How to Make a Protein Popsicle, Your New Favorite Post-Workout Snack

Popsicles always remind me of childhood. During summers spent at the neighborhood pool, I ate orange creamsicles between jumps off of the diving board. At home, the freezer was fully stocked with tubes of brightly colored Pop-Ice sticks that I tore open with my teeth. Sticky fingers, discolored tongue, full heart—you know the vibes.

But I’m learning that popsicles are for adults too. Homemade protein popsicles are a fun, low-lift snack that can refuel you after a workout or just add an extra boost of energy (and childlike wonder) to your day, says Christine Byrne, a registered dietitian and the owner of Ruby Oak Nutrition in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Whipping up protein popsicles is similar to making smoothies, with the added step of freezing them for four to six hours. On TikTok, you can find nutrient-packed popsicle recipes using Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and even blended cottage cheese (it tastes better than it sounds). The possibilities for the delicious frozen treats are almost endless, so we asked nutritionists about which ingredients make the best protein popsicles. Plus, we rounded up some of the best popular recipes on TikTok.

The Best Ingredients for Protein Popsicles

Start with a creamy base like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or milk (out of all the dairy-free options, soy milk has the highest protein content). Add in everything you like in your smoothies—spinach, peanut butter, fruit, honey, chia seeds—then pour it into popsicle molds and freeze. You can buy silicone molds online for less than $10. You could also try making “lazy” protein popsicles by skipping all the fancy add-ons and simply combining protein powder and water

If you want to avoid the taste of protein powder, Byrne recommends a simple three-ingredient recipe. In a mixing bowl or blender, add one banana, a cup of Greek yogurt, and a tablespoon of peanut butter (or an alternative nut or seed butter), then mix or blend until smooth. Since this may be too thick to pour directly into a popsicle mold, add some water or milk to thin it out.

“It’s sweet enough without adding extra sweetener as long as you’re using a ripe banana,” Byrne says. “And it does have a really good mix of protein, carbs, and fat.”

As for what not to put in your popsicles, Byrne says it’s best to avoid raw eggs, even though they’re high in protein, due to the risk of bacterial infection. Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of Regenerative Health, adds, “I’d avoid added sugars and any ingredients you don’t like the taste of—after all, we should enjoy the food we eat while consuming the nutrients our body needs.”

If you don’t have popsicle molds handy, you can pour your mixture into an ice cube tray, cover it with aluminum foil, and poke toothpicks or popsicle sticks through the top. The foil will help the sticks stay upright.

How Much Protein Can You Pop into a Popsicle?

Depending on your base and if you’re adding protein powder, Kirkpatrick estimates you could max out at about 25 grams of protein per popsicle. But to preserve a desirable taste and consistency, you might end up closer to ten grams, Byrne says.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, although athletes and other active individuals may need more than the general population. You can use this calculator to try to figure out a good starting point.

“Protein needs vary based on many factors such as gender, activity level, health status, and age, so it’s not always a one-number-fits-all approach,” Kirkpatrick says.

While it’s best to get your protein from natural food sources, Byrne says, there’s nothing wrong with adding protein powder to your popsicles as long as you’re getting enough carbohydrates and fats from other parts of your diet.

“On the one hand, protein is protein, whether it’s from whey or from meat or from milk—although there is a little bit of a difference between ‘complete’ and ‘incomplete’ proteins,” Byrne says. “All animal proteins are complete. The main difference is with minimally processed food, you’re getting more nutrients than just the protein. So if you’re making these popsicles with a higher protein milk or Greek yogurt or even blended cottage cheese, you’re probably getting more nutrients than you would with protein powder alone.”

Byrne also says protein intake will be limited by the size of your mold. For example, if a popsicle mold holds four ounces of liquid, you should probably only put in half a scoop of protein powder.

When Should You Eat Protein Popsicles?

These can be a fun pre- or post-workout snack, Byrne says, and could even replace a protein shake if that’s part of your post-gym ritual.

“You also could eat them whenever,” she adds. “If you’re including some carbs from the fruit and maybe some fat from peanut butter, it’s a pretty well-rounded snack. You’ve got all your macronutrients in there.”

One thing Byrne emphasizes: “A protein pop could be part of a meal, but these are not big enough to be a meal replacement.”

Our Favorite Recipes for Protein Popsicles

As we delved into the nutritional value of protein popsicles, we scoured TikTok to find some of the best recipes worth trying. Here are a few.

