Bomb Pops
Published May 20, 2022 • Updated March 7, 2026
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I make these sugar free popsicles every summer, and my kids line up for them. Three layers of cherry, lime, and blue raspberry with zero sugar and zero guilt trips about ingredients.
The Bomb Pop (or Rocket Pop, depending on where you grew up) is the popsicle I always grabbed off the ice cream truck as a kid. That red, white, and blue layered frozen treat just screams summer. I still love them, but the store-bought ones are packed with sugar and high fructose corn syrup, so I started making my own keto version at home.
I’ve made these dozens of times now, and the process is really straightforward. About 15 minutes of active work, then the freezer does the rest. You build three layers (cherry red on the bottom, creamy white lime in the middle, blue raspberry on top) and freeze each one before adding the next. The waiting is the hardest part.
What I love about this version is that the flavors actually taste like the original. The cherry layer has real cherry extract, the lime layer gets a little heavy cream for that creamy white stripe, and the blue raspberry layer is tangy and bright. My kids cannot tell the difference between these and the ones from the store. I think these taste better because the flavors are more concentrated.
One thing I learned after making these with different sweeteners: erythritol-based pops freeze harder than you’d expect. If you use Swerve or Lakanto, pull them from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving so they’re not rock-hard on your teeth. Allulose gives a softer freeze straight from the freezer, but I still prefer powdered erythritol blends for the clean sweetness.
If you’re looking for more sugar free frozen treats this summer, I have a whole collection. My strawberry ice cream is the fruit lover’s pick. The chocolate chip yogurt popsicles are great for an afternoon snack. And if you want something creamier, try my strawberry sorbet or mint chocolate ice cream bars. I keep at least two varieties in my freezer at all times from June through September.
One thing I learned from reader comments: the popsicle stick situation trips people up. If your mold has long sticks that go through all three layers, you need to insert the stick after the first layer is semi-frozen (about 30-45 minutes), pull it out once the indent holds, then reinsert after the final layer. I cover this more in the FAQs below because I got a lot of questions about it.
These are also great for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, or any backyard hangout where you want something cold and sweet without the sugar crash. I’ve brought them to neighborhood cookouts and people always ask if they’re “real” popsicles. They are. Just without the junk.
How to make homemade rocket pops
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Ingredients
3 1/4 cups water -
1 cup powdered sugar free sweetener
-
1/4 teaspoon cherry flavoring extract
-
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or coconut milk
-
1/4 teaspoon lime flavoring extract
-
1/4 teaspoon blue raspberry flavoring extract
-
food coloring (red & blue)
-
popsicle mold
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make popsicle base
Add 3 1/4 cups water to a large measuring cup. Pour in powdered sugar free sweetener and mix until dissolved.
- Water
- Powdered sugar free sweetener
Red layer
Pour 1 1/4 cups of ‘sugar’ water into a smaller measuring cup. Add cherry flavor extract and red food coloring. Mix until combined. Pour into popsicle molds filling 1/3 of the way full. Freeze for 2 hours or until hardened.
- Cherry flavoring
- Red food coloring
White layer
Pour 3/4 cups of the sweetened water to a measuring cup. Add heavy cream or coconut milk and lime flavoring. Stir until combined. Pour into the popsicle molds over the frozen red layer. Fill until 2/3 from the top. Freeze for 2 hours or until hardened.
- Heavy cream
- Lime flavoring
Blue layer
Pour 1 1/4 cups of ‘sugar’ water into a smaller measuring cup. Add blue raspberry flavoring and blue food coloring. Mix until combined. Pour into popsicle molds on top of the white layer, filling to the top. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze for 4 hours or until hardened.
- Blue raspberry flavoring
- Blue food coloring
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bomb pop?
I grew up calling these Bomb Pops, but some people know them as Rocket Pops. They're the classic red, white, and blue layered popsicles from the 1950s, with cherry, lime, and blue raspberry flavors. My version swaps out all the sugar for a keto-friendly sweetener, but the flavor layers are the same.
What flavors are in a bomb pop?
The classic three are cherry (red), lime (white), and blue raspberry (blue). I stick with these for the authentic taste. I use concentrated flavor extracts from LorAnn, and they nail the original flavor. If you want something different, I've also tried strawberry, coconut, and watermelon layers.
Does the sweetener make these freeze rock hard?
It depends on which one you use. I've tested this across multiple sweeteners, and erythritol-based blends like Swerve and Lakanto freeze noticeably harder than what you're used to with regular popsicles. I pull mine from the freezer about 5 minutes before eating so they're not brutal on your teeth. Allulose stays softer because it lowers the freezing point, so if texture is a priority, that's the swap I'd make. I still prefer powdered erythritol blends for the cleaner sweetness, but both work.
Why is my blue raspberry layer pale or weak-flavored?
I had this issue on my first batch too. The 1/4 teaspoon in the recipe is a starting point, but blue raspberry extract varies a lot by brand. I use LorAnn concentrated oils, and I've gone up to a full teaspoon when the color and flavor felt flat. If you're using a non-concentrated extract, start at 1/2 teaspoon and work up. More food coloring helps the visual, but the flavor has to come from the extract itself.
Can I use real fruit instead of flavor extracts?
I've tried it. Pureed strawberries work for the red layer, but the color is duller and the flavor is milder than extract. For a layered popsicle like this, I prefer extracts because the color stays vivid and the flavor is more concentrated, which is what makes it taste like the original. Real fruit also adds natural sugars and changes the carb count. If you want a fruit-forward frozen treat, I'd go with a single-flavor popsicle instead of trying to layer it.
How long should I freeze between layers for clean lines?
