What could be better than popsicles that are caffeinated and boozy? …Not much. These coffee kahlua popsicles are my grown-up take on kid’s popsicles – the perfect Summer treat that’s super easy to make!
These frozen coffee kahlua popsicles couldn’t be more refreshing on blazing hot, humid days. I keep them stocked in my freezer to suck on after gardening in the sun or biking for hours. I often enjoy these on warm Summer nights after grilling with family or friends. They’re great as an after-dinner coffee and desert in-one.
Sometimes I get a little experimental and play with the recipe to mix up my freezer stock. Check out the end of the recipe for some tips and flavoring ideas!
Before you get started
- Gather your equipment and ingredients so that you have them ready to go when it’s timeto start cooking!
- Make sure you have enough space in your freezer cleared for the popsicle mold tosecurely stand without obstruction or being on a tilt. You can use a small baking pan to help level the surface and support the popsicle mold if necessary.
Suggest Equipment & Appliances
- Popsicle mold
- Large mixing bowl or a blender
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Ladle
Recipe Yield and Cook Time
- Recipe Yield: 4 Popsicles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Freeze Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of brewed espresso or standard coffee
- 1⁄3 cup chocolate syrup
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 cup half & half
- 3 tablespoons Kahlua
Instructions
- Brew 2 cups of espresso or standard American coffee and stir the 6 tablespoons ofsugar into the hot, freshly brewed coffee until it’s fully dissolved. Let this cool to room temperature. You can put the hot coffee into the fridge to speed up the cooling process. Cold brew coffee can also be used here in place of brewed coffee or espresso.
- In a large bowl, measure out and combine all of the listed ingredients including the cooled espresso or coffee. Stir the spices and liquids together thoroughly. If you’d prefer to use a blender, combine all of the ingredients into the blender jar and pulse until smooth.
- Using a ladle or another deep spoon, pour the liquid mixture into the popsicle mold, dividing it evenly among the 4 popsicles.
- Tightly close the lids on the popsicle mold, place popsicle sticks in all 4 spots, and put into the freezer to sit for 12-14 hours or until frozen solid.
- Enjoy these popsicles any time of the day or night for a delightful remix on your much-needed coffee fix!
Tips and Tricks
- To easily remove the popsicles from the mold, run warm water over the mold and pull itopen gently. This will prevent the mold and popsicles from cracking and will make sure you can easily slide out your homemade treats. Be sure not to run the mold under warm water for too long, or else your popsicles will melt!
- Freezing alcohol can be difficult so be sure to only use the amount of Kahlua the recipe calls for. If you use too much alcohol, your popsicles won’t freeze completely and you will end up with slush around a stick.
- You can add some yummy toppings of your choice to this recipe! Try throwing some milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, or cocoa nibs into the molds before freezing!
- You can try this recipe without any sugar at all or with a smaller amount if you prefer drinking black coffee! I recommend tasting the coffee as you add sugar to it to make sure it doesn’t get too sweet. Keep in mind that the popsicles will get sweeter once the Kahlua is added to the mix.
- You can also make this without any alcohol at all! The popsicles will freeze more quickly this way and will become morning-friendly.
- If you can’t wait to make these and you don’t have a popsicle mold on hand, you can pour the liquid mixture into styrofoam or paper cups, place popsicle sticks into them before freezing, and cut or peel away the cup if you need to when you’re ready for your frozen coffee fix!
- If you prefer the cozy spice taste added by the cinnamon, you can consider adding 1⁄4 teaspoon of nutmeg and/or 1⁄4 teaspoon of cardamom to the mix. You can also opt to skip on both of these spices if you want a simpler flavor of popsicle.
Substitutions
Any of the following ingredients can be swapped for some alternatives at the same quantity:
- Half & Half can be swapped out for evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, or full-fat coconut milk for a creamier, sweeter popsicle. For a lighter and lower-calorie option, swap the half & half for reduced fat dairy milk, skim dairy milk, oatmilk, or soy milk. You can also use whole milk, almond milk, or your favorite coffee creamer at the same quantity.
- Granulated Sugar can be swapped out for brown sugar, coconut sugar, agave nectar, honey, or maple syrup! If you have simple syrup on hand that works too.
- Brewed Espresso or Standard Coffee can be swapped for cold brew coffee if you have that on hand. Any flavor or roast of coffee that you like the most will work for this recipe! You can use decaf coffee as well if you want to skip the caffeine.
- Chocolate syrup can be swapped for 1⁄2 cup of milk chocolate chips or 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (both unsweetened and sweetened would work). If you don’t like the mocha flavor you can take out the chocolate entirely!
- Kahlua can be swapped out for Bailey’s Irish Cream at the same quantity for a similarly sweet and creamy, boozy coffee popsicle. Again, be sure not to use more alcohol than the recipe calls for or else your popsicles won’t freeze properly!
Can you put Kahlua in the freezer?
I don’t recommend that you leave a bottle of Kahlua in the freezer as the consistency can change and become clumpy. Though Kahlua does contain a high amount of alcohol, the liquor may become chunky, inconsistent, and thick at below freezing temperature.
Unfortunately, the beverage can remain inconsistent even once it is brought back to room temperature and it can become very difficult to pour. Even if you are able to get the thawed liquor out of the bottle, the flavor and texture will have been altered when the Kahlua froze.
Freezing Kahlua in small amounts as mixed into ice cream or popsicle recipes does work beautifully, however! Be careful not to exceed the amount called for in the recipe, or else your frozen treats will not freeze properly and will remain in a slushy-state.
With all this said, you should store Kahlua and other cream liquor tightly sealed in a dark spot (no direct sunlight) and at room temperature or slightly cooler. It is okay to store your Kahlua in the refrigerator as long as the fridge is not near freezing temperature. Kahlua typically has a shelf life of around 4 years, but you might get through a bottle more quickly now that you’ve discovered these fantastic boozy popsicles!
