We Tested 11 Popsicle Molds to Find the Best Ones for Making Delectable Frozen Treats (2025)

Straight to the Point

The best popsicle molds were from Zoku. They were easy to fill, fit nicely in the freezer, and popped out without resistance. We also liked the Tovolo Groovy Ice Pop Molds if you’re looking for a larger ‘sicle.

Popsicles inspire nostalgia. After swimming in the town pool for hours, my friends and I would plead with our parents to buy us an icy treat from the ice cream truck parked over by the track field. We usually won out, since it was hot and we were cute little five-year-olds. My choice was often a strawberry shortcake popsicle, but I’d be equally happy with a Flintstones push-pop or even a red, white, and blue rocket. These sweet treats are a reminder of carefree days, chlorine-bleached hair, and sticky fingers.

I still love a popsicle on a hot day, especially one I’ve made. You can get creative with it and even make a boozy batch. Popsicles are also a fun treat to serve when friends are over: Fill a bucket with ice, stick a bunch of popsicles in it, and bring on the warm memories of summers past.

The key to this pleasurable icy moment is a good popsicle mold. While you could use wax-lined paper cups and plop a flat wooden stick in them (this is kinda how popsicles were invented, ya know), a mold lets you recreate a more iconic shape and won’t get bashed in the freezer. Former Serious Eats editor Kristina Razon tested popsicle molds in 2021, so I created a lineup that included her winners, along with some popular new kids on the block. I evaluated the molds on if they were messy to fill, if they fit nicely in my freezer, and if the popsicles were easy to remove from the molds.

The Winners, at a Glance

Freezing clean, rounded popsicles was easy with this set. The T-shaped sticks snapped into place tightly, so there was no leaking, and they had a good grip when it was time to unmold. The sturdy case kept the popsicles upright in the freezer, too.

Another Great Set of Popsicle Molds

Tovolo Classic Popsicle Molds Set of 5

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This set comes with a divoted holder that you stick each mold into; it did a surprisingly good job of keeping them upright. The results were beautiful, classic-looking popsicles with clean lines. While the sticks were flat, they were a little short, which made the popsicles slightly more work to unmold.

If you want a bit more popsicle to bite into, this set is for you. It had the largest capacity of the bunch at 4.5 fluid ounces. Like the Tovolo classic molds, the Groovy used a divoted holder to keep the popsicles upright.

Our previous winner, this set stayed true this round of testing. With a compact shape that uses wooden sticks, this is a classic mold that produces petite popsicles.

The Tests

We Tested 11 Popsicle Molds to Find the Best Ones for Making Delectable Frozen Treats (5)

  • Fill and Move Test: I filled each set of molds with a recipe for mango yogurt popsicles. I noted if the molds were easy or messy to fill.
  • Unmold Test: After freezing solid, I removed the popsicles from the molds and noted if I struggled. I then cleaned each set of molds per the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Eating Test: I tried a popsicle from every mold (tough job, eh), noting how the popsicle stick felt to hold and if it was a neat or messy experience chowing down. I also asked five obliging volunteers to eat popsicles and note their thoughts.

What We Learned

Flat Sticks Were Easier to Grip

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While the stick might feel like an understudy, it actually plays a starring role in the composition of a popsicle. It holds it aloft, keeps your hand clean, and gives you purchase when you tug the popsicle from its mold. Grasp and pull, and out pops the popsicle.

Longer, flat sticks, like that of the Zoku molds, were easier to grip, while short, rounded ones proved slippery and were, embarrassingly, the source of a few hand cramps. You want a good grip on the stick so you can easily tug the popsicle from the mold.

It Was Easier to Fill Top-Down Models

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Top-down models with slightly larger openings (like the Tovolo Groovy molds, which had 2.63 by 1.25-inch openings) were the easiest to fill. Most came with a tray that held them upright, making it easy to neatly pour the popsicle mixture inside.

Side-filled molds, like the Lekue and Sur La Table Patterned Pop Molds, were difficult and messy to fill. It was hard to gauge when to stop pouring, so I’d often overfill the mold, but this would only become apparent when I covered the opening and the filling oozed out from the sides.

Once frozen, popsicles made in side-filled molds were lumpy and often had air pockets. It’s also tricky to find a flat surface to rest the molds on—at least, in my chest freezer.

