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Why Our Testers Loved This

Our testers were delighted with these easy-to-make and oh-so-creamy coconut popsicles. Elie Nassar described them as having “the perfect balance between coconut and vanilla.”

Elizabeth and Lena Alvarez summed it up best with their comment, “These coconut popsicles are DEEEE-li-cious. A great, rich-tasting, satisfying, creamy treat.

What You’ll Need to Make This

Ingredients for coconut milk popsicles--coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla beans.
  • Coconut milk–Use full-fat canned coconut milk here. Don’t use the light version, as it won’t impart the same creaminess to the popsicles, and they’ll be very icy.
  • Vanilla bean–Steeping a vanilla bean in the coconut mixture gives it a wonderful flavor, but you can swap in a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
  • Sugar–The amount of sugar you use will depend on how sweet you like your pops. Start with less, taste the cooled coconut mixture before freezing, and add more if you like. Remember that freezing will mute the flavor slightly, so make the mixture slightly sweeter than you’d like it to taste.

How to Make This Recipe

A pot of coconut milk on a hot plate; a hand holding a whisk in a measuring cup.
  1. Whisk the coconut milk, vanilla bean, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture barely bubbles. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
  2. Remove the vanilla bean. Transfer the coconut mixture to a large measuring glass and whisk to recombine.
A hand pouring coconut milk into popsicle molds; a hand adding popsicle sticks to the molds.
  1. Divvy the mixture between 6 popsicle molds.
  2. Chill the popsicles until they begin to set, then add popsicle sticks. Freeze until firm.

Common Questions

why are my popsicles icy?

Since these popsicles have a high water content, they’ll be a little icy. To keep them as creamy as possible, always use full-fat coconut milk. Light or low-fat products will make them icy.

how long will these keep?

The popsicles will be good for up to 1 month after making them, as long as they’re stored in the popsicle mold or an airtight bag or container. After that, they may become icy and start to lose flavor.

how can i unmold my popsicles easily?

If your popsicles don’t slip out of the mold easily, let them sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before trying to pull them out. If you’re in a hurry, you can run the outside of the popsicle mold under warm water for 30 seconds and they should release easily.

Helpful Tips

  • A single batch of this coconut milk popsicle recipe will make 6 small-ish popsicles. If you have a large popsicle mold, double the recipe so that you have enough to fill the mold.
  • This recipe is suitable for vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets.
A coconut milk popsicle on a marble slab.

More Sweet Popsicle Recipes

Write a Review

If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David

Oh my goodness! My new favorite dessert! It is so creamy and coconutty! I will totally make it again.

avery
Six coconut milk popsicles on a platter filled with ice.

Coconut Popsicles

5 / 8 votes
These coconut popsicles are homemade with coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla bean. Easy. Creamy. Healthy. Dairy-free. Vegan. And no artificial anything. Just unadulterated loveliness. Here’s how to make them.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings6 popsicles
Calories146 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Freeze time2 hours
Total Time3 hours

Ingredients 

  • One (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, (do NOT substitute low-fat coconut milk)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (or substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 2 1/2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions 

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the coconut milk, vanilla bean and seeds, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture just barely begins to bubble. Don't let it boil.
  • Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for at least 1 hour.
  • Remove the vanilla pod and discard. Whisk the coconut milk mixture to recombine and dump it into a large measuring cup for easy pouring.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If you sneak some of the unfrozen mixture (c'mon, we know you do!), it should seem a touch on the sweet side. Cold mutes flavor. So what may seem too sweet while the mixture is warm will end up tasting a lot less so after being frozen.

  • Divvy the coconut milk mixture evenly among 6 popsicle molds (or substitute coffee mugs or paper cups). Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to overnight (or, if using mugs or cups, insert a wooden stick after about 45 minutes or so).
  • We think you know what to do from here.

Notes

  1. Make bigger popsicles–A single batch of this recipe will make 6 small-ish popsicles. If you have a large popsicle mold, double the recipe so that you have enough to fill the mold.
  2. Dietary–This recipe is suitable for vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets.
Pure Vanilla Cookbook

Adapted From

Pure Vanilla

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 popsicleCalories: 146 kcalCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 1 gFat: 14 gSaturated Fat: 12 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 15 mgSugar: 5 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2012 Shauna Sever. Photos © 2012 Angie Zoobkoff. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

These coconut popsicles are a 10. I really have nothing much to add to this recipe. It makes a delicious pop with the perfect balance between coconut and vanilla.

I can’t ask for a more satisfying summery dessert that’s this simple to make. Well, maybe adding some mango or coconut chunks might gild the lily a bit.

I was a bit dubious why we had to use only half the vanilla bean; we might as well use the whole thing. However, the finished ice pops were indeed perfect. The whole vanilla bean might’ve been too much.

Vanilla extract might work instead of the beans here (start with no more than 1/2 teaspoon), but you’ll lose those cool tiny black specks in the finished ice pops. I used 4 tablespoons of sugar, and that worked great.
The coconut milk I used is my regular Thai brand in a small carton called Aroy-D. It’s delicious and easy to find at Asian grocery stores.

Just a reminder, when tasting the unfrozen mixture, you want it a touch on the sweet side, as freezing food mutes its flavor a bit. So what might seem perfectly sweet at room temperature might end up less so after being frozen.

