Matcha and Coconut Milk Ice Pops

You can eat an ice pop without a spoon, but it needs time to freeze all the way through. These six pops mix about 3 tsp (6 g) matcha, coconut milk, and soy drink in six molds. Allow 15 minutes to assemble them and at least 6 hours to freeze. To serve dessert sooner, sweet matcha recipes include creams made without a freezer.

• Preparation 15 minutes
• Freezing at least 6 hours
• Cooking none
• Total time at least 6 hours 15 minutes
• Servings 6 pops of about 2 1/4 fl oz (65 ml) each
• Tools a fine sieve, two bowls, a teaspoon, a whisk, a pitcher, a six-cavity mold with 2 1/3 fl oz (70 ml) cavities, and six wooden sticks

The coconut milk keeps a noticeable taste and helps make pops you can bite after a few minutes out of the freezer. Start by mixing the tea into a smooth paste so it spreads through all six molds.

Ingredients for matcha ice pops

• about 1 cup (250 ml) full-fat coconut milk
• about 3 1/3 fl oz (100 ml) plain soy drink
• about 3 tsp (6 g) matcha
• about 4 tsp (20 ml) water at about 167°F (75°C)
• 1.2 oz (35 g) agave syrup

How to freeze the matcha pops

1. Stir about 1 cup (250 ml) full-fat coconut milk in a bowl until even.
2. Sift about 3 tsp (6 g) matcha into a second bowl.
3. Pour about 4 tsp (20 ml) water at about 167°F (75°C) over the matcha.
4. Work the powder with a teaspoon until it forms a smooth paste.
5. Add 1.2 oz (35 g) agave syrup to the matcha paste.
6. Pour about 3 1/3 fl oz (100 ml) soy drink into the coconut milk.
7. Whisk the two milks until evenly mixed.
8. Stir the sweetened matcha paste into the milks.
9. Pour the mixture into a pitcher.
10. Pour about 2 1/4 fl oz (65 ml) into each of the six 2 1/3 fl oz (70 ml) cavities.
11. Insert the six sticks into the mold.
12. Freeze the mold for at least 6 hours, until fully set.
13. Unmold the pops just before serving.

If your mold's cavities hold less than 2 1/3 fl oz (70 ml), pour the extra mixture into a separate small container. Keep the matcha paste smooth before mixing it with the milks: dry specks will be hard to spread once the pitcher is full.

Orange, blueberry, mango, or chocolate: how can you vary them?

The base is plant-based. For orange, add about 1 tsp (2 g) finely grated zest before filling the mold, taking only the colored part of the peel.

For blueberry or mango, replace 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the soy drink, out of about 3 1/3 fl oz (100 ml), with 2.1 oz (60 g) smooth puree of the chosen fruit. Mix it into the milks before adding the matcha. The color will be less even and the texture a little firmer.

For a shell, melt 2.1 oz (60 g) dark chocolate with about 1 tsp (5 ml) coconut oil over a water bath. Let cool slightly for 2 minutes, dip the six frozen pops, then return them to the freezer for 10 minutes. This time is added to the base recipe. Check that the chocolate you choose suits a plant-based version.

Pops or scoops of matcha ice cream?

Here, the mold makes six servings held by wooden sticks. Matcha ice cream is scooped after a different cold preparation. These aren't ice cubes for chilling a drink.

Which matcha works with coconut milk?

For this sweet coconut milk base, we choose Essence matcha for frozen pops: a matcha meant for drinking on its own would lose its subtler notes here. Sift about 3 tsp (6 g) before making the paste.

Our tip. Wait two minutes at room temperature before pulling on the sticks. If the mold resists, run only its outside under a trickle of cold water.

Allergens. Soy in the base. The chocolate shell may contain milk or soy, depending on its label.