12 Frozen Fruit Flavored Popsicles, Ranked

Popsicles are a delicious frozen treat that was accidentally invented by a child over 100 years ago. Today, they're a summertime favorite for children and adults alike — after all, what better way to beat the heat than with a chilly fruit-flavored stick of ice? Unfortunately, not all popsicles are created equally, and you'll want the best option when that craving for something sweet and cold strikes. If you take a look into the freezer section of your local grocer, you'll find an overwhelming amount of choices. Which ones are best and which should be left on the shelves?

Thankfully, you've come to the right place to get those questions answered. I was given the opportunity to test 12 frozen fruit flavored popsicles and then rank them according to taste and texture using my food industry background. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article. Now, ready to discover which frozen fruit flavored popsicles should land on your grocery list? Let's get into it.

I know that Popsicle is a go-to brand for many, but these sugar-free tropicals just weren't cutting it for me. From the moment I unwrapped each one, there was an overbearingly strong artificial smell that almost made me gag — and this was the same for all three flavors. If I hadn't been doing a taste test, I wouldn't have eaten them after smelling this, but I persevered. For science.

Unfortunately, my reward in each instance was a popsicle that tasted almost as bad as it smelled. Now, this could be a personal preference thing. After reading the box, I realized these popsicles contain aspartame, and I've never been a fan of the chemical taste this artificial sweetener has. Plus, the fruit flavors don't really come through at all. They're supposed to be Hawaiian pineapple, Caribbean fruit punch, and tropical Orange. But, they all tasted exactly the same to me — like sugar, chemicals, and cold.

I'm not a fan of these Popsicle Sugar Free Tropicals, and I won't be purchasing them again. I highly recommend you skip these in lieu of better ranking options. Even if you're looking for a sugar-free option, there's a slightly better product on this list you should opt for instead.

After trying the first sugar-free popsicles, I was honestly a little hesitant to try these. But, of course, I forced myself to push forward so I could provide you with the most comprehensive opinion on fruit-flavored popsicles possible. Much to my relief, these weren't nearly as bad as the first options.

The fruity taste is clearer in these popsicles, and each one has some semblance of what it's supposed to be. It's not strong, but the orange, cherry, and grape so have a faint taste of those things. Unfortunately, there's still a moderate aspartame chemical flavor. It's less pronounced than in the first option, but still enough to interfere with my enjoyment.

These may be better than the other sugar-free option, but I still wouldn't buy them again. I don't recommend them unless you have to watch your sugar intake — in which case, this is your better option of the two I sampled.

There are two things I like about these Jonny Pops right off the bat — they're made with simple, organic ingredients, and they remind me of sherbet but on a stick. I'm a huge fan of sherbet and prefer a slightly softer texture to my popsicles because I think that makes them easier to eat before they melt. A little research on the brand and I discovered other things I like. Namely, these popsicles are gluten-free, kosher, vegan, and made in a peanut-free facility. That being said, people with allergies should know these are made on shared equipment with milk, coconut, and soy.

There are six layers of flavor on each popsicle, transitioning through cherry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry, and grape, respectively. Each profile is clearly distinguished from the others, which I think is excellent execution. Mostly, they taste good, although I'm not a big fan of the bottom two flavors. Besides personal preference, my singular problem with these is the smell, which is strongly artificial, paired with the faintest hints of fruit that's been freezer-burned.

Overall, these are a mixed bag and I won't likely buy them again, despite their positives. I also can't recommend them in good faith. You're better off making some homemade healthy popsicles instead. 

I like the serving size of the Outshine Mini Fruit Pops, which is a little smaller than other options on this list. If you struggle to eat your whole popsicle, like me, these could be an excellent option for you. Plus, the box contains three unique flavors you don't often find in popsicles: Mango, pineapple, and watermelon.