T-Shaped vs. Straight Stick Molds

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My freezer was jam-packed before testing popsicles—and after, well, popsicles are still tucked into every nook and cranny. I enlisted the help of my friends and family to help me make a dent in my popsicle pile, while also providing insights into how they were to eat.

Two camps quickly emerged: frozen treat lickers and biters. For lickers, molds with a T-shaped base (a stick to grasp and a horizontal platform where the popsicle meets it) like the Zoku were preferable since this slow and easy way of eating often results in drips. The horizontal part of the “T” helped catch these dribbles and also prevented the popsicle from sliding down the stick. But it also gets in the way of the last bite—my sister had to gently tug the last icy bit up with her teeth so she could finish it off.

Popsicle biters found it much easier to wolf down a frozen treat if it’s simply stuck on a stick, like the Lekue and Onyx pops—nothing gets in the way. But it’s a much messier experience since you don’t have that hilt-like T-shape catching drips.

Both styles have their fans and their pros and cons. So when buying a set of molds, perhaps consider how you like to eat popsicles.

Stick With Sturdy Materials—Silicone Was Too Floppy

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I had high hopes for silicone molds since it seemed like they’d be easy to peel off the popsicles. Instead, it was a finger workout pulling the silicone away from the frozen treat, which immediately started melting from all the handling.

Silicone molds got mashed in the freezer, and they were hard to fill evenly, resulting in pockmarked treats. Sturdy, solid molds like the plastic Zoku and metal Onyx were better at keeping the popsicles’ shape intact and were easier to remove—just run under hot water for a few seconds and tug the stick.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Popsicle Mold

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Popsicle molds should be easy to fill, fit nicely in your freezer, and result in pristine popsicles with clean lines. Side-fill molds were messy. Instead, I preferred top-down molds with slightly wider openings. Avoid silicone molds, which are prone to getting mashed and produce pockmarked popsicles.

T-shaped sticks provided a splash guard against drips, while simple vertical sticks made it easy to nibble away at the popsicle. Regardless of stick style, I preferred flat sticks over tubular ones. They were easier to grasp when pulling the popsicle out of the mold.

Our Favorite Popsicle Molds

What we liked: I easily unmolded beautiful, rounded popsicles from this set after a quick run under hot water. The molds fit nicely into my chest freezer (one that’s packed to the gills at that), and I liked that the holder was one continuous piece of plastic, keeping the popsicles contained and upright. The T-shaped sticks popped in securely so there was no leaking, and the flat sticks made it easy to tug the popsicles free.

What we didn’t like: The horizontal part of the T-shaped stick made it difficult to eat the last bit of popsicle. The openings to the molds were a little narrow, though filling them was still mostly mess-free. They’re not dishwasher-safe.

Key Specs

  • Number of molds: 6
  • Measured capacity: 3.75 fluid ounces
  • Materials: Plastic
  • Dimensions of opening: 2.38 x 1.5 inches
  • Dimensions of single mold: 4.5 x 2 inches
  • Stick style: T-shaped
  • Stick length: 2 inches
  • Dishwasher-safe: No

We Tested 11 Popsicle Molds to Find the Best Ones for Making Delectable Frozen Treats (12)

Another Great Set of Popsicle Molds

Tovolo Classic Popsicle Molds Set of 5

We Tested 11 Popsicle Molds to Find the Best Ones for Making Delectable Frozen Treats (13)

What we liked: This set of molds was easy to fill, thanks to a near-oval opening. The molds slotted into a divoted holder, which held them upright, resulting in a crisply lined, perfect-looking popsicle. The T-shaped stick helped prevent drips, too.

What we didn’t like: While the sticks were flat, they were also short, which made them harder to grip when unmolding the popsicles. The horizontal part of the T-shaped stick was hollow and held some of the popsicle mixture in it, making it hard to finish it off. Also, five molds is an odd number—literally and figuratively.

Key Specs

  • Number of molds: 5
  • Measured capacity: 4 fluid ounces
  • Materials: Plastic
  • Dimensions of opening: 2.5 x 1.38 inches
  • Dimensions of single mold: 3.63 x 2.25 inches
  • Stick style: T-shaped
  • Stick length: 1.5 inches
  • Dishwasher-safe: Yes

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What we liked: If you want a big honkin’ treat, this set is for you. Each mold holds 4.5 ounces and unmolds a large popsicle with namesake grooves at the top. The divoted holder ensured neatly frozen popsicles, and the T-shaped stick helped minimize sticky fingers. I liked the wide mold openings, too, which made filling mess-free.

