From toddlers to their parents, everyone loves an ice lolly in summer. Whether made from fruit juice, yogurt or flavoured water, they’re an easy way to cool down on hot days, and possibly even get one of your five-a-day, if enough fruit is involved. Kids also love to help make homemade ice lollies.

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But, if the moulds you use are fiddly to fill, take up too much space in the freezer, or are difficult to clean or store, making your own ice lollies at home might not be as easy as you'd think.

So, we’ve taken matters into our own hands, testing a huge variety of ice lolly moulds to find the ones that tick the most boxes, and are the best choices to help you keep your cool this summer.

For more unbiased expert buyer's guides, visit our reviews section to find 400+ round-ups of everything from the best cool boxes and best fridge freezers to the best picnic hampers.

Best ice lolly moulds at a glance

  • Best for super-easy unmoulding: ProCook 2-Piece Twisted Mould, £5.99
  • Best for fun character: Zoku Monster Ice Pop Moulds, £12.99
  • Best easy to eat lollies: ProCook Ice Lolly Tubes, £6.99
  • Best for large quantities: Kitchen Craft Deluxe Lolly Black Maker, £14.19
  • Best all-round ice lolly mould: Eddingtons Fab Lolly ice lolly mould, £11.19
  • Best basic ice lolly mould: ProCook lolly moulds, £6.95
  • Best ice lolly mould for avoiding drips: Eddingtons Sippy ice lolly moulds, £10.40
  • Best ice lolly mould for teething: Nȗby Fruitsicles ice pop tray, £7.50
  • Best ice lolly mould for small freezers: Lékué Kit stackable popsicles, £15.98
  • Best novelty ice lolly moulds: Eddingtons rocket ice lolly moulds, £11.06

Best ice lolly moulds to buy 2023

ProCook 2-piece twisted mould

ProCook Ice Lolly Moulds 2 Piece Twisted, £5.99 copy

Best for easy unmoulding

More like this

Pros:

  • Sturdy tray and lid
  • Reusable sticks

Cons:

  • Only makes two lollies at a time

Star rating: 4.5/5

The ProCook 2-piece twisted ice lolly maker comes packaged in an understated, plastic-free, recyclable box. The simple BPA-free, silicone mould feels sturdy and pliable, which makes releasing the finished lollies easy. Plus, it's dishwasher safe.

The handles for the lollies are a great length and slot firmly into the mould, but it's essential to insert them correctly so the stick itself runs through the centre of the lolly, not on the top, as shown on the box. When inserted correctly, it makes for a secure lolly with a handle to hold comfortably.

When frozen, the lollies can be left in the mould and covered with the tight-fitting lid, which is included, until needed. Despite the intricate barley-sugar twist on these chunky lollies, they came out cleanly with every detail intact. The only downside with this mould is that it only makes two lollies at a time.

Available from:
ProCook (£5.99)

Zoku monster ice pop moulds

Zoku monster pops

Best for fun character

Pros:

  • Enchanting monster shape
  • Good-sized 200ml lollies

Cons:

  • Not always a clean release

Star rating: 4.5/5

Zoku ice pop moulds come in a colourful box showing the little monster inside, which will undoubtedly appeal to children. The box has good information about what to use (fresh juice, fruit purée or yogurt) to make ice pops.

The BPA mould is sizeable at 11.5 x 30 x 3.5cm, so it will not easily fit into a small drawer freezer as it needs to be laid flat. Zoku suggests using the lid included to prevent spills, but we found that juice would seep under the lid instead and spoiled the appearance of our first batch of lollies. It's essential not to overfill the sections to prevent this from happening.

Each lolly is 200ml, so freezing took longer than other moulds (approx. 6 hours) than some smaller moulds, so it needs a little planning ahead. Then, after running the moulds under a tap for 40 seconds, followed by a twist, we easily freed the monsters with the features of each character intact.

Available from:
Lakeland (£12.99)

ProCook ice lolly moulds

ProCook Ice Lolly Moulds 4 Tubes, £6.99 copy

Best easy-to-eat lollies

Pros:

  • Easy and clean
  • Easy to hold

Cons:

  • Need to be standing upright

Star rating: 5/5

The silicone BPA-free ice lolly tubes from ProCook make the perfect ice pops, which is somewhat different to a lolly as no stick is needed. Instead, the tubes can be filled with juice, fruit purée, yogurt or even leftover smoothies – simply pop on the lid and freeze.

We struggled with storing the tubes in the freezer. When we laid them on their side, the mixture sank a little, making the ice pop misshapen and not as pretty. They needed to be upright for the best results, but at 19cm, they need a tall freezer shelf or drawer.

There are four tapered tubes in the box, and each one makes a 90ml ice pop. Not a big size, but still a decent amount for children.

