Cola ice lollies with the Thermomix® work with three ingredients in under 5 minutes of active work: 500 g water, 130 g cola syrup and 2 tsp vanilla sugar. The most important decision we make right at the start, and it is the reason our lollies still taste of cola after freezing: we use syrup instead of bottled cola.
We make these lollies every summer as soon as the first hot days arrive. They are the ones that disappear fastest, because they taste exactly like what children and adults remember from the outdoor pool. If you prefer something fruity, we also have a lemon ice lolly with the Thermomix® that follows the same basic logic.
Cola Ice Lolly with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 500 g water
- 130 g cola syrup
Instructions 0 / 3
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1
Pulverise the sugar.
Add the sugar to the mixing bowl and pulverise for 10 seconds / speed 10.
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2
Blend the ingredients.
Add the water and syrup and blend for 20 seconds / speed 10.
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3
Freeze.
Fill the mixture into ice lolly bags or ice lolly moulds, seal well and freeze.
Tip: You can also serve your cola ice lolly half-frozen as a slush.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why cola syrup saves the whole recipe
Bottled cola contains carbonation. When you freeze it, the CO2 escapes completely, and the lolly tastes flat and thin afterwards. That is the mistake most recipes make. Cola syrup is the concentrate behind it, without the bubbles. We use 130 g of syrup to 500 g of water, which is slightly sweeter than a can of cola. That way the cola flavour stays noticeable even when frozen, because cold temperatures dull every flavour on the palate.
There is a practical advantage too: syrup can be weighed to the gram, directly in the mixing bowl. We skip the degassing, the shaking and the leaving cola standing open that other sites describe. Cola syrup is available in supermarkets or online, and if you like, you can even blend your own syrup from scratch beforehand.
Pulverise the sugar first, then blend
The Thermomix® handles these lollies in two short steps. First we add the vanilla sugar to the mixing bowl and pulverise it for 10 seconds at speed 10. That sounds like a minor detail, but it matters: fine sugar dissolves faster and more evenly in cold liquid. No lumps sitting at the bottom of the mould.
Then we add 500 g water and 130 g cola syrup, and blend everything for 20 seconds at speed 10. That is all it takes. The mixture is ready to fill straight away. Each serving comes to around 54 calories, and the recipe makes 7 pieces. If you want to use real vanilla instead of vanilla sugar: pulverise one vanilla pod with a little plain sugar at speed 10 for a moment, then carry on exactly the same way.
The right mould determines the character
There are two options, both good but different. Ice lolly bags give you the classic squeeze-up lolly from the outdoor pool: you push the ice up from the bottom and there is no stick at all. Reusable ice lolly moulds with sticks are a more practical choice and easier to portion after freezing.
For both, there is one rule that often gets forgotten: do not fill them too full. The mixture expands as it freezes, and a mould filled to the brim will overflow or split at the seal. We leave about a centimetre of space at the top. Decorative sticks or colourful lolly sticks make the mould version prettier for children’s birthday parties, but they are not essential.
Where cola ice lollies most often go wrong
Using bottled cola instead of syrup
This is the classic mistake. The carbonation escapes during freezing, and the lolly ends up flat and tastes of frozen sugar water. Our solution: use cola syrup. If you only have cola to hand, you need to let it go completely flat first, ideally overnight in the fridge with the lid off, and you still lose flavour.
Expecting too short a freezing time
Many sites say 24 hours is a firm requirement. That is not quite right. Our solution: in a thin ice lolly bag, 6 to 8 hours is usually enough. Thick moulds with sticks take a little longer. The high sugar content lowers the freezing point, so cola lollies always need more time than a plain fruit juice lolly.
The lolly breaks when you unmould it
With solid moulds, the lolly tends to crack if you pull too hard. Our solution: hold the mould briefly under lukewarm water for just a few seconds. The lolly releases cleanly without breaking and the stick stays in.
Lime juice, Cola Zero and other syrup varieties
With lime juice: If you find the syrup too one-dimensionally sweet, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of lime juice to the mixture. The acidity cuts through the sweetness without covering the cola flavour. More turns it into a lemon-cola lolly, which also works well, but then it becomes a different recipe.
With Cola Zero: That works too, but the lolly will be noticeably harder and less smooth, because the sugar that slows ice crystal growth is missing. If you want to reduce the sugar, it is better to use slightly less syrup than to switch to sugar-free cola entirely.
With other syrup varieties: The basic recipe works with almost any syrup. Simply swap the cola syrup for elderflower, raspberry or woodruff in the same quantity. That way you have a second flavour in the freezer in five minutes.
What we pair with these lollies
If you like your lolly half-frozen, there is a third option: slush ice with the Thermomix®. That uses a different technique but delivers the same cooling effect on hot days. For a fruity syrup variation, a strawberry ice lolly with the Thermomix® goes well alongside it when you want a selection in the freezer. You will find a full overview in our ice cream recipes with the Thermomix®.
How long cola ice lollies keep in the freezer
In a sealed bag or mould, cola ice lollies keep easily for 4 weeks in the freezer. It is important that the container is airtight, otherwise the lolly gradually picks up freezer odours. Before serving, we leave the lolly to thaw for one to two minutes, which makes it easier to release from the mould and easier to squeeze from the bag.
Straight after blending, the mixture can also wait a few hours in the fridge if the freezer is already full. Once frozen, however, the lolly should not be thawed and refrozen, because the crystals become coarse and the texture turns grainy.
