Homemade mango popsicles with real fruit are the best refreshing frozen treats! They taste like mango sorbet on sticks and everyone loves them!
These easy mango popsicles just need a touch of lime to shine, and you can make them even better (softer and no-drip) by adding gelatin. The perfect snack for a hot summer day!
I’ll show you how to create delicious recipe twists: spicy mango popsicles (with Tajin — so good!), creamy mango popsicles with yogurt or coconut milk, and mango lassi milkshake flavored with spices!
table of contents
What you’ll need
Ingredients
- Chopped mangos, 3 cups – fresh ripe or frozen
- Lime or lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
- Unflavored gelatin, 1 envelope (Optional, makes no-drip popsicles!)
- Sugar, honey or maple syrup (about 1/4 cup, adjust to taste)
For the mango, choose what’s more convenient or available to you:
- Fresh ripe mangos (3 medium yield about 3 cups sliced), or
- Frozen mangos (3 cups of chunks), or
- Mango pulp (you’ll need 2 cups of pulp)
My suggestion for fresh mangos: ripe Alphonso mangos are the sweetest. You might not need to add any sugar or sweeteners at all, making it a no-sugar added ice pop if you like.
If using frozen mango chunks, they need to be fully thawed and drained of excess liquid before blending to make a smoother popsicle.
Equipment
- Popsicle mold – if you don’t have a mold, you can use small paper cups.
- Sticks – If your mold didn’t come with sticks, you can get some wooden sticks. You can also use small spoons, just insert them into the mold like you’d do with a stick!
- Blender – You’ll need either a blender, a stick blender or a food processor to puree the mango chunks.
How to make
1. Blend 3 cups of fresh chopped mango or fully thawed and drained mango chunks with 1/4 cup of water (adjusting for the texture of your mangos). Sweeten with sugar, honey, or your favorite sweetener to taste.
If using mango pulp, you’ll need 2 cups as it’s already blended and sweetened, so you can skip this step.
2. (Optional step!) Add gelatin if you prefer drip-free and soft ice pops. Sprinkle 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin (Knox) over 2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice and let it stand for a minute to bloom. Warm it up just until melted in the microwave (or over a larger bowl with hot water while mixing). Do not boil the gelatin.
3. Add the lime juice and melted gelatin (or just lime juice if not using gelatin) to the pureed mango, then blend until it’s fully combined and smooth with no lumps.
4. Transfer the mixture into popsicle molds and cover them with foil or the mold lid. Insert sticks into the center of the molds, leaving about 1.5 inches outside. Freeze for at least 4-5 hours.
5. Remove the mango popsicles from the molds just after they are frozen solid.
To remove from molds, gently shimmy the popsicles out by pulling on the sticks.
If they seem to be stuck, run the sides of the molds under warm water and gently pull them out.
Recipe variations
Creamy mango popsicles
Substitute one of the cups of mango with 1 cup of full-fat yogurt, Greek yogurt or heavy cream. The yogurt can be flavored – vanilla or coconut go very well with mango!
For a lighter treat low in fat and with less calories, instead of cream or full-fat yogurt opt for low-fat yogurt, Skyr or even light cottage cheese.
Coconut mango popsicles
If you love the tropical taste of mango, try combining it with coconut!
Replace one of the cups of mango with 1 cup of full-fat coconut milk (for a creamier taste) or light coconut milk (for fewer calories).
Using light coconut milk will make them a bit harder and icier, but adding gelatin will counteract this effect and the result won’t be too bad.
Spicy mango popsicles with Tajin
Simply sprinkle Tajin chili lime seasoning before serving! This sweet and spicy combo is a Mexican favorite — check out my Mexican Candy Jello Shots recipe if you love this flavor!
If you want your mango popsicles extra spicy also add a pinch of Tajin into the ice pop molds before filling it with the blended mango mix.
Mango lassi popsicles
Add some Indian flair to these mango ice pops with lassi milkshake flavor!
Replace one of the 3 cups of mango in the recipe with 1 cup of natural plain yogurt (using 2 cups of mango and 1 of yogurt), and add a pinch or two of saffron and cardamon to taste, along with the sugar.
Expert tips and FAQ
Choose the ripest mangos
If using fresh mangos, try and pick the ripest mangos you can find! Soft mangos that feel almost squishy when pressed are the sweetest and most flavorful.
Popsicle stick trick
Some popsicle molds, like this one, come with a large lid with holes through which you can insert popsicle sticks.
This is great because you can use any types of sticks, like wooden sticks, and not worry about chasing the kids around to get the plastic sticks back.
If your popsicle mold is the type that comes with individual plastic popsicle holders with sticks attached, and you don’t want to use those (or can’t because they were lost) then here’s a neat trick to make sure your sticks stay upright:
- Grab a piece of aluminum foil and create a makeshift cover, pressing it down all around the top of the molds, which will mark the position for the sticks.
- Then, using something small and sharp like a toothpick or the point of a knife, carve a small slit on the foil where the popsicle stick should go through (If you just insert the stick through the foil straight away, it will rip a larger hole in the foil and the stick won’t stay secured in position).
- Now, you can insert the popsicle sticks, perfectly placed and centered!
There you are! I find this method much easier than trying to remember to insert the sticks after the ice pops are semi-frozen.
Why add gelatin to popsicles
Gelatin is the secret ingredient to make popsicles that are not icy and soft to bite into! It’s magical what gelatin can do for the texture of homemade ice pops!
They also become no-drip, because as the popsicles start to melt, they will have a consistency like soft jello, not like melting ice. Perfect for enjoying on a hot summer day without making a sticky mess!
Popsicles vs paletas
Paletas are the Mexican version of popsicles, famous for being made with real fruit and wholesome ingredients, without artificial flavors and colors like store-bought popsicles.
So all homemade popsicles made with natural ingredients (like this recipe) are also considered paletas.
See, you might’ve been making paletas for years and didn’t even know!
How to store
These popsicles stay good frozen for up to one month. They are still safe to eat after that, but they start losing their flavor and soft texture.
You can keep them frozen inside the molds, or remove then from the molds and transfer them to a freezer bag or individual popsicle bags instead.
If the mango popsicles are a bit sticky after unmolding, spread them on a tray lined with parchment paper and put them back in the freezer, so that they will firm up before going into the bags.
Easy Mango Popsicles
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups mango chunks fresh ripe chopped mango or frozen chunks (fully thawed and drained of liquid)
- ¼ cup water as needed to blend the mango
- sugar or honey add up to 4 tablespoons if needed, to taste
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin optional, for softer no-drip pops
- 2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- Blend 3 cups mango chunks with 1/4 cup water (adjusting for the texture of your mangos). Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- (Optional step) Sprinkle 1 envelope unflavored gelatin over 2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon juice and let it stand for a minute. Warm it up to melt in the microwave (or over a larger bowl with hot water). Do not boil the gelatin.
- Add the lime juice and melted gelatin (or just lime juice if not using gelatin) to the pureed mango, then blend until it's fully combined with no lumps.
- Transfer the mixture into the molds and cover with foil or the mold lid. Insert sticks and place popsicles in the freezer for 4 to 5 hours or overnight until frozen solid.
- To remove from molds, gently shimmy the popsicles out by pulling on the sticks. If stuck, run the sides of the molds under warm water and gently pull them out.
Notes
Nutrition
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