Clocking at 56 calories, these Protein Popsicles are the perfect healthy snack for Summer. They're fruity and oh so refreshing. Making protein ice pops at home is ridiculously easy, you just need Greek yogurt, protein powder and fruit. Freeze and enjoy guilt-free when the cravings hit.

Together with protein ice cream and frozen yogurt, these popsicles are one of my favorite desserts for summer. Protein popsicles are basically a protein smoothie bowl, but frozen into ice cream sticks. Made with Greek yogurt, berries and protein powder, they remind me of my to-go yog bowl. That's why I LOVE making these popsicles with protein powder, and I'm sure you will too.

Why you will love protein popsicles

• Quick and easy. Making protein popsicles is so easy, just blend all ingredients and freeze in a mold. It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes.
• Healthy and low calorie. One popsicle packs over 7 grams of protein, for just 56 calories. Whether you are trying to lose weight or want to bulk and build muscle, this is definitely the best fit treat for the diet.
• Fruity and refreshing. Made with Greek yogurt and fruit, protein powder popsicles are sweet and oh so delicious. The best snack or dessert to enjoy on a hot summer day.
• Customizable and diet-friendly. From fruit choice to add ins, there are so many ways how to make protein popsicles with yogurt. Further, you can also prepare them vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low carb.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Greek yogurt. This recipe uses 2% fat Greek yogurt. It offers the best balance between rich and smooth full fat Greek yogurt, and low calorie fat free yogurt. The benefits of using 2% yogurt is that the fat will prevent the protein pops from icing. You can replace Greek yogurt with lactose-free Greek yogurt, Skyr, quark, or dairy-free Greek yogurt such as thick soy yogurt.
• Protein powder. These are vanilla whey protein popsicles, made with vanilla flavored whey protein powder. You can prepare yours with casein, vegan protein powder, collagen powder, or protein blends.
• Milk of choice. I like unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any milk you like. Some recommendations are oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or semi-skimmed cow milk.
• Honey. In this recipe, the honey sweetens protein ice pops. If you don't have honey or want to make vegan protein popsicles, replace it with maple syrup, agave, or date syrup.
• Frozen fruit. I like making banana strawberry protein popsicles, but you are free to use any other type of fruit. Frozen fruit is recommended, but also fresh fruits will work.

How to make protein popsicles?

Step 1 - Make the protein mixture. Add Greek yogurt, protein powder, milk, honey, frozen fruit and vanilla extract to a food processor or high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. This should take around 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 2 - Freeze protein popsicles. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, leaving a small gap at the top for expansion. Place popsicle sticks into the molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until they are completely solid. Once they have set, you can remove protein ice pops from their mold. Serve immediately, or place into zipper bags or in an airtight food container and freeze.

How to store protein popsicles?

Homemade protein popsicles are great for storage. Before storing, you will need to let the Greek yogurt mixture freeze into the popsicle mold. This should take about 4 hours, but doing it overnight is recommended. Once they have set, carefully remove ice pops from the mold and pack into zipper bags. As an alternative you may also transfer them to an airtight food container, separated by a piece of parchment paper in between the frozen treats. Place in the freezer and freeze for up to 2 months. Whenever you crave something sweet, grab a protein powder popsicle and enjoy.

Variations and diet adaptations

• Make them vegan and dairy-free. Whip up a batch of vegan protein popsicles by replacing dairy Greek yogurt with nondairy yogurt, and whey protein powder with vegan protein powder. Of course, use dairy-free milk. Just as a side note, I recommend using a firm dairy-free yogurt which has a smooth and thick consistency.
• Make sugar-free protein popsicles. Making ice pops with no added sugar is incredibly simple, you just need to replace honey with calorie-free sweetener such as monk fruit sweetener or erythritol. Of course, you will also want to use sugar-free yogurt. In this case, my tip is to opt for flavored protein powder, such as vanilla whey or chocolate.
• Use fresh fruit. This recipe uses frozen banana and berries, but nothing holds you back from making popsicles with fresh fruit. The recipe directions & how-to won't change, so the choice is up to you.
• Swap out the fruit. I love the banana strawberry combination, but you are free to make high protein popsicles with your favorite fruit. Some ideas are blueberries, raspberries, a mix of fresh berries, mango, pineapple, or peaches for peaches and cream ice pops.
• Add some mix-ins. Experiment with additional ingredients such as coconut, peanut butter, almonds, cocoa powder, or chocolate chips (after blending). My favorite flavors are almond joy, vanilla and chocolate protein popsicles.
• Experiment with protein powder flavors. If you didn't know it already, I am a vanilla freak. I love anything vanillaey, so I made my popsicles with vanilla whey and sugar-free vanilla Greek yogurt. But if you have other preferences, then make yours with your favorite protein powder flavor. Chocolate and coconut are great picks!

Success tips

• The best protein powder popsicles are made with full fat or 2% fat Greek yogurt, instead of nonfat yogurt. The fat prevents popsicles from icing and makes them tastier.
• Of course you can make lactose-free or dairy-free protein popsicles, if you swap out regular yogurt with plant based alternatives. But if you do so, try to choose a product that has a texture similar to Greek yogurt, thick and creamy.
• Adjust the sweetness level of popsicles to your own likings. The amount of honey depends on protein powder flavor (most products are flavored and sweetened), fruit of choice, and yogurt used. Start with about 1 tablespoon, blend and taste the mixture. If it's lacking sweetness, add more.
• Feel free to customize this recipe to your own likings. From choice of fruit to type of protein powder, this recipe offers a great starting base for experimentation. And if you haven't already, I recommend checking out the variation ideas up here.
• Remove protein popsicles from the silicone mold by gently pressing the bottom and pushing them up. If they don't come out this way, quickly add the entire popsicle to a bowl of cool-warm water and take it out after some seconds.

More healthy Summer desserts

• Frozen yogurt
• Protein ice cream
• Frozen banana snickers
• Blueberry yogurt clusters
• Banana bark
• Keto ice cream
• Frozen lemonade
• Protein frozen dessert
• Strawberry milk
• Protein cheesecake