The 5 Best Popsicle Molds of 2023
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The best popsicle molds allow you to make fun, healthy and refreshing treats year-round, but homemade ice pops are especially great for keeping kids cool and entertained during the summer months. You can always DIY a homemade popsicle mold, but if you’re going to make them as often as we do, then grabbing a reusable popsicle tray is super easy. They’re also way more cost-efficient than constantly buying pre-made popsicles and frozen yogurt pops from the grocery store.
Credit: Cooking Classy
When shopping for popsicle makers, they should be easy to use, easy to clean, and long-lasting, so Jaclyn and I put together this list of the best popsicle molds – starting with the two popsicle molds that she has in her kitchen. Our top choices consist of flexible, durable silicone popsicle molds as well as some great plastic and stainless steel options, too!
Below you’ll find our picks for the five best popsicle molds, and if you need popsicle ideas for what to make, some of our favorite ice pop recipes at Cooking Classy include Homemade Yogurt Popsicles, Watermelon Popsicles, and for ice cream lovers, these Neapolitan Popsicles.
Our Top Picks:
- In Jaclyn’s Kitchen: Miawoof Silicone Frozen Ice Popsicle Maker – $18.99 at Amazon
- Jaclyn’s Other Favorite: Prepworks by Progressive Ice Pop Maker – $16.20 at Amazon
- Best Stainless Steel: Onyx Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold – $39.99 at Amazon
- Best Mini: Baker Boutique Mini Silicone Popsicle Mold – $7.77 at Amazon
- Best Unique: Tovolo Creature Popsicle Molds – $14.33 at Amazon
Reviews of The Best Popsicle Molds
- In Jaclyn’s Kitchen: Miawoof Silicone Frozen Ice Popsicle Maker
Credit: Amazon
From the list of the best silicone popsicle molds, this one from Jaclyn’s own kitchen takes the cake. It’s extremely easy to use, especially for kids that may want to be a part of the ice pop-making process.
Since it’s silicone, the pops are easy enough to remove from the mold, and it’s extremely flexible and durable, which means that even if you drop it, you won’t have to worry about the tray breaking, chipping, or cracking. It comes with 10 reusable popsicle sticks that are easy to clean, plus individual baggies to store the popsicles in. Each mold fits 3 fluid ounces and the whole tray conveniently makes 10 popsicles at once, so your freezer stays stocked.
The Specs:
- Material: Silicone
- Size: 9 x 5.7 x 4 inches
- Yields: 10 pops
- Weight: 1.2 pounds
- Includes: Funnel, reusable and wooden sticks, and storage baggies
The Pros:
- Flexible and durable
- Long-lasting
- Easy to clean
- Pops remove easily
- Comes with reusable popsicle sticks
- Yields a lot of pops at once
The Cons:
- Takes up significant freezer space
What Others Are Saying
The Miawoof Silicone has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon from more than 10,000 ratings.
Buy the Miawoof Silicone Frozen Ice Popsicle Maker:
2. Jaclyn’s Other Favorite: Prepworks by Progressive Ice Pop Maker
Credit: Cooking Classy
When she’s making her popsicle recipes, Jaclyn’s favorite part about this ice pop mold is its airtight seal. Its tight-closing aluminum lid ensures minimal spillage and leaks, which is a must since it’s so large. Because it makes 10 pops at a time, it’s a bigger tray, and even if you do have room for it in your freezer, chances are that it may find itself lopsided at one point or another. It’s a great mold for yielding a lot of pops at once, like for a kid’s party or entertaining friends, and at 2.5 ounces, each popsicle is pretty big.
“This popsicle mold is built nice and holds up really well, but I find it a little difficult to remove the popsicles (briefly running under warm water does the trick),” Jaclyn explained. This minor drawback prompted her to try the Miawoof silicone popsicle maker, but she feels that both molds are great options.
The Specs:
- Material: Plastic
- Size: 9 x 6 x 4 inches
- Yields: 10 pops
- Weight: 1 pound
- Includes: 50 wooden sticks
The Pros:
- High yield
- Durable
- Tight-closing lid minimizes spills
- Simple upright design
The Cons:
- Popsicles can stick to tray
- Clear, no color options
- Hand wash recommended
- Must soak wooden sticks before use
Buy the Prepworks by Progressive Freezer Pop Maker:
3. Best Stainless Steel: Onyx Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold
Credit: Amazon
If it’s an extremely durable ice pop mold that you want, the sustainable brand Onyx is known for its reusable stainless steel molds. Because it’s made of stainless steel, the mold gets extremely cold, which is both a blessing and a curse. Your popsicles freezer faster, of course, but it can be a bit annoying to pop them out once they’re done.
You’ll have to run these molds under some warm water for a time, but the paddle style is authentic, and each pop really does look like it’s straight off the ice cream truck. It’s also the best ice pop mold on this list for the environment as it’s sustainably made and infinitely reusable. Easy to clean, you can pop it right in the dishwasher, but you should be sure to never leave it soaking in water, otherwise it may get rusty. I’ve also found that the little silicone rings can pop off during cleaning (which is a little annoying).