The mango flavor isn't amazing, which is the primary reason this box of popsicles ranked lower. It's a little artificial, and the taste is very light, like it's the ghost of flavors past instead of the real deal. However, the pineapple is good and tastes close to the actual thing, albeit with a mild artificialness and an overly sweet aftertaste. Watermelon is the best flavor and tastes very close to the real deal, with only the faintest hints of artificial flavor.

Overall, this box of popsicles may have ranked low, but they aren't terrible. However, the Outshine Mini Fruit Pops are easily outshone by other items on this list. They're mediocre, and the only reason I might buy them again (or recommend them) is their smaller serving size.

This is a twist on the classic red, white, and blue popsicle we all know and love from our childhoods. Instead of those traditional colors, though, these feature varying shades of pink and red. The texture is really soft and easy to eat, which is nice, and starts my tasting off on the right foot.

From top to bottom, The Original Bomb Pop: Berry Burst features raspberry, cherry, and strawberry. These flavors work really well together and the execution is fantastic, with each taste existing independently rather than melding together ... until you reach the joining edges, of course, where it's almost like you get two extra flavors. I especially like where the cherry and strawberry join because this small section tastes like the complete embodiment of summer to me.

I think this popsicle is pretty good, but there is a mild artificial taste and smell. While it's not strong enough to be a dealbreaker for me, it is enough to knock it further down this ranking chart. I won't purchase these again, due to personal preferences, and recommend you skip this in favor of higher-ranking popsicles.

This is the second popsicle from Jonny Pops on this list. And, like the first one, this is USDA certified organic, vegan, gluten free, kosher, and made in a peanut-free facility. Also like the last one, though, people with allergies should be aware that these popsicles are manufactured on shared equipment with milk, coconut, and soy.

Here we have another layered popsicle that was executed well — and I just want to take a moment to say that I'm thrilled about how well made all the layered popsicles are. In the past, I've had issues with some that just melted together to form a single unidentifiable layer, but the raspberry, cherry, strawberry, orange, and lemon in these Jonny Pops Organic Summer Sunrise popsicles each stand out as you make your way down. There's still an artificial smell, but it's weaker here than in the other flavor, which is why it ranked a little better.

Overall, this is a perfectly acceptable popsicle that could hit the spot if you don't mind the smell; I do recognize that not everyone values scent as much as I do. Still, I likely won't purchase these again because I prefer other options here, and recommend you opt for higher-ranking products.

When you think of popsicles, this is what likely comes to mind. The Friendly's Ice Pops are standard bullet-shaped blocks in vibrant colors attached to wooden sticks. In fact, everything about these popsicles is very standard, from their shape to their taste and beyond.

There are four flavor varieties in this box of Friendly's Ice Pops: orange rush, cheery cherry, mega lime, and grape blitz. Each flavor tastes like it's supposed to, with fruity profiles laced with a mild artificial taste that's largely easy to overlook. The mega lime is my favorite, and I believe it has the best scent. As soon as I unwrapped it, a strong fragrance of fresh limes filled the air and made my mouth water. The texture is a little harder, though, which I'm not a fan of.

These ice pops are good, but they're not great. I likely won't buy them again because I like other options more, but I would eat one if it were offered to me by someone else. I recommend these if you're looking for a variety box of popsicles for the kids, but overall, I think you're better off choosing a higher-ranked option.

If you've ever wondered what an Icee or slushie would taste like if it were solid, these popsicles offer an answer to your question. The flavors are your classic "red" and "blue," and the design plays off our brand recognition with the same fun colors as the real deal.

As strange as it sounds, I never considered what the red and blue flavors of Icees actually were. However, this taste test has enlightened me to the fact that they are, as one would assume, cherry and blue raspberry. The best way I can describe the flavor of these popsicles is to say that they taste identical to the drink they aim to emulate — and I do mean identical. The small tubes are a nice serving size without being too much, and they're very easy to hold without making a mess. As a mom, these are aspects I appreciate more than I can say.

I really enjoyed both flavors of these Icee Freeze Tubes. I'll likely be purchasing them again because they were one of my children's favorites and also gave me a little nostalgia. I recommend giving them a try if you have fond memories of the drinks or have children at home who constantly beg for Icees, like mine do.

