I never really thought about there even being different brands of freezer pops (or freeze pops, or ice pops, or freezies, depending on your regional preference) until I started researching for this article. The vibrant tubes of flavored ice always just appeared at a summer birthday party. I presumed they simply came with a freezer when you bought it.
But there are plenty of brands making freeze pops out there, and they all really do taste pretty darn different—some taste just like you remember, others taste like nothing, and others taste like frozen medicine (and in one instance, that’s because it was frozen medicine—I’m talking about Pedialyte freezer pops and, spoiler alert, they didn’t make the list). I tasted 13 different brands of ice pops. I tried each and every flavor within the packs. I judged on tastiness, of course, but I also considered texture and form factor.
Before we get into the ranking, I do want to share a little troubleshooting tip for preparing ice pops: Take them out of the box. It’s tempting and even seems logical to simply put the box of freeze pops into the freezer. But they don’t freeze like that—most of them don’t, at least. Some require that you shake the tubes before putting them in the freezer. Others just don’t seem to freeze unless you lay them flat. All I’m saying is, if you buy any of our top picks for the best ice pops, make sure you freeze them right. Freezies are more complicated than you thought, huh?
Anyhoo, with those instructions out of the way, here are the best freezer pops to buy, whether you’re looking to recapture your childhood or want something a little more grown-up.
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- Trader Joe’s Organic Freezer Pops
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Trader Joe’s Organic Freezer Pops don’t taste like anything you’d get at a waterpark. They are, essentially, the “natural” version of an ice pop. There are three flavors in a box: Orange, Cherry Limeade, and Berry. The Berry is, by far, the best. It tastes like something your homesteader aunt might make you out of the blackberries growing on her property—like frozen berry puree, fruity and tangy and real. The Cherry Limeade is also more of a grownup take on a freezer pop. It is super lime-zesty, with not quite as much cherry as I’d like. And the Orange is a bit of a dud—it mostly tastes like unsweetened orange juice concentrate. But it’s worth picking up these ice pops just for the Berry. And they’d all be pretty good dunked into a glass of Prosecco.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Wyler’s Italian Ices Berry & Cherry Mix
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Italian ice usually comes in a little cup. You eat it with a little plastic spoon/shovel. But now, thanks to Wyler’s, it’s a handheld dessert. These freeze pop-Italian ice hybrids come in Blue Raspberry, Berry Lemonade, Strawberry, and Cherry. The Blue Raspberry is shockingly subtle for something so blue—it’s sweet and tart and quite good. The Berry Lemonade is fine, though a bit artificial tasting. And the two red flavors are the real stars. The Strawberry has that classic red popsicle flavor that really scratches an elementary school itch. And the Cherry is so bold and brightly cherry flavored without any hint of a medicinal flavor. They all have a soft and silky texture. They hold together, but you can easily nibble a bite off without crunching through ice and making you dread your next dentist appointment.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Tropical Kool Pops
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You can find Kool Pops at so many little stores across the country—we found these at our local Dollar Tree. They’re uber-cheap and they’re uber-available. That’s a big check mark in the plus column for freezer pops, which should just appear whenever you need them. While we tried the regular Kool Pops, the Tropical Kool Pops were much better. They’re more vibrant and flavorful. My personal favorite was the Berry, which isn’t too sweet—but also isn’t sour. It strikes just the right balance between fruit and artificial flavor. Plus, it’s kinda gray and I think that’s fun. More gray food!
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Deebee’s Gelato Pops
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These “gelato” freezer pops don’t actually taste like ice cream. But they are still creamy and they are still good. They’re totally non-dairy and made with coconut milk instead of cream or milk, which makes each one taste like a frozen tropical drink. There’s Lime, Mango, and Pineapple. You might think the Pineapple would be a slam dunk, but the pineapple flavor is just a little too muted. It’s still good, but not as good as the others. The Mango tastes a bit like a mango lassi—creamy with a hint of spice. And the Lime is fascinating. It tastes like a sophisticated mocktail. It almost has a Thai curry thing going on. I really got into these ice pops, but they’re definitely better for grown-up palates.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Otter Pops
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I adore Otter Pops. They’re so nice and thin and delicate. They taste like dye in the best way. The packaging features fun, colorful otter characters. And they freeze the best of all the freezer pops we tasted. The cherry is bright and not medicinal. The green is sweet and zesty. The blue tastes…blue. The pink tastes like a Jolly Rancher. And the purple tastes like grape medicine, just as it should. The only problem? You can’t get Otter Pops everywhere. But if you’re in an Otter Pop region, pick up a box. They’re some of the best freeze pops around.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Starburst Freezer Pops
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Starburst Freezer Pops are the best freeze pops you can buy. Why? They taste like Starbursts and Starbursts are good. It’s really a crazy feat of frozen food science. The orange tastes like an orange Starburst—sweet and round and citrusy. The red is bright and rich with cherry Starburst flavor. The yellow does taste a bit like lemon-scented cleaner—which is unfortunate, because yellow is my favorite Starburst—but there’s always one dud in the box. And the pink? Oh, pink Starburst lovers, you’ll be so happy. It tastes EXACTLY like a pink Starburst. All packaged in a frosty tube. You gotta try these and you gotta give them to your kids.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
Best Natural Flavors
Best Texture
Best Widely Available
Best Tropical
Best Nostalgic
Best of the Best
Other freezer pops we tried: Pedialyte, Johnny Pops, Good Pop, Wyler’s Italian Ices Assorted Flavors, Kool Pops, Skittles, Deebee’s Superfruit Organic Freezie Pops
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!