Ice pops are a delectable summer treat when the sun beats down on you. But what if the sun beats down on your ice pops? Can you refreeze ice pops?
Yes, you can refreeze ice pops and enjoy them as a cold treat, even if they were nothing but liquid a few hours ago.
There are different varieties of ice pops, but we will mostly discuss the standard variety. But the different types include fruit bars, popsicles, and cream-based ice pops. If you have discovered your tasty ice pops have melted into a colorful puddle in your freezer, don’t worry. There is hope for them yet!
Keep this guide handy, so you can save your ice pops next time they become water pops.
What Is an Ice Pop?
Unlike ice cream, ice pops freeze in one position. Ice cream is whipped during the freezing process to prevent ice crystals from forming. But ice pops are just one block of frozen liquid, usually with a fruity flavor or dessert flavor.
Some consist of yogurt or real fruit. Some come on a stick, while others come in a small plastic tube. The plastic tube ones are individually packaged and portable, but most people prefer the kind on a stick.
How Long Do Frozen Ice Pops Last?
Commercial ice pops last in the freezer for up to a year. However, after a year of sitting at the back of your freezer, they are not expired or rotten. The flavor quality has likely decreased, making for a blander-tasting ice pop. And the consistency may be a bit off, feeling too hard or close to the ice.
Can Ice Pops Go Bad?
If you store your ice pops at a temperature below freezing, they should last you indefinitely. If you have a yogurt or cream-based ice pop, if it thaws and remains warm for too long, the dairy will spoil, and then you should throw the ice pop away.
But if you notice ice pops in your freezer that has been with you for a decade, they are safe to eat.
Is Refreezing Ice Pops Bad?
If they are ice pops on a stick, they probably lost their shape and may look super funky when you refreeze them. If they are the kind that comes in a plastic tube, they will refreeze perfectly, but this kind is often not as tasty.
Thawing and then refreezing proteins like chicken or beef is very dangerous, but ice pops are totally fine to pop back into the freezer. The main reason people avoid thawing and refreezing food is that it reduces the flavor and quality of the product significantly.
How Long Will It Take Ice Pops to Refreeze?
Unfortunately, refreezing ice pops takes quite a bit of time. If you were hoping to have this ice pop for dessert in a couple of hours, that likely won’t happen. It takes between six and 12 hours to refreeze a fully melted ice pop.
If you have a particularly cold freezer, the process will be closer to six or seven hours, and it also depends on the kind of ice pop. Ones made with water or juice usually freeze faster than ice pops with cream, yogurt, or other dairy.
Tips for Refreezing Ice Pops
Here are some general tips for refreezing your ice pops that have melted. If you’re struggling to freeze the pops again, refer to these tips that can help streamline the process.
Be Patient
Every time you open the freezer or touch the ice pops, you slow down the freezing process. Put them in the freezer and leave them overnight if you want them to freeze as fast as possible.
Re-Package
If your ice pops are on a stick in individual bags and they’ve melted, you can reshape them. By pouring the liquid into a cup or ice tray and leaving a popsicle stick in it, you can create a new ice pop rather than a melted mess.
Keep It Cold
Keep your freezer as cold as possible so the pops refreeze evenly and fast so you can enjoy them as soon as possible! Some people keep their freezers at a moderate temperature to avoid freezer burn but crank it up when refreezing ice pops.
FAQs
For more information on refreezing items like ice pops and other ice pop questions, read the frequently asked questions below.
What do I do with ice pops if I lose power?
Because you can refreeze the thawed ice pops, we recommend just leaving them in the freezer. Taking them out will only make them thaw faster, but leaving them in the cold freezer will keep them frozen as long as possible, hopefully until your power returns.
Will ice pops stay frozen in a cooler?
If it is a well-insulated cooler, the answer is a definite yes! But they won’t stay frozen forever. If you have a well-insulated cooler with ice packs, you can expect your ice pops to stay mostly frozen for between three and seven hours.
Can you refreeze ice cream?
Technically, yes. But we do not recommend this. When ice cream melts and then refreezes, mix-ins fall to the bottom, and consistency and quality of flavor change. Ice cream can become more icy than creamy when refrozen.
Why won’t my ice pops freeze again?
Your freezer is likely not cold enough. Most freezers have temperature settings, so set it to the coldest level until the ice pops are fully frozen.
How long does it take for ice pops to melt?
It depends on the environment’s temperature, but at a normal room temperature, ice pops will melt after about an hour or two. But ice pops sitting in the sun can thaw out in under an hour.
Wrap-Up
You can refreeze ice pops as many times as you want. Keep in mind that ice pops with dairy in them need to be kept at a moderately cold temperature to not spoil. As long as the ingredients don’t go bad, you can keep putting them back in the freezer, but the shape will probably be different every time!
