These homemade popsicles are gluten free, dairy free and totally delicious. Homemade fudgesicles make the perfect dairy free dessert recipe! Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for your free chocoholics recipe guide!

I am so excited to share this tip with you. Seriously, it’s a game changer for anybody who doesn’t own an ice cream machine!

Ice cream machines can be bulky, hard to store, and, quite frankly, are a bit of an investment/luxury. So how do you make ice cream without one?

Try taking your ice cream “batter” and putting it into popsicle molds! (The game changer!)

Popsicles take minutes to put together and are a fun, inexpensive way to make healthy, homemade treats without the need for an ice cream maker. No more sugar-laden, processed store-bought versions! As an added bonus, get your kiddos involved in the planning, shopping and preparation.

Need a place to start? Try my homemade Fudgesicles. This recipe started as Cinnamon Chocolate “Ice Cream” (it will be featured on my August meal plan!). As I was testing the recipe, the batter took me back to eating Fudgesicles as a child, so I thought why not and I threw the batter into my popsicle molds. What a happy mistake!

Especially now that I'm a mom, I always want to strike a balance between providing nutritious food and letting my son enjoy all of the classic kid experiences, like eating popsicles on a hot summer day. I love this recipe because I don't have to choose between the two!

I also love that it's full of healthy fat from the coconut milk so it makes a more satisfying afternoon snack or dessert than the grocery store popsicles which inevitably lead to a sugar crash.

If you don't have popsicle molds yet, I highly recommend these. They're stainless steel and have little silicon rings to help prevent the stick from falling out, which is key if you have little ones.

What is the nutrition like for these healthy homemade popsicles?

These homemade popsicles are pretty stellar nutritionally, if I do say so myself.

They're totally naturally sweetened with honey and they contain plenty of healthy fats, which make this dessert super satisfying in addition to being delicious.

Here are some of the nutritional highlights:

Coconut Milk: Made of the white flesh of coconuts mixed with water, coconut milk is high in manganese, copper, iron, magnesium and selenium. It's also a good source of potassium, vitamin C and folate. Some studies have shown that coconut helps to reduce inflammation, fight bacteria and viruses and fight stomach ulcers.

Cocoa Powder: Rich in the antioxidant known as polyphenols, cocoa powder may help decrease inflammation and lower blood pressure. This is one superfood it's easy to get the kiddos to eat!

Honey: Honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which are strongest in darker honey. Buy raw local honey when possible as filtering the honey can diminish its nutrients.

Cinnamon: Frequently used in traditional medicine, cinnamon is good for your heart and also may help stabilize blood sugar. Research also suggests that cinnamon may help lower cholesterol.

How can I mix up this homemade fudgesicle recipe?

These homemade fudgesicles are pretty flexible so please experiment and make them your own! I would love to hear about any fun creations you come up with.

Personally, I think these would be delicious with a dash of cayenne – plus, you'd ensure there was a dessert in the house the kiddos would leave for you 😉

Alternatively, try adding some fruit like whole raspberries. You can check out this technique in my Pineapple Raspberry Popsicle recipe.

What is the difference between cocoa powder and cacao powder?

While you may have heard that cacao is basically an extra healthy version of chocolate, it's unfortunately not quite that simple.

There is no one standard definition for “cacao” versus “cocoa”. Chocolate manufacturers generally refer to the unprocessed beans as cacao, but then after the beans are fermented switch to calling them cocoa.

However, minimally processed or raw chocolate is also sometimes referred to as cacao.

As with so many things, it's important to read the label. Thrive Market (<< affiliate link) offers cacao powder that specifically says that it was cold pressed and cold milled.

And why is that important? Is there any benefit to avoiding heat when making chocolate products?

Yes! Heat kills some of the antioxidants found in chocolate so you'll find roasted cocoa products have fewer antioxidants than their raw counterparts. This makes cacao powder a particularly good choice for something like these homemade popsicles where the cacao powder won't be heated before you eat it.

It's worth noting that cacao powder will lend a slightly different taste but if you haven't tried it before, it's totally worth it for the extra health benefits!

Looking for another dairy free dessert recipe?

We've got you covered! Many of our Prep Dish subscribers limit or avoid dairy but that doesn't mean treats are off limits!

We've developed quite a few dairy-free dessert recipes over the years. One of my favorites is our Dairy Free Whipped Cream & Berry Parfait! I love anything where you can set out toppings and let people build their own creations. It makes dinner parties, or even family movie nights, so much more fun.

I also recently put out a Healthy Dessert Recipe Roundup which features mainly dairy-free desserts as well, as long as you use dairy free chocolate. (Hu and Raaka both make high quality dairy free chocolate bars and you can also find dairy free Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips at many grocery stores.)

If you're looking for more frozen dairy free dessert recipes, check out my recipes for Chunky Money “Nice” Cream and homemade watermelon “mojito” popsicles.

Also, make sure to watch my 10 Dairy Free Alternatives video on YouTube! It has so many good tips for turning classics like fudgesicles into dairy free treats.

And if you love chocolate as much as I do, download my FREE Chocoholics Recipe Guide here:

What are your favorite homemade popsicle recipes? Have you had success recreating a childhood favorite with real foods? Let me know! And don’t forget to share your popsicle pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as @prepdish in all 3 places.

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