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See why.The Best Ice Pop Molds
A simple design feature makes all the difference when it comes time to make—and eat—ice pops.
By Updated Feb. 15, 2019
Zoku also makes the Zoku Quick Pop Maker, which we’ve recommended with some reservations in the past because it’s not that quick—you still need to freeze the console 24 hours ahead. When we compared the Zoku models, we preferred the Classic over the Quick Pop; it’s easier to use, and its sticks were easier to eat from.
Top Picks
See Everything We Tested
What You Need To Know
Ice pops are an easy summer treat—just fill a mold with juice, yogurt, or pureed fruit and stick it in the freezer overnight. There are two basic types of molds. The simpler type is a rectangular frame with the pop molds fixed in place; this type includes a separate lid and usually requires disposable wooden sticks. Another style has individual molds that detach separately from the base or frame; these commonly come with reusable plastic sticks. To find the best ice pop mold, we bought seven models, all $35.00 or less, including both fixed- and removable-mold models. We put them to the test, making lemonade, blueberry, coconut, and layered strawberry-yogurt frozen pops.
All the models made acceptable ice pops, but we preferred those with detachable molds. We liked being able to remove one or two pops as needed by simply running the desired number under hot water—with the fixed-mold models, you’re forced to put the whole frame under the water, making it hard to control the number you release. The detachable-mold models were also easier to pour liquids into, as they had wider openings, and they often had maximum-fill lines etched around the tops of the molds, which decreased the chances of the pops expanding out of the molds once frozen. Wider-mouthed molds were easier to clean, too. By contrast, the fixed-mold models had no fill lines and tended to be a bit narrower, requiring us to aim and clean more carefully.
The classic disposable wooden sticks included with the fixed-mold and one of the detachable-mold models were perfectly functional. But they’re small, and because most models did nothing to secure them within the molds, the sticks tended to float and set crooked in less dense liquids such as lemonade, making it harder both to remove the mold lid and to eat the finished pops.
We preferred the reusable plastic sticks that came with most of the detachable molds. Each stick is centered on a piece of plastic that attaches to the top of the mold, serving as a lid and ensuring that the sticks always freeze straight in the pop. The lid itself doubles as a drip guard once the pop is removed. While we were ambivalent about the drip guards, which contained messes but got in the way when we tried to eat the last bites of the pops, we liked the handles, which were generally longer and easier to grip than wooden sticks. There was one small problem with the reusable sticks: They make it difficult to make layered pops. Because the sticks are attached to the lids, once they’ve frozen into the first layer of your pop, you can’t remove the lids again to add the next layer.
Our winning ice pop mold, the Zoku Classic Pop Molds, was the mos...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Eating: 3 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 3 stars out of 3.
This ice pop mold was the easiest to use of all those we tested. Its detachable molds had clear fill lines and wide openings, making them a breeze to fill and clean. And it featured slender plastic sticks with unobtrusive drip guards and long, textured handles, making the resulting pops easy to grip and eat. Our only gripe? The drip guards aren’t removable, so you can’t make layers.
- Eating: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 2 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 3 stars out of 3.
Made almost entirely of stainless steel, this hybrid detachable-mold/disposable-stick model had removable lids for each mold, making it relatively easy to produce layered pops. Silicone gaskets in the lids helped grip and center the sticks within the pops, but sometimes those loose lids shifted in transit, making the sticks set crooked anyway. And its dainty frame required careful placement on wire freezer shelves to keep it from falling.
Recommended with reservations
- Eating: 2 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 2 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 3 stars out of 3.
This ice pop mold had detachable wide-mouthed molds that were easy to fill and clean, and testers loved the fact that you could stand each one on the counter for easy pop storage between bites. But its reusable sticks mean you can’t make layered pops with it. Deep drip guards got in the way of the last bites, and while its handle was long, it was too smooth for testers to grip easily, especially with wet hands.
- Eating: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 2 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 3 stars out of 3.
Testers liked that this interlocking detachable-mold model could be configured in a number of ways, facilitating storage in more tightly packed freezers. In addition, this ice pop mold was fairly easy to fill and remove pops from. But its drip guard got in the way of the last bites; its small, ring-shaped handle cramped larger hands; and the zig-zagging sticks poked users’ mouths when they closed in on the center of their pops. Finally, layers aren’t an option.
- Eating: 2 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 2 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
The best of the fixed-mold models, this version had a plastic lid with small raised loops that provided a tiny bit of direction for the disposable sticks. But with thin liquids such as lemonade, the sticks still set crooked most of the time. The molds were narrow and thus somewhat hard to fill and clean; because they’re fixed, it’s harder to control how many pops you release at a time. But this is a good cheap option if you want to do layered pops.
Not Recommended
- Eating: 2 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
This fixed-mold model could make layered pops, but the molds’ narrow openings made them hard to fill and clean, and their fixed orientation prevented users from easily removing one pop at a time. The disposable sticks set at all angles in the lemonade pops, such that it was difficult to remove the lid or eat the finished pops.
- Eating: 2 stars out of 3.
- Preparation: 1 stars out of 3.
- Removal and Cleaning: 2 stars out of 3.
This model made it relatively easy to make layered pops, but the benefits ended there. Its fixed molds were narrow-mouthed and thus hard to fill and clean. While the molds’ thin plastic made pop removal fairly fast most of the time, it was impossible to control the number of pops removed at a time. And with nothing to secure the disposable sticks within the lids, they set crooked in lemonade, making it hard to remove the metal lid and even harder to eat the finished pops.
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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Miye Bromberg
Miye is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She covers booze, blades, and gadgets of questionable value.
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