Strawberry Shortcake Pops

@alhelis.table High Protein Strawberry shortcake popsicles If you’re looking for a Sunday, reset inspiration check out this recipe. These Popsicles are made with simple and clean ingredients and they make the perfect sweet treat. Check out my LTK account for the popsicle mold link. To make 12-15 popsicles: 8 oz of low fat cottage cheese 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 1 very ripe banana 2 cups of frozen strawberries, chopped. 1 tablespoon of honey 1-2 crushed graham crackers Optional: 1/2 cup of chopped frozen strawberries to add to the blended mixture. 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips 1 teaspoon of coconut oil Steps: 1. To a blender, add the cottage cheese, banana, strawberries, protein powder, and honey. Blend on until fully combined. 2. Once to make sure it’s completely blended add the optional half a cup of chopped strawberries. 3. Add the mixture to the mold Leaving about 1/3 of an inch to add the crushed graham crackers. Add a few drops of the mixture on top of the graham crackers to seal. 4. Cover the mold with the lid and add the popsicle sticks. Place them in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours until they are completely solid. 5. They are completely frozen, remove them from the freezer and allow them to sit room temperature for at least five minutes or run them under the water to help removing them from the mold. 6. In a bowl at the chocolate chips or melting chocolate with the coconut oil and melt them slowly in the microwave, accordingto the instructions. 7. Place the chocolate in the Ziploc bag cut the corner and drizzle the popsicles on top. #highprotein #highproteinmeal #strawberries #frozentreat #icecreambar #icecreamrecipes #dinnerhack #clean #cleaningredients #healthydesserts #healthytreats #healthyrecipes #healthyfoods #mediterraneandiet #whole30 #wholeingredients #foodreel #foodandbeverage #foodcontentcreator #foodcontent #ugfoodcontent ♬ Apple – Charli xcx

This recipe requires blending cottage cheese, protein powder, banana, frozen strawberries, and honey. To add some crunch, the creator also suggests topping them with crushed graham crackers.

Supercharged Protein Pops

@anita.herbert My go-to “cool down” post workout snack 🤤 Details 👇🏻 Ingredients: -1 cup Greek yogurt -1/2 banana -2 scoops protein powder -1/2 cup almond milk -honey (adjust to taste) -1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional) Instructions: -Blend all ingredients together -Pour the mixture into popsicle molds -Freeze 4-6 hours -Dip in melted chocolate and crushed walnuts (optional, but highly recommended!) #healthy #healthysnacks #healthydessert #lowcalorie #lowcalorierecipe #lowcaloriedessert #healthyrecipes #healthyliving ♬ original sound – summer audios

If you have a sweet tooth and want to fit in some extra protein powder, you can blend Greek yogurt, a banana, your powder of choice, almond milk, and honey, this creator suggests. Dip it in chocolate and nuts or chopped-up pieces of fruit for extra pizzazz.

It’s PB&J Time (Popsicle Edition)

@stayathomedad Kids PB&J Protien Popsicles! #sahd #dad #mom #sahm #popsicle #Recipe #EasyRecipe #warmweather #quickrecipes #food #cooking #parent #parenting #chaos #yum #kids #Love #inspo #DIY #happy #fun #fypシ゚viral #fypage ♬ original sound – Stayathomedad

This creator blended up raspberries, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, milk, and honey for PB&J-inspired popsicles. These are bound to be a kid-favorite.

For the Candy Bar Lovers

@thebigleybasics frozen reese’s peanut butter pops! they’re gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free, and can even be made sugar free and high protein! for the popsicles: •1 cup unsweetened yogurt (i used dairy free) •1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) •1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (i like raw honey or pure maple syrup) •peanuts and dark chocolate chips/chunks for the chocolate coating: •5oz dark chocolate (i used dairy free) •2 tsp coconut oil instructions: 1. add the yogurt, peanut butter and sweetener to a bowl and mix until smooth. 2. place 6 dollops of yogurt on a tray lined with parchment paper and place a popsicle stick in each yogurt dollop, being sure to cover the tips of the popsicle sticks with yogurt. top the yogurt with chocolate chips/chunks or peanuts. 3. place in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen. once frozen, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil. 4. remove the popsicles from the tray and dip in the melted chocolate. place back in the freezer until the chocolate is hardened. 5. once the chocolate is hardened, remove the popsicles from the freezer and enjoy (i like to let them sit out for 5-10 minutes before eating so the yogurt filling is soft!). notes: •to make them sugar free use vanilla protein powder or monk fruit for the filling and sugar free dark chocolate for the coating •to make them refined sugar free use refined sugar free dark chocolate or make your own chocolate coating with unsweetened chocolate (simply melt 2oz unsweetened chocolate with 1 tbs coconut oil and then stir in 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup) enjoy!🍫🥜 #reesespeanutbuttercups #reesespeanutbutter #peanutbutterchocolate #popsicles #frozenyogurt #homemadepopsicles #healthypopsicles #frozendessert #healthydessert #dairyfreedessert #ketodessert #refinedsugarfree #lowcarbdessert #proteindessert #proteinyogurt #vegandessert #nobakedessert #easyhealthyrecipes #easydessert #reeses #kidfriendlyrecipe ♬ love nwantinti (ah ah ah) – CKay

These popsicles are nice because you don’t need a mold—you can just add dollops of the mixture to a pan lined with parchment paper, then stick popsicle sticks on top before freezing.  The recipe includes yogurt, peanut butter, peanuts, a natural sweetener like honey, and melted chocolate. You could probably sneak in some protein powder, too, as you could with any of these recipes. Cheers!