The Specs:
- Material: Stainless steel
- Size: 7.99 x 5.51 x 4.02 inches
- Yields: 6 pops
- Weight: 1.54 pounds
- Includes: Bamboo sticks and silicone rings (to hold them in place)
The Pros:
- Dishwasher safe
- Feels durable and long-lasting
- Sustainable
- Makes large paddle-style pops
The Cons:
- Expensive
- Requires a lot of freezer space
- Pops balance on the steel frame, so it has the potential to spill/fall
- Silicone pieces can fall out
- Difficult to pop out the popsicles
What Others Are Saying
Food and Wine named the Onyx popsicle mold the “best steel option,” The Spruce Eats ranked it the “best metal,” and Serious Eats found it to be the best popsicle mold they tested.
Buy the Onyx Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold:
4. Best Mini: Baker Boutique Mini Silicone Popsicle Mold
Credit: Amazon
Looking for the best popsicle molds for toddlers? This one from Baker Boutique is it! Not only is the mold bright and vibrant enough to catch kids’ attention, but it also is made of soft silicone and plastic, which maneuvers easily in children’s tiny hands should they want to help make them. It makes smaller, circular pops, too, which is another reason it’s perfect for kids. Because it’s made of silicone, it’s super easy to pop out the popsicles, too—no warm water required. The tray itself is a circular, beehive shape that can be stored on top of other items in the freezer.
The Specs:
- Material: Silicone and plastic
- Size: 6.3 x 6.3 x 3.1 inches
- Yields: 7 pops
- Weight: 6.4 oz
- Includes: Wide, reusable popsicle handles (sticks)
The Pros:
- Affordable
- Easy and intuitive for kids to use
- Fits easily into the freezer
- Comes with colorful, reusable plastic popsicle sticks
- Compact shape that fits in the freezer easily
- Dishwasher safe
The Cons:
- Plastic parts may break or crack
- Makes extremely small pops
- Only makes 7 small pops at a time
What Others Are Saying
This Baker Boutique Mini Silicone Popsicle Mold has a 4.6-star rating and more than 1,600 reviews on Amazon.
Buy the Baker Boutique Mini Silicone Popsicle Mold:
5. Best Unique: Tovolo Creature Popsicle Molds
Credit: Amazon
Tovolo Creature Popsicle Molds come in super fun shapes including dinosaurs, monsters, penguins, tiki faces, and zombies, making them great for themed birthday parties and one of the best popsicle molds for toddlers, too. Each dinosaur-shaped pop comes with a secret feature: inside each dino, you’ll find hidden fossils (surprise shapes in the mold handles) that reveal themselves as you eat.
The silicone molds easily peel off the popsicles and also come with reusable, matching popsicle sticks that are unique to each creature. So for the dinosaurs, these sticks are dino tails or for the zombies and monsters, the popsicle holders are the creature’s feet.
The Specs:
- Material: Nylon, silicone, and plastic
- Size: 10.5 x 10.5 x 3.13 inches
- Yields: 4 pops
- Weight: 0.42 pounds
- Includes: Wide, reusable popsicle handles (sticks)
The Pros:
- Fun designs that kids will love
- Dishwasher safe
- Tray has side handles for easy transferring and serving
- Hidden surprise shapes in each pop
The Cons:
- Yields a minimal amount of pops
- Tall, so requires vertical freezer space
The Spruce Eats awarded The Tovolo Creature Popsicle Molds as the “best shape,” out of the products they tested, Wirecutter voted them as one of the top popsicle molds. It has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon and more than 3,800 reviews.
Buy the Tovolo Creature Popsicle Molds:
Other Popsicle Molds We Considered
Toddler and kid-friendly thanks to a drip tray, this six-piece popsicle mold also includes a silicone funnel and cleaning brush. Each plastic mold is oversized, measuring 6 x 2.5 x 11 inches, so you get the most treat possible out of your product. They’re top-rack dishwasher-safe, too. That said, the plastic is a little on the thin side and may be prone to breaking more easily than silicone. The Mamsicles Popsicle Molds are available on Amazon for $10.99.
Lekue Stackable 4 Pieces Popsicle Mold
Ideal for kids and toddlers, these four popsicle molds are stackable, which makes them both easy to store and easy to use in the freezer since they don’t take up a lot of space at all. Kids will also find them easy to grip, and they’re deep, too, so they’re easy to fill and pour the mix into. However, they’re pretty one-dimensional and don’t yield as many pops as other options. The Lekue Stackable 4 Pieces Popsicle Mold is available at Target or Amazon for $17.95.
Super affordable and kid-friendly, this collapsible mold makes six ice pops at a time—three with a square shape and three with a rose shape at the bottom. It easily folds up for convenient storage, but that folding could also potentially cause spilling in the freezer. It also functions as a traditional ice cube tray, too, being that it folds up into small cubes. For some, the pops are a little on the small side. Bell Dreams Popsicle Molds are available on Amazon for $7.28.
