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This paleo cherry chocolate chip coffee popsicles recipe combines fresh sweet cherries with dark chocolate in a creamy coffee-based popsicle.
I’m not even joking when I say I could live off cherries and nothing else during their teasingly short season. (Even despite all those warnings about the collywobbles my mom gave me growing up!)
Collywobbles or not, a five pound bag of cherries never lasts long in my fridge.
I always pick up a big bag of cherries with every intention of actually making something with them, as opposed to just stuffing them in my face as-is.
Cherry clafoutis, cherry pie, cherry jam. Even savory cherry-centric things like cherry salsa and cherry sauce for chicken vie for my attention and definitely entice me. But nothing can seem to dissuade me from eating them straight!
Suddenly I’m left with naught but the bottom of the bag, wishing I had finally made something with them this time. (I never learn though, lol.) Enter these popsicles!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Even if you’re short on cherries, you probably still have enough to make this coffee popsicles recipe. We only need 3/4 cup!
- The blend of coffee and coconut studded with chocolate and cherries is a surprisingly delicious combination.
- If you need a summertime treat to cool down with, this is it!
- These are vegan, paleo, and gluten free. They’re naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, but you can use any type of sweetener you like.
The Best Coffee Popsicles Recipe with Cherries and Chocolate
Here we use coconut cream for creamy texture. In addition to cherries, the main flavors are chocolate and coffee. Admittedly, there’s a lot going on flavor-wise, but somehow it works.
Plus, these pops are just so pretty! If those gorgeous flecks of red cherries and pieces of chocolate don’t tempt you, I don’t know what will.
I made these with Popsicle Week in mind because I can never resist the fabulously talented Billy’s Popsicle Week. Who could pass up a week-long celebration of popsicles? Not I.
Last year I made Vanilla Pineapple Popsicles and the year before I made Chocolate-Covered Toasted Coconut Pops, but I think these Cherry Chocolate Chip Coffee Popsicles are my favorite so far.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Coconut cream – Or you can use the thick waxy top portion from a can of full-fat coconut milk. This adds a creamy richness to our popsicles and makes them more like a latte.
- Coffee – Brewed strong any way you like it.
- Maple syrup – Maple syrup is a natural paleo sweetener. I love the subtle woody, caramel notes that it lends here. However, if keeping this dessert vegan isn’t a concern, you can use honey instead of maple. And if you don’t need to keep it paleo, you can substitute with simple syrup.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Salt – Salt pulls out the flavor of everything else.
- Cherries and chocolate – Chocolate and cherry is a flavor pairing made in heaven; why not add coffee to the mix, right? To keep these popsicles paleo and/or vegan, use a chocolate that fits into your lifestyle (for example, vegan Enjoy Life chocolate chips or paleo Pascha 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate chips).
Instructions
Step 1: Blend the Base:
Puree the coconut cream, coffee, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt together in a blender or food processor.
Step 2: Stir in the Mix-Ins and Chill:
Pour the coconut cream mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the cherries and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring occasionally. (This is so when you spoon the mixture into the popsicle molds, the cherries and chocolate chips won’t settle to the bottom of the molds.)
Step 3: Pour it Into Popsicle Molds:
Once the mixture is thickened, spoon it into popsicle molds, making sure not to fill the molds over the “fill” line, since liquid expands as it freezes. (My molds are 2 1/2 oz/75 ml and I got exactly 6 popsicles.) Gently tap the mold a couple times on a hard surface to help any air bubbles escape, then insert the sticks.
Step 4: Freeze:
Transfer the popsicle molds to the freezer and freeze completely, about 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of your popsicles and how cold your freezer is.
Storage
Once the popsicles are frozen solid, you can unmold them. Wrap each popsicle individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Cook’s Tips
- Use a silicone popsicle mold so you can easily peel back the mold to remove your popsicles.
- If you don’t have silicone popsicle molds, to easily unmold the popsicles, dip the plastic bottoms in warm water and they should slide right out.
- You can use frozen cherries instead of fresh cherries!
More Popsicles to Make
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Cherry Chocolate Chip Coffee Popsicles Recipe (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten Free)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut cream or you can use the thick waxy portion at the top of a full-fat can of coconut milk
- 6 tablespoons strong unsweetened coffee brewed and cooled
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3/4 cup whole sweet red cherries pitted and halved (or frozen cherries)
- 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Puree the coconut cream, coffee, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt together in a blender or food processor.
- Pour the coconut cream mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the cherries and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring occasionally. (This is so when you spoon the mixture into the popsicle molds, the cherries and chocolate chips won’t settle to the bottom of the molds.)
- Once the mixture is thickened, spoon it into popsicle molds, making sure not to fill the molds over the “fill” line, since liquid expands as it freezes. (My molds are 2 1/2 oz/75 ml and I got exactly 6 popsicles.) Gently tap the mold a couple times on a hard surface to help any air bubbles escape, then insert the sticks.
- Transfer to the freezer and freeze completely, about 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of your popsicles and how cold your freezer is.
- Once unmolded, wrap each popsicle individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- For easy unmolding, use a silicone popsicle mold so you can peel back the mold to remove the popsicles.
- If you don’t have silicone popsicle molds, to easily unmold the popsicles, dip the plastic bottoms in warm water and they should slide right out.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on July 13, 2015 and updated on July 11, 2022.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
Oh Faith. Chocolate + coffee + cherries? Be still my beating heart! All you need to add to the mixture is a bit of kahlua or baileys and they’d be perfection. I’d roll in that shiznat. So good.
Happy Popsicle Week!
PS. Cherries always turn into bourbon soaked cherries around here. I’ll have to pull some out for this weekend when I make your ‘sicles. Cheers! Pops up!
I tried making some coffee popsicle last week, but they were a little bland – I should have waited till I saw your recipe! Love the idea of adding cherries!
Popsicle Week? I can’t keep up! I’m good with it being National Ice Cream Month…. popsicles are just too much. But! If I had
these in my local store, we’d have a serious problem. I grew up eating coconut popsicles when I was a little girl. They were so good, I still remember them!
This combination sounds SO good!
Wow, I’m dying to see how you’ll top this one! These look amazing!
Chocolate, cherry & coffee sounds like a combination I would love especially mixed with the creaminess of coconut cream.
These look amazing! Love cherry and chocolate together; never though to put them in a popsicle!
these are gorgeous!!!
Cherries are by far my favorite part of summer also! I LIVE FOR THEM. I’ve never thought to pair them with coffee though…must change that!
These look so delicious, Faith! I’m with you – eating a ridiculous amount of cherries in their short season.
Hooray for popsicle week!! I love the look of these – and the flavors sound perfect! Lots of clapping emojis!!
What great looking pops and these flavors are fantastic!
I am really enjoying all of the popsicle week creations, but this one might be my favorite! I’m a sucker for anything with cherries, too!