What we didn’t like: The short, rounded stick was hard to grasp when removing the popsicle. Like the Tavolo Classic, the horizontal part of the T-shaped stick is hollow, so some of the popsicle mixture gets stuck inside.

Key Specs

  • Number of molds: 6
  • Measured capacity: 4.5 fluid ounces
  • Materials: Plastic
  • Dimensions of opening: 2.63x 1.25 inches
  • Dimensions of single mold: 4.88 x 2.5 inches
  • Stick style: T-shaped
  • Stick length: 1.5 inches
  • Dishwasher-safe: Yes

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What we liked: This metal set makes classic popsicles—you know, the kind with wooden sticks poking out from the bottom. They’re petite and easy to eat quickly, which is good since there’s nothing protecting your hand from drips.

What we didn’t like: Because the molds are made of stainless steel the popsicles melted more than others when I ran them under hot water. The resulting popsicles are messier to eat, since there is no horizontal beam propping up the treat (though there is a flat metal piece that you push the stick through before freezing, it’s removed when you unmold the pops). This set is also quite expensive.

Key Specs

  • Number of molds: 6
  • Measured capacity: 3.75 fluid ounces
  • Materials: Stainless steel, silicone
  • Dimensions of opening: 2.25 x 1 inches
  • Dimensions of single mold: 4 x 2 inches
  • Stick style: Stick
  • Stick length: Variable, since you insert a disposable bamboo stick
  • Dishwasher-safe: NA

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The Competition

Also Good

  • Ozera Popsicles Molds: This set was like a smaller version of the Tovolo Groovy Molds and made fine popsicles. It was a top pick in our previous test.
  • U.S. Kitchen Supply Jumbo Set of 18 Classic Ice Pop Molds: With 18 molds in this set, you could have a popsicle party. The sticks and molds were very similar to the Ozera molds, sporting similarly short, rounded sticks that were harder to grip. But in the end they made good popsicles.
  • Williams Sonoma Rainbow Pop Molds: This set is made by Tovolo and is essentially the same as the Tovolo Classic Molds, though for some reason it’s $8 more.

Not Recommended

  • Lekue Large Stackable Ice Pop Lollipop: While this stacking set was cute (and stored well), the side-filled silicone molds were messy to top up. Once frozen, the popsicles were difficult to remove and were pockmarked.
  • American Ice Pop Maker: This was a terrible set that fell over like dominos as I filled each mold. The lid is also one large piece of plastic with slots in which you insert the sticks, which was messy. This single lid also trapped air, causing ice crystals to form on the bottoms of the pops.
  • Sur La Table Ice Pop Molds With Case: The molds are all attached in this set, which means if you want to unmold one pop by running it under warm water, you have to run all of them under water. The stick is also really short—a little more than a half inch—and hard to grip. I could barely tug them out.

FAQs

Do silicone popsicle molds work?

I found that silicone popsicle molds were more trouble than they’re worth. They were difficult to fill and squished easily, and it was tricky peeling the molds off the popsicles. I’d go for a sturdy plastic or metal mold instead.

What is the best material for popsicle molds?

In my tests, I found that metal and plastic molds were the best. They were easy to fill and unmold and produced smooth popsicles.

Can you put ice cream in a popsicle mold?

You sure can! If using store-bought ice cream, it’s best to let it soften a little bit before scooping it into the molds. We also have a few from-scratch recipes for this: strawberry shortcake ice cream bars and pudding pops. Yum!

How do you get popsicles out of the mold?

To unmold popsicles from plastic or metal molds, simply run them under hot water for a few seconds, then give the sticks a tug.

How do you clean popsicle molds?

Many manufacturers don’t give explicit cleaning instructions, so to play it safe I’d recommend hand-washing the molds. That said, the stainless steel Onyx molds are dishwasher-safe and came out sparkling.

What can I use instead of popsicle molds?

Wax-coated paper cups are a classic alternative to popsicle molds. Just fill the cup with your popsicle mixture and freeze for a little bit before adding a wooden stick (this helps it stick up straight in the center).

What are the best popsicle molds for kids?

All of my favorite molds were easy to use and kid-friendly. Not to mention they’ll likely love the resulting frozen treats.

Why We’re the Experts

  • Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Serious Eats. She’s been testing kitchen gear and writing about food for nearly four years.
  • For this review, Grace tested 11 sets of popsicle molds, making dozens of popsicles.
  • Former Serious Eats editor Kristina Razon first tested popsicle molds in 2021. We included her winners, as well as some molds in the competition and new offerings, in our current lineup.