With The Original Bomb Pop, we get another big dose of nostalgia. These were the popsicles my mother bought every summer, right alongside those Fla-Vor-Ice tubes. I hadn't eaten one of these in over a decade, and doing so for this taste test made me feel like a child again, which is something I appreciate.

The flavors here are layered, starting with cherry at the top and moving down through lime and blue raspberry. Mostly, the flavors stand on their own, except where two flavors meet and merge to create something unique. Each is fruity and, while artificial, not terribly so. My favorite part is the cherry at the top, but I'm also fond of where the cherry and lime flavors meet. Texturally, this popsicle is on the softer side, which is nice.

I really enjoyed The Original Bomb Pop — and, after trying it as an adult, I understand why it's withstood the test of time. Although I prefer other popsicles more, I recommend this to anyone looking for a reliable, nostalgic frozen sweet treat.

Before this taste test, I hadn't had any experiences with Outshine's products, but these Peach Fruit Bars have me wanting to try some of its other fruit bar flavors — and there are a lot of them to try if I decide to. Besides the flavors in the mini pops and this peach, the company also makes lemon, lime, raspberry, and pomegranate, among others.

When I opened the box, I could smell sweet peaches, and that smell only got stronger when I unwrapped my popsicle. I'm a huge fan of peaches, so this strong scent of fresh fruit had my mouth watering. Thankfully, this delicious smell turned out to be indicative of the taste. From the first bite, I was greeted by the taste of fresh peaches in a refreshingly cold form. The texture is on the softer side, which only made this option better.

The only reason these ranked lower is personal preference, but I'll definitely be buying them again as a way to switch up from my favorite option. I highly recommend trying these if you're a fan of peaches or popsicles that are made with real fruit.

Bowl and Basket is Shoprite's store brand, and it has always been hit or miss for me. For example, I'm not a fan of its dill pickles, and its barbecue chips came in last during a recent ranking I did. I'm still a big fan of several of its snack items and frozen foods, but that being said, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this taste test. So I'm thankful that I found myself pleasantly surprised by just how fantastic these Strawberry Fruit Bars are.

The bars are very sweet and taste like fresh strawberries, with no artificial taste. There's a lingering aftertaste that's faintly strawberry, which I found to be pleasant. The texture is on the softer side, which is nice — it's not quite as soft as some of the other popsicles on this list, but it comes close.

I'll definitely be buying these again if the top-ranked popsicle is out of stock, and recommend you try it at least once. I also think these popsicles would be a perfect replacement for frozen strawberries in a strawberry daiquiri — something I'll definitely be testing for myself in the future.

These Whole Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars taste very similar to my second-ranked option, but there's one big difference that sets these popsicles apart. This fruit bar contains chunky bits of real strawberry in it, which create a textural complexity I love — that's why this slid ahead to become my top-ranked fruit-flavored frozen popsicle.

There's a little bit less sweetness here, so the natural tartness of strawberries is allowed to shine through a tad. However, it is still a predominantly sweet popsicle with a texture slightly softer than our previous strawberry popsicle. The smell is also fantastic, with the fragrance of fresh strawberries interlaced with a scent I can only describe as "cold," with notes of sugary sweetness. I think this would be the perfect addition to Ruby Strawberry Punch if you wanted something a little more frozen.

I'll definitely be buying these again as my new go-to popsicle, and highly recommend it. Once you try it for yourself, you'll have zero doubts as to why the Whole Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars are my top-ranked frozen fruit flavored popsicle.

I chose fruit-flavored popsicles for inclusion on this list based on availability to me at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey. Of those available options, great efforts were made to include as wide a selection of brands and flavors as possible. Once chosen, I ranked each popsicle based on its taste and texture. To make my judgments, I relied on more than fifteen years of experience in the food industry, during which time I made countless ice creams and some popsicles. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about popsicle quality as possible.