We did find the ice pops froze particularly hard, so they may need defrosting for 2 minutes before eating. Run them under water for up to 20 seconds, then eat the ice pop directly from the tube – it's the cleanest and easiest way to eat them.

Available from:
ProCook (£6.99)

Kitchen Craft Deluxe lolly black maker

Nisbets ice lolly mould

Best for large quantities

Pros:

  • High-quality mould
  • Beautifully shaped lollies

Cons:

  • Handwash only
  • Plastic

Star rating: 5/5

KitchenCraft deluxe lolly block maker is a sturdy piece of kit with 8 plastic moulds and individual covers, a tray to keep the mould upright in the freezer, and 16 wooden lolly sticks to get started with. Each cover has a slot that perfectly fits the stick to position it correctly.

The block, when fully assembled, measures 12(H) x 11(W) x 24(D)cm, so it needs quite a bit of space in the freezer. However, the lollies are 10 x 3cm each, so they are a decent size.

Having the moulds in the stand makes them easy to fill and has the advantage of having an individual lolly, two, three or four to run under the tap if you want, and the rest can stay safely tucked up in the freezer.

There’s no mention of where to get the correct-size lolly sticks when the 16 have been used, and the block and moulds are handwash only. But, these are minor points for what is a great lolly maker and one which should last for some time.

Available from:
Nisbets (£14.19)

Eddingtons Fab Lolly ice lolly mould

eddingtons-fab-lolly-moulds-51b37a2

Best all-round mould

Pros:

  • Individual moulds are removable for easy storage
  • Robust handles

Cons:

  • No sipping spout or fill line

Star rating: 4.5/5

Eddingtons is the undisputed lolly mould expert, with a dazzling range on offer. But our favourite is this set of six moulds – it grabs the top spot because of how easy it is to use. A sturdy tray holds the individual moulds firmly upright while freezing, after which they can be removed and stored loose.

They also come in a pretty pastel box for storage when not in use. One downside, though, is that the mould is quite big when fully assembled, requiring a tall freezer drawer.

The handles are rounded, so they're not ideal for gripping, but they’re fairly robust. The classic rounded lolly shape makes the finished product easy to eat. The drip guard is generous, preventing spills, but could do with a spout to help polish off every drop.

Releasing the lollies from each 100ml-capacity mould is simple, as you can run them under the tap individually, and the plastic is BPA-free. Overall, these came top for a clever design that caters for both adults and children.

ProCook lolly moulds

procook-lolly-moulds-0ea3209

Best basic lolly mould

Pros:

  • Dishwasher-safe
  • Easy-to-grip handles

Cons:

  • Too tall for small freezer drawers
  • Tricky to release

Star rating: 4/5

This no-nonsense mould might not have the visual impact of some of the more colourful options, but it gets the job done without any fuss.

Flat handles with rubber grips mean the four lollies you can make in this mould are a lot easier to handle than some of those made in other moulds, and the lollies themselves are a classic rounded shape that’s simple to eat.

The mould has a 100ml capacity, and a fill line helps ensure there are no spills. Once unmoulded, the drip guard prevents mess, and includes a spout so you can drink any melted juice. Made from BPA-free plastic, the mould is also dishwasher-safe, making for easy cleaning.

Small niggles include the height of the tray, which will only fit in a tall freezer drawer (lollies can’t be stored individually), and thick plastic, which means removing the lollies from the moulds can take a while, despite the presence of tabs designed for easy release. Overall, this is a reliable, no-frills option.

Available from:
ProCook (£6.95)

Eddingtons Sippy ice lolly moulds

eddingtons-lick-n-sip-lolly-moulds-80be886

Best ice lolly mould for avoiding drips

Pros:

  • Sturdy
  • Comes with sipping spout

Cons:

  • A little pricey

Star rating: 4.5/5

Nearly all the moulds we tested suffered from a bit of spillage, despite the inclusion of a drip tray (which can spill if you don’t keep an eye on it), so the sipping spouts included with this mould are a welcome addition.

The mould is sturdy and easy to fill, and the handles come in bright, shiny colours that appeal to children. Each lolly stays firmly attached to the stick inside thanks to a clever circular design that offers more surface area.

Unmoulding is easy, and eating is a doddle – the tapered shape is pleasant to eat, and any drips are caught in the deep drip tray, ready to be sucked up through an integral straw.

The mould is dishwasher-safe, but this is also easy to handwash. Although it’s a little more expensive than some moulds, and is quite tall (you’ll need to use a big freezer drawer), this mould is a winner.