I absolutely love these coconut popsicles and have already made them 3 times!

This coconut popsicle recipe was easy, quick, and cheap! And the result was delicious. Creamy and smooth with a definite vanilla flavor.

I used a can of full-fat coconut milk that I found in the Thai section of the grocery store, only 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 vanilla bean. The pops took about 2 hours to freeze fully.

I (somehow) resisted the chance to peek at the popsicles in the freezer every 10 minutes. The pops unmolded well—I think the fat of the coconut milk helped. The 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar was plenty because coconut milk already has its own sweetness.

These sweet little treats almost made themselves. Steep a vanilla bean in some sweetened coconut milk then freeze. Who knew popsicles could be this easy?

Not wanting to risk a slushy inside, we waited till the next day before eating. A pleasant surprise: pulling out the frozen pop revealed the tip of the creamy white treat speckled with vanilla seeds. Pretty!

My only complaint is that my pop mold only makes 4, and I had some mixture left over, so I stored it in the fridge until we ate the first ones.

These coconut popsicles are DEEEE-li-cious. A great, rich-tasting, satisfying, creamy treat.

We made this recipe three times in one week, the first time with 3 tablespoons of regular granulated sugar and the next 2 times with 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar.

Preparing and mixing the mixture takes only a few minutes. After setting the mixture aside to steep for an hour, we fished out the vanilla bean, cleaned it well with a dry paper towel, and buried it in the sugar bin. We froze the pops overnight.

Our popsicle molds are on the big side, so this made four pops.

It doesn’t get any easier than this to impress your family and friends with a delicious, refreshing treat. This is an excellent snack for those who avoid dairy but love the flavor and texture of a great fudgsicle.

From start to finish, I had these pops done in about 4 hours. It took about 5 minutes to heat the coconut milk with the sugar and vanilla. I let it rest, covered, for an hour, and then allowed it to cool for another hour before pouring the mixture into the molds.

During the cooling process, the coconut vanilla mixture developed a thin skin on top. A quick whisking of the mixture blended the entire pop mixture together again. It took a little less than 2 hours to freeze solid.

The flavor was slightly nutty, rich with vanilla, and not too sweet (I used 3 1/2 tablespoons of sugar).

If you’re looking for a fast and delicious way of making vanilla ice pops, you came to the right place. I never thought that I could make them in so little time…and with only 4 ingredients.

We made the recipe at night and placed the coconut popsicles in the freezer. They were ready to be eaten in the morning.

I only added 3 tablespoons of sugar. Truthfully, I’ll add a tad less next time, as we’re not too big on sugary things. The vanilla flavor was more robust than the coconut, which was perfect as my older daughter isn’t crazy for coconut. (She still liked these a lot.)

This recipe is so simple and tasty that we will make it often.

These coconut pops were creamy and rich. I forgot to buy a vanilla bean, but I really wanted to try these popsicles, so I used 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, which gave my ice pops a subtle vanilla flavor that worked well with the coconut milk. And 3 tablespoons sugar seemed ample to us.

I got a scant 4 pops from my mixture, which I froze in adorable ladybug-shaped molds. My taster thought they needed an accent flavor like raspberry. Still, they reminded me of the ice cream parlor flavor sometimes labeled “fresh churn,” which was a favorite of mine when I could eat dairy ice cream. This is a worthy lactose-free substitute.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appรฉtit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Nutella Fudge

This incredible ice cream from tester Jennifer Jacobs has ribbons of Nutella swirled through peanut butter ice cream. Yes, it’s every bit as divine as it sounds.

1 d


5 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating





24 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These are very good and strangely addicting. Sweet but not too sweet and I even used corn syrup instead of sugar. Call me crazy but a description of “clean” keeps coming to mind.

    1. I can completely understand that, Penny. Like the purity of the ingredients comes through, yes?

  2. These look great. Reminds me of Frozefruit, if anyone remembers those. I think they were 100% fruit. I think Coconut was the best. Long time ago, now.

  3. This doesn’t get easier. Anyone try adding some unsweetened cacao powder, to throw in a chocolate twist? Any add-in suggestions?

    1. Amy, you’re right, it doesn’t get any easier! And I love the way you’re thinking in terms of varying the flavors. We didn’t try cacao powder but I think it would work nicely here. I’ve done what is essentially this recipe with cocoa powder but warm as hot chocolate and it was splendid. If you try this, I suspect it may need a little added sweetener, whether honey or agave or sugar or stevia, just to temper the somewhat bitter cacao, but of course that depends on personal preference. As for other ideas, you could instead add in some blackberries or raspberries, whether you smash the berries with a fork to make a coarse mash and then swirl that into the coconut milk mixture to achieve a tie-dye effect or simply blitz everything in a blender or VitaMix before pouring it into the popsicle molds. I think fresh or frozen peaches, nectarines, mangos, or cherries could also work quite nicely if you’re using the blender approach. If you like acai fruit that could also work nicely blended in here and I’m guessing it would turn out a lovely shade of lavender. Even a pinch of cinnamon could be nice added to the basic recipe if you don’t mind a little warming spice. Let us know how it goes!