Make Your Own Pudding Pops

Published on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, by Amy Wisniewski / Edit Post

Pudding pops: It's possible your first thought will be of Bill Cosby, who enthusiastically hawked Jell-O pudding and Jell-O pudding pops throughout the 1980s. And what is Bill Cosby if not good-times nostalgia? That's what pudding pops are, too. But the original formulation disappeared from store shelves (despite consumers' best efforts to resurrect the pops). So we brought them back. (And if you want more icy treats, try our ice cream bars!)

Chocolate Pudding PopsChocolate Pudding Pops

Vanilla Pudding PopsVanilla Pudding Pops

Butterscotch Pudding PopsButterscotch Pudding Pops

Chocolate-Vanilla Swirl Pudding PopsChocolate-Vanilla-Swirl Pudding Pops

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POST A COMMENT |17 Comments

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  • Gelatin----why gelatin? Yuck, you know what this stuff it, don't you?

  • miikimama, after pulling 70 of these things out of their molds during testing, I found that just running them under hot water for a few moments works well. If you use the wooden sticks, be patient when pulling them out or they'll snap.
    Amy, CHOW test kitchen

  • The biggest problem I have had with making your own juice or yoghurt popsicles, is getting the darn things out of the mold. Any tips?

  • Commentactually, if you go back in time (I am 47), my step mom made us homemade really good pudding pops...it was a pkg of your fav pudding, stir in cool whip, then fit into the good ol' tupperware Popsicle trays they had (not sure if they still use these or not, if you can't get a set, use a dixie cup and popscicle sticks) pop in the freezer and let me tell ya, the choco pudding mixed with cool...+READ

    Commentactually, if you go back in time (I am 47), my step mom made us homemade really good pudding pops...it was a pkg of your fav pudding, stir in cool whip, then fit into the good ol' tupperware Popsicle trays they had (not sure if they still use these or not, if you can't get a set, use a dixie cup and popscicle sticks) pop in the freezer and let me tell ya, the choco pudding mixed with cool whip taste even better then the boxed pudding pops!! just fyi.-COLLAPSE

  • Gour875mand, I didn't test it, but it seems heating the yogurt with the gelatin would make a big curdle-y mess. I did try the first couple of rounds with lower fat milk and it worked out just fine, but the texture was nicer with 1/2 n' 1/2.
    Amy, CHOW test kitchen

  • callmijane, I chose gelatin not only to be true to the original pudding pops, but because it is freezer stable. Cornstarch will eventually break down in the freezer and arrowroot tends to turn slimy when used with dairy. You could use powdered agar agar as a sub - about a 1:1 ratio (though I did not test it), but it tends to gel stiffer than gelatin. If you're not planning to make straight-up...+READ

    callmijane, I chose gelatin not only to be true to the original pudding pops, but because it is freezer stable. Cornstarch will eventually break down in the freezer and arrowroot tends to turn slimy when used with dairy. You could use powdered agar agar as a sub - about a 1:1 ratio (though I did not test it), but it tends to gel stiffer than gelatin. If you're not planning to make straight-up pudding, and just the frozen pops, you can leave out the gelling agents altogether, though the texture will be a little different, the flavor will be the same.
    Amy, CHOW test kitchen-COLLAPSE

  • Another question- can you make these with non-fat or low-fat yogurt?

  • How about a recipe w/o gelatin??

  • foodseek, like wphillips said pop molds are available at many local department stores, etc. I included a link in each recipe to the specific type I used here and the sticks, too.
    Amy, CHOW test kitchen

  • @Foodseek I found molds at my local Bed, Bath and Beyond but I think I've even seen them at discount stores like Wal-Mart and Target. And you can certainly order them online. Just search popsicle molds and you'll find lots of options.

  • This is awesome. Definitely going to be making some. But my absolute favorite was the Jello Gelatin pops in the fruit flavors. I would love, love, love to get some recipes for those???

  • where do you find the molds?

  • u can buy wooden sticks at ur local arts and hobbies stores and recycle any pudding/yoghurt pots instead!

  • Guyegwoni, I want the wooden stick, too! The molds I used for these actually came with little plastic sticks, but I noticed the hole in the top closure was exactly the same size as my wooden sticks so I switched them out. I eventually ditched the top closure altogether and just waited until they were partially frozen (about 1 hr) to put the stick in.
    Amy, CHOW test kitchen

  • These are about 185 calories each.

  • I've wanted to make popsicles for a year and (other than ordering online) haven't run across a popsicle maker that lets you use wooden sticks. (I'm biased. I want the wooden stick)

  • Mmmmm....I loved banana for some reason, even though I can't stand banana-flavoured things now. Thanks for this!