We Tested 8 Sphere Ice Molds and Found Two We Recommend

We Tested 11 Popsicle Molds to Find the Best Ones for Making Delectable Frozen Treats (2025)

FAQs

How to get frozen popsicles out of mold? ›

A: run warm water over the mold for a few seconds before removing.

What should I put in my popsicle mold? ›

Yogurt/Juice Suggestions
  1. Greek yogurt (any flavor or fat percentage).
  2. Dairy-free yogurt.
  3. regular yogurt (any flavor or kind).
  4. Apple Juice (used in the green popsicles).
  5. orange juice.
  6. grape juice.
  7. cherry juice.
Jun 9, 2019

Can silicone popsicle molds go in the dishwasher? ›

The silicone popsicle molds are dishwasher safe, but we recommend hand wash. They are easy… Q: Is the ice pop easy to get out from the silicone popsicle mold? Yes, the soft silicone lid are easy to get off and you can easilier get the ice pop out fr…

How much does a popsicle mold hold? ›

Most popsicle molds will hold between 2 to 4 ounces of liquid, though there isn't necessarily a standard size.

Should you spray popsicle molds? ›

The perfect summer treat! This recipe makes 10 popsicles. Popsicle molds should be at room temperature before assembling. Spray down inside each mold with non-stick cooking spray.

How long to freeze popsicles in silicone molds? ›

Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Why are my homemade popsicles icy? ›

When you make popsicles at home, you often use fresh fruit juices, purees, and sometimes just plain water. As these liquids freeze, the water content forms ice crystals, which can give the popsicles a hard, crunchy texture rather than a smooth, creamy one.

Can you freeze soda in popsicle molds? ›

Soda Pop Popsicles

Tap molds gently to remove air bubbles. Insert popsicle sticks, then place molds (or cups) in a metal cake pan or other level surface in the freezer. If using cups, freeze pops for 90 minutes, then add sticks. Freeze at least 4 hours, of overnight.

What keeps popsicles from freezing solid? ›

Pectin, like other common popsicle 'secret ingredients' like gelatin, cornstarch, alcohol, or the various gums/stabilizers used in commercial popsicles, is often used in popsicles to keep the ice crystals small. Like with ice cream, smaller ice crystals means a smoother mouthfeel and a less icy consistency.

Why aren't my popsicles sticking to the stick? ›

You're trying to remove the pops before they're fully frozen. A good way to tell if your pop is frozen is by testing it with a toothpick. If it doesn't feel solid at the base of the stick, it's probably not ready yet.

How to clean silicone popsicle mold? ›

Our silicone molds only need to be cleaned with soapy water and rinsed with clean water. In addition, it can also be cleaned in the dishwasher to provide more convenience for your kitchen life.

Can you put ice cream in a popsicle mold? ›

Can you put ice cream in a popsicle mold? You sure can! If using store-bought ice cream, it's best to let it soften a little bit before scooping it into the molds.

How profitable is a popsicle business? ›

A successful well-run Ice pops business can make as much as tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. A truly aggressive business like The Hyppo makes 20,000 to 30,000 Ice pops each week. Since they sell them for $3.75 a piece, they are generating an income of $75,000 to $112.500 each week.

How to fill popsicle molds? ›

Regardless of the type of mold you use, the basic process remains the same. Once your popsicle mix is ready, use a pitcher with a spout to carefully fill your molds, leaving about one-quarter inch of room at the top as the popsicles will expand as they freeze.

How do you get icing out of silicone molds? ›

Take a clean, dry, sharp knife and dust it with cornstarch. Lay the blade flat on the surface of the mold and carefully cut away the excess fondant, using a gentle sawing action. For large molds like this, it's sometimes worth stopping halfway through to clean, dry and dust the blade again.

How do you get yogurt popsicles out of mold? ›

To easily remove popsicles from the molds, run warm water over the outside of the mold for a few seconds. This helps loosen them without melting. You can also let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before unmolding.

How do you remove mold from freezer rubber? ›

A popular method for removing mould from fridge or freezer gaskets is to make a paste by mixing together baking soda, lemon juice and water. Leave to set for five minutes and lay a towel on the floor beneath the area you are cleaning. Next, apply the paste to the mouldy gasket using a soft cloth.

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