Frozip 125 Disposable Ice Popsicle Mold Bags
Meant to be disposed of after they’re used, this choice isn’t nearly as sustainable as other reusable ones on this list. Each pop has a zipper closure (like the “real” pops you can get at the store!), and with a jumbo pack of 125, you won’t run out any time soon. In fact, you’ll probably have enough left over for next summer, too. Frozip 125 Disposable Ice Popsicle Mold Bags as available at Amazon for $12.95.
Why You Can Trust Us
I’m Stephanie, a lifestyle writer and product reviewer who is always on the pulse of the best kitchen gadgets. I also happen to love ice pops, which means I make them all the time at home—boozy for me, and tropical-flavored pops for my four nieces (I use the stainless steel Onyx mold for my popsicles). I worked on this roundup of the best ice pop molds with Jaclyn of Cooking Classy, a frequent ice pop maker who’s known for letting her sweet tooth lead her in the kitchen. Just search this site for all of her fun dessert recipes!
Credit: Cooking Classy
To determine the best popsicle molds, we started with the ones that Jaclyn uses, then looked at the most popular and well-rated ice pop molds on Amazon and other retailers, too. We considered various sizes, materials, prices, popsicle yield, and designs and looked into what trusted review sites were saying, as well. After comparing them all, we came up with this list of the best ice pop molds.
What to Know About Popsicle Molds
Things to Consider when Choosing a Popsicle Mold
Before making a commitment to one popsicle tray, consider features like size, shape, any extra accessories that may be included, material, and reusability.
Size
How big do you want your ice pops to be and how many do you plan to make at a time? Also consider what amount of room your freezer will allow. While some molds can yield as many as 12-16 pops, others only hold 4-6. Our top two choices on this list, the Miawoof Silicone Popsicle Maker and the Prepworks Plastic Ice Pop Mold each yield 10 frozen treats.
Shape
Popsicles come in all shapes and sizes. You can make square ones, round ones, push-ups, and ones shaped like animals or other fun shapes. Think about what you’ll use the mold for most and which shape best accommodates that use. While most popsicle molds stand upright in the freezer, others have stackable designs. Unique shapes can also be a little trickier to clean, so keep an eye out for dishwasher-safe options.
Material and Reusability
The material of your mold is extremely important, especially if you want something that’s long-lasting. If you want a mold that will stand the test of time and long-term cleaning, consider a reusable one made out of silicone, metal, or plastic. It’s usually easier to slip the ice pops out of silicone molds, but they’re a bit tougher to clean in terms of removing old flavors of previously-made popsicles (especially if they’re alcoholic). Plastic molds can also crack more easily and even leak. Stainless steel molds, on the other hand, tend to be more expensive and require more work to remove the popsicles.
Extra Accessories
In addition to selecting durable, reusable materials, you’ll also want to consider whether the mold includes reusable popsicle sticks, or if you’ll have to buy single-use popsicle sticks. Some popsicle molds are complete kits with cleaning brushes (which are great for getting into small crevices for uniquely-shaped molds), funnels for mess-free pouring, recipe books, storage bags, and extra wooden sticks.
Credit: Cooking Classy
Are Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds Better than Silicone or Plastic?
Stainless steel popsicle molds may last a long time, but you do have to be careful about cleaning them. They’re also a little trickier to find, as they aren’t as common as plastic and silicone. These molds may be more difficult to clean in general, but especially if left to soak in the sink, they can develop rust. It can also be tough to get into the top of the steel mold’s nooks and crannies, which can be frustrating and result in a not-so-clean mold.
As mentioned, there are downsides to plastic molds, too, like a tendency to crack. Silicone and plastic molds are also easier to pop the popsicles out of while you may have to run stainless steel molds under warm water for a few minutes before the pops slide out. Even then, the popsicles may need to be coaxed out.
How to Use Popsicle Molds
If you’re using wooden sticks, it’s recommended to soak them in warm water for an hour before use to keep them from floating out. It takes about four hours for a popsicle to completely freeze, but it depends on the freezer.
To clean most popsicle molds, hand wash with mild soap and warm water although some reusable molds made from silicone might be dishwasher-friendly. If you’re having difficulty removing ice pops from your mold, run it under warm water or fill a bowl with warm water, dipping the mold in for 30 seconds. The popsicles should pop right out but may need more than 30 seconds in the water.
How to Make Popsicle Molds
An ice pop mold isn’t essential as you can easily make a homemade popsicle mold with a few simple materials: plastic cups (like yogurt containers), a regular ice cube mold, or muffin tins lined with foil. You’d just need wooden popsicle sticks (or toothpicks, in the case of ice-cube tray popsicles). You’ll have to monitor the process of the popsicles because it’s best to insert the sticks once they’re starting to freeze or else the sticks can topple over in the liquid.
If you’re just making them for a one-time event, these DIY options can work, but reusable molds are a better investment in the long run – especially if you’re going to make a lot of popsicles. They’re easier to use and the popsicle sticks will stand up straight in the ice pop. If you’re hosting a party or if you have kids, a mold is an easy way to make these frozen treats again and again.
Jaclyn’s Favorite Popsicle Recipes
Credit: Cooking Classy
Prices were accurate at the time of publication.
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