I've tested this and so have my readers. 45 minutes between layers gives you clean, distinct lines. 20 minutes gives you a muddy blur where the colors bleed together. I aim for 30-45 minutes minimum per layer. The surface should feel firm when you touch it, not slushy. If you rush this step, you'll see it in the finished product.
Can I make these dairy-free or vegan?
I've made the white layer with coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and it works great. The coconut flavor is subtle, and the layer still freezes up creamy and opaque. I've noticed coconut milk might actually set a little better than cream after a few side-by-side batches. For a fully vegan version, that's the only swap you need since the red and blue layers are already dairy-free.
How do I insert popsicle sticks through frozen layers?
I got a lot of questions about this from readers. Here's what I do: freeze the first red layer for about 30-45 minutes until it's semi-set (not rock hard), then push the stick in to make an indent. Pull the stick back out and let the layer freeze completely. Pour the next layer, repeat the stick process, and keep going. For the final blue layer, push the stick in for good. This way the stick goes through all three layers without cracking anything.
If you want those layers to actually look like the picture, chill each one for at least 30-40 minutes before pouring the next. I rushed my first batch and the colors bled into this murky purplish situation. Took the freezing time seriously on batch two and the separation came out so clean it looked like something from a store. Four stars only because I wish this tip was in the recipe, but with that adjustment these are worth making all summer.
I have a very specific pool-parking-lot memory from childhood that involves a bomb pop melting faster than I could eat it. This version hit that same nostalgia button, which I did not expect from a keto popsicle. The cherry layer especially. My one note: the blue raspberry extract tastes a bit sweeter than the other two, so I'm going to dial it back a touch next batch and see if that evens things out.
Made a double batch Sunday to last the week, gone faster than I planned. The layering takes patience, each section needs a full freeze before the next pour, but once you get a system it moves fast. My kids pull one out after school every single day now. Already doing another double batch this weekend.
I've been making these every Sunday since the weather started turning, and my freezer is basically a bomb pop storage unit at this point. The three-layer process is more forgiving than it looks, you just have to accept that patience between pours is the whole job. Around batch three I noticed the cherry layer tastes completely different after an overnight freeze. Deeper, less extract-y, more like the real thing. I use coconut milk for the white layer because it's always in my pantry, and that creaminess against the lime works better than I expected. Two molds at once to get through the week, and I'm still usually back at it by Thursday. Spring is not ready for how many of these I plan to make.
The cherry thing is real. I noticed it too but couldn't figure out how to explain it in the post. Something in the extract settles once it's been fully frozen.
Added a splash of real lime juice on top of the lime extract and the white layer actually tastes like a lime popsicle now instead of lime candy. One thing: freeze each layer a solid 45 minutes before pouring the next one or the colors bleed into each other and you lose the whole point.
Real lime juice on top of the extract makes so much sense. The extract hits the candy note but the juice adds actual tartness that extract can't fake. Trying this on my next batch.
If you freeze each layer for about 20 minutes before adding the next one, the color separation comes out clean and sharp, like actual store-bought bomb pops. I swapped in coconut milk for the white layer and it held up fine, honestly creamier than I expected. Four of these in my freezer right now. The lime extract is the sneaky good one in this.
Lime is the one I keep tasting mid-batch. Something about the tartness that cuts through where the other two don't. I still do 35-40 minutes between layers on my end or the lines blur, but if 20 works with your freezer I won't argue.
Made a batch Saturday on a whim and my 9-year-old pulled one out of the freezer, held it up, and said 'wait, is this actually a Bomb Pop?' with that suspicious face she makes when she's not sure whether to trust me. She ate the whole thing and went back for a second just for the lime layer (she's always been a lime person, never cherry). Really good, though I'd go a touch lighter on the sweetener next time -- the blue raspberry layer was a little sweet for my taste. Cherry extract is spot-on.
The lime layer is always the best part. Blue raspberry does run sweeter than the other two, so less sweetener there makes sense. Cherry extract I'd leave alone.
Made these on a snow day in January because my kids found the popsicle molds and basically staged a protest. I doubled the blue raspberry extract since the 1/4 tsp baseline was pretty muted on my first batch, and the second batch was way more vivid in both color and flavor. Timing between layers matters more than you'd think: 45 minutes in the freezer gets clean lines, 20 minutes gets a muddy blur (tested both). Using coconut milk for the white layer since my oldest is dairy-free, and it sets just as well, maybe better. Already on batch three this winter and the molds are not going back in the drawer.
Protest over popsicle molds. The 45-minute wait is real though, I've learned not to rush that step. Coconut milk in the white layer might actually set a little better than cream.
My son lost his mind when I told him these were the bomb pops he used to get from the ice cream truck. His face when he tasted the cherry layer was worth every second of layering them. Four stars (only docking one because the blue raspberry could be stronger) but we're already planning a double batch next weekend even though it's February.
Ha, that face moment is the whole point. For the blue raspberry, just bump the extract. I use 1/2 teaspoon of the LorAnn concentrated, but go up to a full teaspoon next batch and it'll be way more pronounced.
Sugar Free Sweeteners have carbs! What kind of sweetener are u using that has 0 carbs? Even splenda has 24 carbs per cub. Curious what you are using.
I use Lakanto, Truvia Sweet Complete or Swerve. With keto, we don't count carbs from the majority of sugar-free sweetener since they don't affect blood sugar. Or aren't absorbed, just like fiber.
I love your recipes!!!! I made these and forget to put the "holders/sticks" in until the second/middle step. May I ask how you got you "holders/sticks" in and still have room to add the other two colors? Thank you, T
My sticks only went into the first layer, but you can freeze for 30-45 minutes with the first or second layer then add the sticks and continue freezing until hardened.