There’s something about popsicles that just make it feel like summer. They conjure up memories of childhood. Suddenly I’m a kid hearing the ice cream truck playing it’s melody as my sister and I run out to it and buy ourselves a treat. If you’re looking for that summer ice cream fun, try this recipe for dairy-free peanut butter cup popsicles!
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Special Ingredients for the Popsicles
The best part about these popsicles is that they don’t require any special equipment and only a few specialty ingredients. That means you can enjoy these dairy-free popsicles without having to run around and source obscure ingredients you’ve never heard of before. Pop a few ingredients into a bowl with a hand mixer and you are set. There are two special dairy-free items you’ll need to get, though.
Dairy-Free Cream Cheese
The ice cream part of this popsicles comes from a frozen peanut butter mousse. Let me tell you, once you try it you’ll never want to go back! In order to make the mousse you’re going to need dairy-free cream cheese. The good news is that these days you can find alternative cream cheese options in almost every store. My two favorite brands of dairy-free cream cheese are Follow Your Heart and So Delicious.
Dairy-Free Whipping Cream
Whipping cream is the other key ingredient to an easy mousse-like dessert. I know what you’re thinking, “how can it be dairy-free if it’s got whipping cream in it?” Well, there are dairy-free versions of that, too! You can find dairy-free versions of heavy whipping cream by Silk, Califia, and Country Crock.
Popsicle Recipe Substitutes
My daily life revolves around food allergies and intolerances so I’m all for figuring out substitutes. I can’t promise everything that you might try will work in this dairy-free popsicle recipe, but I always tell you guys to give it a try! There are a few substitutes that I know will work well, though.
Seed or Nut Butter
While these are dairy-free peanut butter cup popsicles, you could absolutely swap something else in for peanut butter. If you can’t eat peanuts you could try something like chickpea butter, sunflower butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Each of these should work as a one to one replacement for the peanut butter in the recipe. If the seed or nut butter you are using is unsweetened, you may need to add a bit more sugar to the mousse.
Regular Dairy
If you can have dairy, you can absolutely substitute that for the dairy-free ingredients in the recipe. Both the dairy-free cream cheese and whipping cream can be swapped as a straight replacement without changing anything.
Helpful Tips
I learned a few things while testing out this recipe that will make your life a lot easier!
Make them Small
These popsicles are a bit on the rich side. Frozen peanut butter mousse dipped in chocolate can be wonderfully decadent! That means that large popsicles can be a bit too much, though. So, use a smaller popsicle mold to make them. If you want to skip the molds completely you can even turn them into ‘ice cream bites’ but putting the mousse into a parchment lined baking pan, freezing, then cutting them into squares.
Freeze them Well
The first time I made these I almost trashed the whole batch and gave up! I followed the instructions on my popsicle mold which said to freeze them for 4-6 hours. When I went to remove them they would NOT come out. They just kept squishing and making a mess. Since I had waited a good 7 hours I figured it was something wrong with the recipe. In frustration I pitched them back into the freezer and went to bed, planning to carve the mess out of the molds and toss it the next day. BUT, my awesome son told me to give it one more try the next day and what do you know, they came out just fine! It turns out these popsicles just need a longer time to freeze! So, no matter what your mold says to do, I’d recommend freezing these for at least 18 hours (preferably 24) before trying to remove them.
Enjoy Your Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cup Popsicles
I don’t know about you, but I want to embrace my inner child this summer. Let’s do it together! Run through the sprinklers. Watch cartoons (I highly recommend Bluey). Re-create the fun of the ice cream truck by making these delicious and easy dairy-free peanut butter up popsicles! Let’s let go and have some fun!
Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cup Popsicles
Ingredients
For the Popsicle Base
- 8 oz Dairy-free cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup Peanut butter
- 1 cup Dairy-free whipping cream
- 1 ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For the Coating
- 12 oz Dairy-free chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup Refined coconut oil
Instructions
For the Popsicle Base
- Put your cream cheese in a bowl and whip with a hand mixer until it is creamy.
- Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat with the hand mixer until thoroughly combined.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time (in about 4 additions), mixing completely with the hand mixer after each addition.
- Pour in the whipping cream and whip until the whole mixture is light and fluffy.
- Put the mixture into a piping bag (or zip top bag) and squeeze into your popsicle molds. Cover, insert sticks, and freeze for 18-24 hours. After that time, remove from molds, put the popsicles on a parchment-lined pan, and return them to freezer until you are ready to coat them.
For the Coating
- Put your chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each burst.
- Remove only a few popsicles from the freezer. Dip them in the chocolate coating and place them on a second parchment-lined pan. Repeat this process until all of the popsicles are coated. Return to the freezer for at least half an hour.
