is this healthy dessert recipe incredibly delicious, but it only requires four ingredients to make! Wanna know the best part? There’s a good chance you already have them all at home. To make this sweet treat, you will need the following key ingredients:

• Greek yogurt: You can use any type of plain Greek yogurt you like, but the varieties with fat like low-fat or full fat will yield the creamiest popsicles. You can also swap in regular yogurt or non-dairy yogurt. Use vanilla or coconut flavored yogurt for a sweeter popsicle. 
• Almond milk: I like to use unsweetened almond milk for this recipe, but you can use any kind of milk you prefer.
• Cocoa powder: This ingredient is what creates the deep, rich, chocolate flavors. You can use cacao powder instead for added nutrition, if desired. If you swap in chocolate syrup, then skip the added sweetener.
• Maple syrup: This sweetens up the cocoa powder for a delicious flavor. You can use honey or agave instead if you prefer.
• Vanilla extract: This is key to enhancing the rest of the flavors in these fudgesicles.

How To Make Fudgesicles From Scratch

Start by combining the Greek yogurt, cocoa powder, and almond milk. Then add maple syrup for the sweetness, vanilla extract to enhance the flavors, and a touch of kosher salt to balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavors even further. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed. 

Pour the popsicles into the molds and add the popsicle sticks. Place in the freeze for at least 4 hours. 

By making fudgesicles from scratch, you can avoid all the added sugars and artificial preservatives, for a guilt-free chocolate treat.

Fun Twists on Homemade Fudgesicles

Here are some of my favorite ways to switch up this dish:

• To make this dish dairy-free and vegan, swap out the Greek yogurt for full-fat coconut milk or your favorite dairy-free yogurt.
• If you love the combination of bananas and chocolate, try adding banana chunks to the mixture before blending it up.
• If you don’t have maple syrup, you can use raw honey or agave instead.
• For crunchy fudgesicles, try adding crushed almonds or pecans to the molds along with the blended mixture.
• If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can DIY your own with paper cups and insert small spoons into them to act as the sticks.
• For an extra chocolate-y treat, try adding chocolate chips or chunks into the fudgesicle mixture before adding them to the molds. You can also dip the popsicles in melted chocolate before serving.
• For a flavorful twist, try using vanilla almond milk instead of regular almond milk.

How to Store Homemade Popsicles

If you have enough molds to make a big batch of these homemade fudgesicles, you can easily keep them frozen to enjoy at your leisure. After freezing the fudgesicles, you can choose to remove them from the molds to store them long-term in order to retain the texture and color. You can transfer the frozen fudgesicles to an airtight storage bag and store them in the freezer for up to one month.

How long do homemade popsicles last?

While water-based popsicles can last in the freezer for months, dairy-based popsicles like this one can not be frozen for quite as long because dairy tends to separate in the freezer over time.

These homemade fudgesicles will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 1 month.

How do you make popsicles creamy and not icy?

To make popsicles creamy instead of icy, you need to add a creamy component. This could come from a wide range of healthy ingredients like bananas, avocados, Greek yogurt, and full-fat coconut milk. In this recipe, we use Greek yogurt as our creamy ingredient.