Available from:
Amazon (£10.40)

Nûby Fruitsicles ice pop tray

nuby-fruitcicles-moulds-9f09bb7

Best ice lolly mould for teething

Pros:

  • Easy-to-grip handles
  • Very sturdy

Cons:

  • Large footprint

Star rating: 4/5

This shiny, brightly coloured mould looks like a children’s toy, and is aimed at babies aged six months and older. Designed to hold and freeze 30ml portions of breast milk or purée to soothe teething gums in warmer weather, it can also be filled with yogurt or juice for older children.

Round, thick handles that can be gripped with two hands make them easy for babies to hold, and the mould itself is smoothly curved, resulting in ice lollies that look like large dummies.

The mould is sturdy and creates lollies that are easy to demould. However, while the mould itself is small enough to fit into a large freezer drawer, it does take up quite a bit of freezer space for such small lollies. Otherwise, this is a cleverly designed mould that does the job well.

Available from:
Nuby (£8)
Amazon (£7.50)

Lékué Kit stackable popsicles (four-pack)

lekue-lolly-moulds-d0bdba5

Best ice lolly mould for small freezers

Pros:

  • Stackable for small freezers
  • Sturdy

Cons:

  • Fiddly to remove from mould
  • Expensive

Star rating: 4/5

This set of four individual moulds is ideal for smaller freezers, taking up barely any more room than the lolly itself.

Simply lay each 95ml-capacity silicone mould (with integrated stick) flat, then fill with a lolly recipe of your choice and freeze. You can also stack all four moulds on top of each other while freezing.

The moulds come with a recipe booklet that includes ideas such as red fruit and almond milk lollies, and mango and yogurt ones.

There's no need to run your frozen lollies under the hot tap to get them out, either. Instead, the mould peels off the lolly. This can be a little bit fiddly, but is less messy than using hot water. Plus, there’s no need to keep tugging to see if the lolly has freed itself from the mould.

Each mould holds 95ml and is BPA-free, making it suitable for children. They're also dishwasher-safe. Although a little pricier than average, these moulds are a worthwhile investment for smaller freezers.

Available from:
Lékué (£16.90)
Amazon (£15.98)

Eddingtons rocket ice lolly moulds

eddingtons-rocket-moulds-5ae4c32

Best novelty ice lolly moulds

Pros:

  • Fun rocket shape
  • Sturdy design

Cons:

  • Very large footprint

Star rating: 4/5

We loved these lolly moulds. Adults and kids alike enjoy chomping through a classic rocket lolly, and these were the best rocket-shaped moulds we tested.

Six individual moulds fit securely into the base, and, once frozen, can be removed and stored separately. Moulds are easy to fill, and the lollies are easy to remove, with clear plastic that helps you see when they’re ready to be released.

The rocket shape is impressively detailed, and the sticks are sturdy, meaning that although this is a tall lolly, it’s well-balanced and easy to grip.

Speaking of height, the main downside of this mould is its size. The base has a large footprint, and the moulds are tall, so you’ll need plenty of space to freeze your lollies. The stick inside is also quite long for small mouths.

On the upside, the accompanying box is relatively small, which makes the moulds easy to store. They’re also dishwasher-safe, making washing crevices no hassle. Although not a budget option, this is a great choice for a hit of nostalgia.

Available from:
Amazon (£11.06)

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What we looked for in ice lolly moulds

Compact design: As well as fitting easily into an average-sized freezer drawer, we looked for moulds that could be put away in a cupboard easily, too. Moulds that came in boxes suitable for storage, could be stacked or individually removed, or fit into an icebox got bonus points.

Sturdiness: We wanted to avoid spills, so any moulds that had a tendency to tip in the freezer, had very loose lids or were hard to fill were disqualified.

Ease of eating: Although spills will never be entirely avoided, we looked for moulds with spill guards and sturdy handles that were suitable for small hands. We also considered lolly shapes that were easy to eat, and smooth edges that wouldn’t harm hands.

Volume: The government advises that children are limited to a combined total of 150ml of fruit juice or smoothie a day, so all the moulds we tested were 150ml-capacity or under.

Unmoulding: Most lolly moulds need to be run under a warm tap to release the lollies, but if it was too fiddly or tricky to achieve – or left the lolly stick behind – we took note.

Safety: All the moulds we tested were BPA-free.

Cleaning: If the moulds weren’t dishwasher-safe, we looked at how tricky they were to clean by hand.

How we tested ice lolly moulds

After washing each mould thoroughly, we filled them with yogurt and fruit juice to check that the sticks stayed attached and both were equally easy to unmould.

We looked at how easy the moulds were to fill, how sturdy they were in the freezer – no sticks being knocked sideways – and how well they fit into an icebox and a medium freezer drawer, as well as a large freezer drawer.

When eating the lollies, we noted how pleasant they were to eat, if dripping was a big issue, and if washing-up was easy to do.

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